This super hero movie is a rare film that drills deep inside the character and the script more than the action. It may be boring to a few people who despise waiting for 2 hrs; However I promise you, Heath Ledger will keep you amazed the whole time. Ultimately, Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" is a masterpiece, a film that doesn't just show off the visuals and action, but understands what deep pains and afflictions a superhero suffers.… Expand

You want action?! You got it!! You want a 185 million dollar movie that is perfect?! You got it!! You want the best f***ing batman movie ever?!?! YOU GOT IT!!!!!!!! It's just heaven for Batman and Cinema buffs alike. Hollywood should learn their lesson about making constant crap comic book movies. DC and MARVEL are the two big competitors while Dark Horse just sits quietly in the background and makes only a handful of movies that include the Mask, Sin City and the Goon which is yet to come out. DC has finally made a masterful super hero movie again. In an era where superhero movies unfortunately rule everything in the movie industry this is the golden light of the genre. Heath Ledger's performance made the movie for real. Without him it would still be great but not perfect. That's how important he is. MARVEL should learn from DC's masterpiece and not make another like MARVEL's Wolverine Origins. I hated that movie. The Dark Knight is a golden movie that nobody should miss out on. simple as that.… Expand

Agree with Ty Burr, Boston Globe: "Ten tons of expressionist murk... Dirty Harry crossed with Hamlet." They tried too hard, lost all depth of plot and texture. Just because a movie is "disturbing" does *not* make it "art." "...Begins" was much better.

I love this movie! Definitely the best Batman movie ever! Heath Ledger really deserved his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This is a movie I will remember for decades!

Yes I admit Heath Ledger turned in a very impressive performance. Christian Bale was also good and there was some excellent technology and special effects. Drawbacks were the combination of it being generally a downer combined with being too long. A hero is someone you're willing to watch go through all kinds of hell as long as he is triumphant in the end. It is depressing that he has to sacrifice virtually everything including nearly his life, catches the bad guy, and yet still ends up persecuted in the end by an annoyingly over-righteous mindset. The chemistry with Maggie Gyllenhall is non-existent compared to Katie and she remains also irritatingly righteous where again, Batman seems to sacrifice absolutely everything in order to help people and yet it is still not good enough for her. Maggie also is simply not attractive enough for this role. As a comparison, when you walk out of Ironman, you feel good, when you walk out of Dark Night, you feel depressed.… Expand

Overlong, disjointed, with a convoluted plot and a good helping of silliness and hype. Completely devoid of any charm, unlike Burton's Batman, or even Nolan's previous effort. No likable characters, apart from Oldman's perhaps. Bale now seems bored of the role. Freeman is still doing his 'Q' bit and I'm still getting used to Michael '..blow the the bloody doors off' Caine playing Alfred. Granted, Heath did very well. Batman and the Joker, due to their own reasons, pose no real threat to each other. Dent's U-turn from good to bad was laughable and the movie ends with a muddled moralistic pompous message that fails to truly uplift. TDK might still be riding on the crest of a wave of popularity and hype ( due mainly to one guys performance and untimely death) but I have a feeling the years will not be kind to this movie.… Expand

The Dark Knight is an entertaining movie that definitely does the comic book character, Batman, justice. The movie keeps its dark, realistic tone from the previous Batman movie, Batman begins rather than the campy and light-hearted look of Batman and Robin. The plot was interesting and gripping, wasn't plagued by too many boring scenes and the story runs at a suitable pace. It continues on from Batman Begins as the vigilante known as Batman continues to fight crime in Gotham City. Now I wouldn't have thought that the movie would be too long or not as long as Batman Begins because of no need to explain how Bruce Wayne became Batman but I obviously thought wrong. It's a long movie, maybe too long but at least it's a good movie to sit through rather than a pain numbing boring one. It's a typical superhero action movie with a dastardly villain causing chaos and killing innocent people. This villain in the movie is none other than the Joker. The Joker is played brilliantly by the late Heath Ledger. He nailed the Jokers personality with the way he acts and that make up he wears is freaky! He's a psychopath and a dangerous person but comes across in some scenes like the "Magic Trick" scene where he slams some goon's forehead (or eyeball?) into a pencil and makes it disappear - just like the Joker said he would do - as somewhat funny. I like when he's dead polite in the "Party" when he greets the party guests and wielding a shotgun and helps himself to a glass of wine (or some alcoholic liquid), picks it up, accidently tosses the wine out of the glass and drinks from it anyway! It's no Matrix in terms of it's fight scenes but they are good and well edited (unlike the last Batman film where most of the fight scenes were shot in extreme close up). The action scenes like the chase scene where the Joker is trying to chase down the truck transporting "Batman" was exciting to watch. The other villain, Two-Face is introduced pretty quickly and at least doesn't take too much time out of the running time of the film. The visual effects on Two-Face are authentic and make him seem more threatening. I noticed when seeing this film, there's 2 scenes that reference 2 scenes from the 1989 Batman and it was great that director Christopher Nolan referenced those 2 scenes in this movie. The Batcycle is cool and the Batsuit that Batman wears matches the dark stylish look of the movie. The music is dramatic and suits the film and sounded more epic in the cinema than at home. I know he talked like this in Batman Begins but why does Bruce Wayne as Batman, have to talk in a dull, broken and grouchy voice? Yes I know he's doing it to conceal his identity, but in the 1989 Batman movie, Bruce Wayne talked in the same tone while he was Batman rather than a different voice. Also one scene, which may seem epic, is very bright and may cause seizures! This is just a short review of a movie that I really enjoyed and I consider it to be one of the best if not the best superhero movie I've seen.… Expand

The Dark Knight is among the deepest superhero films ever created. The thing that made it better was the villain The Joker, who helped make the film darker than Batman Begins.

