I'm not spoiling it, maaaaaaaaan.
I know I haven't written in a while, but I thought this would be a great time.
Spoiler-free, I promise.
First off, if you're wondering if Heath Ledger's performance was enough to get up off your ass and see this movie, it is. Go see it.
Really, honestly, superhero movies are usually uplifting in some way, shape, or form. Take Spiderman, which is by far one of the most watched superhero movies ever. In all of them, Peter Parker always comes back in the end. The movie may have a tint of sadness, but you know Spiderman is going to be there to rescue you. 'Your Friendly-Neighborhood Spiderman'. He takes his hits, but in the end, it's going to be okay. Same thing with Superman and Iron Man. They triumphed over evil, and hey, there might be time for a sequel in a few years, who knows?
Batman Begins left you hanging (no big surprise there). I liked the reality of it, Jim Gordon's talk of escalation. Because, let's face it, the brighter the light that shines, the deeper the darkness before it. Which is what The Dark Knight is, in essence. It's right in the title. It's about the shadows that come out once you've shined the light.
The actors meld into the characters. Maggie G does a great job picking up where Katie Holmes left off. Rachel Dawes is no longer just an annoying presence, but she actually has a good-sized role in the plot. Maggie makes her strong-willed and assertive where Katie made her bitchy. Gary Oldman, as always, does an extraordinary job with Gordon. He's a major player in this one, and Oldman rises to the occasion. His Gordon is spot-on, and I wouldn't have anyone else play him. Morgan Freeman has so much fun playing Lucius Fox again; you can see it in his performance. Michael Caine never falters with his Alfred, passing along his advice with a little bit of wit to go with. And, of course, Christian Bale steps it up as Batman. His Batman voice can get a little grating sometimes--it's deep and gravely, which it should be, but sometimes it feels forced--but it's nothing to harp about. His Bruce Wayne is fabulously charming, and it's nice to see him banter with Alfred.
Let me start out by saying I'm terribly biased when it comes to Aaron Eckhart. I think he was perfect for Harvey Dent. I like the way Eckhart can be charming without being incredibly sleezy (see: Thank You For Smoking). [In TYFS, you know he was sleezy to the max, however in my opinion, Eckhart was just charming enough to mask it most of the way.] Harvey Dent needed Eckhart's charisma to be the 'White Knight' of Gotham, which worked in favor of the movie. The goodness you see in Dent had to be amazing to make what happens to him all the more shocking. I wouldn't want to see any other actor in the role. Dent can be charismatic, but you also get to see why he became DA in the first place. Much better than I expected. (I would go into more, but I said this would be spoiler-free, y'know, and not everyone knows what happens to Harvey.)
The Joker.
The Joker is one of my favorite villains of all time. He just...doesn't give a shit. And that's why he's dangerous. Anyone's a target, no one is excluded. As long as people get the message--as long as they get to be part of the joke--it's all fine to him. He doesn't play by any rules. He's ruthless. His past? Ask him over and over again and you'll get a different story every time. He's an entertainer; the world is his stage and everyone has a part. I kind of winced at the end of Batman Begins, when I saw his playing card. I thought, "Oh fuck. They are going to ruin the Joker." I was fine with Jack playing his Joker in the 1989 Batman. I didn't want another weird incarnation.
Luckily, I was blown away.
Heath Ledger dives into the Joker head-first and never surfaces. It's hard to believe the same guy who played Mel Gibson's son in The Patriot was behind all that make-up. Honestly? It isn't. You never see the actor. You only see the Joker. He does horrible, horrible things. And while he's doing them, he laughs. He dances. He licks his lips. And he's always smiling. The Joker doesn't care about anyone. Henchmen are disposable and easily obtained. He's two steps ahead of the game, and he's got an ace up his sleeve just in case. It's all about the joke. Rules are optional. And that, my friends, is exactly what the Joker is all about.
I thought critics were exaggerating how scary he was. They aren't. There are a couple parts in there that send chills up your spine. The way he laughs. The way his makeup gets more and more diluted and insane. The way his voice is joking and then suddenly quite serious. The Joker is not a laughing matter. Trust me, you'll find yourself laughing at him in some parts, but it's mostly because what he's doing does not match up with how he's acting. You're laughing because you don't know what the fuck to do. Which is why his performance is so utterly perfect, so perfectly wonderful. For a last movie, Heath Ledger did a fucking amazing job, and he should get some kind of award or recognition for it.
The Dark Knight is not a perfect movie. (Well, I'll say it is, but you know me.) There's a subplot in Hong Kong that wasn't really needed. Sometimes the music does overpower the scene (I can think of one instance, and it's a pretty damn important scene). The Scarecrow didn't really need a cameo, but I think in some way it provided a comparison to the villains in the first movie to the villains now. You get to see the good and the chaos and how easy it is to slide back into the dark. It's wonderful, and for a superhero movie, refreshingly realistic.
So let me bring this back around. You won't leave feeling happy. This is as real as it's going to get. People die horrific deaths. You see things escalate; you see things destroyed and managled beyond all recognition. You see Gotham and its people stumble around in the dark, and only a couple people have the flashlights. The Dark Knight doesn't care who lives or dies or who gets hurt along the way. Like the Joker, it's just hoping you get the message. And that's what makes it so incredible.
Just to those of you who will read this but may not have seen the movie: well, first off, go see it, you lazy bitch! Second, the comments will probably be filled with spoilers (if there are any comments at all, that is). If there are comments, there will probably be spoilers. So, you know, you can still read the review, just don't peek further than that little blue link that says 'post a comment'.
Sorry I haven't been on here lately. Work's been kind of my life. Hopefully when I get more time, I'll come back. Jeez, what's it been, two months? WHEW. Then again, I am kind of leaving the country in a little bit over a month.
