A Review of The Dark Knight

$11.50: The amount spent to purchase an advanced ticket on Fandango.com to see The Dark Knight. Getting to see Heath Ledger in his last performance: Priceless.

I spent my Friday evening glued to the movie screen as I watched the next installment of the Christian Bale Batman series. This movie is big. Opening weekend boasted a whooping $158 million. This past weekend grossed $72 million according to Reuters.

The movie lived up to its hype in my opinion. I haven't heard anyone say it was, "just okay." Everyone says it's a great film. I remember seeing Batman Begins in the theater when it first came out and thought it was an awesome flick. Christian Bale is probably the best Batman ever (second to Michael Keaton, of course). I anxiously awaited the opening of The Dark Knight and was very pleased with the outcome.

I was interrogating a friend after they saw the movie (I hadn't yet at that point) and this is what he told me--"Whenever the Joker wasn't on the screen, you sat there wondering what he was doing. That's how powerful Heath Ledger's performance was." And it couldn't have said it better.

The character of The Joker, portrayed by Heath Ledger, had all the qualities many of us have come to know through Jack Nicholson's portrayal of The Joker in the 1989 film, Batman. The outrageous laughter, the signature joker card, the purple suit, the makeup was all kept intact. But there was a deeper, more realistic and terrifying quality to Heath Ledger's character. His makeup was painted on, which made it seem more real and less comic. His character traits like sucking his teeth and licking his lips were eerily jolting to the viewer. I'd go as far to say that he stole some of the glory from Batman, Christian Bale, himself.

The plot of the movie was also well done although the only problem I had with The Dark Night was with the character of Two Face. Aaron Eckhart did a bang up job playing the demented Harvey Dent after he loses his love, Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal who really didn't do her role justice--okay, so I have two issues with the movie). But I absolutely loved the scene in the hospital where Joker plants the seed of evil into Harvey Dent sealing his fate to become Two Face. The movie had a shortcoming with Two Face's character. It would have been enough to see how Two Face became Two Face and save him for the movie's next installment. But instead Two Face was created, committed some mayhem, and then was defeated. It seemed like a jip to me.

But I won't complain. Overall, The Dark Knight, was a wonderful action movie. Heath Ledger definitely deserves to be considered for an Oscar. When it comes the question of an Oscar, I believe Ledger at least deserves the nomination because his portrayal of Joker is probably one of the best pieces of acting I've seen on the silver screen in a while. The matter of his death is really very tragic--it is still unclear to me whether his death was accident or intention, but we lost a rising star nevertheless. Also, as those of you who saw the movie know, the Joker did not die. So, were they planning on keeping Joker in the film's plot? My guess would be probably, but now that Ledger is gone I don't know if anyone can do the role justice.

The Dark Knight, as a part of the Batman series, is a staple of American movie culture. It's deeply embedded into the veins of Hollywood and in the lives of many Americans who have grown up loving the comic books, action figures, and movies. But one story caught my eye this week. 20-year-old Spencer Taylor of a little town in Michigan donned Joker makeup and a purple suit to visit the local theater and rip down posters for The Dark Knight. He was arrested for larceny and malicious destruction of property. His mug shot, which you can see here, shows him wearing his makeup. It's too funny.

Have you seen The Dark Knight yet? If you haven't get to the theater! Even if you aren't a comic book movie fan, you'll be glad you spent the $11.50. And while you're at it, treat yourself to a popcorn.