Batman: The Dark Knight

Batman was exceedingly good...and unexpectedly long. I think Heath Ledger's death may have had a part to play in this, since parts of the movie seemed quite tacked on. Attempting to condense two movies into one could possibly look like this.

Now, that aside, I am completely blown away by the portrayal of the Joker this time round. It is thoroughly refreshing to finally see the Joker as a psychotic evil genius. Under that loony clown image is the mind of a psychotherapist gone wrong. I especially liked that the Joker was out to prove a point: That, given the right stimuli, even the best of people can be brought down.

I'm sorry, Batman, but the Joker managed to steal the show again. Ledger put up a performance of the standard I've come to expect of a Johnny Depp show, and certainly breathed life into the character. The references to the relationship between Batman and the Joker were timely, too. It is well known that the two never had the intention to kill one another. Batman because he isn't a killer at heart. Joker because he does so love to torment the Bat. It is really a sort of strange attraction.

Of course, I felt the whole Harvey Dent sequence was tacked on, considering the show should've been about the Joker. Besides, there were precious few scenes where the two interacted, and I'd have to presume they were somehow related to Ledger's untimely demise.

I cannot help but give this movie a stellar 9.5/10. The length and apparently tacked on sequences kept it from perfection, but Ledger brought out the Joker I had been hoping to see for the longest time: Something beyond a selfish, mindless psychopath. Every Batman villian has a history and set of motivations, but much of canon focuses overly much on the action.