I just found this semi-question on USA Today.com. The main content is whether or not The Dark Knight is actually too dark for kids to watch. Well, after I watched the movie this past weekend, I was surprised that the movie received PG-13. I thought it would have been given R (Restricted). Some of the elements in the movie may not be suitable for children at or above 13 years old, even with parents’ companion.
In my personal test, I’d say this is not suitable for children who are under 15-16 years old. The movie doesn’t have blood or gore but it can be menacing sometimes. Children might have impression of Batman as what they see on their Saturday morning cartoon. That is still pretty much colorful for them. But if you compare that with The Dark Knight, that’s a totally different story.
The Dark Knight is made for adults, no doubt. The story, the contents, the atmosphere – they’re all adult-oriented. I once read a magazine article couple of months ago about Christopher Nolan and his view for the upcoming (back then) Batman movie. He said that he was inspired by Michael Mann’s Heat. I like Heat a lot and I can see some of that element in The Dark Knight.
In the end, the movie is dark as it supposes to be and this, at least for me, is how Batman story/saga supposes to be. Nolan is on the right track in creating Batman’s arc and the artistic direction that he’s using for movie. I just hope that he wouldn’t change any of the theme or visual direction for the next Batman installment.

The Joker