I’ve always been a Batman fan. The original was one of my favorite movies growing up, which of course had
Jack Nicholson portraying the joker. When I left the theater in June of 2005 after seeing Batman Begins, I was
sort of disappointed to see that they had set themselves up to have joker in the sequel. I thought it seemed
blasphemous to try and recreate Nicholson’s character, and that no one would ever be able to come close to the
performance he gave. Having seen the movie now, it was nothing short of a genius decision, and me nothing
short of an idiot.
I’ll start off by saying, if you need to take a piss, do it before the movie starts. Your mother always told you to go
before your leave the house, because we aren’t going to stop just for you. Well the same applies to the Dark
Knight. Not only is it a long movie (clocking in at just over two and a half hours) but it’s a fast paced film with tons
of action and a great story that you just won’t want to miss.
Christian Bale did a great job on Batman. I’m going to take a risk and say the best Batman actor to date, he
does a great job portraying the pain he is feeling from the damage Batman’s presence in Gotham City is
causing. Not to mention he just turns Batman into a bad mother fucker in this film. One thing that makes this
Batman better than the original is technology. Batman gains himself some new weapons in his arsenal, and
impressive privacy invading gadgets (that would make only Viacom proud) that worked “Just like a submarine”.
The thing that turned me off the most about Christian Bale was Batman’s voice. As the movie progressed, his
voice became deeper and raspier. Some people said it’s to ‘instill fear in the evil’. I think one of the people I saw
the movie with put it best when he said he thought Batman was going to turn into a caveman and just reduce to
grunts and growls by the end of the movie. I could almost see him dragging off Rachel Dawes and bashing her
over the head with a club, saying “we make boom boom”
Speaking of Rachel Dawes, who in the hell decided to put Maggie Gylenhaal in this movie? Dark Knight could
have done without Gylenhaal, and pretty much without Dawes as well. I don’t like Katie Holmes either, but her
portrayal of Bruce Wayne’s love interest was much more convincing. In this film Dawes is with new District
Attorney Harvey Dent, which creates some slight tension in scenes between Wayne and Dent. Now, since Thank
You for Smoking I’ve been greatly impressed by Aaron Eckhart as an actor and a growing fan of his. He does not
disappoint in this film. Harvey Dent is dubbed the “White Knight”, the positive face against crime, with the
respect and honor that Batman, the “Dark Knight”, just can’t get. Eckhart was a great choice, and did a great job
but his story was just a little rushed. I don’t want to give away too much of the movie, but I feel all the major
events that evolved around Dent all happened in about 45 minutes, and didn’t give enough exploration into his
character toward the end of the movie.
With 3 of our 4 main characters examined, we all know who remains, but only Heath Ledgers interpretation of
The Joker. As I said earlier I was skeptical about Hollywood trying to redo the joker. I have always enjoyed
Ledger’s acting, but I wasn’t sure he had the same comedic style and camera presence that Nicholson brought
with him. So then I started hearing people talk about posthumous Emmy nominations I sort of figured it was for
1 reason, and we all kind of know what it is. I thought it was a great gesture to honor him and his family, but I
figured it just about ended there. I could not have been more wrong. I was write, he and Nicholson didn’t share
the same comedy and style, but Ledgers style may have been much more effective. To me good acting is being
able to do something that is out of character for you as a person. Between the amazing acting and the equally
great makeup, I didn’t see any Heath Ledger in the Joker. Ledger was essentially a shell, a host to embody the
Joker. And damn if he didn’t play a great Joker. Ledger did an amazing job portraying this schizophrenic,
maniacal, murderer. I like to consider myself a grown ass man, but I have to admit that the Joker really creeped
me out. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way from a movie character before. The sincere disregard for the law,
emotion, and human life (to include his own) really made this character believable and frightening. One of the
greatest scenes in the movie (without giving anything away) is when you see Joker and Batman sit down
together and talk one on one. This is where you really get to see how callous and crazy the Joker is, as well as
why the Dark Knight is a fitting name.
As far as the technical makeup of this movie, everything seemed great. The sets and locations for this movie
were awesome, and the effects and visuals where great. I heard the scene showed in the trailer, of the 18
wheeler flipping upside wasn’t CGI, it was old-fashioned blowing shit up. The story and script was well
developed and written. Everything in the story was there for a reason, yes, even Rachel Dawes. There aren’t any
side stories that feel mundane or lead to a dead end. And as the title indicates, this film really brings a darker
theme to the Batman franchise. This movie is rated PG-13, and makes the other Batman films seem like a
Disney; Barney and Friends would truly piss themselves. This is definitely not one recommended for young kids.
If you’re looking for a good time without kids though, I one hundred percent not only suggest, but I encourage
you to go out and see this film. This is one that I would have no problem seeing again in theaters. Watching this
on TV or DVD isn’t going to be the same action packed thrilling sensation as it is on the big screen. Basically, if
you don’t want to see it, reconsider. If you are considering seeing it, then go already! And if you’ve already gone,
then go again.
….But that’s just my opinion.
9.5/10
Any thoughts, comments, or opinions? E-mail me at Malcolm@Capitalbeltwayentertainment.com or go to the
contact us table at the appropriate section of the site.
