Holy Movie Batman!

Pardon the title of the post, I couldn't help myself.

We just saw The Dark Knight last night in a special preview screening. I can honestly say it was one of the most incredible movie going experiences I can remember. I don't know where to begin...so bear with me, this will likely ramble.

First off, nearly a quarter of the film's 2.5 hours was shot with IMAX cameras. This has NEVER been done before. All previous "hollywood" films that have been presented in IMAX had been digitally reformated for the IMAX theatres from the original 35mm photography. Not this time. Chris Nolan played around with our (I work for IMAX) cameras a bit with the previous Batman film, and even shot a couple of shots from The Prestige with our cameras. This time he pulled out all the stops. The scenes in IMAX draw you into the film like no other medium can. Is it a gimmick? Not really. It's the way Mr. Nolan wanted to shoot the film. He wanted the largest, highest quality image he could get - IMAX afforded him that, and he used it to perfection. The opening bank heist scene is so real it's like you're right there. Only IMAX can do that.

But that's not really what makes this movie so damn good. It's a true example of what happens when everything comes together. That amazing synergy that makes the work as a whole so much more than any of it's individual parts...and in this case those individual parts are pretty darn good as well. For example:

Heath Ledger...what you've heard isn't hype. To say he carried the film would be a put down to the rest of the show, but his scenes certainly kick things up another notch. With all the talk about his performance I was expecting something "bigger", but he smartly didn't play it that way. It's an astonishing performance, but it's much more internal. It's both exhilarating and disturbing to watch.

The score...the music in the film is a perfect match. It draws you in and leads you by the hand. It's never pushy trying to force emotion or thrills that aren't already there on the screen, it simply compliments the images or sets the tone. The joker has a sonic motif that is used to perfection and trains the viewer that once heard, you know something amazing is about to happen, and it never disappoints.

To quote Jon Lovitz...ACTING! Yeah, imagine that a big hollywood summer movie with ACTORS. There is a difference between a movie star and an actor. This film is wall to wall actors. Their performances are so good it makes the suspension of disbelief not only easy, but a pleasure. I've often said it, but I'll say it again. Gary Oldman is God.

Another often quoted statement is that a film is only as good as it's script. This one is razor sharp. There's not a wasted word in it. The dialog is precise and believable, and the scenes move from one to the next in such an easy and natural way it just flows perfectly. It doesn't feel like a bunch of great scenes cobbled together - which is as much a tribute to the deft editing as it is the brilliant script.

The entire length of the film feels like one perfect scene. The audience left the theatre in awe. It was eerily quiet as we left the theatre. It wasn't until everyone was congregating in the lobby that everyone started pouring out their favorite parts and scenes.

I don't remember the last time I've watched the final credit scroll by and immediately wanted them to play it again. This is film making like we've not seen in a long while. Hopefully it's the start of something good. There's a decent chance it is...both ******* and ******* attended last night's screening, and there's already been interest from others about filming in IMAX. (I realized as I typed those two names I could likely get in trouble for mentioning that....suffice it to say two big name directors attended.) We still need to hope they realize that the IMAX footage was only a tool and not the magic bullet that made a great film. Much like all the fuss over 3D lately. If you make a crappy movie, it's always going to be crappy, whether it's in 3D or IMAX - crap is crap.

The Dark Knight is NOT crap. Go see it in IMAX. You won't be disappointed.