WARNING: This list is as spoiler-free as I can make it, but there are things folks might consider spoilers. You've been warned.
10. Three Words. Anthony. Michael. Hall.
9. If Joel Schumacher had anything to do with the production of the The Dark Knight, other than serving as an example of how not to make a Batman movie, I'll eat my own fist after I cover it in elephant shit.
8.. "Give it to me, and I'll do what you should've done 10 minutes ago." You won't know what this means until you see the film, but it's part of one of the most disarmingly powerful moments of the movie.
7. Glen Danzig.
6. Christopher Nolan has succeeded in creating something that has been both desperately needed and woefully absent from every other superhero movie franchise. Rather than simply rustling up a new villain every film as a gimmick, he's managed to create a sustained rogue's gallery for Batman which in turn is making the world of the films as tangible and complex as the world of the comics. You'll probably know what I'm talking about within the first 5 minutes or so of the film. Some folks thought The Dark Knight would be a single-villain flick. Others suspected that with Harvey Dent (aka Two Face in the comics), it would be a two-villain movie. Sorry, folks. There's actually three of the bastards. But don't worry, this is no repeat of an embarrassment like Spider-Man 3.
5. The climax to The Dark Knight is absolutely incredible. It may remind you of the formulaic Star Wars climaxes in that it features multiple conflicts raging simultaneously, but it's nothing as boring as Lucas's many, many mistakes. It's dizzying and borders on confusion, but not in a bad way.
4. The ending of The Dark Knight is one of the best, if not the best, endings of any superhero film I can remember. Without giving away too much, rest assured The Dark Knight does not end with your usual hero-jumps-around-to-inspirational-music-with-a-flag-close-by resolution. It's a little surprising, and considering the hero, it's a fitting end.
3. (WARNING: This is one of those spoilers I can't avoid) While Heath Ledger's Joker will be what everyone remembers, Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent is just as memorable in its own way. The descent of Harvey Dent - from a man so heroic there are those in Gotham who suspect he might be Batman, to one of Batman's most vicious and ruthless enemies - is perhaps the most impacting and utterly believable supervillain origin story you will see on film. We finally feel the same sympathy Batman harbors for Two Face. We've followed Harvey's journey, and regret where it's ended as much as Batman does. George Lucas - take notes. If you want to tell a story about a villain and want your audience to feel sympathy for him, you have to make them care about him before you make them hate him.
2. This is IT, folks. This is the best superhero movie you will ever see. The next Batman flick will suck compared to this. Every other superhero film will suck compared to this. I'm not kidding. This is it.
1. Jack Nicholson may have made you laugh, but folks, THIS is the Joker. The Joker as he was meant to be. He makes you feel sick to your stomach. He genuinely scares you. He makes you want to remind your kids about not talking to strangers. Ledger's Joker is so vicious you actually find yourself wondering whether or not the Batman can take him down. He's funny, but not like Nicholson was funny. More like, watching some poor homeless guy ranting to himself funny. His lunacy feels much more real than that of predecessors Nicholson and Romero, and that much more frightening because of it. Also, unlike the Jokers of the past, Ledger's Joker isn't just a silly clown with a bunch of gadgets, he's an actual physical threat to the Batman. He's no super-ninja, but when someone punches him, he punches BACK. One of his scarier moments is right in the beginning, when the Richard-Dreyfuss voice stops for a moment after a crime lord calls him crazy. No hideous cackling, no jittery dancing. He simply levels his eyes on the crimelord, and says "No. I'm not. I'm not." It's powerful because, if for no other reason, Nicholson or Romero would've just made some witty retort about how much they love being crazy. And if you don't understand why some of Gotham's citizens are scared of Batman, a scene in which Gordon lets Batman in the interrogation room with Joker will cure you of your ignorance.
This is the best, guys. For superhero movies, it really doesn't get better than this. And it won't. EVER. Go see it. Now.
1 comment:
Just got back. I usually pass out during movies... thus, I judge the content by my own personal sleep-o-meter. And I am happy to report... zero sleep!! Which is the best possible score a movie could receive.
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