“While fandom might be nervous that the film has been hyped too hard or it won’t deliver what we all hoped it could, I am here to report The Dark Knight is a masterpiece,” writes Collider‘s Steve Weintraub. “And unlike Batman Begins, which had a weak third act, The Dark Knight is flawless beginning to end.
“It’s very rare for me to say this, but I have nothing to nitpick. Usually when I see any movie I wish they had done something differently, but The Dark Knight is the comic book movie geeks have waited their entire lives for. It’s easily the best Batman movie and it’s also one of the best comic book movies to ever hit the screen.
“But calling it a ‘comic-book movie’ does the film a disservice. It’s a great movie, regardless of the fact that Batman is the star.
“And since everyone’s been asking me whether Heath Ledger‘s performance is Oscar worthy…look, it’s June. The big Oscar movies are still months away and who knows what other performances will hit movie screens? But Heath’s performance is as good as the hype, and I was sad when the film ended, as I knew this was the last performance from a gifted actor. That said, I don’t need to see him posthumously win a trophy to tell me how great his portrayal of the Joker was.
“Finally, do yourself a favor and try to avoid spoilers. I walked into the theater not knowing anything and I’m so grateful I did. You’re so close to seeing the film — don’t learn what happens. And if you have an IMAX theater around you, go see it in IMAX!! All the big actions scenes and the establishing shots are filmed in the large-screen format and they’re breathtaking on the big screen. A few of the scenes last night caused the normally-jaded journalist crowd to let out a few gasps.”