Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Dark Knight




Superhero movies have always had their niche with movie goers. They are fun, flashy popcorn movies to gaga over usually whenever summer time comes around. Back in 2002, is when Sam Raimi's excellent "Spider-Man" was released and it made the biggest opening weekend ever of $114 million dollars. - That's a lot of money to rake in in just three days. It opened the doors for superhero movies to be taken seriously in this day and age and Hollywood execs were not oblivious to this. - In fact, this is when emails, cells phone and blackberry's the world over began lighting up like mad because everyone knew that the "superhero genre" was something that people wanted to see!! Every wants to see their favorite superhero's brought to life. But not just brought to life for the heck of seeing them on the silver screen, but to see it done properly.

Summer 2005, Christopher Nolan revamped the Batman film series wonderfully after Schmacher made a complete debauchery of Batman to the mass audiences in the last decade making people forget the true mythology of who and what the Batman is. - Now, it must be mentioned that Tim Burton's original 1989 version of Batman is still to this day an excellent movie. Nolan's set's up Batman from scratch and we get to see our masked avenger back in the dark night doing what he does best. (spoiler) The ending of "Batman Begins" superbly sets up the sequel with the find of the joker playing card - totally getting us wet for the next chapter. However, beyond my knowledge and even my expectations come summer 2008 when "The Dark Knight" was unveiled to public, I was not at all expecting to be as astonished as I was.

I proudly saw the 12:01am IMAX presentation of "The Dark Knight" and from the first frame where the mirrored building is being zoomed in on from a great distance quickly getting tighter and tighter on the full IMAX screen, I was hooked. You're literally being pulled into this world and scenario where an incredibly orchestrated bank heist is about to happen. Not just any bank heist, these fellows dressed in clown masks are stealing from Gotham City's mob. - Pretty balsy . Planning. planning. planning. Everything was planned by the most vicious villain ever to grace our minds - The Joker.

He's one man to not to be reckoned with, not to be underestimated and never, never ever to be judged - or he will show you a magic trick you will never forget!

The Joker gives our tortured soul Batman a.k.a. The Dark Knight choices. Choices that he must make. Choices he must live with whether he wants to or not. The pain is so intense you can understand how and why an entire city was brought to its knees by one man's power.

There is so much story and characterization to this movie that it simply cannot be wrapped up in a synopsis review. Nor will I try, for that will be doing this a great injustice. I have far too much respect for this movie. This movie is the next step in the evolution of cinema. Some, if not the darkest and most brilliant storytelling I've ever seen done through the medium of film takes place here. Christopher Nolan truly has taken film making to the "next level"; even other than his incredibly original "Memento". - Which blew me away too I might add.

Nolan pulled out all the stops with this one. Down to the sonar detection Batman utilizes via Lucius Fox's (Morgan Freeman) spectacular technology all the way to the insanity and disturbing ways The Joker retells how he got his scars and of course our white knight Harvey Dent/Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart). The pacing is superb. There are scenes when a character on screen realizes something just at the same time the audience does. Always keeping us going and keeping right there with the characters. Truly feeling what is happening in every moment. Even fear.

There is no doubt that Heath Ledger stole the show of his mesmerizing performance of The Joker, for which he was honored with a posthumous academy award for best supporting actor. Absolutely amazing. Anyone that believes this movie is less than a landmark in the history of cinema, well....they don't know shit. Plain and simple.

I can understand however if some people "just didn't understand it". This is a very complex story and takes your mind to outlandish places. But its perfection is almost haunting in its own degree. "Some men just want to watch the world burn" says Alfred, Bruce Wayne's butler. Summing up The Joker's intentions in a figurative nutshell. - Stunning writing.

This is the first film ever to use IMAX technology. According to the Christopher Nolan, IMAX cameras are very heavy machines to use and very noisy therefore making it very difficult to use when filming. But Mr. Nolan is a professional and understands this equipment very well so he knew what needed to be done in order to get it the way he needed. - Absolute perfection. IMAX never looked better than it did when I witnessed the masterpiece titled "The Dark Knight".

I've thought about this alot....could this be the greatest movie ever made? Possibly.....

Cine-a-Meter rating: 5/5

Directed by Christoper Nolan, written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan (brothers) and story by David S. Goyer.

Starring Christian Bale as The Dark Knight/Bruce Wayne, Heath Ledger as the The Joker, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face/Harvey Dent.

Rest In Peace, Heath. I am sorry I ever doubted you.