The Dark Knight (2008)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Runtime: 152 minutes

Synopsis: When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Entertainment Factor: 9/10

Verdict: "The Dark Knight" is considered by many to be the greatest superhero movie ever made. Some even go as far as to say that it's one of the best movies ever made (its number 4 spot on IMDb's Top 250 list proves it). And while I think that the second assessment is a little extreme, I can definitely get behind the first one.

I had my fair share of issues with "Batman Begins", and as a result was a little nervous revisiting its sequel for the first time in nearly a decade. I was scared that it would be the Heath Ledger show and that the film's issues would be masked by his timeless performance as The Joker. And yes, he's perfect in the role. He's menacing, maniacal, eccentric, and damn entertaining to watch. But thankfully, Nolan knew better than just rely on his theatricalities and instead made him the heart of the film. Everything Batman does is initiated by the clown prince of Gotham who is always one step ahead of his competition. We get to see Batman at his lowest, defeated on more than one occasion. I dig comic book movies that have stakes, and this one not only contains them but also builds an incredibly tense atmosphere around them, highlighted by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer's score, to maximize their impact.

"The Dark Knight" is, to me, a massive improvement over its predecessor but still came with a few issues I gladly would've done without. There were a few character decisions or plot elements I couldn't entirely get behind such as the phone radar thing, some lines of dialogue that felt very campy, and a few attempts at comedy that did not work in the slightest. But the main issue I had with the narrative was Harvey Dent's turn into Two-Face, which felt rushed, unnecessary, and out of character. Despite that, I'd still consider this to be one of Nolan's most impressive efforts as a director and simply one of the best comic book movies to ever come out.

FINAL GRADE: 8/10