Three years ago, Christopher Nolan and Co. released Batman Begins. A movie that gave rebirth to the Batman franchise after being destroyed by Joel Schumacher and his “comic” feeling. I don’t mean as in comic book, I mean…well, you’ve seen Batman and Robin, right? Yeah. Nolan did away with that. With proper casting and a darker feel and environment. He gave not only life to the Caped Crusader…but even Gotham City felt like a character in its own right. With sets like the Narrows and Wayne Tower and a monorail so you can see how far it goes, and how you felt that the city was crumbling under it’s own corruption. Nolan made sure that Batman didn’t always fight “colorful” villains, he can take down mob bosses and immortals alike. And at the end of film…with the conversation with Gordon about a certain someone with a “taste for the theatrical”. Just a hint of things to come. Simply put: one of the best movies of the decade.

Now…imagine that for second. Multiply that by about 200. The sets are not as complex though. There are no more Narrows, and I understand that Bruce Wayne is a Brillionaire, and in the comics Bruce doesn’t always stay in Gotham, or the United States for that matter. So he does do an international trip, which makes it feel more like Bond than Bats, in my opinion. Though this is a sequel, so “bigger” is the key word here. Though, gone is the aspect and theme of “fear”. Though “fear” is not only replaced, but it’s bombarded by “chaos”.

Now, with the art direction out of the way, let’s talk about the casting. Christian Bale returns (thank God) as Bruce Wayne/Batman with Michael Caine in tow as Alfred. He’s no longer just the butler, then again Alfred never was. His rol is the father figure and guiding light that guides Bruce and protects him. Gary Oldman dons the Gordon-stache and quite honestly, gives one of the best performances in a comic book adaptation. He dissapears in the role of Gordon that just makes me giddy and want to re-read The Long Halloween. Morgan Freeman also is back for a nice ride as Lucius Fox, the Q of the Batmovies. The threat is bigger, so the gadgets are a lot more interesting. Maggie Gyllenal replaces Katie Holmes as Rachael Dawes who is delightfully more charismatic. Aaron Eckhart takes up the mantle as Harvey Dent, though I’ll always have a soft spot for Billy Dee Williams (who only took the role of Harvey Dent, thinking he would eventually get to play Two-Face). Eckart gives a riveting performance as Dent, and does a startling turn as Two-Face: possibly Batman’s most tragic villain. There’s also a brief surprise return of an old foe. Finally, Heath Ledger gives a frightening turn as the Joker. Look. Ledger’s Oscar is a lock. Once you see what he’s done - just how he not only crafted a character, but completely redefined it…you’ll understand. Forget Romero. Forget Nicholson. Forget Hamill (sorry kiddies). They were but understudies of the role that Ledger willultimately own. I can’t ever look at The Joker the same way again and I’ve seen a LOT of incarnations. This is a “blaze of glory” defined. I remember seeing a “Batman” trailer in theaters and this is before the internet where you had to go TO the movies to see a trailer. Agh! Showed my age a bit there.

Now. Here’s the deal: don’t believe the hype. Why? Because it’s UNDERsold. It’s bigger. It’s better. I actually got teary-eyed a few times. That’s not out of character for me, I cried at all of the Lord of the Rings movies. I digress, everything you’ve heard. All the speculation, all the wonder. It’s there. Wrapped tightly in a 2 and a half hour box and tied with an ebony bow. There is not a second of film wasted. Not a performance underdone, though I almost feel sorry for Bale since it’s Dent’s and Joker’s story. Dent is the backbone while Joker is a force of nature that blows through the movie. He doesn’t have a back story, though there are some references to “Killing Joke”, but NOT in the way you’re probably thinking right now. There was a good round of cheering and applause afterword. Truly, this is THE film of the year. Nee, not film, EVENT.

Bring a shovel and a bucket, kiddos. This one will blow your mind.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 8:19 am and is filed under Dark Knight craziness, Film, Lan Pitts. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will be moderated but will appear as soon as humanly possible.