Darker than Black, better than all: The Dark Knight

Before I start talking about Dark Knight, I have to tell you about my history concerning the Batman movies. Just that you get a feel of how I place the movies so far.
Adam West is god. Seriously I liked the old show. Yes, they were cheesy and had an underlying theme of guy-on-guy action thanks to Robin, but they had their own style and charm. Especially the Batmobil. But the old show doesn't really play into this review since it is just its own thing.

That said it is time to look at the modern movies which started with Tim Burton's Batman. Ultimately this is the one that people will mostly compare Dark Knight to, because it also has The Joker (played by Jack "crazy-smile" Nicholson) in it. I like Burton's version of Batman. I thought the two films were dark, captured a comic feel and had great villains (Michelle Pfeiffer in a latex catsuit... Meeeeoooow!). I also like Michael Keaton as Batman. Many people say his performance in the Batsuit was too "constricted" but people have to understand, that the suit back then was made of materials that didn't really let the actor move freely. And I liked, that in order to look around, he had to turn his whole upper body. Made him look more badass. Over the years, of course, better and more flexible versions of the Batsuit were made as the creators of the movies found out which materials worked better.
Joel Schumacher's films I don't really like. Batman Forever started the downward spiral and Batman & Robin sealed the deal. Both films feel too "plasticy" and "neon". Like it was a cheesy musical. Seriously, Arnie ice skating around was just horrible. And Robin didn't really fit in either. So it was clear, for Batman to live on, he had to have a complete makeover.

The guy to do just that, was Chris Nolan with Batman Begins. As the name suggests, this version focused on how Bruce Wayne became the Batman and also explained his being. It is a more realistic approach. One that tried to make the character more believable and darker. And while I do like it, I also had problems with it. First off, I hated how Bruce Wayne changed his voice whenever he wore the Batsuit. Many will argue that of course, he needed to do that so he would not be recognized. But to me, it felt like a joke. I didn't know whether I should take that serious or laugh. Second, I didn't like the whole Ninja-temple thing. Third, it was too obvious that Liam Neeson's character wasn't dead. Fourth, the new Batmobil just doesn't do it for me. And fifth, why was the movie so "yellowish", almost sepia-like? So while I think it is a good movie and definitely way better than Schumacher's Batman, I also believe it is overrated and doesn't quite reach Burton's vision. So now that you know how I feel about Batman up to this point, let's get it on! Dont' worry, there are no spoilers in my review.

Batman is back to clean up the streets of Gotham City. But he is not accepted by everybody. People still frown upon his ways of being above the law. Still he gets the job done because nobody else does. Until someone new shows up in town: The Joker. And he is not only creating fear amongst the citizens of the city but also has the crime bosses somewhat scared.
Thank god Batman is not alone though, Detective Gordon ist still on his side and the new District Attorney Harvey Dent also looks very promising as a new ally. Rachel Dawes is back as well but this time played by the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhaal. In my opinion, she is a better choice anyhow. Never cared for Katie Holmes too much. But let's cut to the chase, how good is the movie?

Dark Knight is the best Batman movie ever made. And not only that, I think it is the best superhero movie ever made. By far. And this is coming from someone who is not the biggest fan of Batman Begins. After watching this flick you realize just how far behind other superhero movies are. It puts a movie like Hellboy 2 to shame. It also puts Jack Nicholson to shame. Compared to Ledger's Joker, Nicholson is merely a clown. But in Nicholson's defense, I do have to say that his verison of the Joker is based on a different version of the comicbook Joker. So they don't really compare and it becomes a matter of taste whether you like Nolan's more realistic approach. In this film the Joker is so intense and incredibly sinister. Like nothing I have ever seen in a movie like that before. It is exactly what I wanted to see from the Joker. A creator of chaos and maestro of destruction filled to the brim with insanity. Where Batman follows a set of ethic rules and morals, the Joker is just the complete opposite. Unfortunately with Ledgers untimely death, the joke is definitely on us. It angers me to know that such talented man left life so early.

And don't be fooled by the PG-13 rating. This movie is the darkest and grittiest superhero film you can come across. It is dirty, has great action and fights in it, yet it still manages to make you like and feel for the characters while telling a good story. Something a lot of these kinds of movies tend to forget. Also the film remains believable. Batman comes across even better in this film and once again the conversations with his Butler Alfred, again portrayed by Michael Caine, are a delight.

Visually there also were some changes. The creators did away with the "yellow"-look the city had at nighttime in Batman Begins. Very thankful for that. Also this is one of the movies that tries to stay away from CGI as much as possible. Well except one half thing, but I can't really go into that without giving away too much.

A special mention goes out to the combination Zimmer/Newton Howard who created an incredibly gripping and atmospheric soundtrack that perfectly captures the darkness and mood of the film. In my opinion it is worthy of an oscar because it goes so hand in hand with the pictures on screen. Just beautifully done.

The movie does have some flaws though. The second half is almost a bit too long and doesn't quite keep up the exhilarating pace of the first. Also there some tiny plotholes. Still, the flaws in this movie are minor. I can even live with Batman's voice.

Dark Knight is action and drama packed in an 152 minute long rollercoaster that will leave you breathless. And thanks to Heath Ledger's Joker we have seen the best evil performance to date. Chris Nolan's Dark Knight is the Godfather 2 or Empire Strikes Back of superhero movies. It is one of the very few sequels that is better than the original in every which way. This is the movie that every other comic adaptation will try to beat, if that is even possible. They for sure as hell have lot of hard work ahead of them.