Episode 221 : Jokes apart

I have never seen a Batman movie in a theatre.

I saw Batman Begins on television. The 1989 release of Batman I saw on my laptop.

So I wanted to see The Dark Knight in a theatre. The hype preceding the movie's release also had something to do with it. And everyone was raving about Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker...

Umpteen attempts to get movie tickets failed, so I managed to get my hands on a camera print of the movie and watched it at home on my laptop.

For someone who got hooked onto animated movies after seeing Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League produced by Warner Brothers, Kevin Conroy is Bruce Wayne/Batman and the Joker is Mark Hamill.

I had seen Christian Bale as Batman before, so I did not pin much hopes on him. But can Heath Ledger make me forget it's him I am watching and not Mark Hamill?

I was curious to find out.

Halfway through the movie, I asked myself when it would end! The pace was not good enough to stop me from checking the time.

Conroy uses a gruffer voice when he speaks for Batman. When I heard Bale growl as Batman, I wanted to tell him he is Batman not Tigerman!

There were a some scenes where I was reminded of the animated series, but they were too few and far between.

When you see or hear someone you like, you smile involuntarily.

Grundy (to Lex Luthor): 'You are crazy!'
A voice from the shadows: 'And what's wrong with that?'
(The voice comes out of the shadows revealing it to be that of the Joker)
Joker: 'It's done wonders for me.'

When I first saw this scene, I automatically smiled. I smiled at the arrival of someone I held in awe.

All said and done, Heath Ledger did a good job in The Dark Knight. Much better than Jack Nicholson in Batman who looked more like a joker than a sociopath joker.

But for me, Mark Hamill is The Joker. Who can laugh as maniacally as him?