The Dark Knight
I have now seen this film four times, most recently at the IMAX. All the hype is true, and I've still not tired of it. Could quite happily watch it several more times, and probably will.
Let's have a little context for why I am so enthralled by this movie, as the hype surrounding it has been astronomical.
Firstly I am, and have always been, a massive Batman fan. Not the Batman from the 60s show, not the Batman of Tim Burton's gothic fantasies (although they were good for different reasons), and certainly not the Batman of the utterly dreadful Schumacher movies, but the Batman from the graphic novels. The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns, these are some of the best Batman stories out there, and they really capture the essence of the character, of the setting. They are intelligently written, have mature and involved storylines, which stay with you long after you've put the paperback down.
The second reason is Christopher Nolan. Ever since Memento I have had the greatest respect for this director, and have lapped up everything he has directed, from Insomnia to The Prestige. When I heard, in 2005, another Batman film was in production I didn't hold out much hope. The 90s had been a crushing disappoint, with the character reduced to a joke. I didn't realise Nolan was directing Batman Begins, at that time I had lost all faith in franchise movies, having been shafted by Lucas for the last time (Revenge of the Sith came out in 2005). So it was quite natural to ignore Begins upon release. No longer could I experience that child-like excitement at the prospect of seeing an amazing movie. I thought that feeling was gone for good, and put it down to a combination of growing up and Hollywood producing money making turds, one after the other, each one more dumbed down than the last. So it was a massive surprise when I did see Batman Begins finally, on DVD. Here it was, THE BATMAN MOVIE THAT BATMAN FANS HAD WANTED ALL THEIR LIVES, BUT NEVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD SEE. It really was everything the best Batman stories from the comics ever were, and more. Here was a director who enjoyed and respected the source material, here was an actor who finally treated the Batman as a three-dimensional, complex character, and portrayed him with pathos and an intensity that the character deserves.
Batman is not a superhero, he is a troubled and broken man who never got over the death of his parents. He is a detective and an investigator. He is a vigilante who lives on the edge of the law, yet has a strong sense of discipline and order. He is all of these things and more, and that's what Begins delivered. So it was refreshing to see that movies could still be made that respected the fans and the source material they were based on, and that it wasn't all about a quick buck.
This is where The Dark Knight comes in. I was nervous initially, but I trust Chistopher Nolan. He has not made a film that I have not enjoyed yet, and more importantly, not made a film that hasn't challenged perceptions and required closer inspection. So with the weeks leading up it's release, I gave in to the excitement, and it was nice to have that feeling again. I hadn't felt that since 2001, when The Fellowship of the Ring was coming out (and that film pretty much lived up to it's promises, with a few minor quibbles). So The Dark Knight came out, and nobody else was interested, so I went and saw it first day, first showing. For the first time a film actually exceeded my expectations, here it was, an actual goddamn Batman graphic novel on the screen. It even had dialogue from the The Long Halloween (amongst others). Everything about this movie fits, the music, the acting, the script. It was Batman Begins on steroids. And finally a Joker that can be taken seriously! In '89 Nicholson mostly played himself, Heath Ledger played the Joker. Much has been said about this performance already, and I don't need to heap on any more praise. There's enough to go around.
Oh yes, and a perfect ending. Goosebumps everytime. Quite moving, sums up the whole tone of the story and the character. He is The Dark Knight.
Absolutely amazing. I could talk about this film endlessly, so I won't. Yeah, I really liked it.
Let's have a little context for why I am so enthralled by this movie, as the hype surrounding it has been astronomical.
Firstly I am, and have always been, a massive Batman fan. Not the Batman from the 60s show, not the Batman of Tim Burton's gothic fantasies (although they were good for different reasons), and certainly not the Batman of the utterly dreadful Schumacher movies, but the Batman from the graphic novels. The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns, these are some of the best Batman stories out there, and they really capture the essence of the character, of the setting. They are intelligently written, have mature and involved storylines, which stay with you long after you've put the paperback down.
The second reason is Christopher Nolan. Ever since Memento I have had the greatest respect for this director, and have lapped up everything he has directed, from Insomnia to The Prestige. When I heard, in 2005, another Batman film was in production I didn't hold out much hope. The 90s had been a crushing disappoint, with the character reduced to a joke. I didn't realise Nolan was directing Batman Begins, at that time I had lost all faith in franchise movies, having been shafted by Lucas for the last time (Revenge of the Sith came out in 2005). So it was quite natural to ignore Begins upon release. No longer could I experience that child-like excitement at the prospect of seeing an amazing movie. I thought that feeling was gone for good, and put it down to a combination of growing up and Hollywood producing money making turds, one after the other, each one more dumbed down than the last. So it was a massive surprise when I did see Batman Begins finally, on DVD. Here it was, THE BATMAN MOVIE THAT BATMAN FANS HAD WANTED ALL THEIR LIVES, BUT NEVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD SEE. It really was everything the best Batman stories from the comics ever were, and more. Here was a director who enjoyed and respected the source material, here was an actor who finally treated the Batman as a three-dimensional, complex character, and portrayed him with pathos and an intensity that the character deserves.
Batman is not a superhero, he is a troubled and broken man who never got over the death of his parents. He is a detective and an investigator. He is a vigilante who lives on the edge of the law, yet has a strong sense of discipline and order. He is all of these things and more, and that's what Begins delivered. So it was refreshing to see that movies could still be made that respected the fans and the source material they were based on, and that it wasn't all about a quick buck.
This is where The Dark Knight comes in. I was nervous initially, but I trust Chistopher Nolan. He has not made a film that I have not enjoyed yet, and more importantly, not made a film that hasn't challenged perceptions and required closer inspection. So with the weeks leading up it's release, I gave in to the excitement, and it was nice to have that feeling again. I hadn't felt that since 2001, when The Fellowship of the Ring was coming out (and that film pretty much lived up to it's promises, with a few minor quibbles). So The Dark Knight came out, and nobody else was interested, so I went and saw it first day, first showing. For the first time a film actually exceeded my expectations, here it was, an actual goddamn Batman graphic novel on the screen. It even had dialogue from the The Long Halloween (amongst others). Everything about this movie fits, the music, the acting, the script. It was Batman Begins on steroids. And finally a Joker that can be taken seriously! In '89 Nicholson mostly played himself, Heath Ledger played the Joker. Much has been said about this performance already, and I don't need to heap on any more praise. There's enough to go around.
Oh yes, and a perfect ending. Goosebumps everytime. Quite moving, sums up the whole tone of the story and the character. He is The Dark Knight.
Absolutely amazing. I could talk about this film endlessly, so I won't. Yeah, I really liked it.