I was one of the many who saw the premiere of “The Dark Knight” at 12:01 a.m. on opening day. The hype behind the Bat was huge…and for my money, at least, it lives up to every single expectation, and then some. One thing was obvious as the release date approached; people would either be going to see this film because of the film itself, or they were going to see Heath Ledger’s final performance. It’s a win/win either way.
The vibe is completely different when you see a film at the very first showing of its run; the midnight crowd is involved, energetic, and very vocal. That 12:01 a.m. showing has the potential to change a good movie experience into a GREAT one. Keeping that in mind, I recently saw the film again by the “light of day”, and the good news…it’s as phenomenal as I remember.
There’s a LOT of story going on here, and it’s by far the darkest of the Batman films to this point. I like that. The darker these films get, the more we learn about the characters. And the look of the film is incredible. The comic-book look of the original movies is fun to watch, but I prefer the more “realistic” approach of these last two outings- for me, the style is more appropriate for a character called “The Dark Knight.” Even the FX don’t stand out- they’re there of course, but they just blend in to help tell the story, not make you notice the cool effects.
Until these last two films, Michael Keaton had always been my favorite Bruce Wayne/Batman. Val Kilmer was…ok. George Clooney was a joke. But I don’t think you can find a better actor to play the part than Christian Bale. Like Daniel Craig as James Bond, Bale brings something brand new to the character, and that’s conflict. His Batman isn’t sure he’s doing right by the people of Gotham City; he’s flawed, and that makes him fascinating to watch.
Bale’s moody Bruce Wayne is perfectly balanced by Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman as the wise advisors in his life. They provide not only heart, but comic relief- something Wayne needs in his life- and WE as the audience need to occasionally lighten the mood.
There are a few welcome new additions to this cast. Maggie Gyllenhall as Rachel Dawes finally makes the character real for me. Katie Holmes is cute and all, but an Assistant D.A.? Never believed it for a second. Gyllenhall has the class, style, and confidence to pull off the character and finally make us care what happens to her.
I’ve been a fan of Aaron Eckhart since “Thank You For Smoking” and he makes the perfect Harvey Dent/Two-Face. His transformation from Gotham City’s “white knight” to villain is understandable, sad…and totally believable.
And last, but certainly not least, is Heath Ledger as The Joker. All hype aside, this truly is a stunning, Oscar-worthy performance. Ledger’s Joker is a cold, maniacal sociopath, and a complete enigma to the audience. We have no idea who he is, or why he is the way he is; even the story of how he received his disfiguring scars changes throughout the film. He’s chilling, and riveting, and you can’t take your eyes off him when he’s onscreen.
After that midnight showing, I was a little bit surprised at myself to find that I wasn’t saddened by the appearance of Heath Ledger, but after the second viewing, I know why- because Heath Ledger does not appear onscreen. He simply IS The Joker. Not for a second do you see Ledger’s face, or hear his voice, or see his mannerisms. He literally hides behind a painted mask…and disappears.
Long Live The Bat.
The vibe is completely different when you see a film at the very first showing of its run; the midnight crowd is involved, energetic, and very vocal. That 12:01 a.m. showing has the potential to change a good movie experience into a GREAT one. Keeping that in mind, I recently saw the film again by the “light of day”, and the good news…it’s as phenomenal as I remember.
There’s a LOT of story going on here, and it’s by far the darkest of the Batman films to this point. I like that. The darker these films get, the more we learn about the characters. And the look of the film is incredible. The comic-book look of the original movies is fun to watch, but I prefer the more “realistic” approach of these last two outings- for me, the style is more appropriate for a character called “The Dark Knight.” Even the FX don’t stand out- they’re there of course, but they just blend in to help tell the story, not make you notice the cool effects.
Until these last two films, Michael Keaton had always been my favorite Bruce Wayne/Batman. Val Kilmer was…ok. George Clooney was a joke. But I don’t think you can find a better actor to play the part than Christian Bale. Like Daniel Craig as James Bond, Bale brings something brand new to the character, and that’s conflict. His Batman isn’t sure he’s doing right by the people of Gotham City; he’s flawed, and that makes him fascinating to watch.
Bale’s moody Bruce Wayne is perfectly balanced by Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman as the wise advisors in his life. They provide not only heart, but comic relief- something Wayne needs in his life- and WE as the audience need to occasionally lighten the mood.
There are a few welcome new additions to this cast. Maggie Gyllenhall as Rachel Dawes finally makes the character real for me. Katie Holmes is cute and all, but an Assistant D.A.? Never believed it for a second. Gyllenhall has the class, style, and confidence to pull off the character and finally make us care what happens to her.
I’ve been a fan of Aaron Eckhart since “Thank You For Smoking” and he makes the perfect Harvey Dent/Two-Face. His transformation from Gotham City’s “white knight” to villain is understandable, sad…and totally believable.
And last, but certainly not least, is Heath Ledger as The Joker. All hype aside, this truly is a stunning, Oscar-worthy performance. Ledger’s Joker is a cold, maniacal sociopath, and a complete enigma to the audience. We have no idea who he is, or why he is the way he is; even the story of how he received his disfiguring scars changes throughout the film. He’s chilling, and riveting, and you can’t take your eyes off him when he’s onscreen.
After that midnight showing, I was a little bit surprised at myself to find that I wasn’t saddened by the appearance of Heath Ledger, but after the second viewing, I know why- because Heath Ledger does not appear onscreen. He simply IS The Joker. Not for a second do you see Ledger’s face, or hear his voice, or see his mannerisms. He literally hides behind a painted mask…and disappears.
Long Live The Bat.
2 comments:
I totally agree with everything you said about "The Dark Knight" I am saddened that Heath Ledger, will never get the chance to show us all he could do. He was so very convincing as the Joker, and as Enis in Brokeback Mountain. In my opinion, he was on his way to being one of the very best actors ever. He could play parts and as you say you didn't see him you saw the person he was playing.
Wasted talent. Ledger was breaking new ground in his craft for certain.
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