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eats puppies and shits rainbows
Location: An Area of Space Occupied by a Population, SC, USA
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I'm far too tired to do anymore writing, so I'll just copy and paste my review and wait for the discussions to begin:
Quote:
The Dark Knight - 10/10
I just got back from the midnight showing and I have to say it: this film is in the top 5, if not sitting high atop at #1, greatest movies ever made. Now, I'm sure some will disagree, but this is my opinion so I'm keeping it.
Never have I seen a comic book movie that seemed so visceral and so real, that kept me guessing while keeping me emotionally attached, that made my heart race every chance it got, quite like this film. Nolan--both of 'em--should be proud to call this their film. And while there were cons to the film that I will mention in a bit, they are far too outweighed by the pros to give this any less than a 10/10 because, frankly, there is no such thing as a perfect film, and this one came about as close as they come.
Firstly, the cons: the film is full, FULL of material. Now, this is double-bladed. The material is all fresh and well-done, but the overwhelming nature of having all of this thrust at you at a scant (yep, I'm using that word correctly) 2 1/2 hours is almost too much. Almost. Beyond that very minor gripe, I could have used a little more added to some scenes and one character's final bit of screen time could have been handled better, but I can let that all pass because, frankly, wanting something and needing it are two very different thing. Bat sonar was kinda stupid as well, but I'll let that pass. Oh, and there were some predictable moments... about two, actually.... they could have been more well done, but they didn't hurt anything, and some people seemed genuinely surprised.
On to the ample pros... The film is long. Big pro here. The time zips by thanks to the previously mentioned material that keeps the viewer busy the entire time. The mostly pitch-perfect performances (aided by a very deep, well-written script thanks to the Nolan Bros.) help with the material, by making it engaging every step of the way. Big props to Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart, who do extraordinary work by adding seemingly all the emotion they can muster into making this a physical and emotional roller coaster.
Of course, everyone knows Bale does wonderfully, so I'll skip over him, suffice it to say he nailed it again, even though he could do better with the Batman voice, that's another one of those want it, don't need it things. Ledger is who everyone wants to talk about and talk about him I will. Perfection is the word that comes to mind when mulling over his performance. Not only is his delivery right on the mark (when he makes the pencil disappear is my favorite part of the whole damn movie), but the way he generally acts with a combination of bodily movement and the fine script given to him creates an atmosphere that really sets everything up as it should be in the Batman universe. It's really hard to describe without spoiling anything, but suffice it to say that if Nolan wishes to continue with the character, somebody has some mighty big clown shoes to fill.
I'm tired. It's 3:35 AM. So I'm going to cut this short with a few little things: the Two-Face FX (no spoiler unless you're a hermit) are astounding and gruesome and really pull of the Long Halloween look, the direction was fantastic and even the fight scenes have been handled with a more expertly hand than in Begins, and the plot is pure DC comics meets Heat.
See this fucking movie. Now.
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It's a rare pleasure in this world to get your mind fucked. Usually it's just foreplay.
M.B. Keene
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