I was quite pessimistic going into Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to his 2005 superhero reboot Batman Begins. I felt the first film was plodding and was missing much of the darkness and excitement I associated with the character, and the casting of Heath Ledger as The Joker didn’t bode well when compared to other – seemingly definitive – takes on the character. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement, as Nolan abandons the yellow-hued origin of Batman Begins for a blue and gray tinged superhero story that makes all other live-action attempts at the material seem like child’s play in comparison. While much negative has been made of Christian Bale’s growly performance, it’s a small flaw in a film that takes constant risks and somehow manages to consistently pull them off. Marrying a widescreen visual style with an unstoppable supporting cast, The Dark Knight set box office records while getting Heath Ledger a deserved posthumous Oscar.