Share Qaan's profile
Qaan
Qaan's stats
- Review count1
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewJuly 21, 2008
- Last reviewJuly 21, 2008
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating5
Qaan's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
Surpassed all expectations and hype!
PostedJuly 21, 2008
Qaan
from North Wales, PA
SPOILER ALERT - minor plot pieces revealed!
Overall, this was the best movie I have seen in years. It far exceeded the hype and my own high expectations. Everything about the film was top-caliber: writing, acting, direction, plot movement, sound, editing, and stunts. There are no slow scenes in this movie, and since this puppy runs for almost 2.5 hours, I hope you hit the bathroom and didn't drink too much coffee before the show! (I found the ferry scene to be the best place to pop out of the theater for a bathroom break.)
In our post-film discussion over some lunch and beers, some friends and I had a lot of praise. First off, the balance between the time of the different characters on the screen was excellent. Since BATMAN BEGINS gives us so much insight into the psychology of Batman, we know his motivations and therefore don't need to see them dissected in THE DARK KNIGHT. Instead, what we get is a psychological exploration of The Joker. He is a highly intelligent criminal and a sociopath, but he also has an anarchistic philosophy at his core that drives him.
Heath Ledger's performance is unbelievably good. Not only is THE DARK KNIGHT the best on-screen adaptation of any graphic novel, Ledger's performance is the best of any comic book character in the history of film.
THE DARK KNIGHT has a fast-moving plot and still allows us to see the psychological development of the main characters. Harvey Dent, played By Aaron Eckhart, is the tragic figure of the film. His passion for his job and his ensuing physical and psychological destruction create great sympathy in the audience for his subsequent metamorphosis into 2 Face.
One of the reasons this film is so good is that the plot is PLAUSIBLE (except for a couple of stunts that will flip you out). Everyone who goes to the theater has an expectation of suspending their disbelief for the sake of entertainment. But this film does not force the audience to do that, even though the characters are based in the DC Comics universe. BATMAN BEGINS also had this but the more artistic rendering of Gotham City (e.g., the monorail) was absent in THE DARK KNIGHT.
When I went to see the film a second time, I was amazed at how little of the plot I missed during the first viewing. Many times when I view a movie a few times, I get additional insights into the plot and/or characters. But the second viewing really confirmed everything that I felt from the first viewing, plus concentrating on The Joker made me realize even more how fantastic the script and Heath Ledger's acting was. If he does not receive a posthumous Oscar for this performance then I will never watch The Academy Awards again. Yes, he's that good.
Kudos to Christopher Nolan for a superb directing job. Sure, there were a few minor plot points that weren't fully fleshed out but this would have slowed down the plot and unbalanced the film. Also, major kudos to Hans Zimmer for an intense, brooding soundtrack. I really noticed how compelling the music was on my second viewing. While watching some scenes I imagined what the scenes would have been like without the musical score, and it really gave me an appreciation for how much Zimmer contributed to the tone of the scenes.
I am really looking forward to seeing this film in IMAX in a couple of weeks. I want to give myself some time before I see it again, but just thinking about some of the action might look on an IMAX screen will keep my anticipation at a high level!
Overall, this was the best movie I have seen in years. It far exceeded the hype and my own high expectations. Everything about the film was top-caliber: writing, acting, direction, plot movement, sound, editing, and stunts. There are no slow scenes in this movie, and since this puppy runs for almost 2.5 hours, I hope you hit the bathroom and didn't drink too much coffee before the show! (I found the ferry scene to be the best place to pop out of the theater for a bathroom break.)
In our post-film discussion over some lunch and beers, some friends and I had a lot of praise. First off, the balance between the time of the different characters on the screen was excellent. Since BATMAN BEGINS gives us so much insight into the psychology of Batman, we know his motivations and therefore don't need to see them dissected in THE DARK KNIGHT. Instead, what we get is a psychological exploration of The Joker. He is a highly intelligent criminal and a sociopath, but he also has an anarchistic philosophy at his core that drives him.
Heath Ledger's performance is unbelievably good. Not only is THE DARK KNIGHT the best on-screen adaptation of any graphic novel, Ledger's performance is the best of any comic book character in the history of film.
THE DARK KNIGHT has a fast-moving plot and still allows us to see the psychological development of the main characters. Harvey Dent, played By Aaron Eckhart, is the tragic figure of the film. His passion for his job and his ensuing physical and psychological destruction create great sympathy in the audience for his subsequent metamorphosis into 2 Face.
One of the reasons this film is so good is that the plot is PLAUSIBLE (except for a couple of stunts that will flip you out). Everyone who goes to the theater has an expectation of suspending their disbelief for the sake of entertainment. But this film does not force the audience to do that, even though the characters are based in the DC Comics universe. BATMAN BEGINS also had this but the more artistic rendering of Gotham City (e.g., the monorail) was absent in THE DARK KNIGHT.
When I went to see the film a second time, I was amazed at how little of the plot I missed during the first viewing. Many times when I view a movie a few times, I get additional insights into the plot and/or characters. But the second viewing really confirmed everything that I felt from the first viewing, plus concentrating on The Joker made me realize even more how fantastic the script and Heath Ledger's acting was. If he does not receive a posthumous Oscar for this performance then I will never watch The Academy Awards again. Yes, he's that good.
Kudos to Christopher Nolan for a superb directing job. Sure, there were a few minor plot points that weren't fully fleshed out but this would have slowed down the plot and unbalanced the film. Also, major kudos to Hans Zimmer for an intense, brooding soundtrack. I really noticed how compelling the music was on my second viewing. While watching some scenes I imagined what the scenes would have been like without the musical score, and it really gave me an appreciation for how much Zimmer contributed to the tone of the scenes.
I am really looking forward to seeing this film in IMAX in a couple of weeks. I want to give myself some time before I see it again, but just thinking about some of the action might look on an IMAX screen will keep my anticipation at a high level!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.