I kept calling the film The Dark Knight Returns and Jules kept telling me there was no “Returns” and I kept mentioning, yes but Frank Miller sort of reinvented the Batman character in the 80s (was it the 80s, buggered if I know) and Jules would say Buh? and… well by that stage the movie had started and so I just shut up.

Anywho, Jules and I went and saw the film on Saturday night, and behind the cut are some of my insightful and clever thoughts.

Ledger is awesome.  Absolutely acts every one off the screen in every scene he’s in.  The scene with Aaron Eackhart with the Joker dressed as a nurse is just mind blowingly good.

 

Christian Bale is good as Bruce Wayne, but less good as Batman.  It’s the throaty voice coupled with the lisp that drives me up the wall. 

 

I love how the film acknowledges that the Joker can’t live without the Batman, and that his only plan in life is too see how much he can get away with.  Very cool indeed. 

 

My only major issue was with the ferry scene.  Coupled with Batman taking on a SWAT team in an office building, the whole scene seemed a bit muddled.  And I must have missed the dialogue explaining what the civilians were doing on the other ferry.  Were these the guys looking to get away from Gotham?

 

The Jokers plans are elaborate – which is brilliant, considering he has no end game at all.  I love how everything he does is a social experiment of sorts.  Oh, and the guy with the mobile phone bomb in his gut was inspired.

 

The Two-Faceis beautifully developed as well.  Eackhart’s descent in craziness makes perfect sense and never seems forced.  Which makes the final scenes and the resolution of the film all the more interesting.


So for me, it was a 9/10