There's the hype, and there's the movie.
It's rare they match, and in the case of The Dark Knight they don't.
It's rare they match, and in the case of The Dark Knight they don't.
In this case, the hype doesn't even begin to do the movie justice.
Heath Ledger's Joker captivates from the outset, I immediately forgot it was Ledger he so completely becomes The Joker.
The Joker is central to this latest Nolan Batman, and he's not the only DC Comic-book character who makes the cut. Aaron Eckhart is Harvey Dent, Gotham's white knight, who becomes Two-Face.
Maggie Gyllenhaal takes on the Katie Holmes role of Rachel Dawes, the woman in love with two (or is it four?) men - Batman/Bruce Wayne, and Harvey/Two-Face.
Not an easy choice, and another central storyline for Nolan to navigate.
The Dark Knight is an action film, and Nolan didn't spare the horses.
No fan of CGI, the British director gives us action that's up front and personal, while at the same time death-defyingly and gut-wrenchingly blockbuster.
Layer on some first-rate, lean and quotable dialogue, a real story with three-dimensional characters, then deliver it with awesome sound and some gorgeoous Imax images, and there is just nothing not to love about The Dark Knight.
The Batman has been many things over the years, but he's never ever been this good.
The Dark Knight isn't just a supremo comic-book superhero movie. Stand-alone, this is grown-up big blockbuster film-making at its best.
In fact, banish the thought of this being a Batman movie, and see it for what it is - a complex, stylish and modern thriller, good versus evil but not nearly that simple, and with a Heath Ledger performance that redefines The Joker.
Make no mistake, this is a five-star watch, and is deserving of every single one.
The Dark Knight
:: Director: Christopher Nolan
:: Director: Christopher Nolan
:: Starring: Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
:: Running Time: 152 mins
:: Rating: M - Contains violence
:: Rating: M - Contains violence
:: Release Date: July 24, 2008
source: newshub archive
