Downey Weighs in on the Dark Knight

Several times over the last few weeks I've said that I didn't get the big appeal (my review) of The Dark Knight. While Heath Ledger's performance was certainly masterful, I also felt that the Joker didn't get nearly enough screen time, and that the movie dragged anytime he wasn't on the screen. And then there was some kind of confusing subplot involving the Chinese mob. And as the movie began breaking records, I was left feeling dumber than a retarded turnip.... Maybe even dumber than George Bush.

So that's why I feel so dang vindicated after reading this interview with Robert Downey, Jr. An excerpt:

"My whole thing is that I saw 'The Dark Knight'. I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so [expletive] smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? [Expletive] DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."

Okay, so he sounds like he might be back on the coke. Even so, Downey makes some very good points. The Dark Knight did leave me feeling like I missed the entire point of the movie.