Does this film really need an introduction? Seeing the trailer for the first time of this film was the same reaction as everyone else, "Holy fucking shit!" The thing that I find most shocking is that when I first saw the trailer for Batman Begins I wasn't as exciting as seeing this one. It was just executed so magnificently. The first one was really good but, this film was like dynamite fishing. Batman has always been a dark story very grim. Burton's two versions of the film were very dark and very Tim Burton-ish. They were cartoony and had their own type of dark style to them. Still extraordinary films but, there has always been that demon lying underneath the skin of Batman's story just waiting to be exorcised into the natural world. Christopher Nolan has done the best job I think anyone has done to the story of Batman outside the graphic novels they're loosely based on. The fact that this film was coming out just made you look forward to something in life if you had nothing to look forward to. And sadly, it was the zenith of actor Heath Ledger's short career due to his overdose. Heath had just done Brokeback Mountain and I' Not There even was to be in the new Terry Gilliam film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. This film was a phenomenon among films everywhere and the perfect super hero film and nothing I believe will ever have the ability to out do it for a long, long time to come.
Unwanted vigilante Batman, secret identity billionaire Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) lurks the streets of Gotham City preying on the corrupt, wicked, and evil that run rampant in the city. Since his last escapade, Batman has been on the trail of of a new menace to the society known only as the Joker (Heath Ledger), who has been stealing millions of dollars from the Gotham City mobsters. Mean while a new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) has partnered up with Detective Gordon (Gary Oldman), to bring down the crime rampage in the city by means of court justice. The Joker begins a series of of pre-emptive strikes against Dent, Gordon, and Batman in means to set up more devastating chaotic means of mayhem to unleash upon the city. While Batman deals with the weight load of Gotham's future on his shoulders, Bruce Wayne has to deal with Wayne Enterprises whom he's left in charges of Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) the new relationship between Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her new boyfriend, Harvey Dent. Bruce seeks moral help from his friend and butler, Alfred (Michael Caine) on both Bruce Wayne situations and Batman's. Struggling with both life styles between being Batman and Bruce Wayne, Wayne is forced into endless fiasco's which lead him to have to come to many life alternating decisions in life which could cost him the life of others or his own.
The film was nothing short of perfect. Well developed story line, well thought out. Marvellous acting, eye popping action sequences, minimal CGI, amazing cinematography, all around ideal film. There wasn't a boring moment in the entire episode and it didn't try to cram so much into one two hour and thirty minute reel of film. Every moment of it was executed to make every second last a lifetime. The film got a lot of criticism from the typical soccer type mother with the typical complaints about it being too violent for their little children. This isn't your Adam West Batman, they should know. But, what's a film without a little criticism? The case of the film being too violent wasn't held onto long because of the huge box office that the film raked in. And regardless adults and kids enjoyed it both equally. The story was compelling enough to not bore someone of an older age and exciting enough to keep the attention of a little child glued to the screen (as if that's hard nowadays). The film tackled the the classic issue in the super hero tale of choosing which side to be. Bruce must choose his life as Batman or Bruce Wayne and in truth it should never really become a definite decision. But, at least that struggle remained a constant factor throughout the entire length of the film. It has little plot thickening ingredients to make the film more emotional, it let us in on a few secrets that some of the characters will never know in the film so that gives us the feeling that we're now a part of the story line in a way. And who will ever forget that star studded performance by Ledger as the worlds number one villain, the Joker? Cult figure to the max. The ideal villain in any case, wants nothing more than to watch things burn up. No desire, no pleasure, no moral, just sheer chaos. I, as many others, only regret that his character will never be reprised and if reprised will never again be as filling as the performance Ledger did. Sadly, acting legend Jack Nicholson was furious at the fact Ledger was playing the Joker which is saddening since Jack is a giant in the acting world but, I guess Nicholson is known for that behavior as well.
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