Dark Knight

I was lucky enough to view the latest batman movie, "The Dark Knight" at midnight Friday, July 18th. The movie theater was packed full, with additional theaters being added to accommodate the demand from our Midwestern town. As we all waited patiently for the movie to start, one could not help to think of the mix in the audience. Were they there to see Heath Ledger, were they fans of the new batman series or were they fans of the comic books. Personally I was there because of the highly anticipated performance of Heath Ledger. I did see "Batman Begins" but felt that movie was not that great in comparison to other batman movies.

Finally the lights dimmed and the crowd applauded when the first preview started. Now I understand that you plug movies made by the same company or staring the same lead actor, but both movies advertised, "Watchman" and "Terminator" seemed to be rough cuts and failed to excite the audience.

As the minutes dragged on, the main title finally came up and the movie started. From start to end the movie was captivating with its plot and action scenes. Ledger delivered one of the best performances ever and one he will be remembered for. Bale was not as good as one would hope, but it was an improvement from his first turn as batman. Maggie Gyllenhaal delivered the same performance as all not adding anything new to her character as Rachel Dawes. Aaron Eckhart was able to portray two vastly different sides of Harvey Dent and I hope to see him reprise his role in the next film. Gary Oldman once again performed well in his turn as Lt. James Gordon.

The plot offered many turns and the necessary material for the audience to emotionally attach to the characters and feel as though Chicago was truly Gotham City. I can only hope the rumors are true and that a third movie will be done with the same director and cast. The one regret I have is not seeing the film in IMAX, which I hope to correct soon by traveling to the closest city to offer this.