[why so serious?]
Spoiler-free, I promise.
First off, if you're wondering if Heath Ledger's performance was enough to get up off your ass and see this movie, it is. Go see it.
Really, honestly, superhero movies are usually uplifting in some way, shape, or form. Take Spiderman, which is by far one of the most watched superhero movies ever. In all of them, Peter Parker always comes back in the end. The movie may have a tint of sadness, but you know Spiderman is going to be there to rescue you. 'Your Friendly-Neighborhood Spiderman'. He takes his hits, but in the end, it's going to be okay. Same thing with Superman and Iron Man. They triumphed over evil, and hey, there might be time for a sequel in a few years, who knows?
Batman Begins left you hanging (no big surprise there). I liked the reality of it, Jim Gordon's talk of escalation. Because, let's face it, the brighter the light that shines, the deeper the darkness before it. Which is what The Dark Knight is, in essence. It's right in the title. It's about the shadows that come out once you've shined the light.
The actors meld into the characters. Maggie G does a great job picking up where Katie Holmes left off. Rachel Dawes is no longer just an annoying presence, but she actually has a good-sized role in the plot. Maggie makes her strong-willed and assertive where Katie made her bitchy. Gary Oldman, as always, does an extraordinary job with Gordon. He's a major player in this one, and Oldman rises to the occasion. His Gordon is spot-on, and I wouldn't have anyone else play him. Morgan Freeman has so much fun playing Lucius Fox again; you can see it in his performance. Michael Caine never falters with his Alfred, passing along his advice with a little bit of wit to go with. And, of course, Christian Bale steps it up as Batman. His Batman voice can get a little grating sometimes--it's deep and gravely, which it should be, but sometimes it feels forced--but it's nothing to harp about. His Bruce Wayne is fabulously charming, and it's nice to see him banter with Alfred.
Let me start out by saying I'm terribly biased when it comes to Aaron Eckhart. I think he was perfect for Harvey Dent. I like the way Eckhart can be charming without being incredibly sleezy (see: Thank You For Smoking). [In TYFS, you know he was sleezy to the max, however in my opinion, Eckhart was just charming enough to mask it most of the way.] Harvey Dent needed Eckhart's charisma to be the 'White Knight' of Gotham, which worked in favor of the movie. The goodness you see in Dent had to be amazing to make what happens to him all the more shocking. I wouldn't want to see any other actor in the role. Dent can be charismatic, but you also get to see why he became DA in the first place. Much better than I expected. (I would go into more, but I said this would be spoiler-free, y'know, and not everyone knows what happens to Harvey.)
The Joker.
The Joker is one of my favorite villains of all time. He just...doesn't give a shit. And that's why he's dangerous. Anyone's a target, no one is excluded. As long as people get the message--as long as they get to be part of the joke--it's all fine to him. He doesn't play by any rules. He's ruthless. His past? Ask him over and over again and you'll get a different story every time. He's an entertainer; the world is his stage and everyone has a part. I kind of winced at the end of Batman Begins, when I saw his playing card. I thought, "Oh fuck. They are going to ruin the Joker." I was fine with Jack playing his Joker in the 1989 Batman. I didn't want another weird incarnation.
Luckily, I was blown away.
Heath Ledger dives into the Joker head-first and never surfaces. It's hard to believe the same guy who played Mel Gibson's son in The Patriot was behind all that make-up. Honestly? It isn't. You never see the actor. You only see the Joker. He does horrible, horrible things. And while he's doing them, he laughs. He dances. He licks his lips. And he's always smiling. The Joker doesn't care about anyone. Henchmen are disposable and easily obtained. He's two steps ahead of the game, and he's got an ace up his sleeve just in case. It's all about the joke. Rules are optional. And that, my friends, is exactly what the Joker is all about.
I thought critics were exaggerating how scary he was. They aren't. There are a couple parts in there that send chills up your spine. The way he laughs. The way his makeup gets more and more diluted and insane. The way his voice is joking and then suddenly quite serious. The Joker is not a laughing matter. Trust me, you'll find yourself laughing at him in some parts, but it's mostly because what he's doing does not match up with how he's acting. You're laughing because you don't know what the fuck to do. Which is why his performance is so utterly perfect, so perfectly wonderful. For a last movie, Heath Ledger did a fucking amazing job, and he should get some kind of award or recognition for it.
The Dark Knight is not a perfect movie. (Well, I'll say it is, but you know me.) There's a subplot in Hong Kong that wasn't really needed. Sometimes the music does overpower the scene (I can think of one instance, and it's a pretty damn important scene). The Scarecrow didn't really need a cameo, but I think in some way it provided a comparison to the villains in the first movie to the villains now. You get to see the good and the chaos and how easy it is to slide back into the dark. It's wonderful, and for a superhero movie, refreshingly realistic.
So let me bring this back around. You won't leave feeling happy. This is as real as it's going to get. People die horrific deaths. You see things escalate; you see things destroyed and managled beyond all recognition. You see Gotham and its people stumble around in the dark, and only a couple people have the flashlights. The Dark Knight doesn't care who lives or dies or who gets hurt along the way. Like the Joker, it's just hoping you get the message. And that's what makes it so incredible.
Just to those of you who will read this but may not have seen the movie: well, first off, go see it, you lazy bitch! Second, the comments will probably be filled with spoilers (if there are any comments at all, that is). If there are comments, there will probably be spoilers. So, you know, you can still read the review, just don't peek further than that little blue link that says 'post a comment'.
Sorry I haven't been on here lately. Work's been kind of my life. Hopefully when I get more time, I'll come back. Jeez, what's it been, two months? WHEW. Then again, I am kind of leaving the country in a little bit over a month.
[why so serious?]