Movie Review: The Dark Knight

I know you've been waiting for me to review this film. Well, finally today I decided I will tell you what I thought of it. Since this movie has grossed a bajillion dollars already, my review wont sway the 'Bat-train' either way.
The second installment to Chrisopher Nolan's Batman reprise is perhaps the best of the entire franchise yes even spanning to Tim Burton's take on the superhero. And not only that, but I might want to ad that this may be the best superhero movie(even though technically, Batman isn't a superhero) ever.
Now, this movie isn't perfect, for I found some little nuances that could be edited out or replaced. But then again, is there really a perfect movie?
What I did find enjoyable was how this movie explored all the different characters, not just focusing on Batman and the Joker. Christopher Nolan does a great job of making The Dark Knight grounded in reality. And it is through the development of the characters like Harvey Dent, the relationships between Rachael Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and even the focus on Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman), that make this work.
Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart, actually has the main character arc in this film, even though he isn't the main character or even the second main character. All this adds to making the structure of the story very sound.
Now onto the scene stealer, the person who makes this movie so strong. And that is of course, Heath Ledger, who takes the Joker to a whole new level. From the moment he arrives on screen, Ledger takes full stage and captivates the Joker's menace. It is a great villain. And just a great character in all. Ledger's Joker is much different than Nicholson's version, in that he plays a more disturbed and anarchic being. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of Joker's come this Halloween.
The movie is long, running about 2 hours and 30 something minutes. And it is, deservingly so because it has a lot of story. To crunch this shorter would be a major faux pas. The Dark Knight is one well established film and doesn't disappoint. One can only wonder: how can they top this?
4.5 out of 5