The Dark Knight (12a)

"Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

And the world of Batman burns in blazing style thanks to an incredible reimagining of The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Director Christopher 'The Prestige' Nolan follows up 2005's excellent Batman Begins with a powerhouse epic based on the iconic comic book hero's greatest challenge.

The Dark Knight sees Batman having brought his own brand of extreme justice to the mean streets of Gotham. He's tamed the mob and put real fear into the hearts of the underworld.

But just as Harvey Dent, the new crusading District Attorney (Aaron Eckhart), is appointed and looks to cement a crime-free future, the criminal elements are about to be galvanised by a psychotic madman/criminal genius named The Joker (Heath Ledger).

So the stakes are raised for Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) – how do you fight an enemy with an irrational lust for chaos?

Welcome to a world without rules where the gloves are off and no one is safe. This is bleak, dark material, a million miles away from the camp knockabout of Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin, and so much better for it.

The Dark Knight is grim, violent and unsettling in places (certainly not a family movie) but equally wildly exciting and thought-provoking too.

This is potentially the best film of 2008. Ledger's performance as The Joker is the stuff of legend, blowing Jack Nicholson's performance from Tim Burton's Batman away and he will be very sadly missed.

Are there any weaknesses in this fantastically assembled masterpiece? Well, if you want to be picky it is a bit long but that's not really much of a grumble.

Kapow… this is an altogether awesome film, see it as soon as you can (and it looks absolutely stunning in IMAX too).

What do you think of the movie? Post your comments below.

Related links:

The Dark Knight official site

Dark Knight - more reviews

Local cinema listings