The Dark Knight - A Review

"The Best movie to have released in recent times!!"

IMHO The Dark Knight is a movie to which the above statement can be applied to.

The pre-release hype that surrounded this movie was unmatched. The very good first part (Batman Begins) and the death of the movie's main antagonist Heath Ledger (The Joker) were the prime reasons for it. Besides this Warner Bros. adapted aggressive marketing for this big budget movie. There are very few movies that i can think of that have lived up to the hype that they've created. This movie not only lives up to it, but surpasses all. There are even fewer movies that i know, that have become both, box office hits and critically acclaimed. And this movie is one of those elite!

There is not one aspect of the movie where the movie falls short of a high standard. Be it Direction, Acting, Story, Entertainment, you name it, this movie has got it all. Its just not one of those mindless non-stop action flicks, with Only jaw-dropping stunts. It has got everything. Even Emotion, which many movies of this genre lack.

And then just when you thought it was all over there comes a twist! That is another thing special about this movie. Despite the length (2hrs 30 mins) the movie is so gripping and fast-paced that you will never once feel "its a bit of a drag now" (i checked my watch in the end to see if it really was 2 and a half hours).

A lot has already been said about The Joker's performance that I'm about to say. Whether he deserves an Oscar can only be said with relation to other great performances in other movies this year. The Joker has put up a splendid show but then again i feel that its not the kind of performance that cannot be replicated. Maybe it was my huge expectation on his performance which has made me say this, I don't know. There are already talks about who might be the next joker (Daniel Day Lewis? Johnny Depp?). It remains to be seen if anyone can ever match up to Ledger's performance. Though all this said, it is acting which you would love to see over and over and over again..... The Joker has immortalized Heath Ledger.

Christian Bale has been overshadowed by Ledger in this movie. But nevertheless the cast of Bale, Oldman, Eckhart and Caine have delivered power-packed performances befitting the movie's stature. I feel Katie Holmes would have done the job better than Maggie Gyllenhaal, as she is a better actress than the latter, in my opinion.

The movie is even a visual spectacle and for those looking for high-flying action and special effects, you wont be disappointed.
Possibly one of the best parts of the movie arrived in the last 10 minutes or so, which contained memorable dialogues and powerful scenes. It sets this movie apart from any other super-hero movie ever made. And when the words, "The Dark Knight" is displayed across the screen just before the end credits roll, you can feel the hair on your skin rise!!

Expectations are obviously high on Chris Nolan for the next Batman movie. But even if he is the same man who made Memento and The Prestige besides the two Batman movies, i don't think even He can surmount his accomplishment in The Dark Knight!

There is little that I've said above that has not been said before about this movie. So rather than reading the countless rave reviews, i suggest you watch the movie immediately, if you haven't. Watch the movie without any of the expectations created by Reviews similar to this one, to enjoy the movie even more. :-) :-)

Rating : 10/10

(I never thought I would put such a rating ever again, for a movie after The Departed !)