The Dark Knight: My non-spoilerish review

[Penelope]

We FINALLY saw Batman this past weekend, and though I avoided it for a while because of all the hype about Heath Ledger, I have to admit I was impressed. I think Christoper Nolan as screenwriter/director was spot on in his concept of Batman and the Joker. The movie was rated PG-13 but I think it could easily have been rated "R". Although there was very little in the way of blood and gore, some of the images (both actual and mental) were very disturbing. Christian Bale reprised his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Morgan Freeman was stellar in his reprise of Lucius Fox. I thought I would find Heath Ledger's performance to be more hype than hit, but I was wrong. He was brilliant as the Joker and I was on tenterhooks from one moment to the next not knowing whether I would be laughing at his silliness or horrified at his barbarity. Christian Bale as before put in a great performance as Bruce Wayne, but again I wasn't 100% with his Batman. The voice seemed a bit tortured for my tastes but otherwise he turned in a great performance. Plot wise the film was fantastic. Kudos to the Nolans for not dumbing it down or playing to a "G"-rated audience. I was particularly taken with the recurring issue of who gets to be above the law. As with Spiderman, the vigilanteism issue that is brought up time and again in the dual identity super-hero genre rears its head, here. I'm not quite sure there was ever a resolution to it, but I don't believe you can properly address this particular genre of superhero without at least mentioning it. For older kids and adults the film addresses in an interesting fashion, what it means to be a hero. Some of it is a bit too dark and esoteric for youngsters, though. So I WOULD NOT suggest the film for children under 14. If you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend it - even if just for the groovy action sequences. But if you get beyond the action sequences, it really is the type of film you can see yourself talking about with a group of adult friends over a glass of wine or other mood-altering substance. If you've seen it already - what's your opinion?

[Cranston]

I liked it, but I was in the minority (on the BSFS site, anyway). It'll be interesting to see how if will be compared to Watchmen (one reviewer said comparatively, it makes Dark Knight look like Confessions of a Shopaholic. My only problem with it is... How are they gonna top it? (Remember The Godfather III, and any Rocky film past the first one?