I finally saw The Dark Knight

Never have I ever thought that watching a movie only six days after it's opening would have meant I've caught up with the rest of the world.

The anticipation was growing as friends told me about going at midnight last Friday to catch a first glimpse of The Dark Knight. I instead indulged in another Bale/Nolan collaboration, The Prestige (in surround sound!). I loved Batman Begins, it's fight sequences character development, and well, Christian Bale. So two co-workers of mine, (and when you teach TV, Video, and multi-media production it is only appropriate you keep up with latest movie hit), hit the big screens to view the epic saga that drags us through the underbelly of Gotham to discover terrorism, frightful corruption, and good vs. evil like never been seen before.

The only thing living up to its hype though, was Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker. To the point of me thinking, was that even heath ledger beneath the caked-up clown make-up? He took us on a suspenseful ride that even Batman was surprised to be on. The plot took (and didn't take) turns we could predict and it seemed imperative to its success that every dark corner be fleshed out in its two and half hour length. Although I may have enjoyed less of the mess, and a story that left two-face for the next episode, I appreciate it's undertaking as a film that needs maybe to be watched again for its full appreciation.

Yet unlike other comic book superhero movies, there's something about Batman that has always made him my favorite (even the campy Val Kilmer and George Clooney versions). Maybe it's his ability to use his billions for ridding the underworld of it's grime, maybe it's the technology (although I have to say, Iron Man has far surpassed Batman's batcave of toys), or maybe the way that Batman's story is more grounded in a sense of reality.

In an interview with Christopher Nolan in Entertainment Weekly he quotes Michael Caine who said "Superman is the way America sees itself, but Batmans is the way the world sees America."
Brilliant.