I love this Batman film, as I'm sure the rest of you do too. It's won however many awards, including a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Heath Ledger... I've loved Heath for a long time now, since before Two Hands (which is an awesome Aussie film by the way!) and I was as sad as everyone else when he died. He was born in my town and since his death we have built and dedicated a theatre to his memory.
Damn, wasn't his performance amazing?! Jack Nicholson (The Shining) was the last Joker back in 1989 in the Tim Burton original Batman alongside Michael Keaton (Jackie Brown) and Kim Basinger (LA Confidential). But Heath just took the character to a whole new level. All the little quirks he put in; the twitches and lip licks, the voice, the "Why so serious?" just made it all that better. Maybe the rumours are right and he immersed himself too deeply into the psychotic nature of the Joker and that's what caused his death? I don't know, I would hope not. Heath is one of those celebs I still think about and wish was still around, can you imagine what he would have done next? Amazing.
Did anyone else catch William Fichtner (Black Hawk Down) as the bank manager? He's only in the very beginning but his face is one of those instantly recognisable faces. Shame he doesn't last long... Cillian Murphy (In Time) also has a blink and you'll miss it part, at the very beginning. He's the Scarecrow, he was in the first film too but he plays a very minor character. I'm assuming that he will be featuring more in The Dark Knight Rises? I'm also a huge fan of Nestor Carbenell (Lost), who plays the mayor. I want to see him around more often! Michael Caine (The Prestige) is Aflred again, Gary Oldman (The Fifth Element) is still Gordon and Morgan Freeman (RED) is still the brains behind all the awesome bat-gadgets, hurrah!
I said this in my last Batman post; Christian Bale (The Prestige) is the best out of all of them, in my opinion. Though I suppose we should talk about the voice... The gravelly Batman voice has been used by every other Batman too, Bale's has just taken it a tad too far. It's amusing listening to his Batman voice and I honestly have to restrain myself from laughing every time I hear it! What do you think?
I think Maggie Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) makes a much better Rachel than Katie Holmes. I don't know what it is about Holmes that annoys me so much, maybe it's residual feelings toward's her Dawson's Creek character... I don't know but I'm glad they re-cast Rachel and I hope she's not really dead.... kinda sucks that she is. And Harvey (Aaron Eckhart)! I loved his character and I totally forgot he was Two Face! But he's dead now too? A bit anticlimactic there!
I love the ending it amazing. The Joker trying to show the inherent evil in normal everyday people. Blow up the criminals or civilians? Loved that Tommy Lister's character took the remote and threw it out the window! *cheers*
This is the first of the Christian Bale (The Fighter, Terminator Salvation) series of Batman. Now, I did just watch every one before this as well but I thought I'd start with this series... I never really liked Bale all that much but he is the best Batman so far; George Clooney (Ocean's Eleven, ER) did this weird thing with his head that I couldn't get past and Val Kilmer (Top Gun)? No...just, no.
I think I've only seen this film once before, back when it first came out so its almost like watching it for the first time all over again....Alfred is always a favorite of mine and Michael Caine (Children of Men) is perfect for the role. Liam Neeson (Taken) is always a great hard ass and I love him as Wayne's teacher. It's especially awesome to watch the training of Batman. This movie is what it says it is; Batman's beginning.
I suppose they cant really veer from the original story too much seeing as its from the comics and all, but it's good to see a little more of the story revealed in each movie. This one showing the before and after the shooting of Wayne's parents. I think that its good to see Batman as not so perfect, the trial and error of finding the perfect Batsuit etc. The movie itself is less satirical and on more of a serious. The last couple were pretty much jokes the whole way through, I like that this one is more realistic; Batman could be REAL!! haha
