After months (hell, even years) of hype and anticipation, The Dark Knight finally hit theaters the 18th! The sequel to Batman Begins, also directed by the brilliant Christopher Nolan—who reinvigorated Bat-films and changed the respectability of comic book movies for the better—The Dark Knight showcases a cast of highly talented actors like Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Maggie Gyllenhaal as (the new) Rachel Dawes—and the celebrated late Heath Ledger as the Joker.

On opening day, The Dark Knight hit number four in top pre-sale releases of all time according to MovieTickets.com. ComicNerd writers Stephanie, Redhollywood, and Clayton were there Friday, so grab onto something and read their reviews of this summer hit movie (which has been selling out like crazy) after the jump.

And here we … go!

As much as I’d love to go all out and give an in-depth review of this film, I need to see it at least one more time to do that, because it’s just so complex. I think it can be argued that one of The Dark Knight’s greatest achievements is its greatest downfall—for one-time moviegoers, that is. This movie has so many layers, and is so philosophical on top of all the action and everything else going on, that when you combine it with its two-and-a-half hour length, it’s hard to wrap your head around fully the first time. Don’t get me wrong: it’s all handled remarkably well. But I’ve read several reviews now in which people have said, “Whoa, what a film! How great is it? I think I need to watch this at least one more time first before I say anything extreme.” It’s not that people aren’t smart enough to gauge the depth of this movie—it’s just that The Dark Knight is one of those films that just keeps revealing more of its secrets the second, and even third, time around. More pieces fall into place, subtle threads take on bigger meanings.

Anyway, besides … for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, I’m keeping this basically spoiler-free.

Let’s put a smile on that face, because The Dark Knight, folks, rocked my socks clean off. In that theater Friday, I was Like a Dog Chasing Cars—it was that good. Okay, okay, enough of the cheap soundtrack jokes. Jeez. You’re probably thinking, “And I Thought My Jokes Were Bad.” (All right, last one, I promise. ;D )

But hey, while we’re already on the subject, let’s start with the soundtrack. It was great! It was reminiscent of the Batman Begins score, but in a whole new way that fit the tone of this movie. In fact, everything about this movie was great. The story was awesome. It was laid out brilliantly, and even though so much happened—with pure action followed by more beautifully crafted action—it wasn’t confusing or overwhelming. The movie truly did feel realistic, in everything from the action sequences to the Joker’s schemes that threw everything into chaos—into anarchy. And man, was it one hell of a Joker story. The Joker really did show us (and Gotham) a better class of criminal.

Heath Ledger makes this movie golden. There wasn’t a scene that he was in—let alone a moment—that wasn’t just awe-inspiring to watch. Every second he’s on screen he makes unique, whether it’s an expression or a gesture or just the way he delivers his dialogue. The Joker’s voice may have taken Heath the longest to nail, but he nailed it, all right. Dead on. He was horrifying one moment in his chaos, and the next he was making you laugh—guiltily, I might add—at his sick but hilarious jokes. Like the magic trick? That rocked.

The Joker’s role in this movie, and everything he says, strikes deep. It gives the movie so many layers of depth. And I’m not just talking about the fan nods that were thrown nicely into the mix, making it even more enjoyable (aka many things were reminiscent of comics like The Killing Joke, Year One, etc.). The Joker—and also his interaction with the Batman and his effect on him—leaves a powerful mark. What he says and what he does raises a lot of ethical questions, and you have to admit he makes good points (not only in his humor, either). “When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other.” And they almost do, Joker. Almost. In that way, it’s very reminiscent of The Killing Joke. In fact, one of the things I love most about Nolan’s Bat-films is that they draw so heavily but gracefully from the comics themselves, striking hard into the heart of Batman and all of the other characters (including the Joker). Christopher Nolan lays everything out swiftly and with ingenius precision.

