The Dark Knight Review

Pre-Film Rant

So there I was, having a ‘quiet’ pint on a Saturday evening. Quiet is an understatement! The pub, where I was, used to be great for live music and loud chatter, sadly it’s on the decline now. Anyway, so there I was, blowing the cobwebs off a pint of mild when about 8 people walk in wearing make-up like a 14 year old girl and green hair, also like a 14 year old girl! Yes they where dressed up as ‘The Joker’ or ‘The Dark Knight’ to give him his proper name.

Oh wait a minute, The Joker isn’t the Dark Knight is he? It’s some bloke called ‘Batman’, who once appeared in a 1996 episode of Only Fools and Horses. Basically, this constant love feast for the film and its most well-known villain is getting on my tits! It’s nothing nasty, let me explain:

The value of things goes up when their creator or a major contributor dies. Sadly, Heath ‘The Joker’ Ledger died a few months before this film was released. And because of this, every single second or column inch of promotional material is gearing towards Heath and his untimely death. What with all the tie-in merchandise, including those T-Shirts’s that the previously mentioned pub-goers were wearing, if Warner Bros. don’t make twice as much profit, I will be astonished!

I’m just disappointed for the decent films that are out there that will be totally ignored, all because they have been released in the midst of this frenzy. A film franchise that has been ‘reset’ more times than a working girl’s bra. Will it be wrong of me to say that the hype this film has created has saved the franchise?

RIP Heath, I just hope you had an image rights clause in your contract…

The Film

I was ready to tougne-lash the film the same way I do my women but it was better than I thought it would be. Unlike the majority of the film-going public, I wasn’t caught up in all the hype that surrounded this film, so I’m able to give an honest review.

First of all I thought the film relied too much on its action sequences. We hardly had any backstory for the Joker, something which they could have done in the 2hrs 20mins the film had. I did enjoy Aaron Eckhart’s performance and I thought he stole the show. His portrayal of Harvey Dent far overshadowed those of Bale and Ledger, for me.

I thought Heath’s performance was good, not as great as people have been raving about but solid enough. The introduction of ‘Two Face’ was a surprise and I enjoyed that, as I did the death of Rachel. Not in a sadistic way, I just thought it wouldn’t happen! I wasn’t sure what Christian Bale was playing at with his ‘Batman voice’ but it was nice to see him taking his fighting skills home with him. Earn while you learn, that’s my motto!

I thought the film ended poorly, it seemed the plot just went around in circles and left it open for a possible sequel. Without Heath, obviously.

I’ve never really embraced Batman. I had one of toys when I was a kid but I never really liked the ‘hero billionaire’ background. Spiderman was a proper superhero and only a geeky kid. Says it all really.

But all-in-all, it’s a decent enough film. Not ‘the greatest ever’ as people would have you believe but definitely worth a watch.

Bring back Adam West, I say!

7.5/10