Hi guys! This is Whitney, with what can be best described as my futile attempt at being a movie critic. The benefit for you, the reader, is the comfort of knowing that I am a very experienced “hater” and have a pretty good track record when it comes to not wasting time. AND SO WE BEGIN!

After what seemed like years (and what was really a matter of months) of anticipation, I checked out the midnight screening of The Dark Knight.

Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight. Warner Bros.

Apparently, 87 million other people (rough estimate) had the same idea. HONESTLY, I’ve been to tens of tens of midnight screenings before and have never witnessed a crowd like this… and this was only the Vestavia Rave.

After making our way to one of like 6 screens in the theater that was playing the movie, I realized something: The Watchmen trailer is being shown as a preview for the film. WHOA! I’ll wait while you go check it out. Okay, so THAT was worth the $10 movie ticket. It almost siphoned all my Batman-related excitement away from the film I was there to watch.

All in all, my honest (and very stubborn) opinion is that YES, you need to watch this movie in the theater. I know people who wait for the DVD to come out and I tend to sympathize with them, because their tastes are discerning and they obviously want to be frugal about their entertainment budget. Let me put this in terms that non-graphic novel enthusiasts and comic geeks alike can understand: I’m a 22 year old, impatient and often distracted girl and I LOVED THIS MOVIE.

Aaron Eckhart AND Christian Bale? YES, PLEASE! Maggie Gyllenhaal bringing the cynicism and emotional texture that you’ve come to count on her for? YES. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine bringing so much reason into the storyline that you can’t stand it? UH HUH. There was also a brief appearance from Cillian Murphy (the Scarecrow), Two Face’s plot saturation and the performance of a lifetime by Heath Ledger (The Joker). Yes, I know with his untimely death it lent alot of questionable praise to his turn as a Batman villain, but he creeped me out like no other and for that he must be rewarded. The film does well on its own AND as a compliment to Batman Begins. I hate to say it, but I’m starting to favor this particular script over the Tim Burton projects.

Just go see it; you were going to anyway. Plus, this might top your list of favorite Gary Oldman performances of all time. Quiet down, you adorable Harry Potter fanatics!

Without ruining it for you, this movie will tranform your thought processes when it comes to good and evil, and that’s no small feat for transforming this weathered Southern temperament.