THE DARK KNIGHTOkay, so even though I couldn't wait for this film to come out, I still wasn't completley sure about it. All the hype surrounding it really made me unsure that it would live up to it. For example last year's Spider-Man 3, which I didn't hate, but didn't exactly live up to the hype it was said to be, made me weary about The Dark Knight, but as the weeks began to pass, the date became closer, positive reviews kept coming out I couldn't help but not get back into HYPE mode. As I sat in the theatre and the lights went down all I kept saying to myself was "Please don't suck", and boy did it not.
This is the best comic book movie I've ever seen, and not only the best film of the year, but maybe one of the best films I've ever seen. I know that when people usually list their favorite films they gotta be like 30 years old, but films like this further prove my point that we are living in another golden age of cinema. But enough about that lets get back to the film.
Christopher Nolan, one of my favorite directors has now edged his way higher on my list. The film was not only directed by him but he co-wrote it with his brother Jonathon. His vision of Gotham was so one the money, it would make Tim Burton blush. The way he shot this film was beautiful, one of my problems with Batman Begins was how he shot the fight sequences. He used too much steady cam and it made everything kinda blurry, but the fight scenes in this film were some of the best action sequences I've ever seen. I knew exactly where I was and where to look. His persistence to shoot things on set and in the camera instead of relying on CGI is so rare and is so effective. After every fight scene I cheered, because it was so well-done. Everything was there and for real especially a very impressive seen involving the explosion of a real hospital.
Everyone knows that the biggest hype around this film is surrounding Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, and it is the best portrayal of any villian, comic book or regular film. But before I get into Heath I wanna say something about the rest of the cast. Reprising his duel role of Bruce Wayne and Batman is Christian Bale. This time around Christian got more into the detective side of Batman and made him more smarter and worthy of his title as a detective. He also showed an more vulnerable side of Batman, paralysed with the choice of taking a live to save the lives of others. Aaron Eckhart who plays Harvey Dent .a.k.a Two Face was also another great addition to the cast. He played Harvey Dent great and really made us sympathize with him until he turns into the psycho two-face, which I wont spoil here so go watch the film and see for yourself. One thing I wasn't so fond of was Maggie Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Rachel Dawes. I think both her and Katie Holmes were miss-cast. I think an actress like Kate Bosworth or Carla Gugino would have played Rachel more effectively, but it still wasn't a bad performance it just felt out of place. The supporting characters like Alfred (Michael Caine), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Lieutenant Gordan (Gary Oldman) were each given more screen time and were more part of the story this time around, especially Gary Oldman as Gordan who gave one of the best performances in a long time. Okay now onto Heath. I still love Jack Nicholsan's portrayal as the Joker in 1989's Batman, but this was a totally different thing. Everyone is saying that he deserves an Oscar for this part, and before seeing this film I wasn't sure if it was a pity vote due to his death earlier this year, but after seeing this film I think not only should he get nominated he should get the Oscar. In fact this whole film should get nominated for Best Picture. Ledger played the Joker in a way I don't think anyone would have thought to play him. He was a slimy, psychopathic, intelligent creep with a hint of Alex from A Clockwork Orange and Hannibal Lector. I think this is one of the best portrayls of a villain in the history of cinema.
So if you don't know by now I really loved this film and I recommend you all go see this film, heck see it two or three times. I didn't get to see it in Imax, but what I saw in regular theatres was pretty damn good, so i assume Imax would be even better. Bravo Mr. Nolan, and I cant wait to see how you will top yourself if you choose to do a part three.
5 outta' 5
