Is the Dark Knight the greatest movie ever made? Well, no. However, this is as good a Batman movie as we are ever going to get, and it is possibly the best comic book movie ever made. This movie is twice as good as Batman Begins, and that was a great movie. This is a sure fire nomination for best picture, and it will be the first superhero movie to be treated in that manner. Scratch that, this ain't no superhero movie...
This is a slow moving film with a lot of layers. There are a few great action spectacle scenes, but this is a crime drama where there really are no heroes. Batman becomes the victim of his own choices, and in that, he is noble, and I guess that makes him heroic.
Christopher Nolan has created the best vision of this universe to date, and that’s because it’s so epic, detailed, and as realistic as can be. The casting choices are spot on, this time even more so with the replacement of Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhal. Morgan Freeman? Perfect. Michael Caine? Better than ever.
Heath Ledger? He’s truly the reason this movie is a masterpiece. The late actor’s performance is mesmerizing. He’s sadistically funny, but never a buffoon. No one could possibly top him, nor should they try. Everyone deriding him because he’s dead please shut up. He would have gotten an Oscar for this movie even if he was still alive.
How about Aaron Eckhart? I’ve always liked him, and this movie is really about him. They call him Gotham’s “white knight” in the movie, and you should be starting to put the meaning behind the movie’s title together with that admonition. He’s very strong here, and while he never quite gets out from under the Joker’s shadow, he doesn’t have to. Only at the end when his inevitable transformation occurs did I start to lose interest in him. I think that is basically because the gravitas enforces the change is never truly strong enough, but that’s just a minor quibble, really.
Of all the secondary performances, the one that impressed me the most was Gary Oldman. I cannot picture a more perfect Gordon. He is so good in this, you can’t imagine anyone else.
But what about Christian Bale? He is good too. Is he as great as the others? No, but he does an effective job. I think everyone’s in agreement about Batman’s growl: it was a little goofy. It doesn’t hurt the movie, but it is noticeable. I did like it when he growled at Eric Roberts in the movie, though.
The cinematography is outstanding. Gotham is a real city, like Chicago or New York. The Dusk shots with Batman overlooking the city, or sitting in his chair are incredible. The dark shots never feel like you are on a cheap set, they are bustling and busy and gorgeous to look at.
The music this time is better than ever, and the score punctuates the scenes nicely. The music that foreshadows the Joker’s arrival is creepy, and the action stuff heart pounding.
Of course the effects are well handled, but they are not the star of the movie. For once, in the first superhero movie since the original Superman, the movie is the star of the movie. It’s so good that I almost don’t want another Batman movie. I wonder if they could never possibly top this. I cross my fingers in fear.