Without allowing any previous knowledge from any outside source I scurried into my assigned seat at the 12:15am show. (Yes, we anxiously sat in out seats, with giddy fingers rocking back and forth with childish excitement)I had heard things like, "his performance is Oscar-worthy" and "best work either of them (& Bale) have done..."
I caught myself with my jaw dropped on more than one occasion. Why?
1) I honestly had to remind myself that the man behind that brilliant make-up job really was Heath Ledger. It has been a long while since I have fallen in love with a villain because he is simply so brilliant at being one. But he is. I am convinced that his ratio of brilliant moments that were directed vs the moments that he invented on intuition were 90:10. What a loveable hated man. And it is such a contrast to his previous work that it does in fact stand out. I honestly believe that were he to live longer, he would've had been able to show us more of this side of him. The side that can morph into unsuspecting characters in the way that only Johnny Depp has been able to.
2) The FX in this film laugh at the first, less because they are finely crafted and real-looking CGI and more because they are just so unexpected. My small bladder could honestly barely take it.
3) Christian Bale, I think it goes without saying: you ARE Batman. The reality of all of the facets of his life unfold and the character is so much deeper now. Also a favorite is Commissioner Gordon whom you will eat up from the start. Maggie Gyllenhaal on the other hand, is a sketchy cast for me, (what with the saggy cheeks and awkward mouth movements and all) but she serves her purpose well enough so as not to distract from the angry men that we are so invested in. I mean, better than Katie Holmes, but this ain't no Star Wars III- no excuses for under-par performance.
My hands were tightly secured in my armpits for most of the duration of the film and when they weren't there, they were checking the underside of my seat-- I was sure it was hydraulicized. Honestly it was a ride, a never-ending-and-wished-it-wouldn't ride that was beautifully underscored by a sub woofer embedded in my seat.
Lets put it this way: do not bring your 12-year-old boy to see Dark Knight unless you want to hear girlish squealing... it is called "dark" for a reason. You find yourself giddy and squirmy at every explosion and every bad guy that gets blown up... sure it's real good for teenagers. Here's me-- not caring. My commitment I made this morning at 3:00am: I will see this film 3 more times in theaters, and any time following will be in an equally stunning, sound-infused/large screen environment... or forget it. It just wouldn't be fair-- even to the key grip.
In my humble, yet correct opinion: 5/5
