The Dark Knight

Besides the Hardy Boys mystery books and Scope magazine, Batman comics were always a popular reading choice as a young lad growing up in the psychedelic 80's. The dark, eerie and sometimes scary tone was never quite reflected on the big screen however. Sure, there were attempts in previous incarnations - besides Batman and Robin, which was incredibly mediocre and rather camp - but it was only in Batman Begins that the true essence of the Caped Crusader was really captured.

This continues with The Dark Knight, the sequel starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger. This movie has been hyped up to the Moon, what with all the anticipation after the success of the previous film, together with the tragic death of Ledger.

So is it worth all the hype?

Well, yes and a small no.

To be frank, the movie is awesome, and if you enjoyed Batman Begins, you will love this one. It doesn't feel like a comic book adaptation - what with the dark tone, together with the rather well-rounded characters, making it play out more like an action thriller.

The basic plot sees Gotham City being terrorised by the Joker, a psychotic killer excellently played by Ledger, in his last movie role. It couldn't have come at a worse time for Batman however, as he is feeling the burden of being the city's hero, and wants to give it all up for the affections of his true love, Rachel Dawes, played on this occasion by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Also thrown into the mix is new hotshot District Attorney Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhardt, who also happens to be Rachel's squeeze. So we are left with a conflicted hero involved in a love triangle, all in the backdrop of the Joker's reign of terror.

Everyone has been talking about whether Ledger should get an Oscar for his performance and my opinion is this - whilst it certainly was a great portrayal, I think the fact that he's dead has clouded people's judgement. He certainly produces the goods here, but I did find myself being reminded of Jack Nicholson during many scenes, so clearly some inspiration was taken from Nicholson's earlier role, albeit with a darker persona. Disregarding the media publicity around his performance though, you're still left with a movie that will entertain the masses.

The Dark Knight has an engaging story line, characters with depth, and the obligatory awe-inspiring special effects. Be warned though, the movie is NOT uplifting in the least, on the contrary it's quite haunting and even now I'm on a bit of a downer thinking about it.

It's definitely the Event movie for the next few months though and should be compulsory viewing for everyone.

The Dark Knight scores a Steve-O rating of 4.

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