Oh, what a Knight!

Well in reality it was twelve o'clock in the afternoon when Ted, Joseph, and myself saw Christeopher Nolan's second part to his revival of the Batman series. Maybe you've heard of it...it's called...umm...shoot...hold on....ah yes...The Dark Knight, which by the way is the greatest superhero movie I've seen in my life. In fact, superhero movie doesn't even begin to describe it; thrilling suspenseful epic crime saga starring the Joker. Yeah, that sounds better.

Oh my god, I just realized this is a sequel! Sequels are never usually this good! One cannot even look at this movie as a sequel; it practically eliminates any recollection of its predecessors (I'm talking to you Joel Schumacher; I know, it must hurt your campy Batman and Robin which made me wretch).

Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan created a brilliant crime story that was dark, morbid, and incredible. Sure, the outcome was quite predictable at times, but what mattered was the suspense one felt at the delivery of the lines and the way it was filmed that kept every viewer on the edge of their seat. The cinematography was filmed with IMAX cameras, and yet I still felt the effect in a regular theatre. All I have to say is stay tuned for the review after I see it in IMAX. That's right, I'm seeing it twice...at least.

The music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard was the same as it was in the original movie. In fact, it may have been exactly the same. It may have been the same song throughout the entire movie. It is a good song, but I could do with some variety. And yet, this is one of those movies where the score did not have a factor for me. I almost did not notice it.

"You look nervous. Is it because of the scars?" The Joker asks this question to Rachel Dawes, and yet every member in the audience should nod their head yes because of the fantastic job the makeup and costume team did on Heath Ledger's character. As for the Batman, I have to say that I was impressed with the new suit, but still not the helmet: it makes him look like a bobblehead whereas in my opinion it should be a simple cowl like in the Animated Series; that looked awesome.

The special effects can really only be described with one word: explosive. The movie was jam packed (like that one New Yorker?) full of explosions left, right, and centre, all of them got my blood flowing and heart pumping. As for the stunts, they have one upped several action movies with their amazing car destructions, sky diving, and the Batpod. By the way, I know what everyone in the trailers has seen is pretty impressive; I assure you, you have not seen anything yet.

Alright, I've been itching to get to writing the next couple of sections since I got up from my uncomfortable seat. It is time to write about the amazing acting that was witnessed on the silver screen. By the way, if you feel as you read on that I'm missing someone, do not worry, I'm saving the best for last.

The minor characters, if you want to call them that, are played with stellar conviction. Morgan Freeman returns as the technological mastermind Lucius Fox. He still gives the sarcastic comic relief, but is also pivotal in a very dramatic scene and delivers. Gary Oldman also returns as Jim Gordon and, like in any movie Gary Oldman is in, is stellar and very committed to his role. Michael Caine plays everyone's favourite butler once again and, lucky for him, he gets most of the memorable moral quotes in the movie but also a couple of wisecracks; what can one say about Michael Caine, he's fantastic, especially as a British butler. The only character I was disappointed with was of course Rachel Dawes, also known as the major flaw of the Batman series. Unfortunately, she was only slightly better played by Maggie Gyllenhall than Kate Holmes, which isn't exactly a huge compliment.

Christian Bale returns as the title character, but that persona isn't exactly his shining point. His Batman is intimidating, yes, but one always gets the impression that Bale tries too hard with it, especially in that raspy voice which is sometime impossible to understand. We get it, your intimidating, now would you like a lozenge? I almost wish that Kevin Conroy of Animated Series fame would do the voice for him; everyone has to agree he had the most kick ass Batman voice. However one only needs to see his performance as Bruce Wayne to feel he's redeemed himself. You can really tell he has a lot of inner conflict which his double persona, and yet plays the cocky billionaire mask with amazing conviction.

Aaron Eckhart enters the stellar cast as the antihero Harvey Dent. His portrayal as the beacon of light for Gotham is absolutely incredible, his inner conflict just as visible as Bruce Wayne's. But then when his transformation happens, his persona changes completely, and Eckhart conveys that effortlessly. There is one scene in particular that really showed the character change; I'll quote my good friend Joseph Hammond: "It was like I felt his sanity shatter."

But the real star of the cast is none other than the late great Heath Ledger as the Joker. By the way, reader warning that no matter what I write will be anywhere close to the recognition he deserves for this portrayal of the role. There are really no words that can describe his performance fully, you really need to see it for yourself. However, I will do the best I can.

His version of the Joker is one that will be talked about as long as movies are in existence. He wasn't just a villain, he wasn't just a clown, he was an absolutely spine chilling homicidal, genocidal sociopathic maniac that would send chills up your spine just looking at him. His mannerisms and the way he talks cannot be mimicked. And all of the horrible things he does and says, he performs as if they were nothing with a certain euphoria that sometimes even makes the members of the audience laugh. Even those who have given The Dark Knight a bad review (all 10 of them) cannot help but compliment the amazing character that Heath Ledger has created and revitalized. Every time he appears on the screen, the audience is entertained. The scenes that he was in will go down as classic, especially one scene in particular where he plays the most unconventional role possible.

Overall, this movie may have its tiny almost unnoticeable flaws, but it still makes for the best live action movie so far of 2008 and one of the best in a very long time. I felt the same chills I did after seeing WALL-E however these were very different. Whether you are a hardcore Batman fan, a Christopher Nolan film addict, a late Heath Ledger mourner, or just in the mood for a really good movie, The Dark Knight will not disappoint.

I'd just like to point out that if Heath Ledger does not receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, I refuse to watch the Oscar telecast this year, because he deserves that and more.

"This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immoveable object." What the Joker describes, which Mr. Ledger delivers absolutely perfectly like all his other lines, can also apply to this film. After watching it, I almost wish that Christopher Nolan not continue the movie franchise because there is simply no way he can top this, and no way any villain he introduces can top what Heath Ledger did, and he unfortunately could not see what all of his maniacally hard work's final result was.

.9/5 (that's right, .9)