My First Impression of the Dark Knight. Don't read this one!
Posted by Erin at 1:03 PM | Monday, November 30, 2009
The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13
Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllanhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Leadger
Warner Brothers
2/4
What, exactly, made this movie so dang exciting? Do people just like watching things explode or something? Because I honestly don’t understand what made The Dark Knightany better than any other super hero movie that has ever come out.
For example, in what way is The Dark Knight better then Iron Man, which had a better cast, or Spider-man 2, which had a much more interesting story? The Dark Knight failed to impress me at all. Batman (Bale) and his ex, Rachel (Gyllanhaal), were completely boring. Actually, to tell the truth, I don’t even remember Batman in the movie. I just remembered Bruce Wayne, who had no personality. The Joker (Leadger), who we’re supposed to be so afraid of, doesn’t even have a reputation. No one knows who he is. No one really seemed to be trying anything to stop him. The only quasi-interesting character was Harvey Dent (Eckhart), a lawyer running for election.
I understand that Gotham is undergoing dark times or something, but you would figure that would be metaphorical, not literal. Was it ever day time in this movie? The cinematography was lacking completely. And where was the musical score? Was the composer asleep? I found the lack of sound completely distracting. I don’t recall there being any plot whatsoever. If there was one, then it must not have been very good. There are also three great actors – Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman – standing on the sidelines with nothing very interesting to do. The only purpose Gary Oldman serves is to die.
After having seen Slumdog Millionaire this year, I wasn’t exactly expecting to fall head over heels for this film, but I also was expecting something more than this. But then again, this was just my first impression of the movie. In the future, when I will inevitably see it on HBO, I hope that my thoughts will improve. Otherwise…what a waste of talent.
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton
Also starring Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, and Jessie Cave
Rated PG
Warner Brothers
3/4
Welcome back, Mr. Steve Kloves. I have missed you greatly. For those who are not like me and do not spend numerous amounts of time reading up on movies, Mr. Steve Kloves has been the screenwriter for all of the Harry Potter movies except one: the Order of the Phoenix. The difference, I think, is obvious.
Order of the Phoenix was too dark and left out too many important things. It was the shortest movie for the longest book. See the problem here?
While Half-Blood Prince is also dark, it has additions of humour and has breaks in the darkness. At least, as far as cinematography is concerned.
This Harry Potter film follows Harry (Radcliffe)'s sixth year at Hogwarts, where he deals with a crush on Ron's sister (Bonnie Wright), Ron (Grint) and Hermione (Watson)'s busted friendship due to Ron's obsessive girlfriend, Lavender (Cave), trying to coax a memory out of the stubborn Proffessor Slughorn (Broadbent), learning some interesting spells from the Half-Blood Prince, and trying to figure out what the sneaky Draco Malfoy (Felton) is up to.
There are some very cool things here that go on. While the opening of the movie does not follow the opening of the book explicitly, it shows us, very well, the destruction going on in both the magical and Muggle world. There are a few despeartly heartbreaking looks from Hermione that make her crush on Ron all the more obvious.
There is a scene around Christmas which was not there in the book. And here, I am afraid, I must forewarn you of a spoiler:
They burn the Weasley's house down. And at first, I wondered why. A friend of mine
suggested that it was a metaphor for the fact that the Weasley's have nothing but each other. If so, it could also be forshadowing of what they still have to lose for this fight.
I have two last things I'd like to point out. One is Tom Felton. He is quite - no, very - good as Draco Malfoy. Is Malfoy sneaky? Yes, but he is also afraid, very afraid. And for a good reason.
The second is the sneak peek into the next movie. No, there is not a trailor at the end of the movie. However, readers who have finished Deathly Hallows should be able to point out a prop that will mean something in the next two movies.
See, Bella. Real friends save you from killing yourself, not ditch so that you will do just that.
Also starring Michael Sheen, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick
2/4
PG-13
Although New Moon is a major improvement on Twilight, the quality of it's lead actress still leaves it as little more than a joke. Because of Twilight, most people went into this movie with the intent to laugh at it. The constant Team Edward vs. Team Jacob fight is just an annoyance. Personally, I think that the Jacob (Lautner) in the movies is much too good for the Bella (Stewart) in the movies, but yet I see his and Laurant's (Edi Gathegi) point: If Edward cares for you so much, then why did he leave you? Even before Edward (Pattinson) leaves, he and Bella aren't acting too couple-y. They don't hug, they don't rush towards each other, they don't hold hands, and their kisses are few and far between. It's not because of romantic tension, nor should it be. They are together - aren't they? Not for long. Bella get's a paper cut that produces a strange amount of blood and Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), Edward's newest family member, goes crazy and 1/10 of the way to making Bella his meal. Despite this, Edward flips out and breaks up with Bella in the middle of the woods and ditches her. And he told her not to do anything rash!
Bella does nothing for 3 months straight except stair out of the window and sit in a chair. Oh, and she apparently sends e-mails to Alice (Greene) that bounce back. Her dad (Burke) becomes so frustrated with her that he threatens to send her back to Jacksonville with her mom. Bella lies and says she's going shopping with her friend Jessica (Kendrick), although she hates shopping. She ditches her friend for riding on a motorcycle with a stranger and hallucinating about Edward.
Instead of moving on with her life and, I don't know, developing a hobby or making friends, Bella decides that she wants to see more Edward-hallucinations. She picks up a couple of motorcycles for her buddy Jacob to fix. Jacob, of course, is in love with her. Unfortunately, he's also a werewolf, and decides they can't be friends anymore. This bothers Bella who announces "You can't break up with me!", which is funny, because they weren't going out. Despite the fact that Jacob has put up with her morbidness and her using him, she still ditches him for the vamps after a she tries some high-flying adventures and Edward goes suicidal.
No one ever said Kristen Stewart was a good actress, which is a good thing, because she's really not. Bella does have a few more human moments in this one, but New Moon is not worth seeing for her. The two who really stand out here are Jacob, the one with the personality, and the eternally cheerful and delightful Aro, played by Michael Sheen. Sheen is perfect for this role, the optimistic leader of the Volturi. Does anyone else find it funny that he also played Tony Blair?
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