Bored me to death. Pretentious and humorless. Batman's irritatingly raspy voice and his stiff costume efficiently erased the whatever nuances Christian Bale wanted to convey. Heath Ledger was good but I wouldn't go so far as to give him an Oscar nomination in this. Better that people should give much more notice to Gary Oldman who imbued his character with a quiet strength I found totally captivating and believable. The plot was predictable in many parts and hardly original. This movie takes itself way too seriously. What we have here is a tempest in a teacup. Greatest comicbook movie ever made? Hahahahaha!… Expand

Ledger was amazing... easily the part of The Dark Knight. However, the film was unnecessarily convoluted, lacked any substantial depth, and could quickly devolve into cheap Hollywood banality. People are losing their shit over this movie, and trust me when I say I really wanted to like it, but i just ended up being extremely disappointed.

Inept political thriller dished up as a Batman movie, lacking in imagination and a decent story. Ledger's Joker was the only praiseworthy element but even so, nothing spectacular. If the poor guy hadn't had died this movie would not have been so insanely overhyped.

I have to agree with Karen. For me the best scenes were those that involved dialog. Movie strated very well, but just seemed to get more and more silly. Silly to the point where the story was not relevent anymore. A major disapointment as far as I was concerned

Some swell special effects . . . but I wonder, do you have to be a comic book aficionado to buy into the whole "superhero as tortured neurotic incompetent" bit? I thought "Iron Man" was a lot more satisfying.

The best superhero movie. EVER. I had a lot of expectations when I went to see this film. Batman Begins was so promising because it started on a darker and more realistic tone. The Dark Knight exceeds all expectations. It is darker, scarier, and a bigger ride.The old Batman movies and TV series were more joyful whereas the comic books themselves were more sinister. The Dark Knight is better than the comics. The atmosphere is bleak in Gotham City. Nothing but black thanks to the high crime rates. Batman helps decrease felony rates but Gotham needs a more normal person to take over. And that is Harvey Dent. However, the Joker marvelously played by the late Heath Ledger, is the only nemesis that stalls Gotham's hopes of being clean. And that path shows disaster as Harvey himself turns mad after the death of his girlfriend and the loss of half of his face. How Batman defeats both Joker and Dent is the main plot. But Batman isn't much of an adventure as it is a perilous journey in the experience of doom. It feels and breathes dystopia. There is no light. There is hardly any shelter. The music itself explains the tragedy. But then there was Batman. And that is what helps Dark Knight to succeed. How one person alone attempts to triumph in the lack of light. How he sacrifices himself to help his city from the depths of despair really makes him the Dark Knight. The cast has done a superb job in portraying their characters without going overboard. Christian Bale returns giving both sides of Bruce Wayne equal attention (the playboy and the hero) as he did in the first film. Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal also give fine performances. But it is the Joker that really makes the film terrifying. He is insane but believably played by Heath Ledger. The Joker alone is enough reason to see this film. But alas, people will say that it is the best part of the film even though there are several other reasons on why The Dark Knight is not just the best superhero film but one of the greatest films of all time.… Expand

i didnt get the hype behind this film . i know alot of people who liked it but i guess im not one of them . im almost wondering if it was because it was heath ledgers last preformance befor he died . well i guess for one im not a huge batman fan to begin with . well lets move on the critics where right though on heath ledger giving a great preformance as the joker i thought it would be really tough to top jack nicholsons version of the joker but he did a great job . im not saying that eather cause he kicked off he did actaully do it well. thats about really the only plus of the film that and the over all plot of how evil people can just light the world on fire and wach it burn and not care about any thing els wasnt bad eather . the main problems i have with this film are baal himself as batman . should i be laughing every time he talks as batman? well i am his low sounding raspy voice for batman just seems over the top and rediculas . i just kept laughing every time he opend his mouth . the film is also way to long like 2 hrs 45 min or some thing like that . it could have been easily cut to just under 2 hours. bringing in 2 face at the end i thought was just pointless for such a small roll and then end it the way they did . this film really wasnt bad but not nearly enjoyable enough for me to ever want to see it ever again or its sequels.… Expand

This movie is really just trying to disguise what it is. What it is is just another Batman movie. It added pointless layers of depth to itself so that critics could not write it off as another superhero movie. I liked it when it was just Batman beating the crap out of criminals, and not Batman being a political figure. I usually like Christopher Nolan movies, but he really was overloading this one and makes it complicated enough that the regular audience of Batman films (6-10 yr olds) wont enjoy it and end up calling it boring. In short, great as a superhero movie and confused as a political thriller.… Expand

If "The Dark Knight" is an unique, fascinating masterpiece is thanks to the nihilist tone, bleak atmosphere and profound story that director Christopher Nolan exploits with great refinement.

