My wife saw Batman tonight at a special showing for the film crew and family of the actors (she is close with a family member of one of the actors). The director gave a speech, they got the celebrity treatment, IMAX, yadda yadda. Noteworthy is that the director says he really wants people to see it in IMAX, since he filmed it with IMAX in mind, and spoke about how much non-CG effects are in the movie and how those real stunts and explosions come off better in IMAX.
I'll try and get her to type up a full review later, but I will offer some of her broader points now (no spoilers).
First, Oscar buzz for Ledger is not because he is dead. In my wife's opinion, he gives one of the best performances she's seen in years. Not just one of HIS best performances, and not just one of the best performances in a superhero movie, but just plain old one of the best performances period. In her opinion, he should at least be nominated for best actor, and would have been even if he were alive. He is that good.
Second, this is a VERY dark movie. The joker does not come up for air with a lighter side. It's dark dark dark all the way through. Psychotic, scary, intense, and creepy are other words my wife used to describe the film.
That's all for now. I'm really looking forward to this film.
