It makes up for the glut of mediocre movies this summer.
The screenplay is complex, but still engaging and accessible. It is refreshing to see a film you have to actually concentrate and keep up with things in order to understand it, as opposed to the mindless drivel that you often see at the multiplex.
Also, without giving anything away, the movie has a lot of great characters, and the story uses the 2 1/2 hour running time to flesh out all of them.
The action scenes are well-choreographed and are a blast to watch. You can see every penny of the $180 million budget on the screen. Also, the film relies on practical effects, and gives a sense of realism that can't be achieved with computer-generated effects.
Speaking of realism, the reason I like Batman so much is that he is just a regular guy with no superpowers, just a lot of gadgets and a messed-up childhood. Christopher Nolan embraces this idea and has given his two Batman movies a very realistic look.
I was and still am a fan of Tim Burton's 1989 take on the Caped Crusader, but "Batman Begins" and "TDK" both put it to shame. You can't fault Jack Nicholson's deliberately over-the-top performance as the Joker, because it fit in to the gothic, somewhat fantastic atmosphere Tim Burton created for his film, but again, Heath Ledger's Joker brings a sense of realism not seen before. One review I read really hit it on the head when he said that it's entirely possible that a lunatic like the Joker could appear in the real world. Ledger's performance is spot-on as his Joker is insane, chaotic, but completely believable and downright scary at times. I found myself dreading what he was going to do next as I was watching the film.
Anyway, this easily surpasses "Ironman" as the year's best film, and I am hoping the screenplay and Ledger will receive Oscar nominations. Hopefully, the Academy voters will come to their senses, and, like I said before, nominate films people have actually seen. The critics have been rightfully complimentary of this film, with the exception of a few snotty reviewers from New York. Speaking of reviewers, avoid reading Kurt Loder's review at all costs. (link deliberately not provided). I usually like Loder's writing, and it was priceless when he confronted Jewel on a grammatical error in a poetry book she authored, but he reveals way too many plot points, and spoiled some surprises for me.
Also, this movie is already bringing in money by the truckload. It made 66-plus million on Friday ALONE. Every single show was sold out at the theater I went to on Saturday. Luckily, we bought tickets beforehand. So, it looks like some box office records will be broken this weekend. Rightfully so, because this movie is unforgettable.
On a sad note, this pretty much marks the end of the summer movie season for me. Aside from "The Clone Wars," there are no other movies I am really busting to see. I was never a fan of the Mummy movies, and I just don't care about the X-Files anymore. I may go to see "Step Brothers," which looks amusing, but I am not looking forward to seeing it like I was to see "TDK." No problem, because that will give me more time to make the trip to see "TDK" on an IMAX screen.
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