28 August, 2008

"The Dark Knight" Film Review

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film based on DC Comics’ character, Batman. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan also co-wrote it with his acclaimed author brother, Jonathan Nolan. The film stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman.

I finally saw The Dark Knight just last night, it was a whopping 152 minutes long, but each minute was compelling enough that there weren’t any lagging scenes that made you want to get up and stretch. You can just imagine that tortuous, electric feeling you get when your lower bodily parts get numb for a long period of time. But it was well damn worth it.

Seeing Heath Ledger’s (already) legendary performance as The Joker was incredible. He brought a beautifully psychotic performance to his character that had the audiences laughing, wincing, and getting massively disturbed all in the span of five seconds. He stole every scene he was in. Ledger’s Joker is infinitely darker than Jack Nicholson’s. I won’t say better, because Nolan’s Batman films are on a completely different level from the previous Batman installments. All of the actors brought their A-game, they were all amazing. Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent was great, his breakdown and transformation into Two-Face in the hospital was heartbreaking. Christian Bale’s performance as Bruce Wayne was understandably understated. For all intents and purposes, Bruce Wayne wasn’t supposed to be the hero in the film. The action was superb. And we can see a more detective-like side to Batman that we didn’t really see in Batman Begins.

By the way, I love Tiny Lister’s cameo as the convict who threw the detonator out. One of my favorite moments in the film, even though it was absolutely cheesy.

Most Hated Character: the mousy guy who wanted to blackmail Bruce Wayne.

And, could someone get Batman some cough syrup? That weird, angry, gurgling, whisper-growl he’s got going on can’t be good for his vocal chords.

The Dark Knight is a gripping tale about heroism, sacrifice, and crossing the lines between madness and genius to make a difference in the world. Definitely one of, if not the best film of the year.

Watch it if you haven’t already.

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