Column 2 "Iggy Pop as the Devil"

64. "The Dark Knight"
It's good, great in fact. Action from the first scene, a decent story that doesn't get too weighty, excellent shots of Chicago and, like every critic still breathing has said before, Heath Ledger is probably the best comic book villain yet. But like my first listen to Nirvana's 1996 live album "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah," I could only think, "This is his last performance. I wish there were more performances." Just like that last Nirvana album, I'm sure I'll see this film many times, thinking about the first time I saw the film.

The anticipation for this film has been growing for over a year. The film was shot in the Loop last summer. My girlfriend's workplace was affected by early morning and late night shoots. On a Saturday last August she saw The Joker skateboarding and Batman eating from a Kraft service table while looking for parking. That day was Cal's Fest, an all day garage festival held at a downtown Loop dive bar. For those familiar with Cal's, you'll notice an early scene shot from the corner of Cal's. What's the point of all this? Chicagoans have been following this thing well before Heath Ledger's death.

I didn't count screen time but I think Gary Oldman could be considered the lead actor. The story is based more on him than Bruce Wayne, not a bag thing. Part two of the Christopher Nolan Batman's isn't bogged down with back story. The Joker has no back story, it's part of why he's scary. The only thing you need to know about Harvey Dent is he was once pure, loves the woman Bruce Wayne has always loved and can be a way for Batman to no longer exist. No samurais, underground societies, manors or dead parents. This time it's about catching the bad guy and watching stuff explode. In fact, by having the Scarecrow show up in one of the first scenes was a neat nod to the first film. Once that was out of the way, it was time to bring in the new guys.

"Batman Begins" created its own world. It was obvious from certain ariel shots that the bridges were real, used to cross the Chicago River, and the rest was miniature sets made to look like a poor and desolate shanty town. The train system that the Wayne's set up was the El, but the El in Gotham is three levels and has a lot more graffiti. "The Dark Night" gave up on creating its own world for the better. The El in Chicago is now the El in Gotham. The streets, all the city streets, are Chicago streets. The explosions happened in and around Chicago, not in a controlled studio. By foregoing making Gotham from scratch, Nolan made the film more realistic, a word not usually used to describe a comic book film.

Back to Ledger. He's the perfect villain. He doesn't care about anything, answers to no one and is more than willing to care and cut for laughs. Money or a lack thereof wouldn't change anything. Think of what "Fight Club" was supposed to be and you get The Joker. Even his appearance adds to the manic character. Every good punk singer should take some notes from his fashion. Custom made suits with colors resembling Willy Wonka violently puking. Stringy hair that can only be achieved by a total lack of care and a penchant for tiny bugs. Makeup that is caked on, sweat off and applied in a way that can only be described as childlike. If you encountered a man like this on the street you'd cross the road, but definitely remember the character.

Jack Nicholson was reportedly angry that the filmmakers didn't ask him to reprise the Joker. He thought he could pull off a demented villain again (though looking back on his turn at the role, it seems like he didn't pull anything off). When Ledger died Nicholson was reported as saying he warned Ledger that the role might be his demise. While Nicholson is surely an asshole, he may have been right. Ledger did seem to do something most actors never will achieve, recreate a character everyone knows and may win acting's highest honor.

All of the acclaim is deserved. Will the next Batman be as good? Probably not. Maybe it shouldn't be made. It's difficult to think of a better way to present Batman. It's even more difficult to think of a villain better than The Joker. Will another comic book film be this good? Maybe, but I doubt it'll come from Marvel or DC or any big studio. Nolan has perfected what you can do with 70 year old characters while staying within a PG-13 rating. The genre should be laid to rest for a while. This won't happen. We're going to get at least another five years of super hero films and every reviewer will say, "Wasn't Heath Ledger great in "The Dark Knight?"