Ok so, its taken a bit longer to review the film than I first imagined but I'm doing it now because you know what, "I'm a man of my word!" yehaw etc.
When did I go and see this thing, it must be two weeks ago by now. Well enough stalling, what did i think of it? Yeah, it was alright. I cant say I was totally amazed by it though. Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining alright but just another run of the mill summer movie.
Heath Ledger got/is getting a load of praise over his portrayal of the joker. Many people were looking forward to his performance, me included. Unlike most people however, I felt a bit underwhelmed after finally seeing it. It was a fair effort by him, but a little too "Rob Zombie" for my liking. I think the black eyes didn't help. I did like the part where he was explaining the scars on his face though (movie still, above), all that lip smacking and stuff, very tense.
What else... Hmmm... what the fuck was up with Batmans voice!? Were the film makers trying to get two cowboys in the film or something: Brokeback Mountain cowboy and Marlboro Man cowboy? Jeez, Master Wayne would want to lay off the bat-fags, or the next villain we'll see is "Dr. Chancer, and his Magic Cancer"
Maggie Gyllenhaal played Rachel, the main love interest in the film. I'm not going to join the barrage of haters by saying she was fat and ugly but I will say she looked positively ancient. There was one scene where she and Christian Bale were on a balcony over looking Gotham and she looked like his mother! One reviewer said it looked like her face was attempting to slip off her head.
The car still looks stupid in this movie. Two exposed rubber tires and with each wheel attached at only one side... ridiculous! It gets even worse this time around however when the bat-bike comes out. If I had time, I'd draw exactly what would happen to Batman driving this thing in the rain but without a front mudflap, I think you can imagine. [EDIT: I did a quick mock-up below]
What was up with Harvey Two-Face's makeup! Please, I nearly started laughing when I saw it. This still perfect round eyeball out on its own on the burnt side of his face. I've never seen dry burns like that either, severe burns are always very juicy, even years after the inital burn. It would have looked a lot better if they made the eye white, like a boiled fish. Could have been metaphorical even... turning a blind eye to injustice and cruelty. Ah well, it was all silly looking anyway.
It's a pity the movie didn't live upto the opening 6 minutes that were leaked onto the net earlier in the year. A "realistic" Batman movie this is not. "Sonic Bat-Vision via mobile phones" heehee, oh my that was bad.
So, The Dark Knight, not brilliant for me but not too bad nonetheless. The strange thing is, like other people, I want to go and see it again. Weird since I didn't think I was too fond of it. Subliminal Bat-Messages perhaps? I think I'll have to let the "in the long-run" sort this one out for me some time in the future.
3 comments:
I thought it was a decent movie, although if they had cut the last 1/2 hour or so when Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face, I would have probably said this was a great movie.
I wasn't bowled over by it either, but then I was sitting in the front row at the side so my opinion of the film may have been influenced by that.
I'm of two minds about the Joker. He's a ruthless killer but where was his sick humour? I thought the final scene where he's hanging upside down was probably his strongest, although the scene where he has the knife to the mobster's face and is explaining how he got the scars is absolutely horrifying!
I'm going to see it again too, hopefully when the cinema isn't quite so packed!
Actually like yourself, it was the mobster scene and not the one with Rachel I was thinking of.
I think in their attempt to produce a another "serious" Batman movie, they might have played the Jokers character a bit too straight and not taken any chances with him being overtly jolly.
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