The Dark Knight

Batman is a character that people from all generations can recognize easily. With his start in comic books, Batman has now moved on to the big screen. It seems that comic book characters have been becoming increasingly popular at the box office. For example, Spiderman, The Avengers, and  Ironman have all had great success in recent years and I enjoyed watching all of them. So naturally, it was no surprise to me that Batman in The Dark Knight was also a great movie.

This was actually the second time that I had watched The Dark Knight, and I was definitely able to pick up on a lot more information in the movie. The first time I watched this film, I was completely focused on the Joker, played by Heath Ledger. There were several reasons for this. The first, and probably most obvious, is that the entire world was shocked by his death (as many people believed his role in this film directly related to his death). The second reason, was due to the fact that I was honestly creeped out by the guy.

If his personality wasn't enough to scare a person, the color of the Joker's costume and makeup did the job. His hair was dyed a tinted green color, his clothes were purple and green, his makeup white, red, and black. Noting about these colors seemed to mesh and that was done for a specific reason. The Joker was a very chaotic, unpredictable character. The director wanted the viewers to be afraid and nervous when they saw the character. This emotion was accomplished with the help of colors used in the Joker's costume and makeup. They were aggressive, random, and spontaneous. It all helped play into the fact that viewers never knew what the Joker was going to do next.

But these colors have been used to portray the Joker ever since the comic book was created. When the director chose to use the same makeup and costume for the film, the only other thing needed was an actor. Acting in any movie is crucial, and after watching The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger was definitely the right choice to cast as the Joker. Everything about Ledger's acting was spot-on. The facial expressions, the body movements, the quirky ticks were exactly what I'd expect from a psychopathic killer. Ledger completely took on the role of the Joker, focused internally, and became the character. After all, many think this role lead to his death.

The music and sound of The Dark Knight were also incredible. The sounds of explosion, gunfire, and the Joker's haunting laugh all added significantly to the feeling of reality in this film. Music also has a large impact on viewers, and some could argue that it has a larger effect on viewers than added sound effects. There was so much drama, action, and tension in this film. The music contributed greatly in every scene to help express the emotion that the director wanted to convey. When one stops to notice the music in films, they can hear that there is some music playing in almost every scene. Music and sound each have specific purposes that add significantly to movies.

Overall, this movie was incredible. It was the classic film about good versus evil, but there was so much more going on. It was action-packed, realistic, and entertaining. Though it was a longer film, I never felt bored or wanted the film to end. I was very glad to see that this film's success lead to another great film by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises, and hope that more Batman films are produced in the future.