THE DARK KNIGHT IS AWE.FRIGGIN.INSPIRING.I was thinking of criteria by which I could judge the films I'll be reviewing in the future, and even though I've managed to think stuff up, using them for TDK might come out farce-ish.
Coz, really. The Dark Knight is THE BEST film to come out (so far) this year.
As in.
Do you feel me frothing at the mouth? Because, really. I am.
To save your monitors from getting flooded with my gushiness, I'll just list down my notes in parts:
The Villain
The Joker was disturbia personified. Heath Ledger was PERFECT for the role. How sad is it that he had to pass away so soon? No more sequels for his freakishly sane Joker, THAT sad! His performance was nothing short of phenomenal. It was so far-off from Jack Nicholson's version, that the earlier version, despite its merits, pales in comparison.
Heath Ledger's The Joker isn't your garden-variety demented villain because he's simply not demented. He's a genius who reads a lot of Thomas Hobbes/Xun Zi/Freud, and his apparent dementia is really just a nasty side-effect of his starkly different worldview and opinion of mankind.
He's not someone you should pity or hate. He's actually someone to admire and look up to. In a somewhat sick and twisted way.
I love the person who provided for the The Joker's new-and-improved personality, and Heath Ledger for doing an unparalleled job in breathing life into the character. It's really unfortunate that he had to exchange *his* life for The Joker's.
The Hero
Christian Bale as The Batman managed to stand up to Heath Ledger's stellar performance. He put up a very, very good fight on two levels: as the hero of the story and as the actor playing the title role. He managed to steal his equal share of the limelight even if the movie started with Heath/The Joker. The Batman's deep, gruffy voice was something that the other Batmans didn't have. It was unsettling at first, but it grows on you, so that was fine.
Also notable here is this Batman is one of the most humanified. I haven't seen Batman Begins (I know, I suck. Not a fan of Katie Holmes kase eh.) so I'm not sure how it compares, but from the ones I've seen before (Val Kilmer's, Michael Keaton's and George Clooney's) his is the least stiff. It might have something to do with the fact that his Bruce Wayne is also the most human. (Gotta credit the well-developed plot and great characterization.) This Bruce Wayne wasn't just all angst and snobby riches; he actually has a pretty wide array of emotions: jealousy, envy, kindness, generosity, helplessness and all other stuff from the spectrum of feelings. There was Bruce Wayne's characteristic dry wit and maangas persona, but his humanity shone through very clearly.
[On a more girly note, Christian Bale is one of the hottest Batmans EVER. Even without tons of fanservice moments (i.e. moments of half-nakedness), Christian Bale was oooooozeeeeng with sexiness. Haha.]
Others
Harvey Dent/Harvey Two-Face to me as a viewer was a sad happening, but as a writer/filmmaker, was a giddy development. This is where that wonderfully-run plot comes in to receive its trophy.
Alfred took his share of the limelight, and shone not just as the perennial sidekick, but as one very talented and experienced PERSON.
Lucius Fox was as maangas as you could imagine Morgan Freeman becoming. Problem is that I kept forgetting who he was in the movie, and kept thinking of him as Morgan Freeman. (There was a point where Bruce Wayne mentioned Lucius, and I was like, "Who? Oh. Morgan Freeman.") It's not really good if you see the actor instead of the part he's playing. I'm beginning to think that he's getting typecast unto these sorts of caretaker-ish roles. This is remniscient of that part he played in 1408, albeit less scare-inducing.
Technicals
Visual effects were THE BOMB. I was literally clapping joyfully at every carchase, building explosion and gun firing. Especially astig moments for the next Batman movies to top are:
*The kidnap of Lao in Hongkong (Love that return-to-airplane move!)
*The transfer of Harvey Dent to County Jail (I clapped when he flew out with a trike.)
*The tracking room/monitors
*The final showdown of Batman and The Joker
I should also say that my hat's off to whoever is in the idea pool who thought of Lucius Fox's designs and The Joker's explosive schemes.
Plot Runs
The movie ran for about 2 hours and a half. On paper, it might seem very LOTR-ish long, but really. The two hours were well worth it. If you're depressed, stressed or just simply bored, this is one of the best escape movies out right now. I was so into it that I didn't even call out what had happened to Commissioner Gordon (How could I have NOT seen THAT coming?!), and the two hours were more than enough to establish the relationships among all the characters, do some foreshadowings (A lot, actually. Anton Chekov would be so proud.) and provide basis for all other events that would follow. Script wasn't really riveting, but it fit just right. I ended up liking that "You either become the hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." line in-movie even if it seemed really long and awkward in the trailer. The best script came at the end, when Gordon was explaining what Batman is to Gotham. It came out so nicely that I cried at the end of the movie because of it. (Such a girl.)
Sooo there. Gushing over. Do I really still need to make a wrap-up? I'll just end up being redundant here. Anyway.
Go pick your ass up and watch The Dark Knight. I promise to give you a refund if you leave the theater disappointed after.
Yes. It's THAT good.
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