Everything about this movie wins, the actors, the plot, the action-sequences, the soundtrack, and every other factor that i've regrettably decided to leave out to keep this review brief. It's really surprising considering that every other DC film for the past few decades (Batman Begins being the obvious exception) has been quite the **** but from start to finish, the Dark Knight will have you glued to your screen, a must watch for anyone with a soul, and even more so for fans of Heath Ledger, the best actor ever :D… Expand

If you removed Heath Ledger from this film then it would be trash. The only good parts of the film are with the Joker and Heath puts on an amazing performance that will make you go out and buy the film and re-watch it just for him. The main cast was rather disapointing, The entire film was a bit too long for my taste, and it was actually rather boring outside of the parts with the Joker.

I thought this movie was unbelievable, especially joker. Everything was incredible from the special effects to the actors and of course. They got batman just right, because he has that serious feeling that is batman. As well as the joker with his sick and weird(slightly funny) feeling. Which is of course joker. And is of course one of my favourite comic villain of all time. In a way they are both perfect for each other. Serious and joke one cannot survive without the other. I give it two thumbs up. Best movie of 2008.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An almost flawless film. This did not in any way feel like it was 2 and a half hours long, it was the fastest and most exciting two and a half hours I've spent at the cinema, and at home watching this on DVD. If you want a tightly woven story, replete with character threads, themes and actions that have serious consequences, this is definitely the film for you. Heath Ledger is most certainly the star of this film, delivering a solid and menacing performance, that makes you feel like you wouldn't want to cross this guy in real life. Also worth of high praise are Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman, both of whom deliver solid, dramatic and emotive performances. I can't understand how people can watch this film and say it lacks plot depth and texture, seriously, most of the people I know who reviewed this thing had to watch it multiple times to finally grasp and coherently understand all of the themes that permeate this movie, from escalation, terrorism, criminality, evil's triumph over good, there is a lot more to it than the negative reviews seem to be wanting to notice. The editing keeps a fantastic balance of drama, character development and action, and there is never too much of one over the other. A lot of the negative reviews I've seen seem to boil down to either "over hyped" or "too long". If you're not going to review the film on an objective level, then you may as well just not post a review. The only criticism I'd give of the film is the post-Rachel death scene between Alfred and Wayne, which was a missed opportunity and fairly unconvincingly acted by Bale. Other than that, the film is a must see.… Expand

is the best movie about Batman, because almost all the cast and special effects that could use very well. The actor who do Joker is fantastic, but the woman who makes Rachel she has attitude and is very ugly

Heath Ledger gives one of the greatest performances of all time as the Joker and is really the only reason for watching this film (I re-watched his parts quite a bit). The acting is good and it looks great. The rest of the cast is ok, I expected better. To be honest, The parts without the Joker arent even worth watching and are pretty boring and generic. The addition of Two-Face works well for the story but I didnt not care for him as a villian or the actor who played him.… Expand

The dark knight will be the best movie of the year and possibly the best Batman movie ever. The only one that comes close is Batman Begins. If you didn't like the first one, it is probably because your I.Q. is too low to see all that is going on. My I.Q. is 148 and I still had to watch it several times before I fully understood the story and dialogue. Only then can you appreciate Christopher Nolan's genius and the great actors that make the newest Batman sequel.… Expand

The Best of the Best of all superhero movie. I saw this. And i absolutely love the story and the actions scenes. This dark visual style of Nolan is so like and epic drama action superhero movie. Heath ledger, you will be missed. For those of your who give this a 5 or less, you don't understand what is the true meaning of the movie is. then back off

I thought I was staying up to midnight to see a great COMICBOOK movie. I didn't. Instead I saw a GREAT comicbook MOVIE, the first one since Spider-Man 2! I can't fathem five supporting actors between now and the end of the year that could possibly shove Heath Ledger out of, at least, a nomination for the Oscar. I'm having a hard time thinking of five performances EVER that were better. GO SEE IT!… Expand

I saw this yesterday around 3:30, and my theaters in Westminster turned into the Bat Cave. They took the old posters from last year and graffiti-ed all of them to promote the Dark Knight, which was brilliant and a great reception. Never have I seen something like that happen since Lord of the Rings. And the film made it all better. It's not every summer you get a superhero movie that is a masterpiece. This was proven last year with, you guessed it, Spider-Man 3. I was hoping that this would be not be another one of those types of movies. And thankfully, it wasn't. Heath Ledger, my God, you can't imagine. He does a great job in probably the best preformance from an actor, not just in a superhero film, but any film, EVER. If he doesn't get nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars this year (despite the fact he's dead), I will throw the biggest ballbaby fit I ever had and I will be swearing more than usual. This film is totally dark, and it's not like Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, it's crazy. There are some very gruesome images in this movie even for a PG-13 rating. Which means do not take little kids to see this film. The film is far more superior than Batman Begins. It has great action and far better acting than Batman Begins, especially for the character of Rachel Dawes. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a much better Rachel Dawes than what Katie Holmes was. And it was like they took all the flaws of the first and got rid of it. And it ends well. I say see it, or you are missing out. I give this a perfect 10/10.… Expand

Spot on. Actually, beyond my expectations. One of the few long movies that requires the time to tell the story well and that seems to go by quickly. The complexities of the sotry and characters is wonderful. Let's see if this Batman series can keep the next movie(s) up to *this* par!

