Anticipation for The Dark Knight

    Ever since I saw the later part of the movie Batman Begins, where Commisioner Gordon handed Batman the Joker Card, I have been anticipating the sequel for the said movie. As if the new grounded and realistic tone the franchise was taken to wasn’t enough, now we know that on the next Batman installment, the baddie that will face our hero is non other than the iconic Joker.

    Every Batfan in the world was delighted with the thought of having the Clown Prince of Crime make an appearance in Director Christopher Nolan’s realisticly cool universe. With that said, everyone started speculating on how the Joker will be like and more importantly, which actor is worthy enough to play such a legendary character. A task that will include great pressure to say the least. Many actors were listed as candidates and they include Adrian Brody, Paul Bettany, Robin Williams, Johnny Depp and many more; all of which could have brought interesting interpretations of the character. But when the Batsmoke finally settled, one man emerged as the chosen one to bear the pale make-up and its non other than Brokeback Mountain’s Heath Ledger. At first, many were skeptical including myself. The two roles I remember immediatley when Ledger comes in to mind are a fake knight and a gay cowboy. But as the first trailer was released late in 2007, critics were silenced by the chilling laugh that Ledger gave the Joker. Damn right!

    As if the award-deserving performance of the late Heath Ledger is not enough, critics were allowed to watch The Dark Knight almost a month before everyone else and sure enough, praises for the film just started flowing. Try and look for anything bad that was said about this movie, I can’t find one. I’ve read things like how it surpassed the previous film, that for two hours and a half, the intensity and momentum of the movie is maintained and how every character was well played. It’s not like I had any doubts about the sequel but its great to know for sure that this is gonna be a classic. 

    So knowing that watching The Dark Knight is only about four (4) days away, the wait is killing me.  I’ve watch almost every trailer, TV spot and read every article concerning this film. I just can’t get enough of it. I even went as far as purchasing a kickass Joker shirt online and am planning on wearing it the day I go see the movie with the hopes of catching everyone’s attention and watching them die in envy. So here… we… go!

    The Dark Knight hits theatre’s all over Philippines on July 17. 2008 and I can’t wait!