Even though the Joker essentially is this movie, that doesn’t mean that the other characters aren’t balanced in a meticulous way. This film is, after all, a Batman film. Batman’s voice is a lot deeper in this one, which was cool; he’s a lot darker. Bruce Wayne, on the other hand, is as innocently clueless with his boyish charm as ever (and we get a fun, quick moment between Bruce and Gordon, yay!). I loved the redesign of the Batsuit—and I can’t even begin to tell you how freaking awesome the Batpod is. And while Batman Begins had Bats just starting out, and left him to the shadows, TDK shows him in a more comfortable stage: meaning we get to see him kick butt on screen, not just in the conceal of darkness. And it makes for some spectacular visuals, all around (not just with Bats).

(And you know, when I saw the one tv spot with the bat lenses, I was worried that that was going to be downright cheesy. But it actually wasn’t in the movie. It worked. And the sonar thing was downright awesome.)

Maggie Gyllenhaal gave Rachel Dawes even more spunk, passion, and fire—and made her way more courageous than even Katie Holmes’s Rachel was. Kudos.

Now, as fans of comic book movies, we’re all too familiar with what usually happens as a result of more than one villain in a flick. Either one doesn’t get enough screen time, or it just ends up a mess. So I’m going to say this. You know how in comics—especially Batman comics—the villains and/or criminals are always working together or interacting in some fashion? It works here, folks. It feels like a classic Batman comic book come to life—in a really good way, of course. The way Two-Face and the Joker interact is genius. It was simply handled really well. It’s balanced in TDK.

And speaking of Two-Face, Aaron Eckhart is charming, moral, and honorable as Harvey Dent and horrifyingly powerful as Two-Face. What a brilliant transformation. Eckhart did this really well and smoothly. Lucius Fox was even more fun and had a bigger role than he did in Begins. And Alfred was as sarcastic and sweet as ever. And in the penthouse, after you-know-what happened and Alfred was consoling Bruce … it was very reminiscent of that scene Batman Begins when Alfred comforts young Bruce after his parents’ death—both in dialogue, emotion, and set-up. Well done, Nolan. That was smart. What is more, one of the deepest moments in this film comes from the story Alfred tells Bruce. And when Bruce finally asks how they caught the bandit, Alfred answers, “We burned down the entire forest.” How’s that for a parallel? Bats might not realize it now, but to stop the Joker permanently, he would have to do just that. The two would destroy Gotham trying to kill each other. But instead, Batman is “incorruptible,” as the Joker himself puts it. He won’t break his one rule. And thus, the legend of these two began … Even the Joker senses that at the end, telling Batman he has a feeling they’ll be doing this a loooong time.

On a separate note, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon was amazing. That man was born to play Gordon. He has the looks, and he has the heart of Gordon down perfectly. So I’m really glad that he got a MUCH bigger role in the sequel.

The film itself shows us a better class of comic book movie. It met my expectations and then some. I want to see it again. And again. This movie might be two-and-a-half hours, but everything deserves to be there; it ends really well, setting up a lot for another movie. I loved Nolan’s “not a hero” take, too—because it’s true. Batman’s not a hero. He’s not doing it for the glorification that comes with the connotation of a hero. Like Gordon said, he’s Gotham’s silent guardian, their Dark Knight. He’s wearing a mask, unlike Harvey Dent, Gotham City’s White Knight. He does what he has to do, but he indeed does it outside the law. He’s a good guy, but not a pure hero (and certainly not a traditional one)—not like Harvey Dent was before he was scarred; not like Gordon is. And just having that theme running through the movie, it really emphasizes the tragedy of what happens to Harvey.

On a lighter note, GOD was this movie fun. Everything was brilliant: the humor, the characters, the story, the action, the directing, the visuals … And yes, my friends. Heath Ledger’s Joker was classic. Timeless. Period. The Best. Jack Nicholson, eat your heart out.

