The Only Thing Missing was The Bat-tussi

Just a short review of The Dark Knight:



BAD ASS!!



This is truly the finest movie ever to feature: a) a hero punching a dog, and b) the most messed up use of a pencil in modern cinema.

The question now is: where does this stack in the pantheon of all-time great comic book movies. It's hard to say - anyone who knows me knows that such a topic is something I would take seriously. (As opposed to the Olympics, which apparently I take pretty lightly.) I don't want to overrate this one just because it's the most recent, and we've had a string now of three great comic movies and one pretty good one (Hellboy II wasn't quite up to Iron Man and The Hulk). I'll have to take this under advisement and get back to you.

One thing I will say, though, is I understand the hype surrounding Heath Ledger's performance. Few actors have nailed a comic character - hero or villain - the way Ledger got the Crown Prince of Crime. He completely brought across all of the Joker's key elements: his love of chaos, his complete ruthlessness, his love of dramatics, his bizarre love-hate relationship with Batman. Is it Oscar-worthy? No, not really - but I've seen far weaker performances than Ledger's win.

Of course, I should also point out the incredible trailer for Watchmen. I didn't think they could actually put that book into a movie, but it looks completely dead on, like whole scenes are lifted straight from the artwork. Just check it out below and weep at its awesomeness:



Until next time,
The Jim