The Dark Knight

To put it simply, this was the best comic book movie (and one of the better movies in general) I have ever seen. The Dark Knight even managed to top it's amazing predecessor, Batman Begins. To say this movie was the most anticipated movie of the summer would be an understatement. You can always tell when a movie is hyped when the midnight showing of it is the place to be in my town. Facebook status' the day after were lit up with this movie. Everybody has Batman fever.

I saw the movie today with my dad, and I loved it. First of all, Heath Ledger as The Joker is top 5 at least on the "100 best villains" list. His portrayal of the creepy Joker is spot on. It is no wonder the man may have committed suicide after playing this part. You can tell that this man put every ounce of him into becoming this psychopath killer who kills and does evil for no reason but he loves it. I seriously may be haunted just a little bit by the character. It is almost to the point where I was so creeped out, I wouldn't recommend the movie to little kids. It will give you nightmares.

The acting of The Dark Knight really made the movie though. Ledger led the way with his superior performance, but Christian Bale does the best Batman the series has ever seen. I compare him to Daniel Craig as James Bond. Batman used to be just a hero, not really much of a character or anything. But now, Batman is a savage. He is finally a convincing character and I think Bale brought that to it. It is no longer just Bruce Wayne and Bruce Wayne dressed up as Batman. There really is two completely different characters. I like the way another reviewer put it best. Batman really isn't a character so much as a symbol. He is shaped by the needs of the city he protects. 

But other than that, the movie was a bit long (2 and a half hours I think) but I think movies can go as long as they work. And The Dark Knight works the whole time. One thing I appreciated was the fight scenes and action sequences. I think the length of each one made it not feel as scripted and choreographed as other action movies. It is short enough not to make it feel fake, but just long enough to make it convincing. They must have taken a lesson on what not to do from Indiana Jones. Thirty minute fake looking fight scenes are NOT good. 

Ledger as The Joker makes the movie for sure (he deserves an Oscar for this), but there is enough depth and enough (enough is an understatement) support in the cast to make it an excellent, convincing comic book movie. I wish I could accurately describe the great supporting cast of Eckhart, Freeman, Cain, Oldman, and Gylenhaal, but I can't. You will have to see the movie for yourself to understand their importance. Don't judge this as a comic book movie please. Even as just a regular movie, it is the best of the year and one of the better of the last couple years. If I was giving a star rating, I would say 5 stars. but I'm not writing a newspaper article, so I don't need to. Go see The Dark Knight, it is worth whatever money they will make you pay for it.

Cory, Le Blog