The Dark Knight

Sometimes, really great movies are spoiled by their own hype. When the first Austin Powers movie came out, I had heard so many quotes, and saw so many re-enactments of key scenes, that by the time I saw it, I'd already heard all the funny parts. I was dissapointed. After the second movie, and then watching it again much later I was finally able to enjoy it.

The level of hype surrounding The Dark Knight made me worry that a great movie would again be spoiled. I don't watch a lot of television, and other than a couple of reviews, tried to avoid most articles. But word of mouth is hard to avoid.

I know, Bobby and I waited awhile to see the film - it may sound crazy, but we had more important things going on. That left plenty of time for everyone I knew that had seen it to tell me that it was the most amazing film they'd ever seen. Everyone literally gushed. Even the rating on RottenTomatoes.com was a solid 94%.

Bobby and I finally got around to seeing it tonight, and I have to admit it really was a very good movie. I love comic-inspired movies as it is, and this was definitely one of the good ones. Heath Ledger's performance was very good - and his makeup and voice were so well done that if I hadn't been aware that he was the actor, I never would have guessed it. In fact, he really did steal the show - Ledger's Joker seemed much more developed than Christian Bale's Batman.

The best movie ever made though? No, I don't think so. Entertaining, definitely, but in my opinion, an amazing movie will illicit more emotional response than this film did. Great films draw you in, and you sympathize with the characters. Biting your nails through suspenseful scenes, crying in sad ones, etc. For me the scenes that illicited the most emotional response for me had nothing to do with the Bruce Wayne - Rachel Dawes relationship, or Bruce's internal struggle, but with falling from extreme heights - more because I'm afraind of heights than because of any brilliant filmmaking.

Batman Begins was very good, and if you enjoyed that one, you'll like this one too. I would say The Dark Knight was better than Batman Begins, but not leaps and bounds better. When Bobby and I were back in the car alone, I asked him what he thought of the movie. "I really wish I hadn't heard so much about it." We agreed, it was a very good movie, and we both enjoyed it, but the hype had definitely killed the excitement for us.

Go see it, and expect to be entertained - not blown away.