Liz and I went to see The Dark Knight yesterday at the IMAX theater. The movie was fantastic, but I have to say that seeing it on the IMAX screen was overwhelming. The second the movie started with an aerial shot of a skyscraper, I was pretty sure we were in for it.
Don't get me wrong -- I loved the movie. I had my eyes closed during parts of it, which I know was unnecessary because most of the gory violence happens off-screen. I thought Christian Bale was great as Batman/Bruce Wayne, as usual (I've loved him since Empire of the Sun). I love the way that Michael Caine's character, Alfred Pennyworth, and Morgan Freeman's character, Lucius Fox, balance out Bruce Wayne and keep him grounded and sane. And I thought Heather Ledger was amazing, although perhaps not necessarily Oscar-worthy.
But this was a seriously intense movie, both in terms of implied violence, action scenes, and explosions and in terms of the morality themes in the plot. Seeing on that gigantic screen, while sometimes gratifying (hello, Christian Bale's handsome mug), left the audience with no place to hide.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. But I'm glad we went to an afternoon matinee. Seeing the movie on the IMAX screen had the same effect on me as several cups of coffee. My hands were trembling, my heart was pounding, and I was jumpy. If I see the movie again, I think I'm going to opt for a regular screen with a bottle of beer.
No comments:
Post a Comment