Joe’s Review: The Dark Knight

I’m sure that you guys have read tons of reviews of The Dark Knight. Yes, I should have had mine up earlier, but I guess I’m not supposed to provide opinions on movies before they come out because of the privilege I have of seeing them before they come out. But back to the reviews. Do I agree with the majority of them? Let’s sum up what they mainly say:

• The Dark Knight is awesome.
• Heath Ledger did an incredible job as the Joker.
• This is the best movie of the summer so far.

Uhhh.. YEAH. Those words definitely sum up what I thought of The Dark Knight. Honestly, it was a really incredible movie, very well done. DC comics has a definite hit in this movie, and it made the numbers that Iron Man put up look like nothing. Yes, The Dark Knight has set record after record, and I really feel that it deserves it.

This film picks up where Batman Begins left off. Gotham City, once overrun by crime, is starting to get some sense of order. With the help of Batman, the Mayor, Lieutenant Gordon, and the new D.A. Harvey Dent, the war against crime has an end that everyone can see. The mob’s money is being tracked, Batman is bringing people to Justice, and Dent is putting them away for good. Everything seems to be working out just fine, until a crazy guy who just goes by “The Joker” begins starting his own havoc. He doesn’t even seem to have any goal, he just wants to cause crime.

In steps Batman. He’s never faced an enemy like the Joker before, and has to use all his resources, and bring himself to the edge of his own morals to decide what to do.

I really really don’t want to spoil this for anyone, so I’m sorry if the synopsis I have there is a little lacking. What I can say is.. this movie is definitely worth seeing. There’s going to be a lot of talk about who is the better Joker, which one will really make more money, and which Batman movie is the best, but I’m not going to go there right now. I will definitely encourage you to make the trip out to go see it. The dark vision that Christopher Nolan was going for really worked. What this new franchise is providing is a deeper look into “who is Batman?”

Not everyone will agree with me, but for a character actor, Christian Bale really does Batman well. I’ve enjoyed his performances in the past two films, and I do hope that he continues in the franchise. I’m also going to say that I think Heath Ledger had a wonderful performance, and is deserving of all the talk of a potential post-mortum Academy nomination. You may not agree with me on that point either, but I would like to hear why, because I think he did a fanatastic job. It was scary how good that performance was.

If you’ve seen the movie, what do you think?

Rating:

- Best movie of 2008 so far!

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Movies This Weekend! 7/18/08

Not gonna miss this week, folks. It’s a huge weekend, with another one of those huge summer movie blockbusters that means… long nights for me. It’s ok though, because I actually enjoy working those busy weekends. Now let’s take a look at what all the hype is about!

The Dark Knight - Rated PG-13, Directed by Christopher Nolan

Gotham city was overrun with criminals, until Batman, Harvey Dent, and the Police commissioner team up to eliminate crime from the streets for good. There’s just one criminal they didn’t plan on having to deal with… and he’s ready to take the town by storm. Batman will have his hands full with the Joker, as this criminal pushes him to limit of what is good and what is evil.

Joe’s Take - It’s Batman. What more can I really say than that. I’m extremely excited for this movie, and I hope to screen it and provide a review for you guys soon. This has had such an incredible marketing campaign with the viral sites and posters, and commercials. No doubt the film will also be aided by the unfortunate and untimely passing of Heath Ledger, who supposedly revolutionized the character of the Joker, really taking it and making it his own. I anticipate huge numbers for this movie. If Hancock can pull in 100+ million in 5 days, I’m positive The Dark Knight will pull in even more. $125 million for the first weekend alone, and it WILL become another member of the $300 million club before the end of the summer.

Mamma Mia - Rated PG-13, Directed by Phyllida Lloyd.

An all star cast led by Meryl Streep takes this feature film adapatation of a hit Broadway musical to the big screen. Featuring the music of ABBA, Mamma Mia tells the story of Sophie, the spirted daughter of former free spirit Donna. Sophie is about to be married, and while Donna has raised her all alone her entire life, she reveals to Sophie that she doesn’t know who her father is. Undeterred, Sophie invites three potential fathers to her wedding, leading them on a journey to find out who her father is before her wedding.

Joe’s Take - This is not a film for me, but I can anticipate some success from this movie, especially with a private screening already being bought out at my theatre. This reminds me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a movie that started out rather small, but ended up being a huge commercial success. It might take a few weeks, but Mamma Mia will definitely make its viewers happy. Don’t expect big things in the first week, as it has some stiff competition in The Dark Knight. I can’t imagine too many guys would be drawn away from that to see Mamma Mia.

Space Chimps - Rated G, Directed by Kirk de Micco.

An animated, intergalactic comedy featuring a band of astronaut chimps with the “wrong stuff”. Ham III is the slacker grandson of the first chimp blasted into space. Along with two other chimps, they are to embark on a dangerous mission through a black hole to another inhabited planet. When they are stranded there, they must aid the locals get rid of their tyrannical leader, and also figure out how to get back to Earth.

Joe’s Take - Ok, I don’t know who’s big idea it was to release this film on the same day as The Dark Knight, but they are definitely going to feel the hit. I am actually very intrigued by this film personally, and I wanted to see it, but if I had to pick one movie for the weekend, it would not be Space Chimps. It could be one for parents to dump their kids in while they see Dark Knight, but I find that unlikely. Sorry Chimps, you’re not going to make it too far on this weekend. $12 million opening, if they’re lucky.

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