What is there left to say about this movie? That's the question I have been asking myself ever since I saw it on Friday (I know, what took so long). I have read countless reviews and talk of Oscar nominations and people yelling "Fear me" in a Batman voice, but if you've heard it all, what am I to say? The movie is currently at $545 million so far in Gross Domestic Box office, which means it's nearly to number one of all time, Titanic. So, the question is, does this movie deserve the insane amount of hype it's getting? Let's find out.
The curse of the sequel. By definition, generally, an inferior movie, but if you read the previous column, there are some exceptions, and this movie is one of them. This movie took what Batman Begins built, and went crazy. The story starts out about a year after the first, with Bruce Wayne waiting for his palace to get rebuilt and fully immersing himself into Batman's world. He is out nightly trying to take back the streets of Gotham, but there is one problem, he is becoming too well known. Gangsters are preparing for him, and worse, there are people pretending to be him. On top of that, Gotham is embracing a different hero, a district attorney who has a big pair of...well, he's fearless in his goal to rid the streets of the crime in Gotham. On top of that, this new attorney is dating Bruce's old squeeze, Rachel, now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal (not Mrs. Cruise). At the beginning, we meet the man responsible for the utter chaos and mayhem that is about to ensue, the Joker (on my list of the top baddies of all time, just sayin'). We see the Joker showing true genius, and a total lack of compassion for anyone in a bank heist. From that point, the Joker goes on to show he is truly evil, terrifying, extremely intelligent and a worthy foe for Batman.
The performances by all involved were truly exceptional. I was not a huge fan of removing Katie Holmes from the first, even though most think it was smart, I think it was a risky move that, in any other movie, would've hurt the continuity. Christian Bale shows there is no one else who can play Batman like he can, Michael Caine shows he is the heart of the movie, with a bit of comedic relief, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent has an incredible on-screen presence, Gary Oldman shows why he is a very appreciated veteran as Commissioner Gordon, and finally, the Joker, played by the late, great Heath Ledger is amazing. There is nothing of Ledger in the Joker that has been seen before. Ledger shows how a truly exceptional actor can do more than just play himself in a certain situation, he can truly become something else entirely. The role was great, the lines were well written, but the little things about the Joker are what truly set him apart from most bad guys on screen. So, does Ledger deserve to be only the second person in the history of the Academy to get a post-humo..humorou...uhh post-dead Academy Award? The answer is most certainly.
The direction of Christopher Nolan in this series has been exceptional, and has brought a new, grittier bit of film making that few have been able to keep up with, and very few will be able to top, the movie is well paced, if not a little long. The movie will leave you wanting more, as a good movie should and will leave you saying one word; 'wow.'
So, if you haven't seen this in theatres, and juding by the dough this has wracked up, you have, but if you haven't, don't wait for it to come out on Netflix, or appear on the wall at your local Blockbuster, go and see it now, you will be happy you did.
A bit of trivia: This is the first Batman film to not have "Batman" in the title.
And, a statement that couldn't explain Ledger's performance any better: When asked, "Why Heath Ledger as the Joker?" Christopher Nolan said, "Because he's fearless."
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