The Dark Knight

Yeah, it's a masterpiece... I'd give The Dark Knight a 9.8 rating if I could... the length and pacing gave me a little trouble being completely absorbed with it. However it reminded me of high opera... huge characters, huge themes, huge action that occasionally came to a poised halt when one or more of the characters has something really significant to say (sing) and you _want_ to hear it. What the characters have to say in this movie simply reinforce the plot... maybe a little more emphasis than necessary, but I didn't mind in the least. There was hardly a single performer in this movie I didn't want to hear more from. Because this is officially a superhero genre movie, there were some moments that would have seemed over-the-top in any other movie that work brilliantly. There's a scene where the Joker is interviewed in a darkened room, and all you can see is Heath Ledger's made-up face. In a more mainstream movie the effect would have seemed too studied and maybe even cliche... but here Heath Ledger takes that scene and runs away with it. IF there has been a funnier, crazier and more downright terrifying movie villain than Heath Ledger's Joker, I can't think of him offhand. Whether he gets one or not, Ledger deserves an Oscar for this performance. I could go on and on... Just go see it. I'm going to go see it at the IMAX next...