All the performances were great. Ledger is a far better Joker than Nicholson (but anyone who knows anything about Batman would know that was the case before seeing the movie). His performance is bang-on for what the Joker is supposed to be. The rest of the cast is solid, particularly Oldman and Eckhart in the less flamboyant roles. My criticism of the movie is that it takes far too long for it to really go anywhere. It spends almost two hours before we really get going. Additionally, the main idea of the story is rehashed over and over again. Okay, we get it, the Joker doesn't have any good reason for doing what he does. Now lets get some, you know, story here. I think that the archetypal aspects of the comic are missing and that's what weakens the movie. All that said, the movie is still well-worth seeing, probably more than once. It is not, however, the perfect film that many make it out to be.… Expand

amazing film.. and im not just riding some sort of "bandwagon" which is what ive heard some idiots calling it... i mean, if you love it, you're a dick riding bandwagoner? get the hell out of here! this movie was great... perfect direction, perfect screen play and perfect cast.. nothing was wrong with this movie.. AT ALL! and i saw this person named BILL M say... "Dark Knight ruined Batman - series should have never been written. DC should be ashamed!" are you kidding me?!?!!? LMFAOOOOO!!! hahahahaha! this dude couldnt even BACK UP his statement.. i would LOVE to see this guy back up his comments, but he cant... it just shows that he's an idiot.. very sad... poor guy.. i almost feel bad for him and his very pathetic life :( poor little guy :(… Expand

A Batman for the ages? No. Brokeback Joker in medical professional drag playing clinical terrorist unnerves like a Robin Cook hospital thriller, but it doesn't out-evil the Nazi overtones of Jack's Joker(Tim Burton's "Batman"), in which the bipolar master criminal defaces great works of art to a devil-may-care purple soundtrack. Because "The Dark Knight" distances itself from the comic book, largely by demythologizing Gotham as a fantasia of improbable architecture and rebuilding it into a city that could host Martin Scorsese's "The Departed"(a remake of Wai-keung Lau & Siu Fai Mak's "Mou gaan dou"(American title: "Internal Affairs"); the term "internal affairs" is sprinkled throughout the film), the notion of a grown man running around in a bat suit(nipples, or no nipples), comes off as nonsensical and extraneous, in a film spawned from children's literature that purports to be taken seriously; that wants to be mentioned in the same breath with a film by Scorsese, and not, say, "Catwoman". But "The Dark Knight" caught my attention late in the game when Batman(Christian Bale) asks Lucius Fox(Morgan Freeman) to play Orwellian games with the public at-large. The evocation of the Patriot Act turns into an endorsement of conservative ideology because it helps Batman keep Gotham safe. The end justifies the means. The Dark Knight is our outgoing president and Harvey Dent(Aaron Eckhart) stands for America. He's ideology in the flesh. Which half, which face, reminds you of our country in terms of the war against terrorism and foreign policy? The filmmaker asserts that our president's legacy, regarding the five-thousand dead and rising overseas, will change from a war criminal into a fall guy, for the country with two faces, once hindsight is given the once over and the history books are written accordingly.… Expand

Absolutely flawless. Unrivaled for its type of film. I've seen it at a art theatre and in IMAX and its worth it to see the latter. Ledger deserves an oscar for the best performance since anthony hopkins in silence of the lambs as a villain. Just go see it you'll want to see it twice as soon as its over.

Heath Ledger and the shots of the city are great. Everything else was pointless and incoherent. To many bombs and explosions. The movie can be compared to "the Wanted" in this way, I guess with its exaggeration of action and the only good thing being the supporting actor (Ledger in "Dark Knight"; Jolie in "the Wanted"). The martial arts would've been cool if you could see it (its shortened, zoomed in and the dark). Every scene is meaningless, and some could've had meaning if they weren't truncated. I guess Nolan wasn't trying to do that he just wants to make sure you walk away overwhelmed with nothing but wow there were so many explosions and Heath Ledger's Joker is scary. But, so what.… Expand

don't normally dig the summer blockbuster type movies...but i dug this one because of that nice heath ledger fellow...he explodes in every scene from beginning to end...his intro into the movie blew my mind...even when the joker wasn't in a scene i couldn't stop thinking about what he was up to...riveting...will never look at a pencil the same way again...awards for him will be given...too bad that they had to have all those scenes with that rich guy in a bat suit grunting around… Expand

This is one of the best examples of acting you could find anywhere. This is Heath Ledger's movie. His portrayal of The Joker is so incredible that every scene he was in I absolutely loved and everything else was "pretty good". Overall, a very good movie, but I really wouldn't give it a perfect score. But I am giving it a perfect score because you just have to see it to see Heath work his magic.… Expand

This is easily the best movie of the year in my opinion and possibly the best movie i have ever seen. Ignore the negative critics, they gave it bad reviews because they saw 100's and said "Oh no this could get better reviews than the Godfather so i better make sure it doesn't". With excuses like its not fun or it's too dark, you can tell they can't back up their evidence. Is the movie dark? sure but give me a break its a comic book based on a man who had his parents killed and is out for revenge in a way. It's not as dark as people may believe, it's got a lot of humor thanks to the finest performance i have ever seen. You can take all the hype and all you heard about Heath Ledger and how good he did but when you walk out you will still be in aw and it will still impress you. From the way he walks to the way he twitches, it is a beautiful sight even if it's not supposed to be. He is so good that you may actually find yourself rooting for him, but luckily Christian Bale is no slouch and like always he performes brilliantly. These two actors single handedely made the movie from a great category to a classic category. The only flaw which isn't too bad is the length but the more the better. Also, there are so many probems that come up in the movie and so many storylines that like some critics said it is hard to obtain all of it in one viewing. Like a great music CD, it's a movie that you could watch 10 times and on the 10th time say "Oh wow i never noticed that before". This movie is an instant classic in my opinion and not to upset anyone but i find this much more entertaining than the Godfather movies. Maybe its just me but i would rather watch this 5 times instead of watch the Godfather, even if the Godfather is a good movie.… Expand

It starts out as an interesting upbeat adventure with gadgets with an Indiana Jones flavor, but the more you see Heath Ledger on screen the more you wish he would stay there. The story begins to fall apart and there are too many villains to keep track of. Heath Ledger's performance remains as the only memorable feature.

