A comic book adaptation.
(Not that comics aren't art.)
In an early part of the movie, we see Batman using guns. I was like, wait, since when did Batman use guns?
The Joker, as portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, is a true embodiment of fear. Not that he looks really scared in the movie, but rather that he's simply the most frightening thing on screen at any one time. It is not so much the garish makeup, or the blood-red scars, or the straggly green hair. No, those are actually pretty funny-looking most of the time. Instead, its his mannerisms, his speech, and his ability to laugh in the face of everything, that scares me.
And impresses me. I think I've found a new role model.
The Scarecrow was based on instilling fear in his enemies. He did that with hallucinogenic chemicals. While I am pretty sure that these experiences must have been pretty terrifying for the poor citizens of Gotham, it took a lot of imagination to be empathic. The Joker, on the other hand, brings the fear right to the audience, with all that freaky lip-licking and maniacal laughter.
When the villain is based entirely around misleading and manipulating people, it just makes an awesome movie for me. The way The Joker so confidently toys with the emotions of people, making them choose between impossible options... Dressing up hostages like thugs to trick the police, and all the little tricks and traps along the way. I suppose it is the little things that make the film enjoyable. Things like the sheer irony of having firetrucks going up in flames, The Joker sanitising his hands while at a hospital, prior to blowing it up spectacularly. And other stuff, like when he tells everyone a different story about how he got his scars, just like in the comics.
Okay, that's just wrong. This movie is just so different from the other superhero movies. Most of the time, we're given a clear indication of who to root for. Not that there isn't the whole "good guy, bad guy" divide here, but there's just something about The Joker that makes you enjoy seeing him succeed in his plans. Seriously. I was grinning the whole time he was pulling off a little "social experiment". The Dark Knight portrays The Joker as such a badass character in his own way, in contrast to those piece-of-crap villains from other stories, like Stane from Iron Man. I suppose I just really like those mind games.
The other villain, unfortunately, did not get much screen time, as a villain. However, the backstory was certainly satisfying enough. Harvey Twoface and his awesome coin-flipping skills. It makes me want to learn how to make that plingy sound when I toss my coins. Given that I am a huge advocate of coin-tossing(after all, it is the most reliable method of decision-making known to Man), it sure would be nice to make it look and sound more impressive!
Bruce Wayne is still Bruce Wayne. His gadgets are cool and all, but he was not really the main focus of the movie. He's a ninja. He can apparently punch so fast that he creates a sonic boom or something with every blow. Seriously. Every time he swung his fist at a crook, there was this immense "POW!" sound. I'm guessing that they did because they weren't allowed to actually print the word "POW!" on screen.
So basically, probably the best superhero movie of the year. I'm probably going to be quoting lines from The Joker for the next couple of weeks or so.
Yarly.
-Joe