To the people who thought it was a good idea...
to bring their crying baby to see "The Dark Knight" last night: You suck.
To the people who are responsible for making this amazing film: You rock. So hard.
Going into the film, I was a bit nervous and trying not to get my hopes up too much. Too often when something gets a lot of hype, it ends up being dissapointing when you finally see it for yourself. Either it's not really that great or you've had it built up so much in your mind that it's doomed not to live up to your expectations.
"The Dark Knight" was the first movie I've seen in a long time that totally avoided that trap. It not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded my expectations.
The cast was amazing all-around. I loved Bale as Bruce Wayne (hehe, falling asleep during meetings and taking the whole Russian ballet troupe on vacation) and thought he did well as Batman too. I kind of wanted a bit more from him as Batman, but I bet it's difficult to act in that suit and maybe my love for Kevin Conroy makes any other Batman voice seem a bit lacking. Gary Oldman was great as Gordon (oh my god when he came back "from the dead" everyone in the audience cheered) and I thought the dynamic between him, Bale, and Eckhart was great. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were fabulous as usual and Maggie G. (not even gonna try to spell it) was a welcome change from the terrible Katie Holmes. Aaron Eckhart did well as Harvey. It was sad watching him in the beginning when everything was going well and seeing what a good guy he was, all the while knowing that his tragic downfall was coming. And Heath Ledger. Wow. I've loved Batman since I was a little kid, but I've never really been into the Joker as a villain (although Mark Hamill was awesome in the DCAU). There was always something missing, something that didn't quite connect for me. But this movie and Ledger performance completely changed my mind. Amazing performance.
My only criticism would be that I felt it was a little too long, which caused it to drag at some parts. I thought it was going to end shortly after they put the Joker in jail. I wasn't expecting the hostage situation or anything that followed after. That being said, I don't know what I would have cut. I really liked the ending and the final act leading up to it. I liked that the people on the ferry boats decided not to blow each other sky high. It showed that even in the face of madness and chaos, people can still be basically good, That despite everything, people in Gotham still have hope and that Gotham is still worth saving. The Joker's goal is not really to kill people per se, but to place them in situations where they have no choice but to destroy themselves and each other. The scene with the ferries was like the people saying a collective "No, enough.".
And the final meeting between Bruce, Harvey, and Jim? God, so tragic. Doing what's right is easier said than done, and sometimes the cost is higher than you could ever imagine.
Anyway, great acting, complex and interesting plot, kick ass action sequences (holy crap, the Hong Kong scene? Pure Batman badassery at it's best), great overarching themes and exploration of them. I'm looking forward to seeing it again soon, but in IMAX this time.
When I walked out of the theater I couldn't help saying to myself, "I think I just saw the best superhero movie ever made".
To the people who are responsible for making this amazing film: You rock. So hard.
Going into the film, I was a bit nervous and trying not to get my hopes up too much. Too often when something gets a lot of hype, it ends up being dissapointing when you finally see it for yourself. Either it's not really that great or you've had it built up so much in your mind that it's doomed not to live up to your expectations.
"The Dark Knight" was the first movie I've seen in a long time that totally avoided that trap. It not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded my expectations.
The cast was amazing all-around. I loved Bale as Bruce Wayne (hehe, falling asleep during meetings and taking the whole Russian ballet troupe on vacation) and thought he did well as Batman too. I kind of wanted a bit more from him as Batman, but I bet it's difficult to act in that suit and maybe my love for Kevin Conroy makes any other Batman voice seem a bit lacking. Gary Oldman was great as Gordon (oh my god when he came back "from the dead" everyone in the audience cheered) and I thought the dynamic between him, Bale, and Eckhart was great. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were fabulous as usual and Maggie G. (not even gonna try to spell it) was a welcome change from the terrible Katie Holmes. Aaron Eckhart did well as Harvey. It was sad watching him in the beginning when everything was going well and seeing what a good guy he was, all the while knowing that his tragic downfall was coming. And Heath Ledger. Wow. I've loved Batman since I was a little kid, but I've never really been into the Joker as a villain (although Mark Hamill was awesome in the DCAU). There was always something missing, something that didn't quite connect for me. But this movie and Ledger performance completely changed my mind. Amazing performance.
My only criticism would be that I felt it was a little too long, which caused it to drag at some parts. I thought it was going to end shortly after they put the Joker in jail. I wasn't expecting the hostage situation or anything that followed after. That being said, I don't know what I would have cut. I really liked the ending and the final act leading up to it. I liked that the people on the ferry boats decided not to blow each other sky high. It showed that even in the face of madness and chaos, people can still be basically good, That despite everything, people in Gotham still have hope and that Gotham is still worth saving. The Joker's goal is not really to kill people per se, but to place them in situations where they have no choice but to destroy themselves and each other. The scene with the ferries was like the people saying a collective "No, enough.".
And the final meeting between Bruce, Harvey, and Jim? God, so tragic. Doing what's right is easier said than done, and sometimes the cost is higher than you could ever imagine.
Anyway, great acting, complex and interesting plot, kick ass action sequences (holy crap, the Hong Kong scene? Pure Batman badassery at it's best), great overarching themes and exploration of them. I'm looking forward to seeing it again soon, but in IMAX this time.
When I walked out of the theater I couldn't help saying to myself, "I think I just saw the best superhero movie ever made".