My thoughts *beware: includes spoilers*
I went in with sky-high expectations after hearing friends' and critics' rave reviews.
My brother came home and couldn't stop talking about how amazing Heath Ledger was as The Joker (he kept quoting him too which was both disturbing and irritating) and about just how fulfilling it was overall, albeit exhausting (nearly 3 hrs).
Jeff, in response to my facebook status in which I called it "just a movie," wrote me a message saying in fact IT WAS MUCH MORE THAN A MOVIE, and that I needed to watch it to understand. I was tired of hearing about it, I wanted to watch it and find out for myself. So I did, alongside my mother, Sunday afternoon, opening weekend. . . and now, here are my thoughts.
I liked the movie as a sequel to
Batman Begins, and overall as one in the comic book action hero genre. It had many moments of suspense. It had a couple twists and jaw-drops. For one, I could not believe that Rachel died. Bruce Wayne did not show much grief, just one solemn morning of rain...Harvey Dent as a result became Two-face..and here begins my disappointment...
I didn't like Dent as Two-face because I didn't buy it. I think this may be because as District Attorney, he wasn't completely convincing as clean cut and saintly ..he was just sort of a big shot who knew how to woo an audience..the contrast was not great enough. So his rage did not sprout from a character of depth..instead his rage just seemed over the top, forced, and almost trivial. I cared more about The Joker.
In addition, I felt the movie lacked depth and emotion (namely, Rachel's relationship with both Bruce and Harvey..I mean, really, I didn't see a connection with either..I love Maggie as an actress, but she failed to convince me that she loved Harvey Dent. The letter she wrote to Bruce, her screaming to Harvey as the clock's ticked, and the accumulation of all the scenes with her and Harvey failed to capture it)...I understand the film's focus was not love . . . but in order to be epic, the love presented must at the very least be believable.
So for me it was two things: Harvey Dent's weak transformation and a general lack of depth & emotion that left me feeling Okay, but not totally and completely enthused.
The Joker, we can all agree, was a spot-on performance by Heath Ledger. Well, spot-on assumes there's someone to imitate. Heath Ledger made The Joker his own. All the gestures & antics: parting his greasy yellow-green hair, the lip licking, the hunched over arms flailing and rise and fall of his voice in mid-explanation. Seamless...Brilliant.
The action was up to par. The whole sonar technology business seemed kinda forced in there..How did Bruce manage to program everyone's cellphones? and other things too...
So, that was my review. A downer, I know. I can say though that I am excited to see where Chris Nolan takes the next one...With Harvey Dent and Heath Ledger dead, I wonder who the next featured villain will be!
In related news, Christian Bale is not as stable as he is as Bruce Wayne. Apparently he assaulted his mother and sister the other day in a hotel.
OKAY, so what did you think about The Dark Knight?
