Batman

Batman redefined the superhero movie yet again. After finally seeing it, I can say it's worth every dollar it earns at the box-office. Out of all the spider bites, and mutants, and green monsters, it's kind of funny that a superhero movie that features absolutely no superpowers has topped them all.

The Dark Knight starts up, and never stops. I found myself nervous and tense about characters in the film. Even those that should survive, according to the standard formula of superhero movie scripts, seemed to have uncertain fates. The Joker, the films villain, was given free reign by the writers to wreak havoc on Gotham City. Even Batman looked perplexed and strained by the Jokers actions. He had no idea how to stop this guy. And in the end, in a way, he didn't.

The Joker's second round in film is played up a few notches from Jack nicholsons 1989 performance. The hype about Ledgers performance is true. It's fantastic. This Joker, despite claiming to have no plans or goals, does have a motivation. He wants to see people that live in a neat orderly world turn into something like him when the orderly world gets turned upside down. He'd especially love for Batman to cross that line, even if it means that Batman kills him.

Batman is about standing up for what is right. It's about not giving in to those that attempt to tear it down. It's about what happens when you do let someone tear it down. It's about a hero who fights against evil, even if that fight is unpopular and scary. It's about a city, a society itself, that turns around and becomes the hero. It will be a long time before a "superhero movie" comes along and tops this one.