Post by Timothy on Dec 3, 2008 22:08:01 GMT -5
Thought that this was worth discussing:
The last Batman movie was grim and methodical; this one, also directed by Christopher Nolan, is grim and incoherent, with a thudding soundtrack, fights shot from too close a distance to see anything, multiple events clanging together like discordant bells, and freaky sadism and menace. Christian Bale is the placid Bruce Wayne, a swank gent in Armani suits. As Batman, he has greater urgency, but he delivers his lines in a hoarse voice with an unvarying inflection. He’s no match for the great Heath Ledger as his nemesis, the Joker. Ledger, in a fright wig and gobs of white makeup, shambles and slides into a room, bending his knees and twisting his neck and suddenly surging right into someone’s face like a deep-sea creature coming up for air. He’s thoroughly terrifying (do not, despite the PG-13 rating, bring little children), and, as you’re watching him, you can’t help wondering how badly he messed himself up in order to play the role this way. “The Dark Knight” has been made in a time of terror, but it’s not fighting terror, it’s embracing and unleashing it—while making sure, with proper calculation, to set up the next installment of the corporate franchise. With Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The comment about Bale's voice definitely has merit; while I do enjoy the animal-like quality of Bale's Batman, it can grate on you after a while. However, I do not believe that Ledger was the "be-all, end-all" incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crime, but the hordes of The Dark Knight fans will beat me to death with a floppy clown shoe if I utter this sentiment too loudly.
What do you think of this article and why?
The last Batman movie was grim and methodical; this one, also directed by Christopher Nolan, is grim and incoherent, with a thudding soundtrack, fights shot from too close a distance to see anything, multiple events clanging together like discordant bells, and freaky sadism and menace. Christian Bale is the placid Bruce Wayne, a swank gent in Armani suits. As Batman, he has greater urgency, but he delivers his lines in a hoarse voice with an unvarying inflection. He’s no match for the great Heath Ledger as his nemesis, the Joker. Ledger, in a fright wig and gobs of white makeup, shambles and slides into a room, bending his knees and twisting his neck and suddenly surging right into someone’s face like a deep-sea creature coming up for air. He’s thoroughly terrifying (do not, despite the PG-13 rating, bring little children), and, as you’re watching him, you can’t help wondering how badly he messed himself up in order to play the role this way. “The Dark Knight” has been made in a time of terror, but it’s not fighting terror, it’s embracing and unleashing it—while making sure, with proper calculation, to set up the next installment of the corporate franchise. With Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The comment about Bale's voice definitely has merit; while I do enjoy the animal-like quality of Bale's Batman, it can grate on you after a while. However, I do not believe that Ledger was the "be-all, end-all" incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crime, but the hordes of The Dark Knight fans will beat me to death with a floppy clown shoe if I utter this sentiment too loudly.
What do you think of this article and why?
