Mike Maher

      It’s not often I post a movie review. In fact, it’s not often I write or post about anything to do with the entertainment industry or pop culture other than the occasional local band critique. The new batman movie, The Dark Knight, however, just begged me to write about it after I saw it last night. You know what, I’ll just review the whole experience of going to see the movie.

I braved the crowds of hardcore comic book fans and batman enthusiasts and went to see The Dark Knight yesterday eve on its opening night. I knew that a new batman movie combined with the tragic, shameless hype of Heath Ledger would call for a large crowd, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I showed up half an hour early (mostly by chance), and found that three of the times were already sold out for the show. Luckily, the one I was there for was not one of them. I was meeting a friend of mine there, and since he wasn’t there yet, I decided it would be a good idea to buy both tickets right then. Good call. The couple behind me bought the last two tickets to that time slot.

When my friend showed up, we went inside and found hordes of people lined up and roped off waiting to get into the theater. We cautiously grazed the place like confused cattle, eventually finding ourselves near the back of one of the lines. As we stood there waiting, we saw strange groups of people only to be rivaled by a Star Wars convention. Grown men wearing batman shirts and utility belts, a group of girls wearing capes. I stood there in my cargo shorts and Fairmont T-shirt thinking, “What the heck did I get myself into?”

The doors opened, the line finally moved, and I was on my way inside to be more comfortable. Or so I thought. When the smoke cleared, I found myself front and center in the first row of the theater. As I stared practically straight up, I said out to loud to anyone who was listening, “Why do they even make these seats?” My neck is so strained that even now, the morning after, I’m lying on my back holding my laptop in the air while writing this because I can’t look down. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point: the seats stunk.

I got over the seats pretty quickly, though, as the movie was nothing short of fantastic. I admit, I was pretty skeptical coming in, especially after the way it was promoted with trailers of nothing but Heath Ledger. I knew he was going to posthumously win an Oscar regardless of how well he acted, but I have to say, it’s going to be well deserved. I’d say he would be a lock to win one even if he was still alive. He was deliciously dark as the joker, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he blew Jack Nicholson out of the water. Christian Bale was equally first-rate, and Michael Caine was his usual flawless Michael Caine. Actually, pretty much all of the actors were flawless. Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, everyone. The movie was even void of the Hollywood cheesiness that has become all-too-common these days (see Hancock for a most recent example).

I’ll spare you all the actual review of the movie, as it is something you really should see for yourself. I’m probably going to see it again, hopefully from a better seat. I think I may go to a matinee.