The Dark Knight

It's rare for two superb comic-book movies to arrive in the same decade, much less the same summer, but The Dark Knight followed the well-received Iron Man with even better reviews and went on to shatter box-office records. Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne, alias the Batman, still fighting crime in Gotham City but suffering from the increasing physical and emotional toll on his personal life—including the loss of his sweetheart Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to crusading district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart)—at a time when a vicious new crime wave masterminded by the dangerously sociopathic Joker (Heath Ledger) is being unleashed. Director and co-writer Christopher Nolan fleshes out the two-dimensional characters, which are perfectly played by returning cast members Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine, while Ledger's final performance is quite literally blood-chilling and may well prove to be the definitive interpretation of a comic-book villain. Exciting, suspenseful, and dramatically engaging, The Dark Knight is highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include six episodes of the “Gotham Tonight” simulated news program (47 min.), six IMAX-filmed segments (37 min.), the “Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene” behind-the scenes featurettes “The Sound of Anarchy” on the musical score and “The Evolution of the Knight” on the Bat-suit and Bat-pod (24 min. total), poster art, production stills, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a picture-in-picture “Focus Points” viewing option (64 min.), a 45-minute “Batman Tech” featurette on the gadgets, a “Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight” featurette on the psychological aspects of Bruce Wayne and Batman (45 min.), a Joker cards gallery, and the BD Live function. Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for one of 2008's best film.] (E. Hulse)