I think that this is a classic. A brilliant, darker, and menacing portrayal of the Batman legacy. Its much more true to the graphic novels and comic books, and I'm surprised with some of the bad reviews. All through the movie, you get the sense of immediate threat, and its quite stark just how rellevant its themes of terrorism are to today. Brilliant acting, and obviously Heath Ledger steals the show, which some critics don't like! The fact that the bad-guy is the most interesting and best acted character isn't bad. What about Javier Bardem in "No Country For Old Men"?… Expand

I like scary/action movies. Ledger was brilliant. The action was mostly interesting as well. The Joker drops a few silly comments bringing comic relief to the constant seriousness. Iffy parts include OK-a-little-over-average acting job of Batman and Harvey. The actress who played Rachel was horrible but that didn't really matter. When seeing a superhero movie you always expect to atleast have a happy ending. This movie has none. It's depression after depression after depression of sadism and death for an overrun 2 and 1/2 hours. It could have been finished 30 minutes earlier if you see the ending. No one really wins in this movie, but it is suspenseful. If you like suspense, go ahead and watch the movie. But there is no positive excitement, its 100% run off of depression, fear, and sadness.… Expand

the first time i saw this i was in awe of its greatness. i ended up seeing it 5 times in the first for days it was out. and im not even that big of a batman fan. ledger's performance is nothing short of genius, all my friends agree that this movie has some of the best acting. this movie offers things for everybody, and in my opinion is one of the best films ever made

I saw The Dark Knight twice because I wanted to be sure that I really felt the way I did about a movie everyone else, including the critics, loved. Hey, maybe it was my mood that first night; otherwise, I would have loved it. Unfortunately, as a Batman aficionado, I left the theater the second time just as unimpressed. The question is how to judge this movie - as a serious pop art film or as a summer blockbuster meant to please the masses. The director, the very talented Christopher Nolan, has placed this film directly in the center of these two differing intents. Or perhaps he meant it to be a hybrid. As a hybrid, it is frustratingly disappointing – a standard summer blockbuster with moral and artistic themes, which are many times briefly or crudely handled. As a serious film, well…(and this is how it must be evaluated considering Nolan’s pedigree and the amount of serious themes threaded throughout the film) …one expects more from this film…I was bored and awaiting something better that I knew was never going to be coming. There is, frankly, too much achievement in the Batman mythos for a fan boy, Dark Knight aficionado like myself to settle for less than the sublime in a “serious” film such as The Dark Knight. Look at Batman Year One and The Dark Knight Returns – definitive of the modern Dark Knight – tortured, driven, stubbornly moral, obsessive…crusading against a corrupt society and establishment. Is this the man Christian Bale plays in the movie? Partly. What we are missing is the “dark” in the man. Nolan (and his co-writer, brother Jonathan) brings dark times and shady denizens to Gotham City. But the Batman is reconfigured to be a reluctant champion waiting for the day he can put away the cowl and live a normal life. The legendary Batman fights towards the day evil would be defeated. Bruce Wayne’s bigger-than-life personality is disappointingly reduced. The film’s themes are similar to those of the best Batman stories: how far should the law be bent in the name of justice; the morality of vigilantism; the sacrifices of the few for the many; whether the few as well as the criminal should sacrifice for good people; the madness that comes from inconsolable grief; and, the personal limits of all human beings. These themes are generally not given enough development. Unfortunately, developing those themes would have made the film much more engaging, meaningful and exciting. It could have been done so with better writing and plotting that perhaps would have required only limited reduction of the action. In some cases, the typical Hollywood heavy-handed, syrup machine handles the themes. The most egregious example is the messily conducted exercise involving two cruise ships, one filled with criminals and their guards and the other with regular folk, both trying to escape Gotham City and the Joker, given the choice of blowing up the other ship or being blown up instead. It is contrived a la Hollywood’s clumsy and saccharine morality in which the crucial, large African-American prisoner was allowed to act not as he would have been in the real world, where the decision-makers would be isolated from the passengers in the captain’s control center. This is silly, silly Hollywood. And there was more such outrageous and ridiculous conceit that the filmmakers thought the audience would accept. In the end, the movie’s plot and action are generally mundane and tended to be predictable in critical spots. There are, however, some nice surprises such as Batman swooping through the Hong Kong skyline using his cape as a glider. But I cannot say that there was much new and exciting to cheer about in terms of story or action sequences. Still, there are some props to be given to Nolan and his crew. The Joker, for once, has been developed into a human being – a mastermind psychopath, sociopath who thrives on anarchy and violence. Characterizations in the past tended to embody the Joker in a caricature of insanity. Here, we can believe that he is a genuine human being. Heath Ledger brilliantly makes the most of this outstanding creation, augmenting it with his acting genius. Ledger gets it right and brings immense psychosis to the character from deep within his soul. This brilliant acting has to be one of the most disturbed film performances. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Aaron Eckhart’s Two-Face. Nolan valiantly and brilliantly weaved a plausible Harvey Dent by changing the cause of Dent’s physical and emotional deformity/split from a courtroom attack to a more traumatic scenario where the Joker set a trap in which Dent’s beloved fiancée died; and, tying Two-Face’s psychopathic obsession with chance as the only dependable law to a formerly whimsical habit of flipping a coin to make decisions. Two-Face comes to believe that chance is the only governing law and sets out to strike at both crime figures and friends with his law of chance. Eckhart, however, especially compared to Ledger, cannot manage the required level of psychological truth and complexity in his performance. The film will always be memorable for Ledger’s performance. I wish that it could be memorable for its development of themes as well.… Expand

