Hey, did you guys know there's some sort of Batman movie thing coming out this weekend? Well there is. And, I'm not trying to boast or anything, but I've already seen it. And, it's amazing. So herewith, without any spoilers, a few reasons to check out this film:
1. Heath Ledger: Obviously, it's upsetting what happened to him, but there's only one time it negatively affected his performance for me, and that was when I realized he wouldn't be able to come back for more in the next film. Ledger's performance as the Joker is nothing short of extraordinary. He literally dissolves into the role, and, I can say as a comic book fan: not only is Ledger better than any previous screen or television Joker; but he's actually better than 95% of the depections of the Joker in the comics. He's that good.
2. IMAX: If you're going to see this film, see it in IMAX. I wasn't sure going in what the IMAX experience would be like, but now that I've seen it, it's probably the only way to see the film. About 20-30 minutes of footage, mainly action sequences and establishing shots are in the large screen format. Not that the giant widescreen for most of the film is shabby, but when the film cuts to IMAX, you feel like you're living in the footage. The most aggravating thing about seeing the film in IMAX is, you'll wish the whole thing was in IMAX.
3. The Score: I don't know how many of you are fans or Danny Elfman's theme from the Tim Burton Batman films, but the score to this flick makes you completely forget the previous incarnations, and make the film its own. The best part of the score, and I know I'm getting a little musical nerdy here, is that it's mostly composed of very subtle stings and tones, with only flashes of music that's perfectly mixed into the scenes. So you don't get a blown out of proportion John Williams score that tells you how to feel at all times, you get a score that supports and lifts up the movie. You know, like a good score should?
4. The Action: Bigger, better, and cleaner than Batman Begins. If I have one quibble with that film, it's that the last act is a mess. This film fixes that. Go Chris Nolan, go!
There's a lot more to like about this film, but I'll leave it to all of you to discover for yourselves. Suffice to say this is an excellent work of film-making, with one of the best performances in film history. Oh, and good luck getting tickets, IMAX screenings are so sold out, they had to add 6AM shows on Friday morning.