Believe the Hype – The Dark Knight is That Good!

18 Jul, 2008 by Duane Lester

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(Don’t worry. There are no spoilers in this review.)

I sat down scared that I had hyped this movie too much, that there was no way that it could be as good as I thought it was going to be. I was right. It was better.

The movie takes place after Batman has been operating for a while, and Harvey Dent, along with Jim Gordon have been cleaning up the streets. Things are going the law’s way for once.

Then comes The Joker.

The reviews you may have read about Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, such as:

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone has called Ledger’s performance “mad-crazy-blazing brilliant,” while the sequel’s director Christopher Nolan has raved in the New York Times that Ledger’s portrayal of the sadistic makeup-caked villain is “stunning” and “iconic”.

and:

The buzz over Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight” for the last several months was justified. With his final full film role, Ledger delivers what may be remembered as the finest performance of his career.

are spot on. From the get-go, Ledger makes the Joker his own and runs with it. He is fantastic in this role. Jack who? Nicholson’s Clown Prince of Crime is forgotten after watching Ledger.

But let’s not forget Two-Face. Usually, I get upset over a change in the story when a comic transitions from the book to the screen, but the way they turned Dent into Two-Face is actually just as good, if not better. He becomes a very sinister villain. The creators of this movie know how to make a movie with more than one villain.

Gary Oldman comes back as Lt. Jim Gordon and Christian Bale is, of course, the Dark Knight. They both play their respective roles well, but Heath Ledger stole the show.

And I was worried this one would disappoint.

But let me say this. This is not a children’s movie. The Joker gets a lot of use out of his guns and knives, and Two-Face is the stuff nightmares are made of. Leave the children at home for this one, folks. I sat next to a father who brought his two kids, a little boy and a little girl. I would be surprised if they slept though the night tonight.

Get a sitter for crying out loud. Then go see this movie. It is fantastic.

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