I want a Batbike!

I didn’t really like Batman Begins. It just seemed like an ‘Old Boys Club’ film - you know I like my strong female characters, don’t you! Plus there was the fact that I find Ras Arse Gull to be the most boring Batman villain ever and I think Liam Neeson is such a dull actor. Oh, and I thought Bale’s Batman voice was a bit silly.
So anyway, I finally saw the Dark Knight yesterday and was really not expecting to like it. I thought it would be the kind of movie I would come out of in a sulk, because everyone else liked it and I didn’t.
I liked it!!!
It’s just one of those movies that has quality written all over it and you’re watching it looking forward to watching it again.
It just takes the comic book movie up another notch - the action is so amazing - the truck tipping over and batman turning his bike up against the wall - amazing! Yeah it could have been shorter, but I couldn’t think of any part of it I’d want to get rid of.
Heath Ledger is superb. You feel like you’re watching a living comic book - his entrance is outrageous, his nurse’s uniform is hilarious, and the silent scene where he sticks his head out of the police car window is beautiful.
Two Face is amazing - and I hope Tommy Lee Jones and whatsisface who directed Batman Forever/and Robin watch this and are ashamed of themselves.
The story is brave, intelligent and in no way patronising - I just wish there was some kind of stand-alone comic out there that wasn’t an ongoing story - just told good solid Batman stories like this one. DC need to do some kind of Judge Dredd version of a Batman comic.
Oh and Christian Bale’s bat voice didn’t annoy me once.
Great movie. Although I must say that Michael Caine needs a bit of a slap. He’s become lazy! Is he really resigning himself to these ‘wry-old-geezer-with-twinkle-in-the-eye’ roles? Annoying!
On another note - before seeing this film, I was of the mindset that Heath Ledger killed himself because of the psychological impact of playing the Joker. Having seen the movie, I can't see this as a possiblity - Heath's whole performance is a very knowing, very look-at-me-I'm-having-fun thing. Yes, dark and disturbing, but there have been more dark and more disturbing roles. Either way, it's tragic that we've got the perfect Batman-Joker relationship and now it's over.