Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 12/09/2008 Run time: 151 minutes Rating: Pg13

The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great–in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision–is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City’s new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralyzed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon–and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution–kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne.

In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director-cowriter Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism–there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it’s a shade too long, and it’s much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans–and not just superhero fans–The Dark Knight is a film for the ages. –David Horiuchi

On the DVD
Unlike the Blu-ray disc, The Dark Knight on DVD is completely in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. You can, however, watch the six IMAX scenes separately. Also on disc 2 are “Gotham Uncovered: The Creation of a Scene,” which is behind-the-scenes footage about the Bat suit, the Bat pod, and the music; eight-minute segments of Gotham Central, a faux-news program that gives some background to events in the movie; plus a variety of trailers, poster art, and more. Last, there’s a digital copy of the film compatible with iTunes and Windows Media (download code expires 12/9/09). –David Horiuchi

The Dark Knight is a visually stunning, multi-layered, mind blowing ride. The story is so deep it’s impossible to take it all in on the initial viewing. Heath Ledger plays the Joker to maniacal perfection. He is by far the best Joker I’ve ever seen (sorry Jack). He is the first actor to make the Joker frightening. As much as it pains people to know they will have to replace Ledger in subsequent chapters as this was just the beginning of the Joker and Batman. I also thought including the cameo of Scarecrow was a nice touch.

As usual Christian Bale was an excellent Batman, but I feel that something is lacking in his portrayal of Bruce Wayne. It may not be his fault even. I’ve always viewed Bruce Wayne as a tormented soul who views the mantle of the bat as a bane in his life. Nolan’s Batman almost seems uncomfortable as Bruce Wayne and would rather be the bat and leave his life as Bruce Wayne behind.

The film is dark and brooding as a Batman movie should be. It runs a bit long and my wife often points out that it took her 3 separate viewings to make it all the way through. I still feel that it is an amazing film that was sorely overlooked at the Oscars.

Where to buy cheap prices? -The Dark Knight (Full-Screen Single-Disc Edition) $7.53



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