The Dark Knight

So, this is my first film review... I would tell you to go easy, but I picked a doosy and I'm pretty sure you'll want to crucify me, if not for the quality of my review, at least for the content of my review. But go easy on me. You can't blame me for trying, right? :)

Specs of the film:

The Dark Knight

Release date - July 18, 2008

Runtime - 152 minutes (2 hours, 32 minutes)

Rated PG-13 for violence and some menace

Main Characters:

Bruce Wayne - Christian Bale

The Joker - Heath Ledger

Harvey Dent - Aaron Eckhart

Alfred - Michael Caine

Rachel Dawes - Maggie Gyllenhaal

Gordon - Gary Oldman

Lucius Fox - Morgan Freeman

with a brief appearance of

The Scarecrow - Cillian Murphy (which made me smile... mainly because he's hot)

Review:

Alright guys, so here it is. Now of course, this is all opinion, so don't hate me too much. First of all, let me say, I love Batman. It was entertaining and a great way to spend two and a half hours. On top of that Christian Bale is sufficiently hot in the movie. At one point he wears a leather jacket with a red collar, which brings back fond memories of his involvement with the newspaper business. I'd seize something if he put that red bandana on one more time. Me-ow. Ahem... anywho!

Perhaps I went into the movie expecting too much, perhaps I'm too picky, but for some reason I left the theater feeling slightly robbed. I had heard that this movie was fantastic, 10 out of 10, or at least 9.99. I even saw it in IMAX, which does NOT disappoint, by the way. Now, I'm not saying that the film wasn't great, but it felt like it was lacking something for me. Or maybe it had too much. I can't decide.

The movie could have easily been split into two, or maybe even three with how much information and action was crammed into it. When I first left I felt like there wasn't enough action. Then I got to thinking and there's more than enough, for a normal movie at least. The problem isn't that there wasn't enough action, the problem is that there was too much psychological drama to balance it out. The movie gave you too much to think about so you couldn't be blown away by the visual effects. Then again, maybe I think to much.

In this film we're dealing with Bruce Wayne's psychological battle with Batman, we're dealing with Batman's effect on the citizens of Gotham, we're dealing with Batman's effect on the crime lords of Gotham, we're dealing with Batman's interference in Bruce Wayne's life, we're dealing with romantic issues, we're dealing with psychological issues, people die, people come back to life, people are created, madness ensues, good triumphs over evil, or does it? It's all too much for one film. Add that with a couple bad ass explosions and my brain is about to explode!

The film itself was beyond amazing. The acting was superb. Batman was struggling and Christian Bale portrayed that beautifully. The Joker was insane and my god, Heath Ledger frightened me. I honestly don't think there was much acting involved for Maggie in this scene. I'm pretty sure that the fear would be genuine.

The other actors do wonderfully, as well. I was actually surprised with Aaron Eckhart's performance. I'd only seen him Thank You For Smoking and No Reservations, which didn't exactly blow me away. But he was a great choice for this role and he played a great range of emotions very believably.

Now, I do have to mention that I love the way they portray the joker in this film. It's not that cheesy dipped-in-acid-and-come-out-bleached bit. He's actually wearing grease paint and scars that he's gotten somehow in life are why he's permanently "smiling". It makes much more sense than being dropped in dangerous chemicals. Here's a photo of a scene where he doesn't have the makeup. It never says, for sure, how he gets the scars, but it is much more believable.

My overall opinion of the film is, of course, you must see it. Go see it in IMAX if you can, there are some great scenes that'll just blow your mind. But be prepared to buy it. And once you start watching it at home, feel free to pause it and finish watching it another day. Half is more than enough for one evening. There's even a handy spot that feels like the end, so you don't have to pause at an akward moment. In fact, the only awkward thing about that is that it keeps going.

8 out of 10 just for the spacing of the film.