So i finally saw it.
After wondering if i would be able to see the late, great Heath Ledger in the last movie he acted in before his death without bawling my eyes out in the cinema, i finally saw the movie.
It was a casual day.
Just randomly wandered into the cinema, and then randomly bought a ticket, and randomly entered the cinema, and then randomly sat down and randomly... you get it.
There i was, on my own, at the Silverbird Galleria, popcorn in one hand, always Coca-cola in the other, and settled in.
The second time i saw it (cos i always knew i would see it again), it was in my birthday week, and was also unplanned; guess that's why it fell in so beautifully!
Once more, hotdog, popcorn and coke in hand, and the movie began!
I am sure half of Nigeria has seen the movie already, but you know the story.. or maybe you don't.
Batman is not an easy movie to summarise, and you should see it at least twice!
I will tell you this though. The JOKER makes the first entrance and he was deceptive (something that would run through the course of the movie) and funny, but BATMAN's first entrance is pure magic! Thrilling, Humourous, and completely Unmissable!
I was like, yay Christian Bale! Show them what you are made of!
Michael Caine once again plays the dedicated, long-suffering butler, man-servant and friend- irreverent but ever diffident. Yes boss indeed!
No more Dawson-Creeked Katie Holmes for the part of Rachel; instead we get a much better delivery from Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is thankfully, now getting the mainstream roles she deserves! Go Maggie! In her hands, Rachel is multi-dimensional, strong but vulnerable, and unconventionally pretty.
Now back to my man HEATH LEDGER. Yes, i promised you guys tears, and i did shed a few. But HEATH was so irrecognisable (I MADE THIS WORD UP) in the role, that i couldn't cry. Couldn't. I was too enthralled and wrapped up in the charming evil and pure genius that was the Joker.
However, the second time i did see the movie, i cried a little more.
The first time you see it, you never really see Heath; you are caught up in the Joker. But see it again (as you have to), and then it hits you- that is Heath
The Joker never does what others can do for him, and he always seems to be able to find minions to do his bidding. Watch carefully and you will know how he gets them! He doesn't lift a finger, because he doesn't have to, and is at once, SCHEMING, MISCHEIVOUS, INTELLIGENT, DARK, EVIL. No, this Joker, unlike some other Batman Jokers, won't get the girls, at least not willingly. This Joker is not about the usual charm we know. You know he is evil and he knows that you know; he isn't sugar-coating it. What he is doing though is presenting it to you and making you an offer you can't refuse- hate it or join in, but one way or the other, he's gonna get what he wants!
This second instalment of BATMAN which features CHRISTIAN BALE as the caped crusader, is my favourite. No bias. Honest. The villians are villians, the twists are twists, and the dialogue is off the chains.
THe movie is however too long!
TOO. TOO long! Seriously.
And then it is like a roller-coaster. It starts with a High, then it Peaks, then it dips to a Mid-Level point, and then goes High again, then Peaks, then dips (but never has LOWS), until it ends on a High!
How can a movie about a grown man who wears a mask (however well-constructed the mask is), drives the fastest cars, fights the baddest villians and loves a woman he can never have, inspire you and get you waxing philosophical?
Somehow, BATMAN; THE DARK KNIGHT manages to not only entertain, but actually also teach and preach! Yes Boss! SERIOUSLY!!! I walked away from the cinema with so many lessons, but the one sentence that kept ringing in my head was, "If you are good at something, why do it for free?", and then when i saw it again, i fell in love with, "That which does not kill you only makes you stronger". Both statements by the joker.
But the third that i love was "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see people turn against you" (I might have paraphrased but get the general idea- heroes only have short on screent ime; any longer, and you become a villain! For the most part, this is true in life)
BAtman definitely gets the TOSYN STAMP!
aloofar, i think you should just concede u've lost the bet yeh? Tosyn i demend a share in the spoils!! :)
ReplyDeleteok i agree with everything you said, except that the movie was too long. there is so much going on all through the movie you honestly dont realise how long u've been in there until you leave the theater.....and realise its after 1 in the morning and the parking spot u finally found really is quite far from the door :((
heath legder was brilliant (didnt u just loooove his magic trick?)! he had better get the post-humous Oscar. he sooo deserved it. i was worried about how u'd take watching him n i shed a few tears on ur behalf (u no i gothch u babe!)but u had to love him! joker was chilling, funny, u could FEEL the evil and yet u couldnt help respecting his genius.
o and in answer to your question.....as dark as it takes to get the job done. (i loved how he maintained his integrity tho despite everything).
YES PEOPLE GO SEE DARK KNIGHT!! and as an incentive: heath's daughter gets a percentage of the gross so help a lil kid out yeh?
i still wish Katie Holmes had stayed on board as Rachel Dawes for the Dark Knight; it was like the time spent getting familiar with her character in Batman Begins was wasted...
ReplyDeleteOverall, it was a good movie.Personally though, i still don't think they have brought out the essence of Bats(or Batman, to non media brats/comic fans) nor has he fully channeled Bruce Wayne.
ReplyDeleteAfter a while the whispering got a little ridiculous,"then you're gonna love me" anyone that watches the cartoon series knows his voice is completley different and not a whisper of the real voice. But , nonetheless, it was good.
Heath brought a completely different angle to the joker,that previous actors had not done before. I won't say he was better than Nicholson, because well, that's Jack Nicholson, and he basically owned the first movie with his Showboating opposite Michael Keaton's Batman.
Heath's though was a fresh take, which he made his own.
It was a great movie though, very cinematic and has set the pace for other comic book adaptations.
Cinematically, i'll say The Dark Knight is the best so far
Entertainment wise! Robert Downey Jnr is undisputed in his portrayal of Tony Stark/Ironman.