It was interesting to see Nolan save The Joker for the sequel instead of using him straight away. But with the trailers showing a lot of promise. It looked to be the right move.
Well just like Batman Begins, this does not play out like your normal superhero movie. It also manages to open out to a much grander scale than the first installment did.
Like I and many people have always said, Christopher Nolan's movies are all about ideas. But doing it within a big budget blockbuster is all the more impressive. He made Batman Begins look like an art-house trapped in a heavily hyped summer flick. He's done it again, and then some.
The whole opening segment is terrific. Not only in the way that it is shot by Nolan's regular cinematographer Wally Pfister, but in the way they introduced The Joker.
Then we get a story that has great message and the way they are portrayed are incredible entertaining that had me totally invested and believed in every character involved.
Despite the film being a Batman film, it is Heath Ledger as The Joker that is pretty much the main character. He is not only the star and the biggest draw despite being officially a supportive role. But he is also become my and I'm sure many others favourite supporting role of all-time. It is the performance of a lifetime, and he gave us a Joker that we never thought could be created. The way he is written gives a villain makes sense in his decisions, and once you first see him, you want to see more of him.
He totally deserved his Oscar, and it was such a shame that he never got to receive it after his tragic passing.
Christian Bale does another job as both Bruce Wayne and Batman and does good work in what I feel purposefully side-lining himself to give Ledger his moment. The rest of the ensemble cast all give great performances.
Gary Oldman's under-stated performance is fantastic, totally believable and I feel people will respect it the more they watch this film. Aaron Eckhart surprises everyone with a great job with Harvey Dent. This is an Eckhart we definitely do not see enough of.
It was a shame to not see him be there to receive his well deserved Oscar due to his tragic death.
I was initially disappointed that they re-cast Rachel Dawes' character. Instead of Katie Holmes, we get Maggie Gyllenhaal. After seeing the film, Gyllenhaal would definitely have been the better choice considering the amount of involvement her character had in this film.
This is clearly one of the best film in the last ten years and is firmly placed in my top 100 of all-time. A film like this would not be possible without Nolan. Despite its sources, this is not a comic book film. The type of story and feel of realism makes this more like gritty crime action thriller. The cast is pretty much flawless with Ledger leading the way.
Wally Pfister continues to out do himself with some of the most gorgeous cinematography possible.
The writing is incredible. There are so many memorable quotes. The stories that Nolan and his team make give are some deep message that you just don't see in many films. Also, Nolan is a big believer is using as much practical effects or at least making them look genuine. The effects used in this one are great to look at and give a lot of weight to them, especially as they don't look digital.
While Batman Begins introduced a lot of people to Nolan, it is this film that everyone agreed that Nolan can do anything and make a film that is one of the greatest of all-time.
Rating: 9/10
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