Be more serious

I took in a viewing of the much-hyped "The Dark Knight" last night at the Hi Pointe Theater (yes, the place has re-opened, and in a brilliant move, booked the hottest movie of the summer). The crowd was surprisingly light and, more importantly, very enthusiastic. Most of the crowd were Hi Pointe regulars, as you could hear the owners of the theater greeting them by name as they walked in the door.

I grabbed a large popcorn with extra butter topping (layered, please), a large Cherry Coke and a box of Dots (hey, you gotta have the whole movie-going experience, right?) and found a great seat about six rows back, right in the center.

The movie started almost ten minutes late, but that made everyone anticipate it that much more. Once the film began, the crowd's patience was rewarded. From the opening moments of a pan across Gotham City, to Jim Gordon's soliloquy at the end, the film delivered on so many levels.

I will pause here to say that I love film. Movies, pictures, film... whatever you want to call it. I love it. Everything from smart indie-house films to big-budget popcorn flicks. As long as it has a good story and plot, good direction, good writing and good acting, it doesn't matter to me if the film appeals to the masses or a few nerds secluded in a particular niche. From "Miller's Crossing" to "Harold & Kumar go to White Castle," if its entertaining and somewhat clever, I'm there.

That said, "The Dark Knight" is one of the best films I've seen in a long while. Never mind that its a hugely anticipated film. Forget that its a "comic book movie". All of that doesn't matter. Its a good movie. From the direction and pacing, to the dialogue and acting, to the story and plot, on down to the emotion and action, director Christopher Nolan and crew nailed this one shut.

This is a comic book movie for those who hate comic book movies.

The cast and director makes you feel as if all of this improbable action is actually possible. They take a realistic approach to the caped crusader and his arch villains. So much so, that at times you forget that you're watching a guy dressed up as a bat and a guy in clown makeup. There is is not a single weak link in the entire cast. Everything and everyone is firing on all cylinders. The special effects and CGI are minimal, and totally believable in the context of the film.

This is the brainiest, brawniest, most engrossing action flick I've ever seen. And its actually a disservice to refer to it merely as "an action flick". No, this movie rises above that moniker. That pathos and humanity shine through, giving it a level of realism that any previous Batman movie (or for that matter, any super-hero based film) only dreamed about.

And, of course, you have Heath Ledger. Now, I'm not one for speculation. I was as skeptical about the film as I was about the early buzz floating around about his "Oscar worthy" performance. Well, my friends, I can say that both the hype about the movie, as well as Ledger's performance are, if anything, understated.

Yes. Its that good.

Ledger's performance of The Joker is mesmerizing. He creates a Joker so psychotic, so evil and so bereft of humanity, that it will rank up there with the other great movie villains of all time. From his mannerisms to his appearance, Ledger not only creates a new take on the Joker, but he redefines the Joker and makes him his own. He delves so far into character, that you almost can't even recognize him. The serpentine tongue licks, the nasally voice and the disheveled look create a Joker that is so terrifying that I found myself wishing that I'd never come face to face with him. Then I remembered that he's a fictional character, and felt a bit silly for thinking it.

So, if you're going to let the economy and high gas prices limit your summer entertainment expenditures, make it a point to put "The Dark Knight" on you list of things to do this summer. You'll be happy that you did.

I'm giving it four and a half stars out of five.