[Editor's Note: this review contains spoilers, but they are blacked out until highlighted. Please be careful if you have not seen the movie yet and do not wish it spoiled.]

It's a year after Batman's first appearance, and Gotham City has made great progress. The criminals are afraid to make a move, and Batman is poised to deliver the final blow to the city's crime bosses. Hey, even the streets are brighter and cleaner. Enter the Joker, a criminal psychopath who lacks the weaknesses of Batman's usual foes. He's insane and without boundaries. Sadistic for the sake of it. He's immune to fear and even greed. He's super intelligent, and worse, he understands Batman all too well. This new breed of criminal proves to be the greatest challenge for Gotham's defenders: Jim Gordon, District Attorneys Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent, and of course, Batman...

The Dark Knight is an astonishing achievement. So much so that it's overwhelming. I've been sitting here trying to organize my thoughts, but there's so much to digest. If you want me to bottom line it, yes, it is an amazing movie. Part superhero flick, part crime potboiler, part tragedy, all great. When I walked out of that theatre I wanted to buy another ticket and march right back in. It is the superhero movie we've been waiting for; proving forever that a movie based on a comic book could reach the artistic heights of a great film. It's complex, well acted and it nails the characters from the comics while adding new depth of its own. It even blows up real good: improved action sequences lead to some truly great moments of badassery for Batman. Yes, that's a word. Look it up.

Unless you've been sucking off spoiler threads somewhere, this movie is bound to surprise you. I know it did me, not quite telling the story I thought it was going to tell. It's a good one though, and central to that story is Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent, who becomes Gotham's--and Batman's--hope for a better future. As the movie went on, I wanted to see more of him, even more than I did of Heath Ledger's Joker. Eckhart does an amazing job of bringing this character to life. [Spoilers]He starts out as such a likeable character and his transformation from golden boy crusader to twisted villain Two-Face is heartbreaking to watch. Though, I must admit that since Two-Face is my favourite villain from Batman's Rogue's Gallery, I got chills when he flipped that coin. Also, his character design is gruesomely excellent. At one of my viewings, there was a gasp when they finally revealed him.[/Spoilers] I hope Tommy Lee Jones is extra ashamed of himself now.

And then there's the Joker. The big inescapable story surrounding The Dark Knight has been Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, one of the last of his career before his untimely death (his last movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, releases next year). All of the hype is justified. Ledger's Joker is terrifying. Also: relentless, oppressive and every bit as believable as Batman was in Begins. Ledger never "winks" at the audience to let us know it's okay. It ain't okay.

Ledger and the script writers pegged the Joker's personality perfectly. He's intelligent, cunningly sadistic, and places absolutely no value on anything that anyone with a drop of conscience values. The Joker delights in causing pain and mayhem and whenever he's on screen, nobody is safe. Although this is a franchise movie and we know certain characters have to survive, the movie made me forget this. The story was so intense I didn't know if any of my heroes were going to make it out of there.

There are those who are clamoring for an Oscar for Ledger. While I understand the desire to reward this performance, even posthumously, I still have to ask: when, in the entire history of the Oscars, have they ever been relevant? Seriously, stop and think about it, and see if you can honestly answer that question. With that in mind, who gives a toss whether Ledger wins one or not? Rant over, back to review.

Other performances compliment the cast well, holding their own against the acting powerhouses. Morgan Freeman (no relation to Gordon) and Michael Caine are dignified and respectable as Lucius Fox and Alfred. The only disappointment here is Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, taking over for Katie Holmes, who left to do Mad Money (Hi, Katie, is the same person who is giving you marriage counseling also giving you career advice?). There's nothing wrong with Gyllenhaal's performance, it's just that the character doesn't quite fit in. I think it might have more to do with the writing than the actress.

If the movie has a fault, it's that there is a lot going on, and sometimes it's hard to follow. I've seen it twice now, and I think it benefits from repeat viewings. There is so much going on, however, that Batman occasionally gets lost in the chaos. This may have been the point, but I think it cheated Christian Bale out of some big emotional moments. Poor ol' Bruce Wayne really takes it on the chin physically and emotionally, and I think the movie could benefit from a few extra moments of Bruce/Batman reflecting on what's been happening.

Some people might also object to the fate of a certain character. I, like many fans, assumed I knew what was going to happen with a third film in this series, but now I am not so sure. Probably a good thing ultimately--wouldn't want things to be too predictable. [Spoiler]Many fans seem to be pissed that Two-Face is apparently dead. However, I think it has been left ambiguous. Yes, there was a wake, but for Harvey Dent. Two-Face might still be out there, or locked in Arkham Asylum, plotting his escape. Like Ra's Al Ghul, I won't believe he's dead until I see a body chopped into pieces. Speaking of whom, I thought one of the strengths of Batman Begins was that you could believe that Ra's had pulled himself out of the train at the last minute, and could reappear at any time. So you can still imagine all those adventures Batman had against him that you saw in the comics or cartoons. So it is with Two-Face.[/Spoiler]

The filmmakers have obviously listened to the issues people had with the first movie and made improvements without giving in to the fickle and often petty wishes of the fanboys. The action sequences are very cool and it's now much easier to see Batman kick ass. He's got a few more high tech toys. The movie even handles those nagging questions, like why doesn't anyone notice Wayne Industries hemorrhaging money as it funds Bruce Wayne's campaign to destroy crime?

Although the first movie told the origins of Batman, I feel that The Dark Knight is also partly an origin story. Not for the Joker, whose origins are safely clouded, or even for Harvey Dent. No, TDK is an extension of Batman's origin. The Joker's terror tactics force Batman to evolve; to move in directions he doesn't want to. Yet he must, because if he doesn't, who else will, and how will the Joker be stopped otherwise? The movie takes us to some pretty low places, and for that reason they might call it too dark. Well, that's why I like it. Tonally, many have been calling it "The Empire Strikes Back of superhero movies," and that's pretty fitting (that doesn't mean it ends the same way).

Really, I ultimately find TDK optimistic. If the Joker wants anything, it's to make people as messed up as he is. Batman's real struggle is making sure that The Joker's vision for Gotham does not come to fruition. [Spoiler]Even though most of the Joker's schemes succeed: the hospital, the mob accountant, the destruction of Harvey Dent... he ultimately fails. Gotham does not fall into complete chaos because there are still a few people--sometimes the most unlikely ones too--who will do the right thing, no matter what it will cost them.[/Spoiler]

The Dark Knight has everything you could want in a superhero movie, even delivering things you had no idea you wanted. Here I am just a half hour after seeing it a second time, and I am still thinking about its implications. No movie featuring some guy in a costume running around beating up criminals has every made me do this. I am wondering what can be done about a third film. Oh, there's plenty of exploration that can be done with these characters, but how the hell are they going to top this?

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