Movie Review: "The Dark Knight" exceeds expectations

During one climactic scene in Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's character, The Joker, gleefully tells Harvey Dent to "introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order, and then everything becomes chaos."

I'm willing to bet Ledger had no idea he was describing exactly what The Dark Knight would do to the summer box office.

You don't need me to educate you about the hype. Unless you live under a rock, you've already seen and heard the excessive praise heaped on this movie and the legendary performance given by the late Heath Ledger.

Why so serious?

Some of you probably won't (or just can't) believe the hype. I can't say that I blame you. Last year, we had the highly overrated Spiderman 3 shoved upon us and it broke box office records just like Dark Knight. Unlike the disaster that was Spidey Hills 90210, though, Dark Knight sets new precedent for superhero movies by not constraining itself to just showing off special effects and eye candy.

Don't get me wrong here. There are plenty of "wow" moments in this movie. I like how they are placed, though. They never feel like a gimmick or part of the draw for the movie. Rather, the superior special effects, mostly done without advanced computers and CGI, add more depth and realism to the world that director Christopher Nolan wants us to believe in.

And what a world it is, too. Rich, detailed, and extremely realistic, this feels like a movie that is based on something that could happen tomorrow. Part of the reason for this can be credited to Nolan filming a large chunk of the movie in Chicago. This world is a large step above the gimmicky one presented by Tim Burton with the original Batman in 1989.

But there I go blabbing about the elements you only pretend to care about. From day one, the buzz over Ledger's performance steadily grew from excited whispers to a thundering roar heard all around the world and no doubt the most anticipated aspect of this film.

Look ma! I'm famous!

I'm happy to report that his performance not only lives up to the hype but exceeds it. I'll let you see the movie for yourself, but take my word for it, it's the biggest selling point of this movie for a reason. I don't think I can remember a villian ever being so engaging and engrossing. Every moment The Joker is on the screen, you better pay attention. Ledger gives a performance for the ages and it's a real shame he won't be here to accept his Oscar this fall.

This movie does many things right. Because of this, it's not just Ledger's performance that stands out. Actors Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon) and Aaron Eckhard (Harvey Dent) lend a helping hand to Christian Bale (Batman) and of course, Ledger.

I could sit here all night and heap the praises on this movie. But that wouldn't be fun. It would be more fun if you went to see it and find out for yourself. Go ahead. You won't regret it.

The Dark Knight is one of the best movies to come our way during this decade.

Rating: 4/4