Summer Movie: The Dark Knight
Every once in a while, I feel obliged to step up on HAWT's tiny pulpit and say, "Holy moly, Hollywood got something right." (The only other times I've felt this drive were No Country For Old Men and Iron Man.) Well, here comes another blockbuster, summer bonanza movie that is actually fantastic.
The Batman series got a jolt in the arm when Tim Burton refreshed the series in 1989, but over four movies that series lost its steam and culminated in villains ice skating with George Clooney in a nipple-marked suit. In 2005, Christopher Nolan (Memento) gave the series another shot in the arm with Batman Begins. I wasn't too hot on the first one, but this sequel - that broke every box office record last weekend - "is actually fantastic," to quote a brilliant man.
The Batman series got a jolt in the arm when Tim Burton refreshed the series in 1989, but over four movies that series lost its steam and culminated in villains ice skating with George Clooney in a nipple-marked suit. In 2005, Christopher Nolan (Memento) gave the series another shot in the arm with Batman Begins. I wasn't too hot on the first one, but this sequel - that broke every box office record last weekend - "is actually fantastic," to quote a brilliant man.
No plot-spoiling or revealing of delicious movie twists on HAWT, but I will say why this is movie is uniquely recommendable. Superhero flicks (and I'm throwing James Bond in there, too) don't have "scope" to their threat to mankind. Spiderman, for example, has a few people hanging from a tram car or a crowded runaway train. James Bond is saving the world from a giant laser-from-outer-space. Superman is stopping real-estate development in the Atlantic. Even Iron Man... a metal suit taking on a bigger metal suit and we stand to lose Gweneth Paltrow in high heels. These movies lack honest fear. I almost want to say, "Meh. I don't care if Abomination rips the Hulk in half."
The Dark Knight, though, has created an atmosphere of fear I've not seen in any other movie. The city is seized in a grip of panic. It is terrorism at its worst. You get the feeling if the Joker were to run wild, everyone in Gotham would die, either from a heart attack or from a Joker-sponsored explosion. Try not to get pulled into the fear. Try not to be tricked by the Joker. Try not to be nervous for the residents of Gotham.
Add that very outstanding aspect to the great cinematography, acting, design, story, action, script, directing... and you have a powerhouse movie that will be with us a long time. See? No spoilers. Just a solid jolt to get you to the theater. Find such tact elsewhere, and... well... I'll congratulate you.
Of course, most of the press is about Heath Ledger's great performance as the Joker. I actually remember hearing the news that Heath Ledger had been cast as the Joker, and I only felt brilliance in the decision. I'm sad he won't reprise the role, and I'm sad he couldn't do the press tour to explain how this performance came out of him.
It should be in theaters for a while, so you have a good stretch of time to be insanely entertained.
The Dark Knight is some HAWT action [hot ak-shuh
n].
The Dark Knight, though, has created an atmosphere of fear I've not seen in any other movie. The city is seized in a grip of panic. It is terrorism at its worst. You get the feeling if the Joker were to run wild, everyone in Gotham would die, either from a heart attack or from a Joker-sponsored explosion. Try not to get pulled into the fear. Try not to be tricked by the Joker. Try not to be nervous for the residents of Gotham.
Add that very outstanding aspect to the great cinematography, acting, design, story, action, script, directing... and you have a powerhouse movie that will be with us a long time. See? No spoilers. Just a solid jolt to get you to the theater. Find such tact elsewhere, and... well... I'll congratulate you.
Of course, most of the press is about Heath Ledger's great performance as the Joker. I actually remember hearing the news that Heath Ledger had been cast as the Joker, and I only felt brilliance in the decision. I'm sad he won't reprise the role, and I'm sad he couldn't do the press tour to explain how this performance came out of him.
It should be in theaters for a while, so you have a good stretch of time to be insanely entertained.
The Dark Knight is some HAWT action [hot ak-shuh
n]. Join the HAWTaction reader group on Facebook.
John's right. This movie's much better than it should be.
I'm the best blogger, ever.
- JLF