Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, tons more
Released: July 18, 2008

I’m a bit hesitant to do a review of ‘The Dark Knight‘, seeing as there are already thousands of them published at the moment, the vast majority saying the exact same thing: that it’s absolutely amazing. And let’s just say that I wouldn’t have seen it 4 times in 6 days if I didn’t think the same thing as well. I’ll do my best to keep this short and sweet, so you’ll have time to sprint directly to your nearest IMAX theater and see this outstanding film once you’re done reading.

‘The Dark Knight’ really is the best movie of the Summer… hell, the last 10 Summers. This movie takes the usual standard comic book material and raises it to a polished, gritty, gut-kicking level very few movies from more reputable sources are able to manage. There are so many excellent moments in this movie that picking any out as particularly better than any other is nearly impossible. The plot, pace and build-up of the overall story was expertly fine-tuned and streamlined to flawlessness… every point in this movie is leading to an astoundingly memorable, “holy shit” moment… I guarantee it (and George Zimmer would too).

Of course, the one stand-out element of ‘The Dark Knight’ is the much talked about surprise star of the movie, Heath Ledger. Yeah yeah, I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing how incredible he is in the roll of the Joker by now, but I’m sorry… he absolutely, 100%  deserves all the attention he gets. He was somehow able to channel the very mind and spirit of a true psychopath, thus creating an extremely haunting performance that will remain in peoples minds for years to come. A scene halfway through the movie showing a video recorded by the Joker himself terrorizing and ultimately murdering a copycat Batman made the hairs on the back of my head stand on end. And let’s just say I’ll never think of the words “magic trick” quite the same way again. It really is unfortunate that a large number of people think Ledger’s performance is being over-hyped due to his untimely death earlier this year, because the fact is he really does deserve the praise he’s receiving. I truly hope the Academy keeps that in mind later this year when acting nominations are dished out.

Top-notch performances by all other members of the cast, including Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart in particular, plus a perfectly crafted visual style and sound design, make this film one of the best to hit theaters in ages. If you’re going to catch a film on the big screen this year, this should definitely be the one… because from here on out, it’s all downhill.