DVD: The Dark Knight

Basics for "The Dark Knight"
Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: R

Synopsis: I really can't imagine you need us to give you a synopsis of this. I mean, there aren't many Afghan warlords who don't have at least some idea about "The Dark Knight." So, I'll be brief. It's the next installment of director Christopher Nolan's "Batman" films. In it, the Dark Knight (Christian Bale) must square off against his most ruthless nemesis -- The Joker (Heath Ledger). And just for kicks, another villain joins the fun. As usual, the fate of a girl and the city hang in the balance.

He Said: Absolutely freakin' fantastic. Seriously, I don't know that I've seen a movie that's better than this. I can think of a handful of films that come close and a few that even achieve this level. But I honestly can't say that there's a film that surpasses it. It's that good. Here's the kicker: I'm not a big Batman fan. In fact, I'm not much into the whole superhero genre. (Superman aside.) But this wasn't a "superhero movie." This was a very, very good film. Good story. And great acting, especially from Ledger. I was skeptical of all the talk about his portrayal of the Joker being Oscar worthy, figuring that most of that talk started after his death. I'm sold now. Honestly, I can't think of a bad thing to say about this movie. And that never happens.

She Said: OK, here's the thing. Josh and I rarely agree on movies, but it does happen. In fact, it has happened enough now that it isn't out of the ordinary. But what never happens is this: We never agree on a movie being absolutely awesome. In fact, I don't think it has ever happened. Until now. Everything Josh said was right, as far as I'm concerned. I don't like action movies with a bunch of stuff exploding. I generally don't care much for superhero flicks. I don't care much for Christian Bale. And yet, despite all of those things working against this movie from the start, I really, really liked it. It was put together so well. There's an actual story to it that grabs even the uninterested viewer. There are interesting characters -- not just superficial, easy-to-understand comic book heroes and villains. And there is actual acting -- not just a bunch of CGI-created flying around. My only complaint -- and it's a minor one -- is Christian Bale's voice when he portrays Batman. It's distracting and annoying. Stop it. Other than that, top notch.

Ratings:
Josh:4 (out of 4)
Kim: 4