No movie is perfect so no movie has ever gotten anything higher than a 9.5 for me. So 9.2 is as close to "perfect" as you will get with me.

I've seen it twice now, and I doubt that I will see a better movie in the remainder of the year. It delivers on all the hype. The acting is sensational across the board, with two performances worthy of Oscar nominations. The first is Heath Ledger as The Joker. Discarding any considerations about his death or this being his final completed performance, it will be a travesty if he is not at least nominated for an Oscar. The performance, like the movie as a whole, is brilliant. He's scary as hell in this role, and totally disappears into it. Everything from the voice to the sudden outbursts of violence (like the "magic trick") is pitch-perfect. The other highly noteworthy performance belongs to Aaron Eckhart. He pulls off the biggest character shift in the entire movie without missing a beat. He's totally convincing as both Gotham's white knight Harvey Dent and the bloodthirsty Two-Face. Beyond them, Christian Bale is once again on top of his game, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is the movie's greatest source of both warmth and heartbreak (not unlike Kelly Macdonald in No Country for Old Men). The action is great, the twists are jaw-dropping and unnerving, and the ending is brilliant. This is the boldest and best superhero movie to date, and one of the very best movies in recent memory.

Grade: A (this is the highest grade I give)

Perfect.

The Dark Knight lived up to incredibly ridiculous expectations I had for it. Nolan's Batman is just a remarkable vision, ain't it? I don't even feel like I'm watching a comic book film like Spider-Man or Iron Man. I'm watching something so much more. TDK is so epic. Wonderful work, Nolan. The cast is so perfect for this film that I can't even begin to explain. It's not often that every single performance is outstanding. Heath Ledger gave the greatest villain performance ever. Every single second he was on screen was phenomenal (the pencil trick, the nurse scene, the party, everyyyything). Aaron Eckhart also gave a fantastic performance as Harvey Dent. Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine - all terrific.

Despite it being 150 minutes or so long, I did not want it to end. I can't wait to see it again.

A+

The good
-The acting across the board. EVERYBODY from Bale to the dude who plays Reese is superb.

-Heath. He gives an unforgettable performance, thats the only word that comes close to fitting him. Its UNSETTLING. DISTURBING. The way laughs, makes pencils dissappear, and says the silliest things but can suddenly switch to a violent, scary monster (his "LOOK AT ME!" to the fake Batman is literally how I imagine a monster would talk). The sceen in which he talks to the cop in his cell and escapes from jail ...give him the ****ing Oscar. His delivey of the ".....Hi...." to Dent in the hospital alone is worth it

-Look and scale was enormous and I loved it. The film shoulda been titled GOTHAM CITY.

-The special effects are spectacular, cgi or real, it all looked REAL and blended together perfectly. Unlike BB, there were no obvious model or cgi shots.

-The story. The fact that it's simply BATMAN vs. JOKER and theres no real plan, just obstavle after obstacle, make the movie very engrossing.

-The writing. Joker at Gambol's is written-for the Joker- like it's for a comedy. Every line is quotable and Ledgers delivery is flawless. From "How about alive?" to "Why so serious" to "try outs"...it's so disturbing but yet....

The Bad
-Just when you started to LIKE and CARE about Rachel she gets blown up. This is more of aomcpliment to the writers, actors, and film makers, but how does Katie Holmes version walk away after taking out the scarecrow while Gyllenhall's is stuck talking into a radio before going kaboom?

-More importantly reguarding that topic, I think it coulda been shot more effectively. They let us know Joker switched the addresses too soon. I think it woulda been better for us to have seen 1 building blow up and see its the one Gordon's at (and assume Dent dead) while Batman disarms the bomb at Rachels building. Batman then stroll in and we find Dent, and we get TEH SHOCKING TWIST!!! RACHELS DEAD!!JOKER SWITCHED EM!!! SUCKS TO BE BATMAN (AGAIN)!!! Batman gets there and sees it Dent and not Rachel and doesnt even seem surprised AT ALL..if any of us were him, the first thing we'd say would be "WTF are YOU doing here?"... but again...Nolan and his overboard on realism....OF COURSE Batman would get there firsr and ruin it for the audience.

