Ledger Leaves a LEDGEND

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

Without wanting to see it, my friends made me see "Batman Begins". I fought the idea of anyone living up to Keaton and Nicholson in "Batman". I walked out of the theater completely blown away on June 15, 2005. I submitted to the fact that Christian Bale was the best Batman ever and Batman Begins was one of my five favorite movies of all-time (a top 5 with the most recent movie made in 1995; a tough list to crack). I also said there will never be another Joker like Nicholson. When Ledger was cast, I questioned it, not really being a fan of his (not because of Brokeback but because of A Knight's Tale, etc). Well, after three years of anticipation, tickets purchased four days in advance and an hourly countdown for the past two days, I went into a theater at 11 pm on July 17 to get good seats for what would become on July 18, 2008, the best movie I've ever seen.
I can't imagine a better film ever being made right now and it is mainly because of the best supporting performance of our generation. While you can't compare Nicholson to Ledger because of the different styles of 'The Joker' they played, you can no doubt say Heath Ledger played the most spectacular part on film that I can ever remember. This guy had so much talent that I never realized until I saw "The Dark Knight". It is a true shame he is gone, and not just because of acting. It's a shame for so much more. His part was so real that I never once saw Heath Ledger; I saw "The Joker" for 130-plus minutes. I couldn't even imagine a picture of Ledger in my head while looking at "The Joker" on-screen. If someone plays a better role between now and Oscar Nomination time, I've got to see it; because no one has played a better role to date.
Bravo and I'd give it 20 stars if I could. "TDK" did what "Star Wars: Episode I", "Batman Returns", "The Lost World" and so many others have never done: Live up to the hype. And this was more anticipated a movie than I can ever remember in 29 years on this planet.