i wasnt fortunate enough to see the new batman movie as soon as it came out, so my expectations grew along with my anticipation as i listened to the general public rant and rave about the new batman movie. two nites before i went to watch, i was at a bar near my place here in SF, and i overheard a guy and gal talk about the movie. the woman hadnt seen the movie but was complaining about how she's was so disappointed in how the production company was using heath ledger's death to promote its own movie, with his Joker face plastered everywhere. she felt that the movie was only doing well because of that publicity. what about the fact that MAYBE heath ledger's Joker was the best performance of his career, and probably the best Joker ever? (this was before i saw the movie) the previews i had seen all gave the notion that this was going to be a great movie in every way. the next night, the bartender at the bar said she saw it and she loved it. i was skeptical, but she assured me about her love of comic books and Frank Miller's Batman. i was sold.
the plot of The Dark Knight starts with batman, lt. gordon, and new D.A. harvey dent (aaron eckhart) all working to put the mafias out of business in gotham city. the joker shows up, new on the scene, and proceeds to wreak havoc upon gotham without any particular reason but to fuck shit up. he's dark, creepy, and completely sadistic, the way batman readers love him. this movie was so good, i really dont want to ruin it for any readers that havent watched it yet (what are you waiting for??? GO SEE THIS MOVIE, DUMMY). all i have to say is that its pretty good throughout because it mainly progresses through such a wonderful joker. but beware, the movie is 2.5 hours long. ull think its over, but it wont be. at least everytime that happens... something or someone is about to have a bad day.
the acting in this movie is superb and makes the decent plot so much better. all the hubbub about heath ledger's joker? its true and so much more. non-comic readers are especially creeped out by this joker because theyre so used to the dancing, smiling, mirthful nicholson joker. ledger does the joker some real justice. the way he looks, the way he speaks, the way he licks his lips nervously... all sum up to one of the best performances i have ever seen by any actor in any movie. he definitely deserves the oscar for best actor in a movie, but he will most likely not win it because superhero movies probably aren't on oscar voters' minds. but maybe its time that people take summer blockbusters more seriously, not just for the excitement but for actual compelling stories and performances. there's really no need to go further into the other actors in the movie, but they are all very good. ledger simply just steals the movie, and its really a shame that he's no longer with us. one thing, christian bale needs to stop making that stupid fake gruff batman voice. oh, and i think maggie gyllenhaal is so very hot in a not very hot way... she's definitely a better choice than katie holmes was, looks and acting ability. aaron eckhart gets a thumbs up.
visually, the movie is great. its not neon, thank god. its not bright, just the way it should be. gotham city is a dark city in need of a dark knight, and nolan's gotham amazingly depicts that with its chicago-style buildings that block out the sun in the daytime and its cold and grimy streets during the night. i read somewhere that the scenes where batman overlooks the city and glides through it were filmed using IMAX cameras, they looked like it.
aurally... lets not talk about music, its really not that important in the scheme of things. one note tho, some people really found certain sound(s) annoying, such as this ear aching one whenever the joker would do something suspenseful. it was annoying, but if one steps back and thinks about it, its really sort of the joker's theme. there's no melody or tune when dealing with this complete psycho, its just... a painful noise anticipating more pain.
the dark knight is especially good for fans of frank miller's batman stories, The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: First Year. miller brought batman out of the silver age of comics, he was no longer the adam west sort of batman, but a whole different animal... tougher, grittier, cruel-er. miller not only created the best batman stories to date, but influenced the majority of batman stories to come. gotham city's villains became some of the most demented figures in comics and their depraved lunacy festered and grew within arkham, occasionally escaping and destroying a life in batman's world. nolan's movie captures this realism and is what makes it so incredible to see on the big screen. i really would have never thought that people who made superhero movies would stay true to their source material, and i am glad we are at a point where a movie does not need to pander to the general public in order to attract moviegoers. WARNING: its a superhero movie, but don't bring your kids. the movie is pg-13, so please don't bring a child under that age. unless you think your child should be allowed to watch scenes of torture, the psychological carnage caused by the joker could be far worse than any blood and gore.
in conclusion... this is the BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR, thus far. its not only the best superhero movie ever made, but also a movie filled with several solid performances. go for all that, but if its not enough, go because you will never see an actor more perfect in his role as heath ledger was.
great: heath ledger
good: everyone else in the movie
bad: bale's batman voice
Posts
