Movies Ive Seen 2008

To call the Dark Knight the greatest comic book film ever made would almost be an insult to the film. Yes, the Dark Knight still maintains much of its comic book pulpy origins, but the film transcends its genre and turns itself into an intense and gritty crime film, which explores complex sociological issues. It's a sadistic and violent picture that never lets the audience out of its grasp. The fact that it managed a PG-13 shows the power of clever editing (yes much of the imagery is gruesome, but the implied violence in the film is far more horrifying). Christopher Nolan has crafted a film that is so far beyond anything in its respective genre that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what type of a picture it is that we are watching. But one thing is clear - The Dark Knight is the most ambitious and successful big budget Hollywood blockbuster in decades. Everyone is at the top of his or her game. Nolan's direction is solid, the cinematography is tough, realistic and at times breathtaking, the script is thoughtful and complex as well as action packed. The editing, as mentioned earlier, is masterful and keeps the film trucking along well into its 2 hour and 30 minute runtime. The music by James Newton Howard and Hanz Zimmer is superb. And then we come to the cast, which is where the picture really shines. Christian Bale makes an enigmatic and charming Bruce Wayne, and his batman is beaten down and emotionally scarred. Yes, the bat voice is still a little silly, but it can easily be forgiven because the desired effect works in its favor. Maggie Gylenhaal does her best to make the character of Rachel interesting, but if the film has one flaw, it?s this character. She is still underwritten and her crucial scene late in the film is carefully handled, but the emotional impact is sort of stunted... in other words we should feel worse about it then we do. But its a minor complaint. Gary Oldman has much more to do this time as Gordon and he shines throughout the entire film. He represents the sole image of good in the film and he plays it beautifully. And Aaron Eckhart brings compassion and real human complexity to his role of the ill-fated Harvey Dent. But the one everyone has been talking about is, of course, Heath Ledger as the Joker. Believe the hype people, the performance is better than what anyone could have expected. Ledger, with the help of the Nolan brothers writing, crafts one of the most fascinating and evil villains ever depicted on the screen. He is an unstoppable force and a constant in the entire film. He represents chaos and a total meltdown of societal morals. It's a brave and terrifying performance and Ledger completely disappears into the role. Yes, he really does deserve and Oscar Nomination for his role. And I will be disappointed if he doesn?t get one... because he really deserves to win it. The Dark Knight is a masterpiece in it's own right and brings so many ideas and issues to the table and is so entirely engaging and enjoyable that its hard to find faults in the picture. It's a great film and by far the best film so far this year. I expect it may even hold that title comes years end. I've never quite seen anything like the Dark Knight come out of Hollywood before and I don?t expect I ever will again.