The Dark Knight

If you have not seen this movie, go out and pay the $9.00 right now. You will not be sorry.

After a steady stream of movie disappointments lately (Baby Mama; 10,000 BC; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), we were long overdue for a good one. Husband and I absolutely loved “Batman Begins” a few years ago, and were anxiously awaiting this next installment. If you are interested in the movie, I know you’ve probably read many reviews, but I have to tell you that nearly everything about this movie is perfect. Hello, Christian Bale. Aside from being incredibly good-looking (the Batman suit only enhances), he continues to execute this conflicted Batman character in such a believable way. From the swanky playboy Bruce Wayne, to the behind the scenes Bruce talking to his trusted friend Alfred, to the nighttime crusader. Who is the real Batman?

Heath Ledger. Holy guacamole. His Joker is amazing. He was totally in, no holds barred. The speech patterns, facial expressions, even the way he walked…between all of that and the creepy makeup, I had to remind myself a couple of times that it was in fact a real human being playing the part. A completely dark character with no faith left in humanity, and a thirst not for money, but only for human suffering. At the same time there is vulnerability there, making you wonder how The Joker became this way, what happened to him. It was brilliantly scripted and played. Knowing that Ledger was so engrossed in this character at his time of death only made it that much more eerie.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman gave outstanding supporting performances, and Aaron Eckhardt grew on me when he got to his Two-Face phase. I could give or take Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel, much as I was benign about Katie Holmes in the same role in Batman Begins. A few of the supporting characters didn’t quite gel in my mind, but all were adequate and quite frankly not as important, so it didn’t affect the overall experience. Batman and The Joker simply stole the show, and the conflict between the two, and within each - was so real, so intriguing, that for the first time in a long time, I found myself being affected by the characters in a movie.

All of classic superhero movie themes are here – Good vs. Evil. The Human Condition. State of the World. Ego. Personal Life vs. Personal Responsibility. Sacrifice. All this, but no cheesy capes and neon-colored villains. This is dark, moody, surprisingly real.

To become the ultimate hero, must you first become the villain?

You decide. Go see The Dark Knight.