"The Dark Knight"

This week I watch "The Dark Knight."  The classic batman tale with a new set of special effects and an excellent cast.  Even though Batman is the main character in the movie it also focuses on the Joker played by Heath Ledger.  We see how important a character he is going to be throughout the movie just by the opening scene in which he is shown robbing the bank.  We see the focus on those two main characters and along with them we have the supporting actors who make the story what it is.  Without the supporting characters there would not be much of a story.

Not only is the plot focused on Batman and Joker but it also shows the relationship between Bruce and Rachel, the new DA, detective Gordan, and his butler.  This story shows how each of these characters are linked to each other.  Eventually they are all a part of the final moments in the movie.  The story also has a twist in it when Harvey who is primarily a "good guy" througout the film turns into the new villian of Two-Face.  This makes a point in showing how someone so stable can turn crazy just by something tramatic that happens in their life.

"The Dark Knight" is filled with special effects, music that shows the pace of the movie, great make-up, and some great dialogue.  The Joker has some great lines throughout the movie such as when he is sitting at the table with the mob making a deal.  Heath Ledger did a great job with this character.  He was able to as the book called it impersonate who the Joker is.  He was able to take on the true craziness of Joker and to put himself fully into the role.  Even when getting beat up by Batman, he is still able to laugh and act crazy just as the true character would act.

The music throughout the film plays a great role in showing how the film is moving along.  It slows down during parts where we are supposed to pay more attention and then speeds up again during the action scenes.  This is also one of those movies where the music is ten times louder than just times where there is speaking.  That allows us to notice dramatic changes in the mood of the movie. 

The special effects done throughout the movie are done in a way that they look realistic.  There is nothing worse than bad special effects that make it look fake.  Everything looked real and yet it still took on that fantasy story feel.  This movie also has very dark colors throughout it which lets the audience know this is not going to be a "happy" story but one with action and drama.  The movie also has plenty of close-ups for dramatic effect and uses a variety of camera angles.

When the Joker talks about his scars we see just how much this can relate to other people.  He is wearing his internal scars on the outside and how his story changes everytime he tells it shows how having too much pain in one's life can lead them to absolute insanity.  And then we see how Harvey loses half his face which relates to the pain he feels after knowing they saved him instead of saving Rachel.

This was the type of movie that bored me when it first came out but now after knowing what to look for while watching it, it became more interesting.  It shows how an excellent cast can make a movie top notch by giving it their all in front of the camera.