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- First reviewJuly 19, 2008
- Last reviewJuly 19, 2008
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irrelevantelephant's Reviews
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40 year old geeks perspective on The DarkKnight.
PostedJuly 19, 2008
irrelevantelephant
from los angeles
Hype is a funny thing.
If the hype surrounds something you geek for, you tend to be more skeptical if the hype is mainstream hype.
Because, as a geek, you understand that the mainstream doesn’t fully embrace us. There are a lot more injustices and inequalities in the world that need to be addressed before the topic to be discussed on the nightly news is “geek rights”.
So, something like The Dark Knight comes along.
Already, as a geek, you are twitching like a junkie in an Afgan poppy field. For most, Batman Begins was a solid jumping off point. There were a few complaints (because what good is being a geek if you can’t rant about how you know better than anybody else how everything is supposed to be done and done right). Myself? Less ninjas.
But back on topic, The Dark Knight get’s greenlit, the casting begins. We know The Joker is in the movie. The geek speculators begin their campaigns - Steve Carell, Crispin Glover, Sean Penn, Christopher Walken (maybe not a rumor, but a cool choice.)
And then, the news : Heath Ledger.
There was a collective “Really?” heard around the world.
Not that Heath wasn’t establishing himself as a solid actor. You need to remember, we barely survived Ben Affleck as Daredevil. Some of us still have visible Bat Nipple scars.
I just figured Nolan must have seen something there. Something that captured the essence of what was poured out of Nolan’s head and into the script.
The hype grew, and most of it was around Heath. A test make up photo hear, a viral campaign there. And then the trailer. That was the day most geeks were converted to Heath as The Joker.
Then something sad happened. The hype turned tabloid. It became ugly.
A while later, the early reviews poured in. Oscar talk- for Ledger, for the script, for Nolan. The hype went super nova.
And up until the first Joker monologue was completed in The Dark Knight, all of us geeks were screaming in our heads “PLEASE, PLEASE BE AS BIG AS THE HYPE!”
Um, yeah…. It’s as big as the hype.
Let me just preface this by saying I still love the Burton/Keaton Batman’s. You could see inside Burton’s brain just by watching those movies. I will say, I have always felt Nicholson was just average as the Joker. I’m not saying he walked through the film, just that you would not have had to run very fast to catch him.
First things first. Heath Ledger is ICONIC as The Joker. Not only should the academy make Nicholson present the posthumous Oscar to Heath, I think it would be a good time for him to apologize for walking through Tim Burton’s Batman (I realize I just said he didn’t … but come on, watch it again. I’m right. I’m a geek)
As for the rest of the cast.:
Aaron Eckhart is consistently out-acting 90% of the actors in Hollywood and this is just another notch for him. At one point in the movie, you forget the fate that is in store for Harvey Dent and actually believe Harvey Dent.
Gary Freaking Oldman. How in the hell does he do it? Really? He is part of the 10% from above. You can’t out act Oldman cause he’s not acting – He literally becomes the character. It is just sick what that man can do with a character.
Michael Caine. There was a period of time where it seemed every movie that came out had Michael Caine in it. And rightfully so. He get’s better and better with age. If you doubt me, rent Children of Men. The greatest death scene in the history of cinema if for no other reason than the request he makes(twice) of his killers as he is dying.
Morgan Freeman can do no wrong. Screw Jackson as Nick Fury, put Freeman in there. That quiet reserve that could erupt at any moment… damn
Maggie Gylenhall. She will always be The Secretary to me. Sorry, but I mean, come on. Have you seen that movie? How could you not picture her getting spanked by Batman. I mean he already has the fetish costume on!
Christian Bale. When he says “I’m Batman”, we all agree. You sir, are Batman. And next you will be John Conner. You could make a living just on Comic-Con Conventions alone.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the movie. I loved it. I mean, did you really see this going any other way? A great detective /drama script, solid acting all around – it survived the hype and managed to exceed it.
This movie poses real tough questions. And the most suprising and heartfelt scene involves none of the principle characters.
This is a dark movie- in tone, principles, character, views on humanity.
So if you loved either Fantastic Four movie, you should just stay home and think about what you've done by supporting those movies.
If you haven’t seen it already, what the hell? What, are you going to go see “Mama Mia”?
Let me know when the Huey Lewis and the News musical comes out (I vote for “Working for a Living” as the title)
You can call me the Irrelevant Elephant…
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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