My Review – The Dark Knight

I could sum this post up with one word, WOW! But that would be a cheap shot. That said, I’ll make every effort to be frugal in the spoiler department. Although those are easily found all over the internet. If that’s what you’re looking for, knock yourself out.

We went to an afternoon viewing of The Dark Knight where it was being shown on six screens with a show starting approximately every 30 minutes. When we pulled into the parking lot we immediately spotted several people made up with “Joker” faces. We purchased our tickets for a later show then went to grab a bite to eat. We arrived back at the theater just in time to join the front of the line as they removed the rope letting everyone in our showing room. No, we didn’t rudely cut in line. We were guided in that direction by an attendee. We managed to get seats smack in the middle of the theater, which are my favorite seats (the screen doesn’t appear too big or too small). After the lights dimmed it was an eerie feeling to turn around and look up a the darkened theater room sprinkled with white flickering Joker faces and their big red lips.

On to my thoughts of the movie, The Dark Knight. I almost hate going to see a movie that’s overhyped up by commercial advertising and viral marketing techniques. Usually it sets me up for disappointment and even more often that disappointment pans out in a full ungratified failure of a movie. With this movie the over hyping was as over-the-top as any other, if not more. But this time the critics stood behind it. Still… I wasn’t sure if maybe they weren’t just being nice because of the tragedy earlier this year with Heath Ledger’s very unfortunate and untimely death.

Although as minor as they might be, I’ll get the negatives out of the way first. As I just mentioned I always find myself sitting in the theater looking for flaws of any overhyped film. I piss myself off with this because it’s almost as if I’m wanting to be disappointed. I must admit it was a hard sell to be disappointed with this film. I could only find two flaws worth mentioning.

The first negative was the film being unattractively loud during the action sequences. This one is difficult to explain since we expect loudness during the action scenes and even enjoy it. The scenes themselves were not eardrum popping. It was the gunshots, crashes, etc. It just seemed unnecessary but certainly not a noisy film as I’ve read from others. My second negative mention is Batman’s voice. I’ll just say it like this: At times the Batman sounds as if he’s sitting on the toilet executing a constipated dump. While these may be distractions for some, they in no way deter from the all around brilliance of The Dark Knight as a film. I just can’t seem to figure out why Batman wasn’t constipated in Christian Nolan’s first film, Batman Begins. Now that I know what to expect, I don’t feel these negatives will be as prominent in future viewings which is a must (more on that later).

It was the late Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker that stole the performances and the show. His performance was so in tune with the character that it yielded perfection. If Ledger had acted any more it would have been over done but instead he nailed it as if one swift swing of the hammer. He made it look easy, but certainly he put his all into it and then some. Without a doubt, the weeks he spent locked up from the outside world, getting into character paid off.

The question everyone is asking; who is the better Joker? Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson. After a single viewing of The Dark Knight the answer will be obvious. With all due respect to Nicholson’s wonderful career and great performance as the Joker in Tim Burton’s original Batman, there is no doubt that Heath Ledger will now and forever own the Joker character. I feel sorry for the next actor who accepts the role in future installments, if any. It will be a tough purple suit to fill. Ledger’s performance is pure magic. At times I didn’t know whether to laugh or be shocked with disgust. Other times the intended emotion was quite clear. He interjected a charisma that was both dark and psychotic and expressed it through gesture, personality and voice. At times taking on different characters within himself with a complete fluidity. This all combined with delivering an innate attribute that prevails in most of us even if only on a minute scale.

Yes, I’m saying there’s a little bit of the Joker in all of us. The Joker plays on human emotion. I think we all do that to some degree. It’s whether it is good or bad that makes the difference in the psychotic state of one’s mind. On another level if the outcome is self-serving and harmful to others the line of morality is crossed. It just so happens The Dark Knight’s Joker is immorally psychotic. Now that I mentioned it, I’m quite sure I know at least a couple of Jokers out there although they haven’t killed anyone that I know of.