A very average film. Heath Ledger created a fine Joker, but to compare him with Nicholson and favor him is insulting. He's essentially just playing a pretty generic psychotic role in the mantle of the joker and can't really dazzle after a scene or two. Christian Bale is completely wooden in his role as Bruce Wayne and Batman seemed to be in the movie just to warrant this movie to be called a sequal. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are there to lend credibility and when they were on the screen, the movie was actually pretty great. Pitty though that they only got about 1 % of the movie's screen time. Aaron Eckhardt was given nada to work with and was equally wasted. But who can really be surprised. Just too many inane plot turns which just pulls you further and further away from wanting to find out where it all was heading. I Walked out after the 90 minute mark to get a smoke and didn't bother to walk back into the theatre. The evening was saved appraoching a pretty girl at the bar serving overpriced booze. We ended up at her place and we danced till the first rays of morning sunlight found their way through the raggid drapes covering a cracked windowpane. As she peeled of my clothes as if I was a ripe tangerine, she whispered softly in my ear a mantra of passion. Film: 1/**** Night: 4/****… Expand

this movie was too long. mightv been better if it was about 1/2 the time. also it takes itself too seriously for a movie based off a comic book and after the first half you begin to wonder why you bother with the movie and its constant undramatic "twists"

Heath Ledger was the best part of this movie, bar none. The first 3/4 of the movie are definitely enjoyable, but beyond that? It drags like it has an anchor on it, which is a shame. Of course if the joker made more appearances in the latter scenes, it would have most certainly validated them.

with the phenomenal performance of heath ledger and again by gary oldman the sequel to batman begins didnt cease to amaze me, not in the slightest. thinking i'd only watch the ledger parts from the blu-ray disc, i ended up watching the entire thing start to finish - it truly is a masterpiece.

A halfway decent superhero flick that takes itself way too seriously, wanting to be the next Heat but failing. Horrendously edited, with an overstuffed plot and misused actors. Ledger steals the show; without him it would be plain unremarkable. So, not really a bad film, but not at all a great one, and completely undeserving of the ridiculously high praise being given to it.

what a super snooze. the acting, especially from that maggie granny face gylenhaal, is atrocious - the one liners are cheesy without the kitsch factor. so done before, every inch of it felt like watching a 90's movie. dreary and drab. me and my mate left before the end i dont ever care to know.

The whole movie was a 7... The two first hours were 8.5-9. It was lenghty and at the end, I was bored after having been amazed by the beginning. Plus, Gotham is supposed to be a kinda' dark city (as in the first one, wich was better), but in this one, it looks like... downtown Chicago at noon. It's an overated movie, but still a good one. Anyone seeking entertainment should go and watch this.… Expand

This movie is in a tie being the best film of the year(along with Slumdog Millionaire). This movie should have been nominated for best picture. The oscars are pathetic for nominating the Reader over The Dark Knight. This is a movie I could have seen over and over at the theaters and still not get tired with it. This was sad, but a great film. Great acting, musical score, special affects, synomatogrophy, and more. As much as I loved Batman Begins, this film trounces that in contrast. What a shame Heath Ledger died. He was such a splendid actor. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Aaron Eckhart were also flawless actors. The new Rachel had rather small shoes to fill from the first Rachel, but she was a good actress. See the Dark Knight! Also Slumdog Millionaire!… Expand

The attempt at setting a darker tone is only achieved through an incredible performance by Ledger. It should be noted that Nolan is inadequate in delivering the true tone that Burton instilled in both of his films e.g. Batman himself looked darker in Batman & Batman Returns. Nolan throws in way too much philosophy, which is mediocre and lacking in metaphysic... to be frank, the second time through I was literally looking at my watch, waiting for the film to be over. I would only watch the film once, but I recommend the film to those who are obsessed with the psychotic; then again, I as well find interest in the subject however I found The Crow, American Psycho, and the first Batman to be much better and less cliche in their approach to presenting such character. From an avid film connoisseur, the film could have been so much better, and it is highly over rated,… Expand

I thought this movie was over-hyped, over-(and under)acted and just plain long. While the Joker character was well acted by Ledger (Oscar worthy for sure), Christian Bale fell short of making me believe that Batman was more than a mumbling, monotone, disconnected Houdini wanna-be. Was not impressed by the Bat-mobile. Was not impressed by the Transformer-like Bat-mobile turned Bat-cycle. Was not impressed at all. A mostly wasted 3 hours of my life that could have been better spent picking my nose.… Expand

wow, I can't believe the audacity of some people to rate this film anything less than an 8. This film is the best film of 2008 and by far one of the best film of the 21st century.. It may not be one's definition of "art" but it's as close as a movie will get. Ledger's performance was mind blowing. "slumdog", "curious case", "frost/nixon" , for example, are all lovely, but none of them especially "slumdog millionaire" , are as memorable as 'The Dark Knight'.… Expand

