“The Dark Knight” is simply a visually stunning movie, enhanced by the elite acting performances of Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, the late Heath Ledger and the writing/directing brilliance of Christopher Nolan.
Six sequences of the movie were shot in IMAX film, marking the first time a major feature film was even partially shot using IMAX cameras, and the effects are breathtaking.
Opposed to the unrealism of Computer Generated Images (CGI), a visual affects go-to for today’s big-budget action films, Nolan prefers the use of stunt work wherever applicable, including shooting broad cityscapes from the air as opposed to computer-enhancement.
The first six minutes of the film, shot with IMAX cameras, feature a stunning, almost breath-taking shot of a Chicago cityscape, enhancing the movie-watching experience through the IMAX production.
I was invited to see the media preview release of the movie, held Wednesday evening at the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater at World Golf Village, and admittedly, it was the first time I’d seen an IMAX movie.
My first reaction after entering the theater was amazement at the sheer size of the screen itself. The screen is a jaw-dropping six stories tall by 80 feet wide, and when the theater goes dark and the film starts rolling, your attention and entire visual periphery are dominated by the magnitude of the screen.
Known traditionally for stunning cinematography in wildlife and nature films, the full focus of the IMAX experience was instead devoted to sweeping views of the Chicago and Hong Kong skyline where Batman star Christian Bale was often found standing watch.
I was chided by my coworker who sat a few dozen seats to my left who discovered me sitting forward in my seat, completely immersed in the experience—wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I wasn’t surprised though. The cinematography was simply mesmerizing.
No one has ever shot an action-packed, major motion picture with IMAX, and the visual brilliance of the movie just took my breath away.
Nationwide, movie reviewers are writing about the performances of return-actor Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Katie Holmes’ replacement for the Rachel Dawes character and the much-hyped performance of Heath Ledger as the nihilistic, dark star The Joker.
They were all magnificent, especially Ledger’s role. There have been rare instances in my entire movie-watching career where an actor so skillfully played a character that I became unaware it was just an actor playing a character.
For this movie, Ledger fully disappeared into The Joker. His appearance, mannerisms, hard-R American accent and facial tics eliminated my perception that I was watching Ledger simply play a character. His performance alone is enough reason to see the movie, which may admittedly be heightened by his untimely death.
After seeing this movie on the IMAX Theater at World Golf Village, I can honestly contend that the IMAX experience may be just as much the star of this film as any of the actors. Seeing this movie in a conventional theater will only dilute the full experience, and don’t even think about waiting for this movie to come out for rent before seeing it.
