The Dark Knight

was awesome. I'd give it five and a half stars out of five.

I didn't care much for Maggie Gyllenhaal as the Katie Holmes replacement - partly because I don't think she's that good of an actress (especially here) and partly because I don't think she or Holmes were of the caliber of former Bat-girls Basinger, Pfeiffer, and Kidman. I just don't like Katie Holmes at all, but her acting is terrible as well. If the 80s and 90s could present Batman with the hottest female co-stars of the day, I think the least we could've done was found someone who could act properly.

Christian Bale plays Bruce Wayne/Batman with a greater depth than seen in the former films. The character is more intense than he was in Batman Begins, which leaves Bale topping his former masterpiece. There are certain parts of the movie where he uses the millionaire persona of Bruce Wayne to a much bigger advantage than has been used in former Batman films - for instance, he makes a deal with a Hong Kong businessman in order to get a closer look at his company's financial books.

Morgan Freeman always delivers great performances, no matter what the film. I'm worried he might not be in the next film, but for those who haven't yet seen 'The Dark Knight' I don't want to ruin it. Like I've said before, if Morgan Freeman were really God a la Bruce Almighty, I would believe. I think he's a great person, an amazing actor, and a wonderful role model.

I love Aaron Eckhart. Seriously, if you haven't seen him in anything, please rent Thank You For Smoking... or go see this. I had no clue before yesterday that Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face) was even in this movie. So much focus has been on Heath Ledger that I just didn't notice. Aaron is a great actor and really helps to bring more understanding to the character than Tommy Lee Jones ever could (no offense to him). Jones was so maniacal that he didn't do the character justice. Eckhart, however, brings his sarcastic, witty attitude to a more dramatic role than I've seen him in. In the end, once the turn from Dent to Two-Face is made, I found myself rooting for him. Bad guys with good reasons are easier to like I suppose. He had one of the most solid performances in this film, which is good, seeing as he's one of the main characters.

Michael Caine is growing on me as Alfred. I've always thought he was a great comic, but not much for the drama. Then again, I don't really watch his films because he's in soooo many (Goldmember was good). He still is no Michael Gough, but he's definitely getting better.

Gary Oldman has finally broken free from the bad guy typecasting. I even read an article to that effect this morning. He's so good at playing the bad guy - from Dracula to Lee Harvey Oswald and even to Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale (extra point if you remember what book/movie that was from). It's refreshing to see him as a guy fighting for good, choosing to do the right thing and knowing that it'll be hard. He's always been one of my favorite actors, and that grew as soon as he landed the role of Sirius in the Harry Potter films.

And lastly, Heath Ledger. Heath brings us a Joker that is much more of today's world. His primary goal is to prove that, when push comes to shove, people can be as nasty, disgusting, and ugly on the inside as he is all the time. In contrast to Nicholson's Joker, Heath brings an air of intelligence to the arch enemy of the Bat. The Joker is more sick, twisted, and psychotic in this film than he ever was in films and shows past. Chaos is his main goal - he has no plans ("I'm a dog chasing cars. I don't have plans. I just do things. I'm not a schemer.") and he wants a perfect state of anarchy ("Introduce a little anarchy... Upset the established order... Well then everyone loses their minds!"). However, Heath's Joker has much more respect for Batman than has been shown in previous versions as well. He recognizes that Batman will not kill him because he will not break his one rule. He also realizes that the Bat will not die, and therefore the two are destined to fight forever ("This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." & "I don't want to kill you. What would I do without you?").

I was a few minutes late to the movie and so I missed the dedication to Heath that happened at the beginning of the movie. Maybe I'll try to convince Theron to go see it so that I can see the first ten minutes. :)

So pretty much, the movie was awesome. If you are a fan of Batman (or any of the actors in the film), go see it, enjoy it, savor the great script and wonderful performances, and go home full of questions about the next Batman film.