Christian Bale again delivers as Batman as he did in Batman Begins. Bale is good, but the truth is the role of Batman could be played by several good actors. I don’t mean to minimize Bale because he is good in this role and it would be hard to see someone else in his place. But I’ve got to admit, with the exception of Batman Begins, these movies are more about who he’s up against than himself. That said and somewhat contradictory to the previous statement, Nolan does continue unveiling the duel identity of the caped crusader but also brings them closer together. This time he was more Batman, even as Bruce Wayne. We finally get to see him do some detective work on his own. It answers as opposed to the unanswered pieces of the puzzle in previous movies. I wasn’t left wondering how he knew this or that. This time he takes matters of getting information into his own hands. It makes sense and it works much like in the original comic. Of course this is due to the excellent script that leaves no stones unturned.

Batman gets a new suit and toys in The Dark Knight. The caped crusader emerges on his Bat-Rod [cycle, in above photo] in a spectacular action sequence. Even cooler is that you least expect it. I immediately thought, “Man, I want one!” There are several scenes in the movie that will leave the viewer picking up his or her jaw up off the floor.

I was surprised at Aaron Eckhart’s role as Two Face (Harvey Dent). I didn’t expect much from him. In my opinion Eckhart’s not a stellar actor and never will be. Some people just ain’t got as they say. However, his role as the District Attorney, Harvey Dent, seamed to fit his personality so it worked. As Two Face, the special effects of his facial mishap carried him as an evil doer.

Maggie Gyllenhaal as assistant D.A. Rachel Davis out performed Katie Holmes [Mrs. Cruise] previous role by a long shot. I recall Holmes being a little too giddy and perky for the role. Gyllenhaal brought layers and depth to the character in the new film. She almost over acted the part of being too much a down-to-earth woman to the point of a plain Jane type. It’s just a little odd to imagine that Bruce Wayne and the dapper D.A. would have such a deep love interest in anyone other than a woman a bit more voluptuous. The depth of character definitely saved her from what otherwise could have sent the movie down
a notch. In the end it worked.

Director and co-writer Christopher Nolan is doing a fabulous job at rewriting the Batman movies. To be honest he blows Tim Burton’s previous big screen Batman out of the water. Nolan continues to develop the characters with a darker side as originally intended in the DC Comic books. This along with excellent scripting and direction has delivered two highly successful feature films. Nolan is not for from a Joker himself as he does a good job reflecting the fears of today’s society, making this one believable. His depictions are based more on real emotion while Burton’s focus failed to hit home resulting in a mediocre production. Then there are the Joel Schumacher series which lacked substance. His focus seemed to be on glamor and sensationalism. Such as the homoerotic overtones which sparked negative criticism. That may have been eye pleasing but it really had no place in a batman series. Gotham is not and never has been a city filled with huge oversized, dark, bulging male statues. If it were, I’d probably reluctantly live there. Gotham is meant to be portrayed as a real city like New York or Chicago with a heaping dose of super villain thrown in for an extra bad measure.

The bottom line, Nolan’s script and directing coupled with Ledger’s outstanding performance makes this Batman the best comic feature film of all time in my opinion. What makes it the best is not just the accurate depiction of the characters and real human emotion but also the fact that it transcends the comic book hero. The script, plot and storytelling also make for an excellent crime drama which will appeal to and satisfy even a wider audience.

In my opinion this is a must see and a must see more-than-once movie. Not that anyone what will get lost in the storyline. The plot is clear and executed well. However, the first viewing will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 152 minutes. You’ll want to go back and see what you missed visually. Additionally, six of the action scenes are shot with IMAX cameras so I will definitely keep my plans (as mentioned in another post) for that. I said before we were worried if seeing it first in a regular theater would ruin the IMAX experience. I no longer have any worries about it. Instead, I believe it will enhance the experience. Now I will be able to sit down, relax and enjoy the visuals while not being on the edge of my seat in anticipation of will happen next [I think...].

The only disappointment I’ll ever get from this movie is if Heath Ledger doesn’t win an Oscar for his role. He should have won and Oscar for his role in Brokeback Mountain. A win for The Dark Knight would be a sweet redemption but by no means a replacement. The theater we were in was nearly full at our 3:30 PM showing. Throughout the movie people cheered, oohed and ahhed at Ledger’s performance. The end of the movie was followed by a few moments of silence. Then in unison everyone in the theater stood and applauded — that says something. It says much more than I could ever say here.

I saved the best for last. This is where I will spoil you if you want me to. If not, do not click play on the video below. It contains the actual first few minutes of The Dark Knight movie. This was included as a teaser on the Blue Ray version of Batman Begins. It is intense and yes, it is a spoiler but it does not spoil the movie.

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