Yeah, yeah, I drove an hour and a half to see “I Am Lackluster” on the big IMAX screen. I was going to do a review for it as well, but frankly I had pretty much the same opinion as everyone else on this site. It wasn’t good it wasn’t horrible it was just there and semi-enjoyable at times (but pretty awful a few times too). Don’t waste your money. UNLESS, you want to have your first “seven minutes in heaven” since the eight grade.
The “Rise of the Joker” prologue for The Dark Knight is some epically awesome film work. From the moment it hit the screen it’s imagery blew “Legend” out of the post-apocalyptic water. Have you seen major movies on an IMAX screen before? Sure it’s pretty cool, they are a bit bigger than they would be at your local theater, but they seem a little washed out and too bright in the dark spots (I Am Legend really suffered from this). That is to be expected, because those movies were all shot in 35 mm and then blowed up to IMAX proportions. Well, “The Dark Knight” is the first movie in history that had sequences shot on IMAX cameras, specifically for IMAX and Sweet Mary Todd Lincoln it shows! The image was stunning! Beautiful, bright, crystal clear and it fills up the whole IMAX screen. There is truly no comparison.
If you want to see a shitty bootleg version someone recorded with the cell phone check it out LEAKED TDK PROLOGUE But, since I fully expect that link to be yanked momentarily I’ve recapped it for y’all below.
*Warning*
Thar be spoilers ahead! Of course it’s only spoilers for the first seven minutes of a movie that you can’t see for eight months, so go for it.
The film opens with a view of the city as the camera sweeps across rooftops and focuses on a window in an office building. An explosion blows the window out. My fist thought is how much this seems like a gritty crime film and not a cartoony comic-book movie - fantastic. In the window we see two guys in clown masks and purple suits, we’ll call these guys Clown #1 and Clown #2 . Clown #1 fires a cable onto a nearby rooftop.
Down on the street is Clown #3. He is standing with his back to us, a large dufflebag slung over one shoulder and his clown mask in his hand. An SUV pulls up, he throws on the mask and jumps in. Clowns #1 and #2 are now zip lining from their window to the rooftop. To say that this shot is harrowing and a little unsettling would be an understatement. Trust me, see this on an IMAX screen when it comes out.
Back in the SUV, Clown #4 is driving and talking to clown #5 (#3 is in the back) about how the five of them are going to split the money and screw over the guy who planned the job - The Joker. Clowns 1& 2 are on the roof talking about how this guy, The Joker, wears make-up to scare people as they break into an electrical box. Clowns 3-5 run into the back and start shooting shit up. Clown #4 is clearly in charge. Clown #2 up on the roof intercepts the banks alarm call and cancels it. As soon as he is done Clown #1 shoots him in the back of the head! He then takes the roof entrance into the bank.
Clown #1 starts drilling into the vault, while out in the main bank some manager gets uppity and shoots Clown #5 in the back with a shotgun he had stashed in his office. Numbers 3 & 4 hide. 4 asks 3 if the manager is out of rounds and 3 nods. 4 jumps up to shoot him, but just misses being shot himself from the manager’s last shell. #3 jumps out and fills the manager full of holes (but doesn’t kill him). #4 yells at him for his lack of mathematical prowess.
#4 now joins #1 in the vault, they mention that this is a mob-run bank they are stealing from. #4 asks where the alarm guy is. #1 says, “Boss told me when he was done to take him out. One less share right?” #4 responds, “Funny, he told me something similar.” Goodbye #1. Only 3 & 4 are left now. 3 watches the captives while 4 loads up the cash. #4 brings the bags out into the lobby and comments to #3 that Joker probably told him to kill him when they were done loading the cash as he points his gun at #3. #3 doesn’t seem bothered by this turn of events as he slowly sidesteps and causally says, “No no no no, I kill the bus driver.” #4, “The bus driver?” A big yellow school bus CRASHES through the front doors and flattens #3.
Clown #6 now jumps out of the back of the bus laughing “School’s out! Time to go!” They throw the huge bags of cash into the back of the bus. #6 asks #3 “What happened to the rest of the guys?” #3 says nothing, he just shoots #6 and walks away. The bank manager, writhing on the floor starts yelling about how criminals in this town used to believe in honor and respect (and they basically would never rob a bank run by the mob). He screams at #3, “What do you believe in?” #3 gets in his face and offers this retort, “I believe that whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you… (he pulls off the mask and unveils himself as The Joker!) STRANGER… If you hadn’t figured that out by now you should be ashamed of yourself.
Joker shoves a smoke bomb in the dudes mouth and walks away as we see the pin is connected to Joker’s belt. He climbs in the bus and drives off as the pin is pulled and green smoke pours from the bomb. Out on the street Joker’s bus falls right in line with a long caravan of school buses off to make the afternoon pickups and we hear sirens in the background.
We are then treated to a montage of images from the film including standard fare of the new Batsuit and cycle, the old faithful Batmobile, and Bats himself standing on the edge of a high building looking out over his city (beautiful shot). We get some maniacal shots of Joker and we see Jim Gordon smashing the Bat-Signal with an axe (Why Jim?).
Sorry this was more of a recap than a review, but I know a lot of people have no way of seeing this and really want to know what happens (and I don’t expect that video link to work for very long). If anyone had any doubts about Heath Ledger as the Joker now is the time to shut your mouth and pretend that you never lacked faith in Mr. Nolan and his vision. I really don’t feel that I am exaggerating when I say that I don’t think anyone could bring this character to life better than the combination of Heath Ledger and Christopher Nolan. But rest assured, by all accounts this is Batman’s movie and will not be more Joker than Batman. With the new villain coming in it’s easy to forget what it’s really about, but Mr. Bale will show us all why the series is about Batman and not the villains.
BONUS
I get a much better version of that kick-ass Joker poster from a friend of mine. Here you go clowns!
Written by: Gillman on Sun, Dec 16, 2007