-Two face's death[was totally pointless. Period. I hate killing off[ villains, it selfish of the filmmakers to do. That said Batman was totally fine after the fall, but Dent DIED(?) so you never know...

-Bales Batman voice. MY GOD. Though he sounded like a boss when he says "Than you gonna love me" or is screaming at the Joker in his cell ...dude, that final monologue to the Joker. was fucking cringworthy..."THE PEOPLE OF GOTHAMMMMM.....JUST SHOWED YOUUUUUUU....THEY DO BELIEVE....IN GOOOOOOOOD" or whatever. Damn Bale, your acting was great for the most part the voice but enough.NOLAN, KNOW WHEN TO TELL HIM TO TONE IT THE FUCK DOWN!

The Ugly
-Bat-sonar. That was just stupid. The whole "microwave emitter" has gotten old in BEGINS and this one was even stupider. If Batmans such a detective, why do the writers have to make up some stupid machine so he accomplish his mission? There are millions of ways-literally- for Batman to have outsmarted the Joker and discovered his wear about, but...whatever.

-The ending felt rushed. It was hard to tell was going on at first in the Joker's tower, and even all the tension in the world cant stop the final Batman-Gordon-Two face show down from being incredibly anti-climatic - Batman just tackles him off the 3rd story of the building and thats it? Two Face is dead and the movies over?

-Though the action scenes were improved, he still needs a lesson in creativity. I mean come on, the batpod debut wasnt nearly as cool as just about all of us imagined it being and the car chase wasnt as rousing as it looked in the trailers. There is so much potential yet Nolan doesnt really give it a chance breathe.

Still though..the acting is too strong, theres too much emotion and tension, and its damn well made to give anything other than an A though not an A+.

The good a lot better than the bad is bad, but I dont see how someone can say this is perfect. Its best picture wothy in the sense that its the involved Ive felt with character since NCFOM and before that I dont even know, but theres too many leaps of faith (How did Rachel and Batman survive that fall?? for resal please answer this! Or howd the Joker leave the party?)

You don't have to spoil hid all of that. I'd actually like it if you didn't. It's just annoying to read it now.

Fixed it for ya

I thank thee.

Very slight spoiler ahead....nothing to worry about though.

I remember initially coming out of Batman Begins 3 years ago. My friend and I caught the noon show on opening day. It was a mighty impressive movie. I initially rated it an A+ and one of the top films on my all-time list. Since then it hasn't aged incredibly. I hold it up to about an A- now. There were a lot of faults...the incredibly choppy camera work, the disjointed feeling between the first half and the second half, Katie Holmes, a lack of a really "Wow!" bad guy

I was still anticipating The Dark Knight to all hell. Nolan is a smart man and I knew he'd pick up on the mistakes he'd make and hopefully improve. At the very least, more of the same mistakes would still be pretty damn good....just not as amazing as my initial reaction was to Begins.

With Begins delayed reaction in my mind, I had to approach Knight with a bit of ambivalence. Normally, it wouldn't have been too bad; I always approach big event films with the same "cautious" mindset to keep personal anticipation and hype separate from the final product. But Ledger's departure and the media frenzy surrounding it certainly had an effect on my perception.

As the movie started to roll, I began to be a bit worried. It felt different than the last movie. When Bruce went to Hong Kong, my first thought was "What is this, 007?" It seemed like this was just going to be just a sort of a simple crime fighting story with Batman as the protagonist instead of one story of a series in a continuous arc of the character (if that statement made any sense....think Harry Potter or LotR vs. Die Hard).

