Unstoppable force v. immovable object
So many people have already voiced their opinions on The Dark Knight with varied eloquence, so I'll be brief:
The Dark Knight is a great film, but that isn't surprising. What's surprising is what makes it great. This is a comic book movie built on the characters and performances. The traditional action formula of characters as stewards of the plot, faithfully pulling it from Car Chase A to Fist Fight B is flipped. The action sequences are instead scenery for the plot. The characters and the plot are inseparable. They are, if you'll excuse me, two sides of the same coin.
Heath Ledger's Joker is haunting and brilliant. That much was clear from the first trailer. Every scene with him is electrified, permeated by a tension and intensity unique to that character. The other moments of the film almost seem subdued by comparison.
Harvey Dent's transformation is amazingly played, and our first glimpse at the deformed villain (Anti-hero?) is one of the best moments in the film. The dichotomy of Batman and Harvey Dent is one of the most adeptly portrayed and tragic plot points.
As for Christian Bale's Batman, he remains one of the best to have ever worn the cape, though I have to wonder if that's partly because so few people have really ever been any good at it. Best Batman? Perhaps on celluloid, though overall I'd still give it to Kevin Conroy (With an honorable mention to Will Friedle)
Last month I made a prediction that no movie this summer would be better than WALL-E, and I don't think I was wrong. But with two films this excellent, it really doesn't matter.
The Dark Knight is a great film, but that isn't surprising. What's surprising is what makes it great. This is a comic book movie built on the characters and performances. The traditional action formula of characters as stewards of the plot, faithfully pulling it from Car Chase A to Fist Fight B is flipped. The action sequences are instead scenery for the plot. The characters and the plot are inseparable. They are, if you'll excuse me, two sides of the same coin.
Heath Ledger's Joker is haunting and brilliant. That much was clear from the first trailer. Every scene with him is electrified, permeated by a tension and intensity unique to that character. The other moments of the film almost seem subdued by comparison.
Harvey Dent's transformation is amazingly played, and our first glimpse at the deformed villain (Anti-hero?) is one of the best moments in the film. The dichotomy of Batman and Harvey Dent is one of the most adeptly portrayed and tragic plot points.
As for Christian Bale's Batman, he remains one of the best to have ever worn the cape, though I have to wonder if that's partly because so few people have really ever been any good at it. Best Batman? Perhaps on celluloid, though overall I'd still give it to Kevin Conroy (With an honorable mention to Will Friedle)
Last month I made a prediction that no movie this summer would be better than WALL-E, and I don't think I was wrong. But with two films this excellent, it really doesn't matter.