If you think about it, filmmakers have raised the bar on comic book cinematic adaptations. Spider-man 2. X-Men 2. Iron Man. We left it to Christopher Nolan to plunge to the darkest depths of the human psyche to not only determine what makes a modern-day hero, but what determines the development of a flawed, tormented hero who is seen as a pariah to others. And what are the consequences of his/her actions and the ethics behind it all? Nolan (of Memento and Insomnia fame) mined these depths to near perfection in Batman Begins. And he crossed the line with The Dark Knight.
Good lord! It's basically a dark, gradual tragedy for all involved. All the main characters not only must make crucial, horrible choices, but their complex ethical dilemmas. Apply to that very solid acting performances by Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and, yes, Heath Ledger. You see, Tim Burton's Batman has a place and purpose. It was a comic book adaptation in a more colorful yet still dark world of amoralism and chaos. Jack Nicholson merely hammed it up as The Joker in that version.
Ledger employed a more diabolical attitude toward the belief of Nolan's Joker that anarchy was underrated, rules were made to be broken and that the world deserves to burn. And oh, how diabolical is Ledger's Joker. To see him full of evil glee (and see Eckhart turn Dent into a physically/mentally scarred Two-Face) is both a thrill and a scare. Excellent stuff.
Like the aforementioned movies, The Dark Knight does deliver the action goods with stunning stunts and special effects. But ultimately, like in our favorite comic books, the fights and chases merely thrilled us fans for moments. It's the characters and their development (for good or worse) that stay with us for much, much longer._