Jack Nicholson portraying the joker. When I left the theater in June of 2005 after seeing Batman Begins, I was
sort of disappointed to see that they had set themselves up to have joker in the sequel. I thought it seemed
blasphemous to try and recreate Nicholson’s character, and that no one would ever be able to come close to the
performance he gave. Having seen the movie now, it was nothing short of a genius decision, and me nothing
short of an idiot.
I’ll start off by saying, if you need to take a piss, do it before the movie starts. Your mother always told you to go
before your leave the house, because we aren’t going to stop just for you. Well the same applies to the Dark
Knight. Not only is it a long movie (clocking in at just over two and a half hours) but it’s a fast paced film with tons
of action and a great story that you just won’t want to miss.
Christian Bale did a great job on Batman. I’m going to take a risk and say the best Batman actor to date, he
does a great job portraying the pain he is feeling from the damage Batman’s presence in Gotham City is
causing. Not to mention he just turns Batman into a bad mother fucker in this film. One thing that makes this
Batman better than the original is technology. Batman gains himself some new weapons in his arsenal, and
impressive privacy invading gadgets (that would make only Viacom proud) that worked “Just like a submarine”.
The thing that turned me off the most about Christian Bale was Batman’s voice. As the movie progressed, his
voice became deeper and raspier. Some people said it’s to ‘instill fear in the evil’. I think one of the people I saw
the movie with put it best when he said he thought Batman was going to turn into a caveman and just reduce to
grunts and growls by the end of the movie. I could almost see him dragging off Rachel Dawes and bashing her
over the head with a club, saying “we make boom boom”
Speaking of Rachel Dawes, who in the hell decided to put Maggie Gylenhaal in this movie? Dark Knight could
have done without Gylenhaal, and pretty much without Dawes as well. I don’t like Katie Holmes either, but her
portrayal of Bruce Wayne’s love interest was much more convincing. In this film Dawes is with new District
Attorney Harvey Dent, which creates some slight tension in scenes between Wayne and Dent. Now, since Thank
You for Smoking I’ve been greatly impressed by Aaron Eckhart as an actor and a growing fan of his. He does not
disappoint in this film. Harvey Dent is dubbed the “White Knight”, the positive face against crime, with the
respect and honor that Batman, the “Dark Knight”, just can’t get. Eckhart was a great choice, and did a great job
but his story was just a little rushed. I don’t want to give away too much of the movie, but I feel all the major
events that evolved around Dent all happened in about 45 minutes, and didn’t give enough exploration into his
character toward the end of the movie.
With 3 of our 4 main characters examined, we all know who remains, but only Heath Ledgers interpretation of
The Joker. As I said earlier I was skeptical about Hollywood trying to redo the joker. I have always enjoyed
Ledger’s acting, but I wasn’t sure he had the same comedic style and camera presence that Nicholson brought
with him. So then I started hearing people talk about posthumous Emmy nominations I sort of figured it was for
1 reason, and we all kind of know what it is. I thought it was a great gesture to honor him and his family, but I
figured it just about ended there. I could not have been more wrong. I was write, he and Nicholson didn’t share
the same comedy and style, but Ledgers style may have been much more effective. To me good acting is being
able to do something that is out of character for you as a person. Between the amazing acting and the equally
great makeup, I didn’t see any Heath Ledger in the Joker. Ledger was essentially a shell, a host to embody the
Joker. And damn if he didn’t play a great Joker. Ledger did an amazing job portraying this schizophrenic,
maniacal, murderer. I like to consider myself a grown ass man, but I have to admit that the Joker really creeped
me out. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way from a movie character before. The sincere disregard for the law,
emotion, and human life (to include his own) really made this character believable and frightening. One of the
greatest scenes in the movie (without giving anything away) is when you see Joker and Batman sit down
together and talk one on one. This is where you really get to see how callous and crazy the Joker is, as well as
why the Dark Knight is a fitting name.
As far as the technical makeup of this movie, everything seemed great. The sets and locations for this movie
were awesome, and the effects and visuals where great. I heard the scene showed in the trailer, of the 18
wheeler flipping upside wasn’t CGI, it was old-fashioned blowing shit up. The story and script was well
developed and written. Everything in the story was there for a reason, yes, even Rachel Dawes. There aren’t any
side stories that feel mundane or lead to a dead end. And as the title indicates, this film really brings a darker
theme to the Batman franchise. This movie is rated PG-13, and makes the other Batman films seem like a
Disney; Barney and Friends would truly piss themselves. This is definitely not one recommended for young kids.
If you’re looking for a good time without kids though, I one hundred percent not only suggest, but I encourage
you to go out and see this film. This is one that I would have no problem seeing again in theaters. Watching this
on TV or DVD isn’t going to be the same action packed thrilling sensation as it is on the big screen. Basically, if
you don’t want to see it, reconsider. If you are considering seeing it, then go already! And if you’ve already gone,
then go again.
….But that’s just my opinion.
9.5/10
Any thoughts, comments, or opinions? E-mail me at Malcolm@Capitalbeltwayentertainment.com or go to the
contact us table at the appropriate section of the site.
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Dark Knight