As the movie progressed, the story steadily started to pick up. About half an hour into the movie, momentum just carried it on it's own all the way through the last two hours. It never dragged me through, never slowed down, and never relented. Nolan just kept dishing out more and more. And it all worked. Nolan improved on everything he could have and more. The city he's created here isn't very remarkable (it looks like any modern day city) but the atmosphere projected over the whole movie as Gotham residents descend into a darker shared psychosis is worth commending.

As for the on screen talent, Bale does just as well as he did in Begins. He isn't incredibly, but he does a fine job. Gyllenhal is a great replacement for Holmes, though her character doesn't need to do much but stay cute and present. I missed Caine and Freeman this time around....there was noticeably less of both of them. Alfred was my favorite character from the original, so I was pretty disappointed that he wasn't as present. Eckhart gave a really remarkable performance, which in the hands of most actors would have been completely ridiculous. His transition from Gotham's brightest light at the end of the tunnel to the very scum he vowed to eliminate was brilliant.

As for Ledger...all things aside (his death, the media frenzy, the hype around his performance, etc.) this truly is a performance for the books. In almost every performance from every actor, I can never quite distinguish character from actor. It's always "this is Christian Bale playing Bruce Wayne," never "Christian who? I thought this really was Bruce Wayne." Ledger ceased to be (rimshot? Or is it still too soon?). This was the Joker. Period. Every scene he was in is instantly worthy of all-time greatness. Every scene in the movie without the Joker just felt like it was interrupting me from seeing more of the Joker.

It's almost a shame Ledger was so incredible in this role, because he really steals the thunder away from Eckhart who, in any other Batman movie, would be receiving all kinds of praise.

The action this time around is more or less the same. There isn't really more perse, but the action pieces as a whole are much better. There is a particular scene with a semi that will blow your tiny little mind (my theater went batshit NUTS).

Now that the review is ending, this is supposed to be the time when the cons come up. Well, there was that bit about Freeman and Caine having less screen time. The movie also used a few plot twists and other such surprises; they all worked, but it was just a bit much since they were all in the second half. I was really disappointed in the resolution of Two-Face by the movie's end. I was disappointed for Joker's resolution as well, mostly because I knew Ledger wouldn't be back to build on the performance (the resolution worked well in the context of the movie). I also found Bale's "Batvoice" too distracting. As excel said, his final talk to Joker was not nearly as badass as Bale and Nolan probably thought it was.

Really, though, it just builds off of the first in every way imaginable. The good FAR outweighs the bad. I'll need at least one more viewing to confirm some thoughts and suspicions, but right now this is a solid A film, potentially A+ worthy.

Best Line in the fiLm

Joker to Batman: "You compLete me."

WOW! This film is even better than amazing. Christian Bale shines once again as Batman. Also, Aaron Eckhart was great as Harvey Dent. However the true winner here is Heath Ledger. He performed the Joker role out perfectly. You don't even remember its Heath because he just pulls it off so great. He really deserves an Oscar for it. The action scenes were wonderful from start to finish. Everything was just awesome from start to finish. Not only is this the best comic book movie to date, it is one of the best films ever made and has easily entered my top 10 if not top 5 of all-time.

A+++

I saw it again last night and realized something... from the opening shot to the last, I was pretty much drawned into the movie whether by the camera work, the music, the words, the acting, the action, etc. It really is a 2.5 hour attach on the senses. A repeat viewing allowed things to really sink and to pay attention to other characters, the background, foreshadowing.

Did anyone notice the elevated train system that was heavily featered in Batman Begins on some of the Gotham long shots?

Also, Anyone think part of the reason the Scarecrow was in the beginning was to close out that plot hole from the first movie?

oh, and are dogs really one of Batman's weak points?? LOL

TDK was a great movie from start to finish. The reason this film elevates itself from the rest of the summer films is for one man, The Joker. He is the most badass villain I have ever seen. Every scene with him just captures your attention. Ledger did a brillaint job making him one dark, sick SOB. I loved that his pure motive was just to create pure Chaos. No greed, just the simple reason to put a wrinkle into orgainzed civil society. I only wish he had more screentime.

