POA @ The Movies: The Dark Knight
July 18, 2008 by Mike Haynes · Comments
It’s here people.
It’s here and it’s amazing.
Fresh off my visit to the local theater to see the latest entry into DC’s comic movie archive and I’m pleased as can be with what I got out of the trip. What exactly did I get? Fantastic acting, a wonderful story with intelligent and well constructed lines and dialog, handfuls of action and one of the greatest performances that an actor could give, especially with it being his final role. Yes, The Dark Knight was, as many people suggested and thought it would be, one of the greatest comic-to-movie adaptations to date.
That’s not to say that it was perfect, it certainly had it’s flaws. It’s ultra-dark and bleak story is sure to turn some casual moviegoers off but, for the most part, us comic book nerds will be right at home with the flick as it really defines what Batman is to Gotham City, it’s citizens and, most importantly, to Bruce Wayne himself. Heath Ledger’s Joker is the definitive view of exactly what the character should appear as on the big screen. Looking back, it’s really hard to think of someone else who could have played the role as well as he did and it’s a shame that we won’t be able to see him in any future Batman movies or really anything on the silver screen at all for that matter. I would definitely say that his work deserves some sort of nomination and even an award. Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Two-Face, which for the most part has been avoided for the promotion of the movie, shines in it’s own unique, disgusting way, in it’s own time. All the characters are really given their time in the spotlight and they all use it very wisely thanks the the careful and precise timing of the film’s screenplay writer and director Christopher Nolan.
As much as Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart have been hogging the spotlight for this movie, Christian Bale has been somewhat overlooked and even forgotten in most cases. That being said, while Batman himself might appear much less than he did in the previous film, Bale still performs rather well and really establishes himself as one of the best actors to toss on the cape and cowl…even if he does the annoying raspy thing with his voice when he’s getting batty.
The whole package that is The Dark Knight blends together so nicely that it almost seems too good to be true. However, it’s not. It’s just a damn good movie and that’s all there is to say about it. Go see it. You’ll laugh, you’ll scream, you’ll cringe but, most of all, you’ll cheer for The Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight
9.2 out of 10 stars
