The Dark Knight

Comic book movies are a real dice throw. Some are good (The Incredible Hulk), very good (Iron Man, Batman Begins, X-Men) or just god awful steaming bowls of shit (Fantastic Four, XMen 3, Batman and Robin, etc.

Then there is The Dark Knight.

I am not a fan of rebooting franchises. My personal feeling is that Hollywood should focus on doing more creative things with their times than sequels that can kill a franchise but this is something that is very special.

For two and a half hours you are totally hoooked into this film. From start to finish, it's a masterpiece. A character study, drama, action packed film that makes you think, am I really watching a Batman movie?

It's not a Batman movie. It's a Dark Knight movie.

Christian Bale is a tremendous actor. Since his role as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho to his role as the Machinist, he is a very committed actor and his performance emulates the work that is done. In this sequel, he is phenomenal. A real treat watching how he struggles with what he has to do and can do as his alter ego of Batman.

Aaron Eckhart was great as Two Face as well. I never seen him in anything besides The Dark Knight but it makes you wonder what he is capable of. He plays the good ol boy very well, but his turn as a villian just proves the reach of this actor.

Maggie Gyllenhal is suitable for Rachel Dawes. It's just one of those, "Let's put in a good looking girl for this role." sort of actress.

But finally Heath Ledger was born to be The Joker. His twist on how a maniac should be. I can't remember seeing a film where you were waiting for him to come back on the screen, but the best part you did not have any idea what he was going to do. It was just interesting to see him work with Bale, Eckhart and Gary Oldman to which they had a great chemistry together. He tears down a whole town and inflicts complete chaos with a huge "smile on that faceeee ah!"

The landscape and cinematography is great. You feel that Gotham City is an actual place in the US that is in complete anarchy which can possibly happen in our country. A sense of reality if you must.

Christopher Nolan needs to stay with this franchise since it is his direction that makes these films what they are. He is a great talent unlike M Night Shamalamadingdong with his story telling. Nolan has given Batman a new identity instead of the terrible acid trip that Joel Schumacher created.

Overall this film is one for my generation that will go down as a masterpiece. Finally a movie that is noteworthy of being a comic book film but done properly and attests to how Batman should be remembered.