the dark knight returns

I have never really been a big fan of Batman. In fact, I have always been more of a Spidey fan. But Christopher Nolan’s takes on the Caped Crusader have lured me to the “dark side,” so to speak. And with his newest installment of the Batman in “The Dark Knight”, I have truly come to appreciate the mystery behind Gotham’s (in)famous superhero.

Of course, I don’t want to give any spoilers, especially for the true fans that are going to hit the cinemas in anticipation, but I have to give my fave points on the flick:

1. Heath Ledger’s swan song performance is awesome. Instead of a loony Joker, Ledger breathes new life into a sadistic, cold blooded killer in the guise of the primary villain.
2. I love the fact that the movie stays true to the Frank Miller-esque treatment of Batman… not the Adam West portrayal. So the “Dark Knight” monicker is really given justice.
3. True to most Batman flicks, there are a lot of gadgets and gizmos. However, I appreciated the fact that it was not overdone.
4. Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman. Again, another great portrayal of Commissioner Gordon.
5. The casting of Aaron Eckhart was perfect. i couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Harvey Dent / Two-Face.
6. The prosthetics in the movie are amazing. Just wait til you get a first glimpse of Two-Face.

All in all, I believe this movie will appeal to the die-hard Batman fanatics as well as the casual movie-goer that has no pre-conceived notion of the Bat, except from the previous (and crappy) versions [Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney].