Hello my peeps! And welcome to another edition of the Doctor's Prognosis! I am your host, Dr. C-Los.

For now I am still just putting the same blog over here that I do over at GameSpot but I may change it up in the future. I like that they let you put in larger photos in your blog here. It's different but for now I think I still like GS better. We shall see as the two sites evolve.

Anyway, I saw The Dark Knight twice now so I think I'm ready for a review. Before that I wanted to share the Watchmen trailer if you hadn't seen it yet. I am very excited for this film because it is one of my favorite Graphic Novels and also considered by many to be the best. It was long thought to be unfilmable but this trailer has instilled some hope in me. Let's pray the final version is worthy of the Watchmen name.

Dark Knight Review

It's been 3 years since Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins hit theatres, and nearly 2 decades since Jack Nicholson's Joker debuted in Tim Burton's Batman. What we have today, is the evolution of Batman to a fine point where The Dark Knight has surpassed being merely a great superhero film.

With the origin of Batman Begins out of the way, the Dark Knight plunges 1 year later where we are introduced to a Gotham that is better for the introduction of the Batman. The streets are cleaner but with Carmine Falcone in jail, the mob continues its rule from the shadows. Enter the ambitious District Attourney Harvey Dent, Gotham's White Knight. Dent works with Batman and Lieutenant Jim Gordon in their fight to rid Gotham of the mob.

However, with their back to the wall, the mob hires a new threat to help them remain in control.... the relentless and psychotic anarchist, The Joker.

The Dark Knight tells it tale well with great acting on all sides. All the characters serve a purpose in telling this story as we are taken on an emotional roller coaster.

Christian Bale reprises his role as the titular character and does a great job as he doesn't just play a great Batman, but remembers to play up the rich playboy Bruce Wayne as well. It must be said that his Batman voice is a little distracting though it doesn't ruin the performance. And it could be said to be better than being the same as both Batman and Bruce Wayne (like George Clooney).

Gary Oldman does a great job as Lieutenant Jim Gordon as well. Fortunately, they gave Gordon a lot more to do this time around. It's great to see the character being useful like he is in the comics as opposed to other incarnations where Gordon is really only there to call Batman for help. Oldman is a great character actor and does an awesome job as Gordon.

Aaron Eckhart is one of the new guys in the series as he admirably takes on the role of Harvey Dent. The Dent character is one of the more interesting characters in this film as we see his character develop and change throughout the film. Dent literally puts his neck out on the line as he takes on the mob full on and genuinely looks like a real hero as he becomes Gotham's White Knight. But we see Dent's demeanor change as he soon finds a foe greater than the mob itself when a new menace appears.

The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, is introduced in this film and we are left with a haunting performance that will stick with you. The Joker is humorous alright but he is also dangerous. The Joker will make you squirm and gasp as he commits atrocities and seems to have no other desire than to create chaos and watch people die. He laughs at other people's tragedies and is the perfect antithesis to Batman as the Joker even gets under the hero's skin. Ledger doesn't just play the role, he disappears into it as he genuinely looks like a twitchy madman. You never know what he is going to do but you don't want to be in the same room when he does. It's a real shame about Ledger because it will be very difficult to cast someone that can match such an amazing performance. He deserves a supporting actor nomination as he has helped to create a memorable movie villain in the vain of Hannibal the Cannibal. Heath Ledger's joker will never be forgotten.

Now aside from Bale's Batman voice, the film still isn't perfect. Some of the fight scenes were not up to par with previous outings. But these weakness are negligible because there is so much good in the film and the focus really isn't on full-out fight scenes anyway. Aside from the great storyline, we have great character development, some fun action scenes, an awesome chase sequence, and of course some cool gadgets.

This time around the focus is more on telling a great crime story than an all-out action blockbuster, which would have probably sufficed. The Nolan brothers have crafted a dark tale with many twists and turns featuring the rise and fall of a hero. What we have is a film that isn't just the best Batman film, or even just the best superhero film. What we have instead is an epic crime drama. This is a must-see for anyone that enjoys films. Huge thumbs up!

Cosplayer of the Blog

I really liked this Phoenix so here ya go! I know there isn't much skin but she's purdy...

This is one for the ladies....

Sorry I couldn't help myself...

Thanks for checking out The Doctor's Prognosis, also an epic crime drama! See you guys next time!