Kel and I went to the Midnight showing of The Dark Knight last night. It’s a 2.5 hour movie, so we knew today was going to be kind of rough. We got home after the movie at about 2:45am. Fun Friday.

Was it worth it?

1000%!

Not only was this the best Batman movie…by far, but this was also the best super hero movie…BY FAR. This didn’t feel campy, or corny like other super hero movies. No, this movie was dark, the characters were deep, and the overall feel of the movie was not what you would expect seeing how this is based on a comic book. It was fantastic!

Christian Bale plays a great Batman, which we saw in Batman:Begins. His character develops even deeper in this movie, and you get a great insight into the torment that a superhero would go through. Bale was spot on as always, and I loved the direction they went with Batman.

Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Cain played great supporting roles as well. Especially Oldman, IMO. Aaron Eckhart was a good choice for Harvey Dent too. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there was a great storyline around his character. I wasn’t a huge fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal in this movie though. It may be the character, since I didn’t like the way Katie Holmes portrayed her in Batman:Begins, but I think it’s more the actress. There is something about Maggie that I just don’t like. I thought her acting was on par with Katie Holmes-Cruise-Nutjob in the first one, which is not a good thing. Although, it may be something else. I think it’s my theory that it’s hard to root for ugly people.

On to Heath Ledger as the Joker. I was wondering if he would…or really could, live up to all the hype about him in this role. I was also wondering if he was really deserved of the hype, or if it was just because he died. Well let me tell you honestly, not only did he live up to the hype, but he exceeded it. He was perfect as the joker. Absolutely, perfect. His performance is on par with performances like Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, or Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects as far as people portraying villains. I’m inclined to say that Ledgers performance may even be better then the aforementioned. He made Jack Nicholsons joker look like a clown at a kids party. A bad clown at a kids party. He was dark, creepy, funny at times, a total wacko, and simply put, he was downright scary. There is oscar talk already for Ledger in this role, and it is totally deserving. He was absolutely fantastic. If the academy doesn’t recognize how great he was in this film, just because of the subject matter of the film, they need to get bent. After seeing him play the Joker, I’m definitely more bummed out that we will not see him reprise the role…you know, cause he’s dead and all. His character alone is well worth the price of admission. Which is kind of saying a lot seeing how they bend you over and rape you on ticket prices at the theater.

For me, this movie was just about perfect. It will appeal to a mass audience because it’s not your typical super hero movie. It’s also not for kids. This was a dark and creepy movie that could totally fuck younger kids up. No buildings that look like they’re from a funhouse, giant ridiculous statues, neon glowing gangs getting beat up by Alicia Silverstone or Arnold Schwartzenegger playing Mr Freeze. The bad people in this movie are mean, psychotic fucking people. I have a hard time seeing toys based on this new Joker, although I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to do it. Hell, I may even buy them.

Do yourself a favor. Go see this movie. It’s the best movie you’ll see in a long time.