The Dark Knight Movie Review

Heath Ledger stars as the Joker in the Dark Knight.

Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Our apologies to all of the other blockbusters out this summer, but the biggest movie of the year is finally here! Kidzworld looks at The Dark Knight.

Batman Continues

Director Christopher Nolan and his talented crew re-introduced the world to the caped crusader in the gritty Batman Begins, and almost as soon as word got out, everyone was already looking forward to the next installment. That must be a lot of pressure, but Nolan knew that he had an ace in the hole, or in this case, a Joker, not to mention Two-Face’s lucky coin.

Crime Stoppers

The Dark Knight picks up where Batman Begins left off, with Batman striking fear into the hearts of the criminals of Gotham City. Leiutenant Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent are heading up the city’s crackdown on crime, and even Batman knows that there might be a time when the city doesn’t need him anymore. Batman also knows that he can’t be with his true love, Rachel Dawes, unless he gives up the shiny black suit eventually. But he still has issues, namely Batman copycats acting as vigilantes across the city, and the fact that Rachel is dating Harvey Dent, which totally complicates things.

Jokers Wild, and Crazy

Even more complicated is the arrival of the Joker, who rips off the mob and then boldly offers his services to get rid of the Batman. Gordon, Dent, and Batman tentatively join forces, and from here the plot starts twisting, with a series of heists, back-stabbings, double crosses, explosions, and tricky set ups, where just as you think the good guys get a leg up on the baddies, the tables are turned, and then the whole table is flipped over and set on fire. Like any great Batman flick, his toys, especially the Batmobile and Bat-Pod shine, and just wait until you see him take on an 18-wheeler on that thing. Beneath all of the unpredictable action is a more philosophical look at the age-old Good vs. Evil debate, and the viewers are more than happy to go along for the ride.

The Bottom Line

Go. See. This. Movie. That might be simplifying it a little, but this film is a must see for anyone who likes movies. Christian Bale is great as Batman, and even better as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, Maggie Gyllenhaal is a serious upgrade over Katie Holmes, and film veterans Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman are a pleasure to watch. The real star of this film though is Heath Ledger as the Joker. What an incredible performance. Because he’s constantly wearing make-up, it’s easy to forget about Heath’s tragic death, but when you do think about it, it’s incredibly sad to lose such a great talent. The Dark Knight is dark, chaotic, and explosive, just like the Joker's mind. Even though the film runs for two and a half hours, you really don’t want it to end. In fact, you want to watch it again right away!

Rating:

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