Not to be pretentious, but to people who claim that the movie was "confused," you simply didn't understand it. Ledger WAS amazing and I get the impression that some people are giving it low scores just to prove otherwise. In other words, they're rating it low because Ledger died and they don't want to be part of the "hype." The movie brimmed with drama, emotion, and cold logic. The script was impeccable. the characters are believable and very accessible. However, the flaws with the movie were Bale's acting (in the Bat costume, jeez, if you're so rich, why can't you alter your voice with technology?) and Batman's self-struggle that made him seem like a whiny kid. This movie rivals the classics and I prefer Ledger's Joker acting to Nicholson's. The length was entirely necessary to fully develop the plot and characters and I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time!… Expand

I really wanted to like this film, with all the pre-release hype and positive comments from critics/the general public it seemed that it would be a film with which could be engaged with at an intellectual level. Boy was I wrong! It turned out to be a poorly constructed political thriller with way too many plot turns than sense and a run time which would make even the most composed people become mind numbingly bored. Sure the movie had some great elements, a fantastic, and haunting score, ridiculous stunts, and a few noteworthy scenes by the late Heath Ledger, although the performance on a whole was average, certainly not Oscar worthy when stacked up next to the performance by Robert Downey Jnr. in ‘Tropic Thunder’, and certainly not when compared with previous winners of the accolade. However, the praise the movie received did not match the fact that it was a large budget Hollywood ‘make-as-much-money-as-is-possible’ Franchise, not the thought-provoking masterpiece I was expecting. if a great ledger performance is wanted look out for his new film 'the imaginarium of doctor parnassus'… Expand

Best comic book movie ever made. Even saying that though is an understatement. The fact that it's a comic book movie is incidental. This is an epic drama. Similar to Heat in many ways. The visual style, the writing, acting, direction are all at such a high level. Heath Ledger will be missed even moreso after this film when you realize he was only 28 when doing this role.

A superb movie brimming with darkness and intense. The insanity that Hedge Ledger brings to the Joker is so convincing, that you will never view a super hero movie as unrealistic ever again.

This is the best action movie i have ever seen. my jaw was on the floor the entire movie, from the visuals, to the script, to the acting, every component was truly mind blowing.

Why are people posting these fake reviews when it hasn't been released and we know for SURE that none of them actually saw it. I'm giving it a 10 with the confidence that when I do see it, it will match the high expectations I've read from ACTUAL MOVIE CRITICS who previewed the movie at the time of this review.

I caught an early screening and I thought it was incredible. I couldn't believe that this was the same actor in 10 things I hate about you playing the joker, and even though Aaron Eckhart is overshadowed by Ledger's incredible performance, Eckhart was amazing, too. This movie is just simply brilliant.

Best superhero movie made, period! Heath ledgers performance does not only deserve an Oscar nomination but a winner in my book, 10 times better than Nicholson, and Aaron Eckart is superb, plus Christian Bale may be the best batman ever! Add that together and its the best summer movie

This film is absolutely brilliant, from start to finish you will be surprise, even by event that you knew would happy.

Completely overhyped, absolute sh*t.

This is one fantastic film. Heath Ledger's performance is one for the ages and every bit as good as the critics say it is. It's tight, tense and terrific. This is without a doubt the best comic film ever made...beware though it's dark. Don't say you haven't been warned.

Awesome. I haven't even seen it yet. How can't it be awesome? This is the movie of the summer mang!

Perhaps the greatest superhero movie ever made. Heath Ledgers joker is enthralling and very intense. Bravo Nolan.

This is the essence of the comics captured with film its simply spectacular I wonder how many times I will see this movie.

Over the top, over-acted, under-written, dated, post modern trash. Sorry to say that Bale has little or nothing to offer that he hasn't already shown, and this is no "psycho" performance. And the missing humor that Jack brilliantly under stated in the 1990 Batman is completely missing from this joke of a Joker. Sorry, heath, you fall flat once again, and pale compared to a truly brilliant actor whose shoes you leave well over half empty.… Expand

Very Detailed and tons of everything you need in a movie. Definitely the highest of the summer, yet alone the year and maybe even the century!

Nolan is a brilliant film maker, this is the best batman yet. If the academy doesn't recognize this work of art for best supporting actor or best picture, then the academy doesn't know movies at all.

This movie is awesome! The Joker is absolutely insane.

This film is incredible, this is not only the best comic book film of ever, Its also the best film of the last 10 years. Every member of the cast played their role perfectly (not just Heath who was brilliant) and this only aided what was an incredible script that was brought to life with great care by Chris Nolan. Watch this movie the first chance u get, once you do you will want to see it again.

It keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Fun summer movie. Sadly, Christopher Nolan is no Tim Burton, Christian Bale is no Michael Keaton, Hans Zimmer is no Danny Elfman, and Heath Ledger is no Jack Nicholson.

Simply amazing, i say give it the best picture Oscar, its up there with no country and the departed.

Incredible!... the best movie I've seen this year and one of the best I've seen in my life... The cast is just perfect.. Christian Bale is the amazing as Batman... and Heath Ledger is perfect as The Joker... Unfortunately some "reviewers" say this is too sadistic.. It is not sadistic.. It's a Masterpiece!

