Brilliant!

Written on Sunday, August 03, 2008 by Rohan Koshy

It's been so long since i wrote a proper post. A lot has happened since then. I've given a major exam and done well in it. Given myself a chance for something good.There have been few things to write about over the past few months but recently i watched a movie which made me want to write again.

First a disclaimer. I love Batman. I always have and i always will. Throughout it's 80 year history it has been one superb comic book franchise. Ever since I've read it as a kid I've loved it. Though i haven't really read all the episodes i hope that someday I'll cover them all. When i first watched memento i really loved it. When i came to know that the director of memento, Christopher Nolan would helm the effort to reboot the batman franchise i was thrilled. I saw Batman Begins and i was truly satisfied. It was dark and realistic and focused solely on the basics that make the batman comic series so gritty and enjoyable. I've waited 3 years for the dark knight to release and have followed the brilliant viral marketing campaign since it came out. So when i read the reviews for the movie my expectations became sky high.Overwhelmingly positive reviews have fuelled my expectations. And then i saw it.

It is brilliant. I don't want to go into a state of hyperbole but the movie really is awesome. Having taken care of the origins of batman, Nolan dives straight into the plot from the start. The movie is relentless in that there's way too much going on the figure it all out in one sitting. The actions scenes are great with you really feeling it's intensity. The plot is good and the pacing is spot on. Even at two and a half hours long you feel like they've actually left something out just to fit the movie into that much time. Christian Bale is the definitive batman. He plays it with an intensity that the caped crusader has not had before.

The movie undoubtedly belongs to one man. The Joker. The iconic clown prince of crime could not have got a better on screen portrayal than the one the late heath ledger has given him. He's scary, insane and brilliant.The movie starts with batman getting the upper hand over criminals but from the second the joker shows up you really feel like things are out of control. For the first time in a long time I've felt like the villain could win. That even he loses he gonna cause so much damage going down that the hero never wins. The joker is incredibly dark but not brooding. With some incredible lines. "Wanna see a magic trick?" , he really forces you to pay attention. The performance is riveting.
Harvey Dent's character is the emotional meat of the story. The joker doesn't give an emotional arc to the film. Harvey dent and his tragic story arc tie together the emotional backbone of the movie.

The end is awesome. Almost all the batman comics end with the hero in a worse place than when he started. The movie stays true to that.
All in all, its an unforgettable movie.

Don't worry about a thing my friend.
Why so serious?
Let's put a smile on that face :)

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