I have prided myself as someone who never jumps on a bandwagon. But after seeing the Dark Knight, I can’t help it. The movie was as complex as it was dark and had me captivated from the very beginning to the very end.

Heath Ledger’s took on the role of The Joker following in the footsteps of Jack Nicholson and Caesar Romero in portraying Batman’s arch enemy. The difference between Ledger and his predecessors, is that he didn’t leave his own individual mark on the character what so ever. I never saw Heath Ledger and thought of his death… I only saw The Joker.

Ledger’s capture of how The Joker was not only amusing, brilliant, sadistic, but always one step ahead of everyone, created a feeling of almost panic as you watched him terrorize Gotham City and those fighting against him. Instead of seeing a villain dressed as a clown, you saw a menace that had all the exits covered, leaving you with no where to go. Just when you think you are safe, you are neck deep in his plan. It is a similar feeling you get with a horror film villain.

In playing the Joker, Ledger was able to be humorous and utterly dark at the same time, causing your laughter at him to make you feel uneasy because you were fully aware of terror that lied in the punch line of his jokes. Every moment he was on the screen, you were captivated with what he might do or say next…

“Do I like like the kind of guy who has a plan? I am like a dog that chases cars. To be honest, I don’t know what I would do if I actually caught it.”

But the scary thing about him was, he always did know. His obsession and co dependency on Batman was an aspect of their relationship that so desperately needed to be told, and was done so perfectly.

“You can’t kill me because of your one rule, and I can’t kill you because you are just too much fun!”

Oscar watchers are saying that it is a stretch that Ledger will win.

“All this Oscar talk is a phenomenon of the Internet age that I like to call ‘a wish-fulfillment rumor.’ If people say it often enough, they think it will happen,” said Leonard Maltin, film critic for TV program “Entertainment Tonight.”

“That’s not to say it might not happen,” he said, citing a “great performance” by Ledger. “But I assure you that the people who are spreading all this are neither Oscar voters nor (Hollywood) movers and shakers.”

No, it’s just the people who spent $190 million last weekend to see the movie. I’d be shocked if someone could come up with one performance on the last 10 years that compared to Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in this movie.

Him winning this award would have nothing to do with the fact that he died. Truth be told, from a movie standpoint, his death means that he can’t reprise the role again. Performances like his in this movie don’t happen very often. It would be a crime not to give him an Oscar. Many thought his death would over shadow the movie. I think her performance over shadowed his death.

Do you think Ledger deserves and Oscar for his role in The Dark Knight?

What did you think of the movie?