I'm just back from seeing the Dark Knight and I can happily say that it lived up to all of my expectations and more.I was expecting a amped up version of Begins with that extra bit of talent coming from Heath Ledger.What I got however was much more than that
Acting
Bale - Nothing special here.Monotone voice,little range and the voice he uses when in the bat suit is just hilarious.
Gyllenhaal - Again,not exactly excellent.Though I don't think Katie Holmes did a much better job.I've always thought the character of Rachel was a bit annoying though - indecisive and simply there to provide an anchor for Batman.
Freeman & Caine - Nothing to complain about on both counts,as if with these fine gentlemen there ever would be.
And of course:
Heath Ledger - Where to begin.If he doesn't get the Oscar for this then something is truly wrong.The character of the Joker,I feel,is meant to be twisted.The very idea of a person who always smiles,even when he's doing the most evil of things,is terrifying and twisted in itself.I loved the fact that Ledger played this as though he were normal.He was doing evil things,but it to him,was not out of the ordinary,it was just good fun.I feel thats what always makes a believable villain.If you're playing a character who does bad things,you don't have to play it as though you're bad,because in your own eyes - you are not.He got the movement,voice and laugh exactly right in my opinion.For me though,it was his subtle use of gestures and expressions that really made this one of my most favourite movie performances of all time.The subtlety and nuance with which he played everything was fantastic and the dark humour he brought to it was utterly hilarious.I was sad when I found out Heath Ledger was dead,but now,after seeing him acting again I am truly sorry that such a great talent has been lost and am thankful that his last complete performance is one which will hopefully be remembered for years to come.
Script
Slightly repetitive,although in no way disappointing. It seemed that things just went from one disaster of a moral dilemma to the next,but it sure did get my heart pounding.The twists were great and unexpected and the humour well worked in with the darkness.I'm very glad that this film went a bit darker than Batman Begins,even though that was dark in comparison to previous incarnations.I feel that Batman is not your conventional hero,he is not without flaws and he does have a dark side and so it is therefore good that the tone of the script should fit this.Overall this script had me on the edge of my seat with suspense whilst at the same time making me laugh out loud.
Action
Just as mind blowing as Begins,if not even better.The fight scenes weren't as creative as Begins I don't think,although the stunt work was more interesting.I enjoyed the action though and it didn't feel as though things were just created around making good action scenes.
Other Thoughts
This film had a great score,though I think in some areas it could have been put to more use.Costumes were made good use of,particularly of course in The Joker's case.Special effects were believable and stunt work impressive.Something that did annoy me though was the sound effects of gun shots and punches etc, did anyone else feel that they were just a bit too loud to fit in with the rest of the dialogue? I also didn't like the sonar vision thing that Batman had going on towards the end.Not easy on the eyes.
Highlights
Joker - 'I'm going to make this pencil disappear'
Joker dressed as a nurse 
Christian Bale getting shot [don't worry,the caped crusader doesn't die]
Mob Member - 'You think you can just steal money from us and get away with it?'
Joker - Yeah.
Heath Ledger in general.
A certain person not actually being dead 
Overall
My favourite film of the year so far and possibly a new addition to my top five favourite films.I loved it from start to finish and I think it truly surpassed all my expectations.This film most certainly did put a smile on my face
......
Why so serious?
