The Dark Knight Review

This week has been very busy and there is much to blog about, but honestly, you probably don't care much about my time helping out at a kids camp, or my weekend setting up craigslist appointments. You probably don't care as much about the amazing Pillar show I saw tonight that they did acoustic (the band's first acoustic show ever) as you do about the highlight of my week:

The Dark Knight

I was offered a pre-screening by a local theater, along with several other media people. And since today was a concert day and I was able to go in late, I decided to take advantage of it. I would have loved to have captured some snapshots or vid clips for you but this 80 year old security guard was on me like white on Jamie Kennedy before I could even finish reading a text message I originally pulled my phone out for. I told him I had to have it on for my job for the e-mails and they could check it before I left if they wanted to make sure I didn't record anything, but he still insisted I turn off my cell phone. (I had 24 new txt, emails, and VMs when I turned it on at the end of the movie by the way.)

So, seeing the previews has made me really excited for the release of this film, but I will admit I was a little nervous it wouldn't live up to expectations. First, let me start out by saying I saw it in an IMAX theater, which if you get the opportunity, its worth it. The movie was 2 1/2 hours and I wasn't bored for a second. The amazing performance Heath Ledger put on has not been overly built up either. He was simply outstanding. I was, however, a little less of a fan of Christian Bale in his second appearance as "the Bat". I think it was his voice while he portrayed the Batman. But this is my only negative comment.

Another surprise was by the villians in this movie. I don't feel the need to really place a spoiler alert here, however, if you really don't want to know anything about the movie, don't read on. In the previews, I saw the character of Harvey Dent, played byAaron Eckart, with the divided face. They don't actually show the other side, but you can see he has become his alter ego, Two-Face. And if you're a fan of Batman, which I was to the degree that I watched the cartoon when I was a kid (and as recently as last week) you know that former District Attourney, Harvey Dent, is burned in an accident and left complete scarred on one side of his face. My thought was they would develop the story line up to the point of the accident and allow him to be the featured villian in the next installment. He was more of a secondary villian though, and had his own story line, which climaxed to him fully embracing his villainous half.

I still haven't decided if I liked it better than Iron Man. There are pros and cons for both to me. It was nice having the fresh character of Tony Stark portrayed. Batman has been done. Again and again. And that turned out so well, they did it again and again and again. Don't get me wrong, Batman Begins was a great revival of the character, and saved the series, but we must not forget its predecessors and what happens when money takes over the love of the character (case in point, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze). Iron Man also set up the future Avengers movie that Marvel has made very apparent is coming, so I think my enjoyment of Iron Man may have been greater, but The Dark Knight was the better movie.

This movie get the DavidWage stamp of approval.

Well, if I continue to talk about the movie, I'm bound to start giving stuff away, so for the sake of not having to type "Spoiler Alert", I'll end my blog here.