Review: the Dark Knight

Ho

Lee

Shit.

Where do I start? The Dark Knight is an incredible film. We saw it on IMAX last Friday afternoon in a packed theatre. Before I really start, you really owe it to yourself to catch it in IMAX. About 20 minutes of the finished film were shot on the larger format and it is visually stunning. Several of the aeriel cityscapes are in IMAX and they are vertigo inducing.

The film is grim, dark, violent and surprising. There were a number of "Holy Crap!" moments where Christopher Nolan steers the film into territory that isn't normal for a comic or superhero film. The Joker's 'pencil trick' alone was a dark and violent moment that I'm surprised was kept in a PG-13 film. And the reveal of Two Face is quite gruesome.

Much like Wall-E, this film delves into a numbers of different thematic elements. Pick what you want from it; the 9/11 elements, the personal morality plays, the personal costs involved, it's all there.

The acting is of course top-notch. Heath Ledger as the Joker, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent may just be the best of the best here. Incredible acting by all involved, as all of them really sink into their characters. Some films, some actors, you always know who is acting on screen. Jack Nicholson is in that territory now; you always know it's Jack on screen. Ledger? Oldman? They dissappear into their roles and become their characters. There is nothing about Ledger's performance of the Joker that reminds you of the man; he is, for all intents and purposes, the Joker.

Go see this film if you haven't all ready. Go see it in IMAX if you haven't yet; the extra cash is worth it.

Best film of the year so far.