Batman: The Dark Knight
3 hours of delicious film, and I savored every second of it. It felt like I didn’t pay enough for a ticket to something so enjoyable (oh and not to mention it was on the IMAX screens). It’s so much grittier and dark than the first of the series. Christopher Nolan tested the waters with Batman Begins to great success and it gave him the grounds to induce an even more malevolent tone in The Dark Knight.
It’s a very mature sequel, exploiting the ghastly society Gotham City had been left in where the last film tied off. I really appreciate how the characters feel real. They don’t need super powers or any supernatural influences to be engaging; it’s all to do with the strong contrast established in the battle of ideals. Structurally, it felt like the film ended 2/3 through when The Joker was caught for the first time. You get a delightful surprise with another hour of darkening twists, as the experience becomes increasingly bitter for the souls of Gotham City. It moved at a dynamic pace and the shorter time-line allowed for the time to expand into a length which felt like a documentation of a real time event.
Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker was outstanding. His portrayal of the character has got to be the most sick, twisted and humorous villain I’ve watched for a long time. I was instantly sold when The Joker performed the most horrendous and casual magic trick involving a disappearing pencil and the eye socket of a bouncer. Don’t want to give away too many of his hilarious and creepy antics, but watch out for his stint in a nurse costume with Two-Faced Harvey Denton. Of course, Christian Bale was amazing. So glad that they canned Katie Holmes for Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Explosions, sweet vehicles, punch ups and guns. It’s got all of that awesome Batman testosterone, as well as the complications of gang warfare and internal identity struggle. Easily in my list of favourite recent movies. I enjoyed it a lot, and I know I’ll have to catch it again in the cinemas! The wait was well worth it.