Glare in envy, fanboys, I have managed to charm Warner Brothers into letting me into a preview screening of The Dark Knight. Sure, I had to stagger out of the cinema at noon and burst my daze as I returned to work, but it was worth it. It’s no secret that The Dark Knight is the most anticipated film of the year, after Spielberg and Lucas destroyed a great franchise earlier this summer. The promos for the second revived Batman movie have been astounding, as have the rumours that the recently deceased Heath Ledger has delivered an award-winning performance. But, is the story of Batman’s battle with Joker and Two-Face going to live up to its expectations?
Before I continue with The Dark Knight, I should explain that I found Batman Begins to be a disappointing film. While I appreciated Nolan’s attempt to reinvent Batman according to Miller’s grim style, Batman Begins felt too serious, too much in love with its sense of unjustified gravitas to acknowledge that the plot was rather silly, despite Nolan’s best efforts to portray the villain as a moral force.
Fortunately, the sequel manages to avoid this, by generating a dizzying world of chaos and violence, represented by one figure: The Joker. This is not the prancing prat from the CRACK POW Batman series, nor is it the self-destructive maniac that is Jack Nicholson after a few pints of booze. No, this Joker has a one-track mind on a mission to revel in endless destruction. Read the rest of this entry »
Viral marketing for The Dark Knight is reaching fever pitch for the film’s anticipated July 18 release. Following up from Joker’s to-do list, as well as various Gotham City related events, the viral site is now host to a brand new poster that gives us a look into what the Joker has in plan for “the Bat”.
The movie also features Two-Face, though it is not known how big a role he will play in the movie, but I’m pretty sure everyone will be overshadowed by Heath Ledger’s excellent rendition of the infamous character. May he rest in peace.
The Dark Knight is shaping up to be one hell of a movie, what with early reviews marking the movie as a masterpiece, among other things. The movie’s main viral site WhySoSerious.com has been updated with the Joker’s To Do list.
If you now click on #11, you’ll be taken to a subsite with a game that has already been cracked by the fans (results here). However, there are still three more things on his list: “Be good to my guests”, “Gather all my fans” and “Leave a big mark.” Oh yes, the movie will surely leave a big mark.
In related news, other alternate reality sites – GothamCableNews.com and CitizensforBatman.org – have also been updated. Additionally, Blu-ray Limited Editions of Batman Begins purchased from Blockbuster includes a Gotham National Bank envelope in it.
The Dark Knight hits theaters July 18.