We started putting down our thoughts on The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's follow-up to Batman Begins, sometime after arriving home at 3:23am. Here are our first impressions-- and one of the first reviews out there that won't be from a stuffy film critic...
NOTES
Heath Ledger
First thing to mention is Heath Ledger and Heath Ledger's performance. He was astonishing, even to somebody who already knew he was a talented actor. The problem with his Oscar chances-- let us just get this part out of the way because it's the most talked-about aspect of this film-- is that this movie is a comic book shoot 'em up, dark as it is... and, worse, it's out during the summer. It could be the best performance in the best movie ever made and Academy voters will have forgotten all about it if the movie premieres less than two months before the end of the year. That being said, we didn't see it as being Oscar-worthy, though certainly worth considering for the nominations.
The darkness and violence
It's plentiful this time. This is dark like Casino Royale was dark compared to the Pierce Brosnan movies. Somehow, this movie makes the 1989 Tim Burton version (Batman) appear like, well, the 1967 Casino Royale would compare to the 2006 one. Anyway, point made: this is a brutal, creepy, shocking, and totally-not-safe-for-children action thriller. The violence is overwhelming at times, especially if that sort of thing sticks to you.
Christian Bale
Jesus! Did anyone else notice him channeling Clint Eastwood throughout? When he's Batman, he sure sounds like Dirty Harry... check out a clip somewhere (there's bound to be bootleg footage on YouTube by the time you're reading this)...
Oh yeah, the movie
It rocked. At 153 minutes or so, it was way too long-- we were playing a little game throughout called "Did They Really Need This Part?" but overall, it would've only knocked off a few minutes. Ultimately, it's hard to fault a movie with so many memorable scenes (that truck! the presence of Anthony Michael Hall and Cillian Murphy! etc.!) and a plethora of bang-for-your-buck action. And it's superior to Batman Begins, so...
Well, we're going to shut up and get some sleep. See you in the late morning. The late... late morning.
