Batman: The Dark Knight is out on the 8th of December. It’s bound to be December’s best selling DVD and stock shortages are highly likely. It would make a great Christmas present but a strange one considering it is so dark. It’s hardly it’s a wonderful life. I couldn’t think of a more unfestive character than Heath Ledger’s Joker.

I am a big fan of the Dark Knight. I simply cannot rate this film more highly. I saw it twice, something I never do and was still gripped the second time even though I knew what was going to happen. In fact it is such a rich, complex film with such wonderful characters it is should be watched multiple times simply to appreciate it in full.

Personally I thought Heath Ledger’s performance as the  Joker was truly electrifying. Every moment he was on screen I was absolutely fixated. He was deeply sinister, absolutely terrifying and wonderfully enigmatic. Unlike most comic villains there was an immense complexity behind the Joker. His goal was not money nor power it was nihilism, his ultimate aim was to subvert society, reveal the true hypocrisy and falsehoods that are common place in today’s world and destroy them.

Ledger’s performance is so good that it sort of eclipses all of the other performances. That isn’t to say Oldman, Gyllenhal, Bale, Eckhart, Caine aren’t all superb in their various portrayals of moral ambiguity. What this film really nails is the idea of black and white: there isn’t really one. The major action in the film revolves round the characters trying to reconcile doing what is best with doing what is right.

This view ignores that it is also an amazing action film as well with gripping fight scenes, car chases, shoot outs and explosions. In the first part of the film, there is an unexpected cameo from Cillian Murphy when Batman is beating up a band of drug dealers. This unexpected cameo sets the tone for the rest of the film which is full of similar surprises with its slippery plot that constantly twists and turns.

Blu-Ray was designed for this film. The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray would allow the home viewer to fully experience the grimy aesthetic and wonderful scale of this film which tackles a whole city and makes it almost palpable to the viewer. In fact I might go and get myself a Blu-ray player just for this film.

There are some new releases on DVD in the coming month. To set up a stock alert click on the DVD title:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Harrison Ford returns in the fourth instalment of the popular series, this time the antiquated archaeologist is pitted against the Russians, helped by a much younger Shia La Boeuf. The film is released on the 10th of November.

Kung Fu Panda - Jack Black’ animated film about a Kung Fu Panda is released on the 17th of November. The cowardly panda must learn the secret arts of Kung Fu to save his valley from an evil snow leopard. He is helped in his quest by Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman who play a snow tiger and a red panda respectively.

Wall-E - Pixar’s film about an abandoned robot left on an earth covered with rubbish is released on the 24th of November. The film centers around the adventures Wall-E a robot who’s job it is to clear up all the rubbish left on earth by humans who have long since left.

Hancock

Will Smith plays Hancock the amnesiac, alcoholic super hero who is vilified by the city he tries to protect. The film is both funny and action-packed, and sees Will Smith at the top of his game. Hancock is released on the 1st of December.

Batman: The Dark Knight

There is one major reason to see this film: Heath Ledger. His performance as the joker, the clown-faced psychopath was truly out of this world. The Dark Knight is dark, edgy, dramatic and utterly compelling. The Dark Knight is released on the 8th of December.