The Dark Knight

Now I'm perfectly aware that this movie needs absolutely no more hype, but I felt the need to give my opinion on it.

When I was a lot younger Batman, whether it be on a T.V. or in the movies, always seemed to be such a sort of...for a lack of better word pansy. I couldn't take him seriously and I was slightly weirded out by the fact that the comic book batman had a plethora of different Robins because the Joker kept killing them off.

In all reality I was not into the whole "duna nuhna nuhna nuhna BATMAN!!!" show that was just ridiculous. I can quote one of the lines as being "...get the bat-tweezers Robin!". Seriously, how could anyone be inspired by a hero that puts "bat" before everything just so that the object becomes a part of his equipment.

My friend Nicole however was thoroughly obsessed with Batman from early on. When she was little her Dad would be Batman, she would be Bat girl and her brother would be Robin. She's read most of the comics and has been following the movies since she was old enough to comprehend them. When Nicole asked me to go and see this movie "The Dark Knight" with her I was skeptical because the movies are now extremely expensive a rough estimate of about $8.00, and frankly I'm not rich; I did however, decide to go with her to see the movie after some of the hype had died down and I wouldn't have to stand in line for hours on end.

We are sitting in the theater, the lights go out, and the movie comes up on the screen.

I won't spoil any of the plot here but I must say that all of the publicity this movie is getting is not near enough for the spectacular display of direction, special effects that are seamlessly fit into the movie where they are so realistic its uncanny, and the superb acting of the cast.

For not knowing anything about Batman it was incredibly easy to follow and had a plot that really kept me guessing.

For a fan that has followed it for years, there are twists and turns that you can see coming and judging by the excitement of my friend Nicole throughout the whole movie, they are following the comic quite closely.

Heath Ledger, rest his soul, gave the performance of his career in this movie. I've seen all of his movies, and he was always a good actor, but in reality I wasn't left breathless with any of them. This role, however, is simply perfection. I believed that he was insane, he took me on a ride and I was entranced the whole way. As an actress who is involved with several stage shows a year I can sniff out an actor who can't act, because I've been taught the techniques that a lot of Hollywood uses. I'm not very good at them but I find that I can sense when an actor has broken character or become to overwhelmed by the character they are trying to portray. Ledger was a pleasant surprise. I never once saw him in this movie, it was strictly the Joker no Heath Ledger to be seen.

Also as an actress I believe that the general public underestimates the difficulty of playing an insane character. Ledger's voice was perfection, he inflected words that a normal actor would never dream of inflecting in that way. The different uses of diction with his sentences force the words to no longer be words in a line, but become a real persons thoughts and expressions no matter how disturbing they may be. He gives you this incredible sense of fear that gives you chills and causes your stomach to turn. The mannerisms that he gives the Joker are really the best I've ever seen. I think that most actors are afraid to go all the way with a character like this one.

The Joker is a highly complex character and from experience I know that a character that is this evil can become a burden during the performance process. Sometimes it may become difficult to differentiate between the character and yourself, when the actor lets go and completely becomes the character there is a fear that takes over your heart because being able to act out that piece means that you have something of that same evil inside you that you the actor could tap into and create the chilling scene. It isn't always pleasant.

All in all, I am now a Batman fan. This movie changed my perspective on the character and the world that he resides in. The entire concept seems more clear to me now and I'm grateful for these talented people for creating such a wonderful work of art.

Ps. I'm not really a writer, and I know that my Journals aren't the most grammatically correct. I do proofread to the best of my abilities and if you see something that bothers you I would appreciate it if you would comment nicely and respectfully instead of harshly tearing me apart. Thank You.