And Nolan … you better give us one more, or we’re gonna Introduce a Little Anarchy. ;D

* * *

Bam! Biff! Kapow!!! All of us who are Batman lovers recognize these sounds and thankfully they were not present in the new movie The Dark Knight. In the movie Harvey Dent says, “The night is always darkest before the dawn.” Well fair readers, celebrate and rejoice for the dawn of comic book movies has finally come.

The Dark Knight surpasses the title of comic book movie and has broken into the realm of real crime drama thriller. The movie was near 3 hours long but in my mind it wasn’t long enough. There was no filler in this movie. Everything was there for a reason and it was all done great. Most people will be talking about Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, but I want to praise Nolan and his compatriots for the story of The Dark Knight. It was a beautifully crafted story of love, choices, and sacrifices. The dialogue was written well and the action scenes were scripted perfectly. The only thing I had a problem with was when his motorcycle did the 180 on the wall. That was a little bit corny.

All the actors shined in this movie. I, for one, thought Maggie Gyllenhaal was a better Rachel Dawes and Aaron Eckhart was an amazing Harvey Dent. He was very believable. Of course, the man with the most amazing performance was Heath Ledger. The Joker was sinister, funny, and psychotic. Ledger portrayed a man who thrives chaos. His performance was flawless. He showed how smart the Joker is from always being one step ahead of everyone to being ruthless and maniacal. My favorite aspect of his performance was his tick. The way he would lick with his tongue was genuinely creepy.

This movie earns the title of Best Comic Book Movie in my opinion. Some people will disagree with me on this point, saying that Iron Man was the better of the two. Don’t get me wrong, Iron Man was a great flick, but as far as storyline, acting, and writing are concerned, The Dark Knight takes the cake.

There is one thing that I was pleased with the most in The Dark Knight and that was lack of easter eggs. I was so glad that DC did not put in a bunch of easter eggs for the fanboys to salivate over. I am glad there were no cameos by Adam West or anyone else. This is something that Marvel needs to take note of. Sure easter eggs are fun, but for comic book movies to be taken seriously they need to be written seriously, and The Dark Knight did just that. This movie is a must-see and then a repeat must-see. I give it Best Movie of the Summer.

* * *

WHAM! POW! SMACK! These words were once the thing people thought about when the heard the name Batman. Adam West, shark repellent purple gas, and colorful costumes filled this campier than camp show and sadly became the example for our hero.

As years would pass, Tim Burton stepped up to helm the first Batman film. Things started well, as two entertaining, albeit over-the-top, films were made. However, the franchise soon fell back into depravity with further incarnations bringing the silliness and even more colorful costumes from West’s show.

Fortunately, dear readers, these days have passed.

I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t really care for Batman Begins. Too much action and kung-fu for my purist stomach to digest I suppose. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good movie. It just didn’t feel like Batman. So, despite a brilliant marketing campaign and fantastic trailers and clips, I didn’t expect greatness. I was wrong.

The Dark Knight is the most serious superhero film ever made. Period. It takes what many view as simplistic and childishness genre and completely turns it on its ear. It’s dark, brooding, and more complex than many critics have given it credit (despite their rave reviews). In fact, the whole movie feels real. It’s as close as what we could imagine to seeing if there actually was a painted madman terrorizing Chicago and a winged protector defending it.

I hate to say it, but it makes Marvel’s Iron Man looks like a cartoon by comparison. This is coming from someone who has entertained the idea of an Avengers or Captain America shield tattoo. Yeah. I know. I said entertained, I haven’t actually done it.

Folks, we need more movies like this. We need films that make comic books look serious. For far too long graphic novels and comics have not been viewed in a serious light. Maybe a few more films might change that. Perhaps.

Let me get back on subject here. The Dark Knight is the best big budget film to come out this year. It is the most serious and thought-provoking comic adaptation ever put on the big screen. It is, my fellow nerds, as good as it gets.

Your turn: So? What did you think of The Dark Knight? Did it meet your expectations (and then some), or do you think the hype was too high? Let us know!

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