The Dark Knight is the best film adaptation of a comic book I have watched in my life. Two hours ago, I watched the movie for the second time (just had to try if the movie hit me with more intensity when I’m not with someone) and was blown away the second time. I wasn’t overwhelmed in the usual sense of the word; the movie did not take my breath away. Instead, I nearly fainted during the latter half of the film as the continuous plot twist and explosive action and Heath Ledger’s Joker keep upping the ante in the psychopathic meter almost suffocated me. Heath Ledger was haunting as The Joker, and a weird thing happened to me right in the middle of the movie… I actually had forgotten that this actor was not with us anymore and I found myself in shock when the fact, which had slipped right out of my mind and slipped in again, hit me with a sudden and smarting regret that Heath Ledger was not going to come back for a reprise. It’s hair-raising, too, of course. David Denby of The New Yorker puts it thus: “And it has one startling and artful element: the sinister and frightening performance of the late Heath Ledger as the psychopathic murderer the Joker. That part of the movie is upsetting to watch, and, in retrospect, both painful and stirring to think about.”

The main characters (Batman, The joker and Dent) are a rework of the story of the salvation of man. Batman was the angel of light (turned dark by the modern mind), The Joker as the devil and progenitor of chaos and Dent is the battleground of the two influences. In the concrete sense, Gotham was the battle ground and its people relegated to horrified bystanders as good and evil waged war. The Dark Night is not all metaphors, though, and many times the destruction and narcotized appearances of The Joker hit home.

In the middle of this, we espy the Nokia XpressMedia and Morgan Freeman working its GUI, seen for the first time by the public on this movie. The phone was modified to act like a sonar, which if possible, is a killer feature, if I have ever seen one.

The Dark Night is fantasy taken to its most realistic proportions or reality enlarged into fantastically nightmarish dimensions. It is the best movie adaptation of a comic book I have ever watched. To point out its flaws is to miss the point. Its strengths will not survive close analysis. For instance, studied noise makes up a significant bulk of the score. The three main characters and including Gary Oldman in a brilliant supporting role probably did the best ensemble acting they have ever done. Maggie Gyllenhaal inlieu of Katie Holmes was a necessary casting. The movie needed a more talented actress. The Dark Knight is a highly literary creation. he is more Jesus than any Jesus shot on film and in costume utterly and profoundly human. I love it.

[photo from unwiredreview]