Dear friend,
I suppose I've come to the end of my movie season. I've seen (almost) every movie I planned on seeing. I was going to blog a review, just as I did with the last few films I saw in theatres, but on my way home, I thought maybe I should give it a twist. That twist, ladies and gentlemen, is a comparison. Fair, isn't it? It is a sequel after all, why shouldn't it be compared to it's predecessor? Also, since this is my blog, I'm going to be very biased. I'll tell you right now, The Dark Knight is a good, superhero, action sort of movie, if you like that sort of thing. I'm beginning to think I don't like that sort of thing.
OK, I didn't like TDK as much as Batman Begins, to be referred to as BB from now on in this post. I wondered why that was, especially since everyone I've heard from is loving TDK and immediately declaring Heath Ledger to be deserving of an Oscar. I'm not saying I disagree with that entirely (go ahead, give him the Oscar, but I will never be convinced that he isn't awarded one because he died) I'm just saying that I didn't enjoy it very much. I know exactly why I didn't enjoy it that much, too! It's a fabulously shallow reason. There was too much ugly and not enough pretty.
Before I move on, a confession, even before this film I found the Joker completely, utterly and wonderfully creepy. I still shudder thinking of (of all things) the Laughing Fish episode of Batman: The animated Series. (I was young, it left a lasting, scarring impression, ok!) Most other Batman villians are a trifle silly, but a crazy dude who looks like the world's freakiest clown and randomly kills people is so frightening. Even the watered down Joker in the cartoons can be scary. So, imagine dismay at Heath Ledger's portrayal. I'm praying against nightmares tonight. Yet, it was good. That man committed to the role.
My mom says the movie was too dark. I agree. I'm a beauty seeker. I try to find it everywhere, and there wasn't much to see in this dark, violent, scary film. I cringed, often. Not helping matters that whenever things got suspenseful the soundtrack featured a long tone, slowly, oh so slowly rising in pitch until you felt like your head was going to explode.
I liked BB better, and how could I not, look at the cast: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Cilian Murphy; not a hard group to look at. This film gives me Heath Ledger in frightening make-up and scars and then what happens to Harvey Dent (no surprise if you know about that character) and I just don't have anything "comforting" to look at.
I'm sorry, it was a good movie but I'll never watch it again. I'll stick to BB for the rest of my live-action Batman needs. I hope I was coherent.
