Well well well, for my official first post, I can't believe I find myself reviewing what a great movie I just saw recently at Cathay Cineplex, The Dark Knight. And I have to thank Hitz. FM for being so kind in giving me those tickets, in particular Adam C and Moots from the 10-1p.m session. I never felt so excited at the movies before, mostly because I'm a huge Batman fan and that the death of Heath Ledger really left a lot of hype coming into the movie. It was certainly a big pleasure to be able to be among the first in the world to watch it on the silver screen, these preview passes could prove to be even more priceless than tickets to the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, would prove to be which is slated for release this Nov.7.
It started off really well. I almost had a scare when I was at the ticket collection counter put up by Hitz. FM, when I overheard the guy saying to the person in front of me that tickets were out even though he won them through a contest on Hitz. I was so scared my tickets were sacrificed as well, I was so afraid at that time because I even brought 4 of my family members along and it would be a pity to leave the place at 9p.m when it was just about to start on a Wednesday night. The next 180 mins proved to be the best 180 mins I've ever (emphasis added) spent in a cinema. Me and my brother were very looking forward to the sequel to Batman Begins in 2005. I have to admit, Batman Begins wasn't as good as it's highly acclaimed successor, but nonetheless I knew what to expect from The Dark Knight. Christian Bale returned as the caped crusader, despite my dislike for his height. The character that really enthused me was that of Heath Ledger. The Joker wasn't particularly my favourite character due to the excessive make-up on him. To me, his character was always a dark and gloomy one, a one that every one despised a lot. However, I was stunned, simply speechless after the scene of the bank robbery.
I hate to admit this, I've never really liked a villain in a movie before, never before. The closest that came before me was probably Megatron in last year's blockbuster Transformers, but that itself is still miles away if compared to that of The Joker. I love him, I really do. His favourite quote, 'Why so serious', turns out to be my favourite quote as well, no doubt. I'm even using it on MSN now. Unfortunately, Heath Ledger, the real life person who plays The Joker in The Dark Knight didn't live long enough to have a taste of his own success. What a pity! Before his accidental drug overdose in January 2008 which inevitably led to his untimely death, I barely knew this actor who hailed from Down Under, except for his Oscar performance in Ang lee's virtuoso 'Brokeback Mountain', other than that, he was a total stranger to me in the Hollywood circus.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight turned out to be a huge, huge success. It grossed more than US$150,000,000 in it's opening weekend itself, surpassing the record set by Spiderman 3 last summer, a record finally broken from the web of Mr. Peter Parker himself. Christian Bale described Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker as an agent of chaos and destruction. Some even associated Ledger's death to his immense efforts in bringing out the dark side of The Joker. Whatever it is, it'll certainly remain in our memory for the rest of our lives, for those who watched it, a 5 star rating without a twinge of doubt. In The Dark Knight, the streets of Gotham city are under the safe protection of a caped crusader named Batman, whose secret identity is the spoilt playboy billionaire that goes by the name of Bruce Wayne. Still haunted by the death of his parents, which he still blames himself for, he sets out to defend a purpose and a cause that his father would have fought for had he been still alive, that is to unite the people of Gotham City and to eliminate all forms of evil.
Crime lords and even the mob are now afraid of the caped crusader who hunts for criminals at night. The cops who were once afraid of crossing these criminals are now finally able to carry out their duty without fear of duress and corruption. All is well until a serial criminal, who has a taste for the threatricals and leaves a playcard at every crime scene, threatens to dislodge peace in Gotham. He proposes to all the crime lords to eliminate the Bat, which they reluctantly agree, for a fee. The storyline is set up so well that it capture's everyone's attention. But he's not in for the money, but for the thrills and spills of killing. It's a perfect blend of humour and horror, a little romance in the form of a love triangle between Bruce Wayne and heroic Gotham City's District Attorney Harvey Dent. It's not a very happy ending though, as Batman has to sacrifice himself and be the scapegoat for the wrongdoings of Harvey Dent, who's now an evil person motivated by revenge by the death of his fiancee.
Plot aside, I'm still speechless about Heath Ledger's perfect portrayal of The Joker, simply breath taking. These kind of performances don't come around too often, but credit has also to be given to Gary Oldman who plays Lieutenant Jim Gordon and Aaron Eckhart who plays Two-Face. All of my friends, even those who rarely leave their nests to even go out and eat, took time off to catch this blockbuster, have all come out and say how brilliant it was, how spectacular the action was, the CGI effects and all. As for me, I still can't stop talking about it, when I wake up in the morning, and when the lights go out at night, I just can't stop quoting phrases from The Joker, and whoever I meet, be it friends or even the cashier at the grocery store, I would always ask this question, 'Have you watched The Dark Knight?' It has certainly left a mark on me, as it probably did with Mr. Ledger, which ultimately led to his death. I'm not trying to speculate anything or whatsoever, but that kind of performance certainly deserves more than an Oscar award, it demands a 110 percent effort in bringing out the best in The Joker, and probably, just probably Mr. Ledger gave more than he could, possibly much more than he could, which had a significant effect, a negative effect perhaps, could have been a factor which led to his death.
The only movie whiched I watched more than once in a cinema was Transformers, I wished I had the time to watch it 5 times, or even more. With the influx of Blu Ray DVD formats now, which leaves prices at a ceiling hihg, I pledge to make The Dark Knight my very first Blu Ray Format DVD purchase, when it finally comes out in the blue.
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