DVD Review: The Dark Knight (not Blu-Ray)

This blog was not operational during the premiere of "The Dark Knight." If it was, I would definitely have posted about it. Either way, as I drunkenly watch the DVD, I decided to do my first DVD review.

This movie was boss. As a follow-up to "Batman Begins," the sequel does everything it needs to. First, it is much bigger. Shot in IMAX, more action, clearer fight scenes, bigger villans. Second, the dramatic foil does an OUTSTANDING job, I know that it is the politically correct thing to pull for Heath Ledger for the supporting actor, but I have to.

Heath Ledger was perfect. First of all, he did the Joker his own way, he did not reprise Jack Nicholson's role, he did not copy anything from the comics. Ledger was able to channel the feelings/actions of the Joker. It is uncanny. After watching the movie with a roommate, he stated it perfectly, he does not see Heath Ledger in the role. He did not SEE Ledger, he did not HEAR Ledger. After watching Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain," he made a complete departure to become an insane clown. There is no way I can express my love for this character. I loved what Nicholson did for the Joker, but Ledger captured the character in a current mold. He is a terrorist, psychocatic and a bit of an addict (notice how often he licks his lips).

There were a lot of complaints of Christian Bale's acting. First of all, that is going to happen after seeing how well Ledger portrayed the villan. Also, Bale has nothing to prove after excelling in the original. The director, Christopher Nolan, had the foresight to cast Bale. He saw that Bale could 'fake' the wealthy executive in "American Psycho", Bale portrayal of Bruce Wayne brings a smile to the viewer's face. His Batman voice is a bit comical, but this is a movie based on a comic, lay off.

One of my criticisms of the movie is the way that Nolan rushed Aaron Eckhardt's role. He develops his character in the correct way, but unleashes him too early. Also, the fight scenes are a bit slower, I was one of the few fans that enjoyed the rushed fight scenes. It left an air of mystery. Nolan undoubtedly caved into critics with this display.

The story is just as strong as the first. I also pray that they continue the franchise. It is a bit depressing that Bale will no longer be able to battle Ledger in the future.

As a DVD, the movie really let me down. There is no director's commentary, no deleted scenes. Just some crap on the "Gotham News Network". Pretty shitty stuff. I think they pulled out all the stops for the Blu-Ray verison. Which is just another reason thrown on the giant pile for why I need a new DVD player. If you would like to donate to my cause....please leave a comment. Thanks!

Ledger disappeared into this character, that is the only way to explain it.