Dark Knight

Watching it again in preparation for one of the most anticipated film openings ever, The Dark Knight Rises, which hits theaters next weekend. I have a great deal of respect for Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker. He has made some of the best films of the last decade, including the last two (or for him the first two) Batman films. The Dark Knight is hands down one of the best films I have ever seen. Not only is the story and the direction top notch, but the performances rock, especially that of Heath Ledger. I don't think I have scene an actor more completely become a character. As far as "superhero" films go, The Avengers recently surpassed Nolan's last Batman film in terms of domestic and foreign box office ticket sales. I loved The Avengers, great film, and I have long been a fan of Joss Whedon, who wrote and directed it, but Nolan's Dark Knight surpasses Whedon's superhero opus in so many ways. That is not a put down of Whedon and his genius; that is just a huge compliment to Nolan's work. The planets were aligned when he wrote and directed the last Batman film, so I hope that alignment remained in place and that the next Batman film "rises" to the occasion.