Batman is not anything special to me, I've read a few of the graphic novels, I used to watch the 60's TV show, I've watched the recent cartoon adaptations, I enjoyed Tim Burton's films and I enjoyed Batman Begins.
The problem for me, as has been often been said elsewhere, is that Batman is best when he's not a kids superhero. There are too many moral dilemmas and dark characters for it to be a fun, jolly, action film. The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel captured this, and I'm pleased to say this film does too.
The Joker is the star of the film, thanks to Heath Ledger's amazing performance and some great writing, both of which produce The Joker I've always imagined: very dangerous, very intelligent and very crazy. The plot winds up the tension again and again, with The Joker upping the odds and getting wilder and nastier. A lesser film would have ended after an hour and a half, but The Dark Knight adds another hour of action, without sacrificing the intelligence.
It's a tough task for any actor to play Batman, especially when you're up against a wonderful Joker. You have to play dark and moody as the Batman, and vacant and stupid as Bruce Wayne. Fortunately for Christian Bale there are some scenes with Alfred where he can act as a sane man. My only annoyance with the performance is the Batman voice, which just feels a little bit over the top. I don't remember it so much from Batman Begins.
The only plot point that annoyed me was the technological sonar gadget, which used a combination of nonsense, computers and mobile phones to work, and was then used as a sledgehammer rather than a subtle moral discussion. Perhaps Morgan Freeman wanted something to do? It all felt weak next to the rest of the plot.
But forget the negatives, because there are so many positives. All in all a great film, dark and bleak, with a perfect Joker. Definitely not a kids film.
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