I can honestly say that the New York critics can fornicate themselves with an iron rod. The sheer power of this film topples every other comic book adaptation off the movie pile. Heath Ledger turns in the most astonishing movie villain since Schindler's List's Amon Goeth and Christian Bale matches him in every respect. Don't listen to the New Yorkers. They're just upset because the film was set in Chicago. SEE THIS FILM!!! Although at 150 minutes, it was somewhat of a drag.… Expand

The "New Yorker" and "New York Magazine" have no clue what they're talking about. They're whinging losers that complain "oh it's too dark, I'm a wuss". It's brilliance is in it's dark theme! I think it should be even darker. See this movie, it's just incredible. I couldn't criticise anything in it, and I'm a very critical person.

The best of the best of superhero comic book of all time. The Story is moving and the actions scenes were superb. This is like a epic drama Action movie. All of that combined together. Heath Ledger, you will be missed. For those of you give this a 4 or less, then to hell with you. You like doing this for fun or i suggest you guy are sick in mind and evil.

This is an excellent dark and intense movie. It goes where every other comic book/superhero movie wouldn't go. It is an intense crime drama and may not be suitable for 8 year olds like spiderman.

Just saw it last night, amazing film, gritty crime drama....so realistic, Heath was amazing, as was Eckhart, Bale and Oldman. I can't wait to see it again on Friday!

Dark Knight is a magnificent showcase of what a Hollywood Summer Blockbuster should be. Dark Knight is smart, witty, and knowledgeable in its execution. Nolan has done a great job in squeezing every ounce of talent from the all-star cast of Bale, Ledger, Eckhart, Maggie, Oldman, Freeman, etc. Definitely lives up to all the hype, and I would not be surprised if it received an Oscar nomination in best picture and supporting actor.… Expand

Fantastic movie, Heath deserves an oscar for his gritty portrayal of the Dark Knights arch enemy.

One of the most brilliant movies I have seen in my life!!!!!!! The action keeps your hurt pumping like hell... keep it up Nolan!!!

Probably the best comic book movie of all time. It is sad that three critics ( new yorker, new york, and austin chronicle don't get the movie and drag down the score).

Saw it at an advance imax screening Tuesday night. Unbelievable. Amazing performances by the cast all around, especially Ledger's unforgettable Joker. Oscar worthy to say the least. Story is fantastic and is a real treat for comic book fans and nonfans alike. Feels like a crime drama even more than a superhero movie. Excellent. You must see this movie!

Absolutely superb. This is the real Batman and Joker come to life.

Flawless. Absolutely riveting. Nolan goes back to the intensity first seen in Memento. One of the best performances by H. Ledger. In awe of his performance.

Just saw the sneak preview. It was everything I hoped for and more. The darkness and complexity of the movie was exhausting, but in an amazing way. You can not compare this movie to other super hero movies because it redefines what a super hero is. Heath Ledger is absolutely, terrifyingly evil and Aaron Eckhart does an incredible job with his character too. NOT a family movie, but if you enjoy intense movies, then you will love The Dark Knight for its uninhibited vision of chaos and insanity in the world.… Expand

Best comic book movie of all time. Wow. The Dark Knight will make you think about life a little harder.

Easily one of the best movies of the summer. The performance given by Heath Ledger is unbelievable. I have never seen another actor portray a character so intense, chilling and psychotic the way Heath portrayed The Joker. Along with Bale, Oldman, Freeman, and the rest of the cast, the performances are superb. Maggie is a nice step up from Katie Holmes. Director Christopher Nolan takes the criticisms from Batman Begins, corrects them, and makes the sequel nearly flawless. Oscar nomination for Heath? Absolutely.… Expand

This movie makes all the other superhero movies look like Bio-dome. A true epic from start to finish.

What a roller-coaster ride! Great editing, cinematography, and screenplay. I've seen it twice on IMAX (the best way to view it, if you've got it available). The first time left me dazed and exhausted. The second left me exhilarated. I'm not a comic book hero fan, but I loved Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight trumps it. Brilliant. Be careful, though...it's not for kids.

Such a brilliant movie, heath ledgers playing as the joker is amazing as well as Christian bale playing batman. would have to say the best movie of 2008 that i have seen so far, heath deserves an Oscar for his role.

The Dark Knight really conveys how a psycho like the Joker would actually behave in real life and passes on philosophy that can be related to our society today.

A movie which rips out your thoughts and ideals of what the real consequences would be behind the actions of a "hero" and the morals and vulnerabilities of the cities they protect. An intense cinema experience made all the more watchable by one of the best performances that my generation will likely ever see. There will never be another joker!

This movie really was amazing. I know everyone has been saying how amazing Heath Ledger is in this movie and they were right. He actually manages to make the Joker scary, unpredictable yet still humorous in a twisted way. I truly do believe that he may have been the best villain in a movie.

Genre defying masterpiece!

I saw this movie two days before its release, at a special pre-screening. Now, just this one fact should tell you how great this movie was: not once did any of the people in the (full) theater talk. Everyone was too busy watching the action--and the drama, and the humor. Great performances from everyone, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great improvement over Katie Holmes (no slight to her, she just wasn't right for the role.) There are a few clichés (becoming like your enemy, chaos vs. order) but even those just add to the complexity and scope of the story. Honestly, if you want a movie that combines top-notch action, black humor, tragedy, romance, and just about every other genre into an unnervingly realistic whole, you can't beat the Dark Night.… Expand