The Dark Knight has been shattering all sorts of box office records. Tickets for the opening Thursday night screenings had been sold out for at least a week, and many theaters decided to add 3:00 am and 6:00 am showtimes. With first midnight screenings in 3,040 theaters, and a record 94 IMAX theaters, the film earned $18.5 million, setting a new midnight debut record, beating out Star Wars Episode II: Revenge of the Sith with $16.9 million. On it's opening day, The Dark Knight set a single-day box office record of $67.85 million, breaking the $59.8 million record previously held by Spider Man 3. The film went on to surpass the $151.1 million opening weekend record of Spider-Man 3 with an opening of $158.4 million, including a record breaking IMAX opening of $6.2 million, surpassing the $4.7 million of Spider-Man 3. And there is no sign of the movie slowing down, as it continues breaking records here and there.
I honestly won't even try to review this movie. I had such a deeply-rooted experience with this masterpiece that there is absolutely no way I could begin to express what I felt while viewing it. But I'll try anyways...
Batman is one of the very few icons that marked my childhood with such intensity that his shadow, his silhouette, his fuckin' emblem alone, bring out memories and emotions that I rarely get the chance to experience anymore. In my eyes, Batman transcends and outshines every other movie hero, super or not, and he does so from the deepest and darkest of shadows. Before Christian Bale, I thought Michael Keaton as Batman could never be bested. Then, along came Batman Begins in 2005, reinvigorating a dying series that was the laughing stock of fans and movie critics alike ten years prior, giving it so much credibility in fact, that Batman movies were once again respectable and praised masterpieces, à la Tim Burton era. Bale was now playing the role he was meant to play, and he did to Batman what Daniel Craig did to James Bond. Michael Caine, great as ever, was the ultimate Alfred. The whole casting was just spot on for a franchise reboot, and the cinematography, art direction, tone, setting, score: all these elements were working together in harmony.
Fast-forward three years later and what do we get? The Dark Knight, THE greatest super-hero of all time, as well as one of this blogger's most awe-inspiring movies of all time. A sequel that not only meets expectations, but actually exceeds them through the roof. A production so delicately crafted, so finely tuned, that I am almost afraid of what to expect of the next sequel. Christian Bale was flawless; Heath Ledger (R.I.P.) will be forever remembered for this mind-boggling performance; Aaron Ekchart's acting will probably be overshadowed, yet it deserves as much praise; Gary Oldman deserves the same, he was great; Michael Caine was excellent as always; Maggie Gyllenhaal was a huge improvement over Katie Holmes (except for the looks, huge downgrade); even Morgan Freeman was in sync and commendable. The casting was near-perfect. The movie struck the most sensible of my nostalgic and emotional cords, and it carried such a stressful tone that I felt heavily anxious till the very end. If I was in Christopher Nolan's position, I would be very, very afraid. The simple idea of attempting to outdo himself after The Dark Knight must be haunting him in his sleep.
Christopher Nolan, what can I say about that man? He has to this day directed six major motion pictures, and had only three when he was entrusted with the Batman series. He has written all of his original work, and all of them have been greatly successful. I have watched 5 out of 6 and can confidently say that he is one of the greatest directors of our time, and at such a young age (37), I can only begin to dream about the great cinema he will be bringing to us in the next few decades.
On a side note, this movie was also able to depress me to some extent because it got me thinking, and I realized that as an aspiring filmmaker, The Dark Knight exemplifies and embodies the movie that I would have to direct in order to be fully satisfied with my life...
1 comments:
best review... ever!!
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