Okay, So I Went To See DARK KNIGHT...
Yes, go ahead. Laugh. Jest. Point fingers and say you told me so. So many people emailed me about what a great movie, Dark Knight, is that I was convinced to at least try it. Now before I get to the nitty gritty of my feelings about the movie, I must state clearly that I was wrong.
Yep. I am wrong. Tim Burton's version is my favorite, but this film was more than an action movie, more than just another comic book movie, more than just an attempt to rake in as much cash as possible by a studio--okay this last one probably is dead on center, but Dark Knight is worthy of all the hype spinning around about it.
As a fan of Heath Ledger, I mourn his loss with others. Is this his finest performance as most critics are saying. Easily, yes. Throughout the movie, I had to remind myself that it was Ledger behind the make up. Not that the make up obscured him, but he vanished into the role at The Joker. He disappeared. Period. How he achieved such depths into the psyche of one such as The Joker demonstrated, will forever be lost with him. His tour as The Joker will leave a gaping hole for the next actor who attempts to observe the role in later Batman films. It won't be an easy sale for the audience.
Christian Bale is not my favorite actor either. Nope. Can't stand the by, so his time on screen as Bruce Wayne totally annoyed me. Still, I have to give him credit. He did perform well and he has to be the best Bruce Wayne yet. Michael Keaton being perhaps my all time favorite Bruce Wayne, Bale carries it off with more style. Clooney made the bachelor look good, but saddled with too many characters, a thin script, and the position of being the fourth installment, there wasn't a lot George could do with the role.
I love Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. They were wonderful, but my true joy came from watching Oldman's Gordan. As anyone who has watched The Fifth Element and/or The Professional, you know Gary Oldman can be a strong, vibrant, and sometimes over the top character. As Sirius Black, he showed a humbled and tortured performance, but I still saw Gary Oldman the man, the actor.
Now as his turn as Gordan, he proves himself *one again* to be a more than capable actor. I love his version of Gordan and the restraint applied to his performance made it all worthwhile.
Even though the critics have been draping a lot of attention over Ledger's JOKER *not that it isn't well founded*, the true endurance of the movie and its legs come from superior acting by Freeman, Caine, Oldman, and Bale. It has been an extremely enjoyable ride. The Dark Knight isn't my idea of the perfect comic book movie, but it is the best one I've seen in a very long time. I did see Iron Man and I loved it too. But that was pure entertainment.
The Dark Knight is more than entertainment. It is an exercise in social relationships, in our ideals and choices. I won't spoil the movie, but there are so many choices and their consequences ripple so far and wide and with such chaotic and castrophic results, the world of Batman has just gone literate! At the end of this movie, I cried, my eyes teared and I actually understood the gravity of what being Batman--and that sacrifice--meant for Gotham and for Bruce Wayne.
And being the Dark Knight warns of many dark, somber days ahead. I can't wait for the next installment.
Enjoy,
Nicole
Yep. I am wrong. Tim Burton's version is my favorite, but this film was more than an action movie, more than just another comic book movie, more than just an attempt to rake in as much cash as possible by a studio--okay this last one probably is dead on center, but Dark Knight is worthy of all the hype spinning around about it.
As a fan of Heath Ledger, I mourn his loss with others. Is this his finest performance as most critics are saying. Easily, yes. Throughout the movie, I had to remind myself that it was Ledger behind the make up. Not that the make up obscured him, but he vanished into the role at The Joker. He disappeared. Period. How he achieved such depths into the psyche of one such as The Joker demonstrated, will forever be lost with him. His tour as The Joker will leave a gaping hole for the next actor who attempts to observe the role in later Batman films. It won't be an easy sale for the audience.
Christian Bale is not my favorite actor either. Nope. Can't stand the by, so his time on screen as Bruce Wayne totally annoyed me. Still, I have to give him credit. He did perform well and he has to be the best Bruce Wayne yet. Michael Keaton being perhaps my all time favorite Bruce Wayne, Bale carries it off with more style. Clooney made the bachelor look good, but saddled with too many characters, a thin script, and the position of being the fourth installment, there wasn't a lot George could do with the role.
I love Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. They were wonderful, but my true joy came from watching Oldman's Gordan. As anyone who has watched The Fifth Element and/or The Professional, you know Gary Oldman can be a strong, vibrant, and sometimes over the top character. As Sirius Black, he showed a humbled and tortured performance, but I still saw Gary Oldman the man, the actor.
Now as his turn as Gordan, he proves himself *one again* to be a more than capable actor. I love his version of Gordan and the restraint applied to his performance made it all worthwhile.
Even though the critics have been draping a lot of attention over Ledger's JOKER *not that it isn't well founded*, the true endurance of the movie and its legs come from superior acting by Freeman, Caine, Oldman, and Bale. It has been an extremely enjoyable ride. The Dark Knight isn't my idea of the perfect comic book movie, but it is the best one I've seen in a very long time. I did see Iron Man and I loved it too. But that was pure entertainment.
The Dark Knight is more than entertainment. It is an exercise in social relationships, in our ideals and choices. I won't spoil the movie, but there are so many choices and their consequences ripple so far and wide and with such chaotic and castrophic results, the world of Batman has just gone literate! At the end of this movie, I cried, my eyes teared and I actually understood the gravity of what being Batman--and that sacrifice--meant for Gotham and for Bruce Wayne.
And being the Dark Knight warns of many dark, somber days ahead. I can't wait for the next installment.
Enjoy,
Nicole
