This has got to be the best superhero/comic book film I've ever seen, mabye it is the best movie I've ever seen. It feels like the sequal to Batman Begins, but it also feels like a whole new movie and story. The tone is entirely different, but it still feels like Batman, better than ever. The entire cast were made for these roles, especially Health Ledger's Joker perfromance. "Let me show you how to make a pencil disappears". Sorry, couldn't resist.
But WOW, it is nothing short of a masterpeice which I am seeing again tomorrow.
The show itself was a parody of the comic, not an adaptation, therefore all cahracters contained within are not to be considered when thinking about who was better.
Other than the previously stated fact that he did not play the Joker, but a parody of the Joker, he's the third best of the three actors to have portrayed a variation of the character.
Nichlson is the best actor to have played the Joker, and Ledger had the best portrayal of the Joker on film.
Ledger was absolutely fascinating! He did the Joker in such a sickening, dark, and twisted way it was graceful! Nicholson was great but has nothing on Heath.
The movie itself was a bit dissapointing to me though.
A well done summer blockbuster, but at the center of this richly dark thriller rests some serious existential questions and reflections.
The anarchic Joker takes the broadly understood notions of meaning held by most people and places them at odds with one another. He lacks "reasons" (or reason), which might be the most frighteningly captivating aspect of the film, especially when juxtaposed against the incorruptible Batman. What we ultimately see are not two ends of a spectrum, but rather two sides of the same coin (ha! look at that Two-Face reference! didn't even see that one coming, did you?).
These deeper undertones help to sustain interest and lessen the damage from some of the weaker aspects of the film.
Read some Dostoevsky, Camus, or Kafka before and/or after watching this film; it might help to draw out some of the more profound ideas at play.
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Heath Ledger gives a haunting last performance as the Joker, showing his fans the talent that could've been had his life not been cut short. Nolan's depiction of Gotham City's infamous anarchaic villian is unique as "The Joker" displays himself as the deranged psychopath he really is, no reason to act violent? I mean do people really think so? If it wasn't in the film, it doesn't mean there is no reason. Heath Ledger's performance isn't comparable to anyone else who has played The Joker (in the films).
Christian Bale was one of the best Batman performancesd yet again, disguising his voice while being Batman was probably the smartest move on Nolan's side, few people didn't like the idea... I call them STUPID! you actually never read the comics and open your shitty bloody mouths. Great Bale yet again, although he seemed somewhat 2dimensional in certain cases.
Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine return along with Maggie Glynennhall (which was utterly crap in my opinion) and Anthony Michael Hall among others. The acting is once again great along with some brillant fighting sequences and technology built for Batman.
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The best thing in the whole film was, the fact that it kept the viewer at the edge-of-the-seat, in those emotionally harrowing moments. It could even be said, and most would probably agree, that The Dark Knight is one of the tensest films ever made. Damn, if Batman had to be killed I wouldn't be surprised!
This isn't the regular comic-book turned film, it's a complex and engaging thriller, much closer to the film Heat in terms of style than to an action blockbuster like Spider-Man. The characters are so thickly layered that their development throughout the film is almost startling. Everyone has their moment to shine. Everyone has a story to be told. And everyone gets a payoff at the end.
The ending will leave you wondering "how the hell can they follow that with a sequel?"
Overall, The Dark Knight is Christopher Nolan's masterpiece. It is to the current generation what the original Batman film was to the 80s generation.
New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier Twisted, tortured, terrifying - and terrific.
