One of the complaints about Batman Begins was that the fight sequences weren’t done as coherently as people would have liked. Even as a fan I still can admit that there was a bit of the annoying shaky cam going on and it did draw you out of the experience of the scene rather than involve you as it should have. Well Nolan has successfully remedied that flaw here as the fight sequences are very much coherent, in full view and more engaging than you could hope for. It reminds us of the fact that Batman is supposed to be one of the best hand-to-hand combat fighters in the world and boy, does he show it here. It’s not only got all of these elements which are a lot more unique than you’d expect but there are also just the kick-ass action sequences to fall back on to.

Like 99% of films out there, The Dark Knight has its flaws. But they’re very specific and very easy to overlook in lieu of everything else. The ending isn’t handled as well as it could have been and there are a few moments where you have to suspend your disbelief but they amount to nowhere near the level needed to weigh the film down as a whole.

The Dark Knight is a wonderful piece of filmmaking; it works on a purely entertainment level where you can just sit back and enjoy the kick-ass action sequences and the bringing to life of some famous characters. And it also works as much more than that; the magnificent performance of Ledger as The Joker coupled with this all-encompassing crime element gives it those extra layers of creative complexity. For me this sits comfortably not only as one of the best of 2008 so far but as a testament to just how good a film can be when the maximum amount of effort, passion, and determination gets thrown at it. The hype may have been magnanimous but The Dark Knight lives up to it; and that, my friend, is no joke.