Batman: The Dark Knight Movie Review

The Dark Knight is Christopher Nolan's follow up to the re-booted Batman franchise and is not only one of the greatest comic book adaptations I have ever seen, but one of the best films ever to be committed to celluloid. 'The Dark Knight' is to 'Batman Begins' what 'The Godfather Part II' was to 'The Godfather,' a brilliant sequel and companion piece that builds upon the thematic foundation laid down in the first installment.

The film opens like a 'bat out of hell' with a glorious bank heist filmed in the IMAX format (along with five other key sequences) that introduces us to the main antagonist, The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger in what is truly the defining performance of his sadly short-lived career. From the first moment he appears on screen, he is utterly electrifying and menacing, commanding the viewers attention and illiciting a sense of fear like no other villain in recent cinema history.

The Joker is an anarchist and criminal mastermind with mysterious origins who is hired by Gotham City's mafia bosses, headed by Sal Moroni (Eric Roberts), to kill Batman, who together with Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) and newly elected DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) threatens to destroy the strangehold that organised crime has on Gotham City. But The Joker has his own agenda and as he proves time and again, loyalty to no one but himself and dedication only to chaos and corruption. He is a formidable foe who unlike Batman, does not operate under any moral or ethical code, making him far more dangerous than any nemesis The Dark Knight has faced before.

Christian Bale once again owns the role of Bruce Wayne and his gravelly voiced alter ego Batman. He brings an intensity and emotional weight to a role that takes a character from the pages of a comic book and makes him utterly believable in a real word setting.

SUPPORTING CAST:

Michael Caine returns as Bruce Wayne's trusty butler and voice-of-reason Alfred Pennyworth while Morgan Freeman reprises his role as inventor and CEO of Wayne Industries Luscious Fox who supplies Batman with all his fantastic gadgetry ala Q from the James Bond series. Both actors, as usual, shine in their respective roles, in spite of their limited screen time.

Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over from Katie Holmes as Assistant DA Rachel Dawes, who is torn between the two men she loves, Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne. Gyllenhaal makes the role of Rachel Dawes her own, and elevates it to a whole new level.

Aaron Eckhart plays the role of DA Harvey Dent, Gotham's 'White Knight' and in the eyes of Bruce Wayne, a successor to Batman. If you're familiar with the comic books or even Joel Schumachers 'Batman Forever' then you'll already know the fate of this character, but the real treat is to witness his transformation from an idealistic do-gooder and champion of the people to the villain we know as Two-Face.

The Dark Knight is more of a crime saga that just happens to feature characters that originated in the pages of a comic book, but at the same time, it stays true to each and every character, which is not an easy feat, and Director Christopher Nolan deserves props for achieving a fine balance that so few directors are able to nowadays.

The film delivers on all counts, and there's something in here for everyone, although its worth noting that even though its a comic book adaptation, I wouldn't recommend this for younger kids as the films themes are quite dark and disturbing, and the villains frightening, both physically and psychologically.

Excellent direction, a tight script, and fantastic acting all-round combine to deliver one of the best films of the summer, and one that I recommend wholeheartedly. Can't wait for the sequel...

DVD & BLU-RAY

Details of the DVD and Blu-Ray editions of the film have already hit the web, with a due release date somewhere in early December, so make sure to check it out, especially the sweet Mask edition and the collectible Bat-Pod edition. A must have for any serious dvd collector.