Batman: The Dark Knight: A Must See

A couple friends and I went to see the latest Batman movie today. We hit the matinee, so I was happy to part only with $6.50 instead of the arm/leg prices they charge for evening movies. By the latest accounts, it looks like we contributed to the number 1 film of the weekend which has also broken box office records as the biggest open for a movie ever.

I was curious about the latest movie. I had seen again the latest in the series of Batman movies on AMC the other evening, Batman Begins. Batman Begins ends with the setup of this latest installment--they introduce the character of the Joker after Batman has first saved Gotham from destruction.

I was also curious in Heath Ledger's (+RIP+) performance. Some say that his heavy involvement and deep investment with the character of the Joker led to his death. I don't know what to believe, but I'm sad he's gone. He gave the performance of the year in this one. As I watched the screen, I couldn't believe that the same guy who took part in Brokeback Mountain was the same one playing the villianous, vile, disturbing, dark Joker. He was center screen, and by the end of the movie the audience was caught up in Batman's immense frustration to pin him down and finally win.

Overall, it was some of the best screenwriting I've seen in a while--especially for a Batman action flic. We all remember how silly the first Batman movies were. Remember when the scandal was whether or not to include nipples on the Batsuit?? I'm so glad that director Christopher Nolan has added the plethora of dimensions in this latest run at the Batman character. There's lots of pros and cons about how the movie was edited, how characters drop in and out with little explanation, and an endless timeline that goes on for 2.5 hours.

I was captivated by the performances. The themes were ones that reached out and grabbed me....the global AND internal fight of good-v-evil, the struggle to obey the narratives that create our lives and give us meaning or to shuttle them in the midst of passion and lose with them our identity, the scapegoat to allow society to live in the lie it has created for itself, etc, etc. I say, "Go and see it, suspend disbelief, and enjoy it as it moves over and through you."