Frosstbyte

That movie left me reeling. I was quite prepared to be impressed, but not overwhelmed, after all the hype. Sometimes things that ought to be incredible just aren't. This was not one of those things.

As RG noted above, the Bale "Batman Voice" is a little...odd...but I don't think I have any complaints other than that. The movie was absolutely riveting from the first moment to the last. Well-written, well-directed, well-acted.

And it had that oh so rare ability to be a story whose ending I couldn't predict. Not in the whodunit sort of way, but rather the question of "when does this story end?" It means that the movie is great because there is no ending to the story. These characters, and their respective plights, feel persistent. You can't put a neat bow on the end of the movie. There's no happily or unhappily ever after. The characters survived (those who did) this particular ordeal, but their lives and struggles go on even though we're not there to watch it. At least for me, that is what separates a truly amazing entertainment experience from one which is great or good.

In a shameless plug, that's one of the reasons I like "Mad Men" so much. The exact plot arc is less important than watching the characters maneuvering around the conflicts in their lives, so when it ends, it doesn't have to be complete or neat. The Dark Knight captured this element perfectly. It could've ended before or after it did, and not made enormous difference in how I felt about the movie, because that wasn't what kept me riveted to the screen.

It wasn't what I expected, but it was much more than I would've hoped.

And uh, don't bring your kids if they are only age appropriate for Spider Man or Iron Man or even Batman Begins. This movie isn't for them. Not to get into a discussion of movie ratings, but the PG-13 is purely for bottom line purposes. This movie is dark, scary, unrelenting and haunting.