About the Batman

[jerseyfabulous]

I'm sure you've seen reviews of it by now, and they all seem to be tripping over each other about how mind-blowing Heath Ledger's performance was. It's hard to know how much of that (and the Oscar talk) is due to it being Ledger's final role. You really can't separate that out. Here's what I do know.

It takes a set of stones to take on a role Jack Nicholson has already done. It takes serious talent to make Nicholson's version of a character most accept as homicidally insane look like a piker. If aria13 ever gets her ass back online, she can do a full comic geek analysis of the Joker we saw in Dark Knight. All I have to say is that the Joker isn't insane.

Before I saw the movie, I thought the Oscar talk was overblown. Now I wonder. It deserves a nomination at least. I'm withholding judgment on whether or not it's worth the little golden guy. (Even if it is, he won't get it. I'd be happy to eat my words on this, but the Academy aren't going to grace a summer comic book superhero movie with an award any more than they did a pirate movie where the anti-hero was channeling Keith Richards.)

I also have to say I'm amazed the movie escaped an R rating. The "disappearing pencil trick" alone was cringeworthy in a way not normally shown on the big screen. This wasn't cartoon violence. I heard more than one person in the audience sit up and saw "whoa" after some of the "did they really just do that?" moments. I guess it says something about what we as a society feel is acceptable that it's only PG-13.

Comments

[stylistixs.livejournal.com]

if it got rated a pg-13, it's going to be rated g in quebec. quebec entertainment laws rate movies on rating lower than the rest of north america.

i wanted to see it, but it's been sold out for two weeks for the opening day. maybe next week. the disappearing pencil trick sounds mighty interesting.

[jerseyfabulous.livejournal.com]

Wow. No WAY should it be rated G. This wasn't a kid's comic book movie, this was a graphic novel movie meant for grownups.