Went to see The Dark Knight this morning…wow! Go see it!!!
Ok, bit of a longer review avoiding any spoilers…first point is it’s loooooong, about 2 1/2 hours but doesn’t drag & as there are around 5 different plot strands going at once it does allow time for all of them to breathe & resolve in a proper manner…well, most of them anyway . Heath Ledger is VERY good as The Joker so believe the hype, forget all about Jack Nicholson this is a different kind of freak, complete psycho, no redeeming features at all & pretty chilling. You can’t help but think about what happened to him & it does cast a shadow over everything, especially the Joker’s suicidal tendancies. However, even without his death this would still be a Hell of a performance. He does over-shadow Batman / Bruce Wayne which never really happened in Batman Begins & is a bit of a shame but he isn’t in it constantly so you do get those cool moments when Bruce is just doing his thing.
Plot wise, like I said, about 5 going so you have to pay attention, this is a much more adult superhero film than Spider-Man for example. I read a review that described it as the “Goodfellas” of Superhero films & that’s pretty accurate. It is brutal in places & throws up a lot to think about, if you’re that kind of person, if not plenty of stuff still goes bang & you can just go with the ride.
So far my film of the year…9/10, loses a point for The Joker wearing make-up & not actually having his skin bleached white & all the hair on his body turned green like in the comics…but I’m a geek like that!
“You ever read comic books? You know how the World is always in danger of being taken over by mad scientists, giant robots, aliens & monsters? Well, reality is a lot like that.”
So says The Middleman in the first episode & that pretty much sums up this show. It’s very hard to describe so bear with me, basically it’s a comedy but it’s a lot smarter than it first seems, closest thing I can describe it to is a modern version of The Avengers & the 60’s Batman TV show but that doesn’t really cover it either. If you fancy something a bit harmless & different it’s worth a watch, first 5 episodes are up now. Oh, did I mention how HOT the girl in it is?
I went to see the new Hulk film last night & here are my thoughts…
Similair in tone to the first Spider-Man movie, The Incredible Hulk is basically a stab at remaking the 70’s TV Show, from the opening credits which are a direct copy to the plot which focuses on Bruce Banner running from place to place trying to cure his unique afflication, although with a few tweaks here & there to update it. Forget the slow, cerebral take of the previous movie, this is going straight to the popcorn market that Spidey tapped into, using a lot of the same tricks to not alienate the general public & still appeal to the comic book geeks out there. There are lots & lots of nods to the comic book throughout which is cool if you’re paying attention & know what you’re looking at but also a massive tie-in to a recent super hero movie that some of us may have enjoyed!
With the Hulk a lot rides on the CGI & they have done an excellent job, not too fast or blurry in general & you can see what’s going on but also not afraid to slow things down & inject some real personality into the Hulk, including some laugh out loud moments.
Overall I really enjoyed it, miles better than Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull & different enough to Iron Man so it wasn’t just a re-hash. Now bring on The Dark Knight….
