I have to say I truly enjoyed this sequel to Batman Begins.  The Dark Knight definitely lived up to all the hype and I do feel that Heath Ledger delivered an “Oscar” worthy performance (I would feel the same if he was still with us).  I have seen the first in this new take on the Batman series no less than 50 times.  I own the DVD and it is in my top 5 choices for an action movie night.  I love the back story and the more ‘real’ take on a comic book character.  Sometimes comic movies feel silly to me but this new generation is excellent in my opinion.

I will say that I would NOT take small children to see this movie and would even go so far as to say maybe not even kids under about 15 years.  My step-daughter is 13 and I hope she hasn’t seen it.  It’s just too dark in my opinion.  Although much of the violence is implied, I did close my eyes a few times so as not to see what I thought would be a gross moment.

The story begins back in Gotham City where a new DA, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is on the scene and vowing to continue too clean up the city; a job that was started by the Batman (Christian Bale) when he put the feared mob boss “Falcony” behind bars in the first movie.  I truly believe you need to see the first before seeing this one.  The movie starts with a bang and doesn’t give a lot of the back story so I think it is good to understand the relationship between Batman and Rachel Dawes (Assistant DA played by Maggie Gyllenhal – replacing Katie Holmes from Batman Begins) and to better understand how this version of Batman got to where he is, how he is involved in Wayne Enterprises, his connection with the police, etc.

The bat costume is the same but different. An early on action scene finds a number of imposters (the Dr. from the first movie and others) are dressed up as the Batman and out to stop the criminals on their own; they want to “help”.  Batman himself arrives to stop the criminals and to keep the imposters from getting hurt, all the while taking a hit from a vicious dog…enter the need for the newest in ‘bat suit’…something dog-proof please?  Enter Lucius Fox and the development division of Wayne Enterprises.  I would have like to have seen Morgan Freeman in this movie more.  I felt that his character really added a lot to the first one and thought he could have had a bigger roll here.  He is now the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, but you get the impression that his relationship with Bruce is strained due to his double life as Batman.  He is not intimately involved in the “product development” section anymore and therefore doesn’t have the interaction with Bruce as he develops the latest and greatest in “bat accessories”.

I felt this plot had enough twists and turns for it to be unexpected and different from any of the versions I have seen to date.  There is the corporate side of the story and the heart of all evil: money. Of course the Joker storyline with a truly outstanding performance from Ledger as the darkest and most sadistic and sinister Joker character I have ever seen.  Obviously he is driving the latest criminal surge in Gotham but there is more to it than that and you really get into the details to how he is acting, although the why is a bit fuzzy.  The relationship between Batman and Dawes is heart-wrenching and the obligation Bruce feels towards his father’s Gotham is still at the heart of his plight.

The costumes in this movie were fantastic and the action scenes were very well done.  I greatly enjoyed the motorcycle addition to the bat-mobile and greatly enjoyed the plot twists and turns, as I like being surprised by where a storyline is going instead of knowing what comes next.  I am disappointed in some of the characters that will not be back for the 3rd installment (as I’m sure there will be a 3rd), but of course it won’t be the same without Ledger as the Joker…did I mention that he was fantastic?  His makeup was excellent as well and I honestly don’t think I would have known it was him had I not known it was him.  I had difficulty hearing in some parts with the change in Bales voice when he is in the bat costume.  We went to an old theater so I look forward to seeing this again at home with the surround sound or even again in a newer theater before it’s gone.

Overall this movie is deep and dark, filled with good fight scenes, action and adventure, along with great character development and interaction I give it an A+++.  Definitely worth seeing and seeing again.  You won’t be disappointed.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older