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THE DARK KNIGHT- REVIEW


THE DARK KNIGHT

(ENGLISH,2008)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gylenhall, Gary Oldman

Just when we had started to give up hope on Hollywood after a string of mediocre releases "The Dark Knight" came to our rescue . Literally.

We have to admit that we were never big fans of the Batman franchise. Maybe a few comic strips once in a while, but nothing beyond that. However, we had loved " Batman Begins " the predecessor to this movie. Christopher Nolan is one among the best in the the business and had done justice to the Batman character in " Batman Begins " . But generally sequels tend to cut a sorry figure, apart from maybe a few.

"The Dark Knight", thankfully, is a rare exception. This is another classic Good v/s Evil movie but it is the execution that differentiates this movie from the other Superhero movies.

The movie starts off rather well with a bank robbery scene.The audience is left to wonder, "Who the hell is the Joker? ". That's when we have a close up shot of the late Heath Ledger. " I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you .... Stranger", pretty much sums up the character of the Joker.

Then we have the Batman making an appearance in a rather interestingly shot impersonation scene. The movie then dwells on the corruption and crime scenario of good, 'ole Gotham City.

Unlike "Batman Begins" the character of Bruce Wayne is underplayed by Christian Bale. "The Dark Knight" focuses more on the Batman character, with very little emphasis on Wayne. Michael Caine as the butler is impressive as usual. The role of Mr. Fox is again portrayed by the versatile Morgan Freeman.

What stands out in the movie however is the character of The Joker. Heath Ledger gives us a performance of a lifetime. The sheer ruthlessness of the character is portrayed brilliantly.

The movie could have easily been "Oh..so predictable" like many Superhero flicks.But you can always bank on Nolan to give that extra something, which makes his movies stand apart. Yes, being a Superhero movie there are a few cliched scenes, but you will hardly notice them as Nolan keeps you glued to your seats. Although the movie is pretty much based on the Joker v/s Batman rivalry there are some exceptional scenes without these two characters. The "Social Experiment" scene with the two ferries is simply brilliant. This scene stands out because we believe that's what the movie is all about.

The Batman character is the best among all the various Batman versions on screen. Bale is as reliable as ever. Although the Joker easily steals the show, there are some scenes involving The Dark Knight which will take your breath away. There is this amazing sequence based on a party hosted by Wayne in which the Joker makes an appearance. Or the shots of the Batman swooping down across the night sky among the skyscrapers. And the BatPod sequence. It is scenes like these which makes the movie stand out.

"The Dark Knight " is technically brilliant and will be a visual feast. The background score is mighty impressive and the OST is definitely worth your money.

The movie is a tad long compared to recent releases with a runtime of 152 mins. But rest assured you will never feel bored the slightest bit as the screenplay is as fast as lightning and Nolan ensures there is never a dull moment.

The piece 'de resistance however is the " Why so serious, Son" scene involving the Joker. This is easily one of the best cinematic scenes in history and there is a superb scene in which the Joker joins the applause when Oldman is appointed Commissioner. Heath Ledger definitely deserves an Oscar. May his Soul Rest in Peace.

The star cast is top-notch. Bale, Ledger, Freeman, Eckhart, Caine, Oldman are all at the top of their game in this movie. Maggie Gylenhall does have a rather small role and does justice to it.However we terribly miss Katie Holmes from Batman Begins. She was a stunner!!!

Alright then. The Verdict. This is an exceptionally brilliant movie and it has something in it for everyone. We will give it 4.5 out of 5

Verdict: Simply Uber (Ultimate) . 4.5 / 5

Well, lets start off the proceedings with a review of Kuselan

Movie: KUSELAN (Tamil , 2008)


Director: P.Vasu

Cast: Rajinikanth,Pasupathy,Meena

This is not your typical Rajinikanth movie . If you are looking forward to a dozen punch dialogues , a handful , or rather , fistful , of fights , you will be disappointed , my friend. The intro scene is the highlight of any Superstar movie. This one is no exception.

The very sight of Rajinikanth , riding on a pegasus , in a Zorro costume , in the desert , to the tunes of "Cinema Cinema" , was enough to send a Thalaivar fan like me into a state of frenzy.

But before his intro , you have to endure a very slow moving and rather boring half an hour.

The movie starts off rather interestingly with certain interestingly shot frames , which show the contrasting lifestyles of the barber and the Superstar.

After this there is nothing much which happens , worth mentioning, and the audience is made to endure unwarranted torture from Livingston and his bunch of homies , in the name of comedy !!

And when Vadivelu decides to join the party , things take a turn towards the worse. Frankly i expected some rib tickling comedy , which Vadivelu is very good at normally. But Kuselan has very few comic scenes worth mentioning.

There are some very well shot scenes which manage to keep the audience interested in the movie. For instance , the one in which Pasupathy tries to meet the Superstar and ends up getting bruised in the stampede

Or, the one in which Vadivelu bumps into Rajinikanth and cant hide his feelings. The bulk of the movie , sadly,is spent in unwanted attempts at comedy.

The sentimental scenes involving Pasupathy and his family , are well intended , but get fairly annoying beyond a certain point.

The acting is very ordinary as far as Meena and the other actors are concerned
But the character of Barber Balu, who is constantly in a tight spot , is played with ease by Pasupathy . Although not as powerful as his act in " Veyyil" , this role by the talented actor is definitely worth some praise.

Ah... The Superstar himself.

Although there is not much scope for displaying the Rajinikanth phenomena which we have been accustomed to in his movies, he underplays his character , with trademark Rajinikanth elan and style.

There are loads of unwanted scenes in the movie. For instance , the voyeuristic Vadivelu ogling at a gorgeous Nayanthara. People will question my orientation if I were to say that I did not like the scene :) . But c'mon guys , this is sooooooo out of place in a Rajinikanth movie.

And P.Vasu 's attempt at self advertising could have been avoided. "Chandramukhi" need not have been re-created in Kuselan.

The music is fairly good . And the lyrics praising the Superstar are truly out of the world , and will be a treat for Rajni fans.

The climax is by far the only good thing about the movie. It is its saving grace. For people who say that Rajinikanth cant act , this will serve to be a perfect "nose cut". The pin drop silence in the theatre during the climax speech was ample proof of this , as a few lines which he delivers frankly would have brought the roof down. The climax is a tear jerker in every sense of the word. And for his fans , who will be able to correlate the dialogues to the Rajni in real life , will truly experience the Rajni magic in the climax scenes.

On the whole , this movie is a huge disappointment . We know this was always meant to be a small role for the Superstar , and I don't grouse that fact. But the movie could have been much better if many scenes had been shelved .

The execution of such a good story , falls flat on its face. I have not seen the original version "Katha Parayumbol" , but am sure the Tamil version is a poor attempt in comparison.

We had promised that there will be no room for bias in our reviews , and Kuselan is a stellar example . Even though we are MAJOR fans of Thalaivar , we will go with 1.5 out of 5 for this sorry excuse of a movie that is Kuselan. Thalaivaaa... waiting for "Sultan".

Verdict : Don't waste your time . Unless you are a Rajni fan. 1.5 / 5

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