RS Movie Review - The Dark Knight (first impressions)

I just got back from watching the new Batman flick "The Dark Knight."

First impression?



Pretty darn cool!

One caveat I will give is that I am pretty surprised it was only rated PG-13. I think R would have been more appropriate. It had some pretty disturbing scenes and situations. And the body count was very high. I also think one character (other than the Joker) could easily freak out the kiddies (and even some adults).

The reason I specify "first impressions" is that I really want to see this movie again. Not just because I enjoyed it, but also because there were a lot of deeper topics thrown at you, that might be hard to absorb in the first sitting.

I will say that the movie is long (another reason not to bring the younger ones), but I'm not saying that's bad, you DO get your money's worth. About half way through the movie, I began to notice this movie was pretty long, but I immediately realized I was just enjoying it too much to want it to end.

Heath Ledger's Joker is getting most of the focus. First off, I have to say, I have not seen ANY of the other Batman movies (aside from one of the old Adam West and Burt Ward movies). I did want to see Batman Begins based on several friends' advice, but since I am not much of a comic book/superhero fan, I just never got around to it). And I have to admit that in looking at the trailer, I was only interested in seeing how the Joker would be portrayed. The character was written extremely well, and Heath Ledger carried it out with frightening execution (no pun intended). However, what really surprised me was how much I enjoyed all the other characters in the movie. Even the "lesser" characters, like the henchmen, the other mafiosos, and even the people on the ferrys were well played.

Good soundtrack too.

Even if you're like me and not into comic book/superhero movies, I will say that if you like action movies that make you think, you'll love this movie. I really would count it up there with the Bourne series (which I really liked). Just leave the kiddies at home.

RS