Movie Review: The Dark Knight

Awesome beyond words.

Heath Ledger's last performance is probably his best ever. The story was even better. It's more than just an adventure; it's Batman's journey into becoming the person that he needs to be in order to help the greater good. Some say that it was too long, but I disagree; I enjoyed every minute of it. All I can say is: if you enjoyed the first Batman Begins movie, you'll enjoy this one.

My one criticism: it's beginning to go down the path that the first Batman series. The innovations incorporated into the sequel are taking Batman away from being somewhat believable (which is why Batman Begins was so cool) to unbelievable and eventually to comedic (see my Indiana Jones movie review for more on this). This one still left me with a sense of awe, but I fear that sequels will get more and more unbelievable. I know that it's a comic book, but part of what makes comics fun is the "realism" that can be used to make the unbelievable believable. When it crosses that fine line, I begin to lose interest.

I am also sad that Heath Ledger is no longer with us, hence we will never see a repeat performance. With that said, I think the Nolan brothers should begin to think about how they intend to end this series. My hope is that they create a third which builds upon the themes of this movies via the Riddler, a man that transforms Batman's mind from the Dark Knight to something else and Batman must rediscover who he is.