As of yesterday, I have seen “The Dark Knight” two times. The first time I saw it was on the midnight premiere, and due to my work schedule I spent the movie catatonically tired and therefore couldn’t make much sense of the twisted and complicated plot. However, the second viewing showed a new kind of clarity that my first viewing failed to offer.

“The Dark Knight” once again follows Bruce Wayne, alias Batman (Christian Bale), on his quest to purify the city of Gotham and to combat evil, namely in the form of the Joker. The Joker is a homicidal maniac who aspires to kill Batman and control the city. The Joker is portrayed by the late Heath Ledger, who outdid himself on depicting the insane and disfigured man who causes so many deaths.

One of my complaints about this movie is the fact that in “Batman Begins”, the role of Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend was played by Katie Holmes, yet in this new addition to the trilogy, Holmes was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Although Maggie Gyllenhaal played her part well, I really see no reason to replace Katie Holmes. Another one of my personal complaints was the voice that Christian Bale used when he donned his Batman gear. Bale used his normal voice when portraying Bruce Wayne, yet when he morphed into Batman, Bale’s voice went ridiculously deep and hoarse.

“The Dark Knight” is an epic movie that will be remembered not only for the masterful special effects and hypnotizing plot, but for being the last performance by the late and great Heath Ledger. All in all, a movie worth seeing, if only so you can talk about it with your peers.