Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Batman: The Dark Knight

We stayed up late and went to see The Dark Knight last weekend. We were really tired, and knew it would make the next day incredibly long, but we really wanted to see it. We got to the theater at about 10:45 pm and were told that our theater was already seating. We were shocked, but there were plenty of seats and we managed to snag some good ones. Four, in fact for two of our friends as well. The theater filled up with people in batman t-shirts, and a few guys in complete Joker getup. Then, the previews.

The previews alone deserve a paragraph. The one I found to be most memorable was for The Watchmen. I didn’t like Sin City and everyone said that this was shaping up to be very similar. But, the preview was scary good. Also we saw:

Terminator 4; I lost interest after the second one. 3 held no real interest for me, and I don’t think ahnold is even in 4.

Quantum of Solace; I never really liked James Bond movies before I met Jason, but this one looks great. I want to see it.

Body of Lies; another one I wouldn’t be interested in normally, but I sure didn’t recognize Leonardo DiCaprio in that trailer.

The Day the Earth Stood Still; Keanu Reeves is the shiny metal man. I still want to see it.

Bolt; let it begin, LET IT BEGIN!!!!!!

I think there were a few more, but I can’t remember for the life of me. Evidently, there was a teaser Harry Potter trailer if you saw it in the IMAX.

The movie itself was EXCELLENT. The acting was seamless, especially on the part of the late Heath Ledger. I was convinced that at some point during the movie, I would see Heath, but I didn’t. It was all Joker, all the time. So the film opens with Batman, looking to retire, so that Rachel would finally be convinced that she could love him. He sees this opportunity in the rising star of Harvey Dent, the new DA. Harvey is dedicated to wiping out crime in Gotham , through legal, daytime work. Bruce thinks that this is his way out, but the Joker has other plans. He wants batman, dead, and exposed, not retired. I won’t get much more into the plot… One of the most genius things in the film is that the Joker never reveals his true origins and has absolutely no motive other than chaos. Even when he makes a plan, he doesn’t want things to follow the plan. He embodies the unknown. He IS the chaos. I had NEVER been scared of the joker before, but let me say, I sure am now. I won’t go spoilery on you, don’t worry.

The other stand-out thing for me was the batmobile. I had loved the 90’s batmobile. It was the coolest part of any of the movies. The iconic shape, the new gadgets, it was awesome. That being said, when Batman Begins came out, and there was to be a new, very different batmobile, I thought I would hate it. It was a military machine, it wasn’t cool. Batman doesn’t drive a tank. After I saw Begins, however, I was a little more lenient toward the tumbler. It had a cool name, it was tough. In The Dark Knight, I fell in love again. The tumbler is AWESOME. Like I said, no spoilerification, but WOW. Sign me up for that.

I thought the movie was ending at least 5 times, I also thought that Two-Face was the villain for the next film. I was wrong. Every time I thought it ended, there was more and it was tenser, and more involving that I thought it could be.

I have one complaint. Gotham was, very transparently, Chicago . There were landmarks all over. The Lamborghini had Illinois plates. I can understand the filmmakers’ choice, because Chicago is filled with interesting and sometimes very gothic architecture, but when I can see the corn buildings out of the window in the mayor’s office, and Jason points out Weber grill, it’s no good. I think a little more CGI was necessary there. Or something, a less recognizable city maybe. I appreciated that it was lighter sometimes. It symbolized Harvey Dent and the crusader who dealt justice in the light of day, versus Batman, who works at night. I just really wish it hadn’t been so much the L train in the street scenes.

Overall, however, I give it (working up new and creative rating system) a 10 in the amount of time I spent either in or considering the fetal position, a 10 in the time I wanted to bounce on the seat, and a 9.5 in the amount of time that I forgot there was a seat. It was a really great movie, and I’m ready to see it again.

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