I do however have a few complaints against the movie that go against the grain from what most have said here. I was a little disappointed with the lack of large action scenes and the timing of them. Yes the chase scene in the tunnel was far and away amazing, even stunning. I would say it is the best action scene this year. Seeing the Tumbler take the RPG shot and then trasnform into the Bike was cool as hell. But that was just about it in terms of big action scenes. It made the climax look like small potatoes. I was hoping for some big epic climax scene with Batman and Joker and was let down by the resolution of the Joker.

Another small complaint is the Batsuit. Why was it grey? I was just used to seeing the all-black suit and it was constantly bothering my eyes making me think something looked a bit off.

All in all, I most likely overhyped myself going in, but The Joker will make this movie stand out for years to come.

B+

My ass was officially kicked.

Wasn't really a plot hole, but no I think he was in there for cameo purposes, and think he'll be in the 3rd one too. (hopefully with fear toxin!)

What an amazing movie. I've never been so drawn in to a movie in my entire life. By the end of the movie, you really end up feeling the pain that the city of Gotham feels. I felt like I was watching an apocalyptic meltdown of a city right before my eyes. Heath ledger was not the only fantastic actor in this but Aaron Eckhart shined as well. What a likable guy he started out to be, only to unravel on screen before our eyes. Painfully depressing movie to watch.
A+

Best movie of the year so far

If some of you dont want this franchise to continue or dont think it can then how about starting up Batman Beyond?
I mean, Bale could still play Wayne, with make up/CGI to make him look like the old man he is.

I'm okay for one more as long as Nolan feels he still has a story to tell, but I think Batman needs to die in it. It would fit the tone of this new series perfectly.

He can't do that, WB won't allow it.

Heh, what? You cant kill of the main character, the film would have to end right when he died.

Holy Shit on a fucking stick Batman!!! This movie was ten types of incredible. The whole movie I either had a smile on my face or my jaw dropped to the floor. Heath Ledger did so fantastic as this sadistic character that I was actually afraid while loving him. The Nolan Brothers did an amazing job on the script and Bale and Eckhart were perfect but this movie goes to Ledger for one of my favorite performances of all time.

/10

I agree 100% with the Eckhart line. Not taking anything away from Heath, he was amazing but Eckhart's story line and its resolution made the movie for me.

I agree about the first act and Hong Kong, the skyhook thing I had problems with the money stockpiling set-up in general

But the rest was so awesome that it made up for it

It would be a travesty to Batman if he wasn't redeemed a bit by a third film. This is a middle chapter through and through and doesn't require a Joker or a Two Face to do it. Riddler is essentially built into the third film already (like Cross taunting the Gotham police with Batman's identity in an attempt to extort money? Sounds like it's pretty much built up now).

I'm struggling a bit with what I would grade this film if I were to seriously grade it. Bottom line is that I'm struggling with whether or not the film had the proper amount of coverage on Batman/Bruce Wayne or if (similar to the 1989 film) the film was more interested in other characters... who were all stronger and more identifiable than Bruce Wayne. It seems to me that they captured the idea that Batman is a symbol that people project themselves against, but maybe then Bruce Wayne didn't need to be in it at all.

Two Face's eye effect was a little over the top, as was the Bat-cell-sonar-thing, but it gave Batman an opportunity to outshine Fox and actually spoke to his intelligence for the first time in the series. Slightly redeemed there, my only hope is that the third film continues to separate us from Fox and Wayne so Wayne can develop into the full personification of the Batman Detective.

Everything else was great. A complicated story where all the people fit in and it worked out for the most part, unlike Batman Begins which felt a LOT more random.

The entire theme of this film was "the nights darkest just before the dawn". This was the dark night; the next one is the dawn.

I'd be fine with the reveal of who Batman is... but not the death.