Movie Review: The Dark Knight

It's very easy in Hollywood for hype to get out of control. Expectations can build to the point that it becomes impossible for a movie to live up to its hype. But The Dark Knight lives up. It lives up in a big way.



While Batman Begins did a nice job of establishing Batman's origin, The Dark Knight benefits from being able to build on that solid foundation. No time is wasted on screen, action and dailogue all weave together to make a rich tapestry.

A big part of what makes the movie so exciting is suspense. The movie has a lot of surprises that keep your eyes glued to the screen. Whether it be Joker's antics or the tense moments like Harvey's scarring, you find yourself not losing focus on the film for fear of missing something. There is a lot going on in The Dark Knight, it's a layered movie that while abundant in detail has a very well developed and followable main plot.

Heath Ledger's performance is everything I thought it would be, everything it was publicized to be. What Ledger does with The Joker is arguably the most unique take an actor as every had on the character. Everything about the performance was right, not a false step to be found. His transformation was a complete one; when looking up on the screen you are not seeing Heath Ledger playing the Joker, you are actually seeing The Joker. I really could go on and on about Ledger's performance as there is just so much to it but in lieu of providing any spoilers I will instead encourage you to see The Dark Knight if for no other reason then solely for Ledger's performance.

As if Ledger's Oscar caliber performance wasn't enough, everyone else in the cast is at the top of their game. I can't single out any one in the entire cast that puts on a poor performance. All the returning actors slipped back into the roles very nicely. James Gordon, while an important character in Batman Begins, has an even bigger part in The Dark Knight. Like in Begins, Gary Oldman manages to nail everything that I envision James Gordon to be. Considering how involved Gordon is in the main plot of the film it is not a stretch to say that Gordon has made the leap from supporting to main character in the Nolan franchise. A special bit of praise goes to Maggie Gyllenhaal for stepping into the role Rachel Dawes and successfully keeping true to the character's traits from the first film. Aaron Eckhart does a stellar job of fleshing out the complex character that is Harvey Dent. His portrayal is unique but stays true to the spirit of character.

Final Verdict: Go see The Dark Knight as soon as possible.