I was very excited about this film in the run up to its release. In fact I can’t remember another time I’ve been this excited about the release of a film. I was even more excited to find that some leave I’d booked ages ago happened to coincide exactly with the release date. So I took myself off today to see the very first showing.
When I got to the cinema the doors were yet to open and there was a queue forming. I had imagined it would be busy but I hadn’t even considered there’d be any need for a queue. Well it turned out that the cinema wasn’t that full but I strategically placed myself behind a seat that wasn’t in use to protect my view, just in case.
So really there’s been just one question on everyone’s mind when it comes to this film. And the critics are right, Heath Ledger is bloody good but one man does not make a movie. Christian Bale builds on Batman Begins’ preparation of the Batman character – this film is dark but it isn’t just the villains that make it that way. There’s strong support from some acting legends; Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces the simpering Katie Holmes as Rachel and Aaron Eckhart steals the show as Harvey Dent. But the real credit has to go to Christopher Nolan for putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.
The opening sequence sets the mood of this film well, unfortunately it’s followed by five or ten minutes where chaos seems to reign, at this point I was beginning to wonder if my expectations were about to be crushed. But thankfully from then on it just kept getting better and better. In fact by the end I felt like there wasn’t a single word or shot out of place. What’s even better is that I really felt I got two films for the price of one out of this film. The running time of 150 minutes didn’t matter when every moment was crammed full of action and/or emotion.
In conclusion all I can say is that I simply can’t wait to see it again.
