FanDominion

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Whether it's run-of-the-mill fanboy attention, rabid Batman fans, or ghoulish gawkers eager to see dead movie star Heath Ledger's final performance, The Dark Knight is set to be one of the biggest blockbuster movies of 2008.

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OPENS: July 18, 2008
RATING: PG-13 (Violence)
GENRE: Superhero, Fantasy

Three years ago independent film maker Christopher Nolan, best known for a little film called Memento, was picked by Warner Bros. to helm and write the big screen return of Batman.

Worse yet, Christian Bale, a British actor was cast in the lead role.

A skeptical but hopeful fanbase was pleasantly surprised when the movie opened as a smart ans serious treatment of the Caped Crusader – not the campy mocking treatment that has been done in past years.

So it was with great anticipation over the past few years that Batman followers looked forward to the release of The Dark Knight, Nolan’s sequel – which had the debut of Nolan’s take on the Joker as played by Oscar nominee Heath Ledger (Roar, A Knight’s Tale, Brokeback Mountain).

Then this past winter the unthinkable happened when Heath Ledger died in an accidental overdose from mixing prescription medications.

Because of this tragedy, The Dark Knight premiere became overshadowed as the last performance of a gifted young actor.

To a one, each mainstream media reviewer – and most fannish reviews – have focused on ledger and his performance. The consensus is that his turn as Joker is a success and exceeds any other actor’s previous attempt to inhabit the iconic role. Many – but not all – predict that Ledger will be nominated for best supporting actor when the Academy Award nominations come out next year.

Also of note, the addition of Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, replacing Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Most pointed out that Gyllenhaal’s acting chops, easy glamour and commanding screen presence show not only that Holmes was miscast in the role in the first film – but that Gyllenhall, maybe more so than her better-known brother Jake, is destined for a long career in the movies.

Of the few negative comments. Some reviewers didn’t line the 2 1/2 hour length of the film. Others said the film lost the edgy magic of the first film as it reached too far toward becoming an action flick. Still other negative comments focused on the dystopian, bleak atmosphere of Dark Knight.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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• Outstanding cast
• Terrific writing
• Possibly the first superhero movie destined to win in a major Oscar category

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• Not for children because of extreme violence and scary scenes
• At 2 1/2 hours, may be too long for some people
• If you want an uplifting feel-good movie, you won’t get it

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{for="Houston Chronicle" value="9"}

"Even without the sentimental distinction of being the late actor's last role, Ledger's performance as the Joker is the best thing about the movie." – Eric Harrison

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{for=”E!” value=”9″}

“It’s almost unfair to call The Dark Knight a sequel. Director Christopher Nolan has crafted a Batman film of such devastating impact, it practically obliterates the memory of its predecessors.” – Alex Markerson

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{for=”Salt Lake Tribune” value=”9″}

“ Ledger, tearing into his last great role, embodies the insane genius of The Joker – and of the movie.” – Sean P. Martin

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{for=”CNN” value=”8″}

“ In a summer when action overwhelms intelligence (and even good sense), here’s a movie that works on many levels.” – Tom Charity

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{for=”Washington Post – Family Filmgoer” value=”7″}

“Ledger walks away with the movie. His Joker is insane, evil, scary, funny and even pathetic in his psychopathic lack of feeling. He could give younger kids nightmares. This is not a movie for teens younger than high school age, let alone grade schoolers.” – Jane Horwitz

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{for=”Newsday” value=”8″}

“Ledger is wickedly brilliant as the Joker. He revels in his spaghetti hair and maimed-clown makeup, but it’s his delightfully nasty delivery and twisted posture that transform him into a force of nature. If Alfred Hitchcock was right that a film is only as good as its villain, that explains the success of The Dark Knight.”- Rafer Guzman

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{for=”Boston Globe” value=”8″}

“You come away impressed, oppressed, provoked, and beaten down, holding on to Ledger’s squirrelly incandescence as a beacon in the darkness.” – Ty Burr

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{for=”Chicago Sun-Times” value=”10″}

“Because these actors and others are so powerful, and because the movie does not allow its spectacular special effects to upstage the humans, we’re surprised how deeply the drama affects us.” – Roger Ebert

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{for=”Salon” value=”6″}

“Looks as if it were made from a messy blackboard diagram with lots of circles, heavily underlined phrases (“Duality! Good vs. evil — in the same person! Kinship between hero and villain!”) and crisscrossing arrows that ultimately point to nothing.” – Stephanie Zacharek

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{for=”London Free Press” value=”9″}

“this shadowy opus of morality and identity bends the genre to new dimensions — hinging not on spectacle, but the yin-and-yang pathology of its hero and villain. It’s a gripping, gratifying high-wire act and a startling departure for a genre usually dismissed as effects-driven eye-candy.” – Kevin Williamson

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{for=”San Francisco Chronicle” value=”8″}

“The Dark Knight is by no means a complete success. But the more it reveals its dark heart, the better it gets, and at times it seems just a step away from achieving something extraordinary. In the end, it’s no leap forward, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.” – Mick LaSalle

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{for=”USA Today” value=”10″}

“A more thrilling, intelligent, morally complex and masterfully crafted film than any summer blockbuster in recent years. It’s probably the best superhero movie to date.” – Claudia Puig

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{for=”Los Angeles Times” value=”9″}

“The Dark Knight may be the most hopeless, despairing comic-book movie in memory. It creates a world where being a superhero is at best a double-edged sword and no triumph is likely to be anything but short-lived.” – Kenneth Turan

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{for=”Chicago Tribune” value=”10″}

“Sensational, grandly sinister and not for the kids, “The Dark Knight” elevates pulp to a very high level.” – Michael Phillips

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