Dark Knight...as awesome as you've heard

Sunday was my 12th Wedding Anniversary...and it was da’ bomb! In one day, I got to see both the new Batman movie AND Weird Al in concert. I was in geek heaven! Mock me if you must – but I couldn’t have asked for a better anniversary. We didn’t bother with cards or gifts; instead we hit the movie, stopped by Hoggy’s BBQ for some killer wings and then headed off to the concert at the LC. Do we know how to romance it up or what? LOL

Even though we really couldn’t afford it, we took the kids to see “The Dark Knight.” (At least we went to a matinee and saved a bunch of money. FYI: Movie’s 10 at Westpoint in Hilliard is the cheapest theatre in Columbus for first-run matinee films at $3.50 a ticket.) Truthfully, I just couldn’t wait one more moment to see it. I mean, I’m one of those freaks who gladly crowd the theatre at midnight to be among the first to see a new movie. I’ve been following the progress of this film since they announced the cast. I can still remember how excited I was while watching the first trailer when it leaked over the internet MONTHS ago! So the fact that I had to wait until Sunday to see it nearly sent me over the edge. Seriously!

The first thing you should know about Dark Knight, is that it lives up to all the hype. It really is as good as you hear…probably better. I wanted to watch it again the moment it ended. At 2 ½ hours in length, I admit that it could have been edited slightly but it isn’t until the last 20 minutes that you even start to notice that you’ve lost all feeling in your ass. Don’t get the large drink…you will not want to miss a moment of the movie to run to the bathroom.

The second thing I feel obligated to say is that Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker is as mesmerizing as you’ve heard. I must admit that I was skeptical. When I initially heard that he had been cast as The Joker, I thought is was a huge mistake. Although I am a fan of some of his films (namely Brokeback Mountain), I also remember some of his not so flattering films (namely A Knight's Tale). I really enjoyed Batman Begins and felt let down by Ledger being cast in such an important role in the sequel. Recently, I was once again skeptical over all this “Oscar” talk for his performance. I figured the praise was coming more from the fact that Ledger had died prior to the film’s release and not from his actual performance. Had he not passed away, I figured there would be no way that the Academy would even look at this film. But I am here to say: I was wrong. Ledger deserves every praise and accolade that they can bestow upon him for his role in The Dark Knight. His performance is so stellar that if you didn’t already know it was him, that you would never guess it. You don’t see Heath Ledger the actor on that screen – you see The Joker. His voice, his mannerisms and posture – it was all seamless perfection. He made The Joker his own creation, without stealing from previous actor’s who also portrayed the character. Ledger was so good that his performance over-shadowed every other character – including Bale’s Batman. It made me grieve anew for the loss Ledger. He certainly left us all a wonderful gift before he left though.

I’m probably biased about my love for Ledger’s Joker, however. The first time I heard him say, “Why so serious?” chills went down my arms! In my own ‘fictional land,’ Benjamin would often say, in his own sing-song way: “So serious…” to Martin. I’ve never been able to shake that sense of de ja vu from my head. I’ve noticed other similarities between Ledger’s Joker and my Ben as well…even though Ben was fleshed-out long before The Dark Knight came around. It makes me miss Benjamin and Marty’s adventures. I really should write again.

I was also impressed with Aaron Eckhart’s performance as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. I’m a fan of Eckhart’s work (especially in Thank You for Smoking) and was interested in what he might bring to the film. He delivers a solid, intriguing performance. It’s almost too bad that they put Two-Face and The Joker in one film because Eckhart’s Two-Face was good enough to be billed as the main adversary to Batman in a separate film. The make-up job on Two-Face was awesome too. My kids hid their eyes every time they showed it – so you know it rocked!

Lost in the wake of two such powerful performances is Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman. I really think that Bale makes an excellent Batman (although top honors must go to Michael Keaton), so I was disappointed to see his character(s) take a back seat in this film. At times it felt like Batman was a secondary character in his own film. Bale’s performance of Bruce Wayne wasn’t as much fun this time around and Batman’s voice was a bit too Dirty Harry for me. Even his new bat gadgets and outfit were not that interesting. Also wasted was Maggie Gyllenhaal’s talent. I was disappointed that she wasn’t really given a chance to shine in her rather reserved role. (Maggie made my girl-crush list after seeing her in Secretary…so I was really happy to see her replace Katie Holmes in this film.)

I’d love to hear what you thought of the movie…leave me a comment if you’ve seen it. Also, was I the only one to laugh out loud when L. Fox tells Bruce Wayne that his new body armor would ‘hold up against a cat’? I thought this was a clever (and clearly intentional) wink and nod to a future appearance from Cat Woman. Did you make that connection too? I think the next film would be a good opportunity for them to introduce Cat Woman – although I am skeptical who they could cast in the role. No one will be able to beat Michelle Phiffer‘s Cat Woman in my opinion. She was purrfect! LOL

(Part 1 of 2...)