forepac

Going into our Friday night showing of The Dark Knight, I thought “there’s no possible way that it could live up to the deafening hype of the last 4-ish weeks.” When we left the theater, I was ready to eat my cowl — believe the hype: The Dark Knight is not only the best comic book-based movie of the summer (and I really dug Iron Man), it’s probably the best film I’ve seen all year.

It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s almost unsettlingly grounded in our real world. It’s chilling. It’s exciting. It’s full of fresh, unexpected surprises. It’s smart. It’s a crime drama. It’s a thriller. It’s a horror movie. It’s quite literally breathtaking. It’s something I’m going to see at least twice more this summer, once definitely in IMAX.

A few thoughts:

• Heath Ledger is scary good. Not since Daniel Day Lewis’ Bill The Butcher in Gangs of New York have I been this terrified of a character on screen. An absolutely mesmerizing performance.
• Gary Oldman is note perfect as Jim Gordon — it’s like the character from Miller/Mazzuchelli’s Batman: Year One just leaped off the page.
• Batman’s toys, to quote Jack’s Joker, are wonderful, especially the Bat Pod. People cheered when it first emerged on-screen, and the action scenes it stars in, especially dueling against the Joker’s semi-trailer truck, are electrifying. Like the remodeled Bat-suit, too.
• I don’t think the Two-Face story was too much — it added necessary emotional depth to much of the action. And the CGI job on his scars were amazing. It also makes possible a third Nolan Bat-film that could take cues from the excellent Two-Face story in Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Oh, the possibilities…
• I love the relationship between Christian Bale’s Wayne and Michael Caine’s Alfred. More old friends than master/servant. Their playful banter provided just enough levity to keep the film light.
• The soundtrack, while lacking a truly memorable theme a la Elfman’s Batman score, ratcheted up the tension beautifully. Dark, oscillating electric guitar propelled the action, and, during some of the most tense scenes, the orchestra subtly dissolved into what sounded like an air raid siren. Made me even more edgy without my even being aware of it.

Go see it, kids. You won’t be sorry.