Summer Full 'o Movies pt. 7 - The Dark Knight
Entry posted by Nathan Strum
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I hated the Tim Burton "Batman" film. Michael Keaton was a chinless, scrawny twerp and Jack Nicholson was a puffy, over-the-hill buffoon. The series actually got worse after that, with each film further devolving into camp versions of the original comic books, making the 60's TV series look like serious drama.
When Batman Begins came out a couple of years ago, it seemed to be a very promising reboot of the franchise. It took things much more seriously, had far better casting and directing, and brought more humanity to Bruce Wayne, which in turn made Batman more interesting. The only thing I really didn't like about it was the design of Gotham City, which reverted too much to the over-stylized look of the earlier films, and always seemed more like a movie set or miniature than a real city. But the rest of the film was excellent, and I was really interested to see what they would do with The Joker in the sequel.
For months, there has been tremendous buzz about Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. As the movie opened the other week, that only increased, and the reviews (and box office earnings) were stellar. I hoped that at least some of The Dark Knight would live up to its expectations. It's a rare film that lives up to that much hype.
I needn't have worried - The Dark Knight far exceeded my expectations. In fact, it did so to the point where as I was watching the film, I completely forgot what any of my expectations actually were. The film is good on so many levels, it's hard to know where to start. But I'll start with Heath Ledger.
The Joker has finally been brought to life as the unhinged, unpredictable, insane, murderous maniac that he has been in the comics (when they're at their best). Ledger's performance is riveting, disturbing, funny, terrifying, and poignant - all at the same time. The sheer unpredictability of the character is what makes him so dangerous. He's brutal, manipulative, brilliant, insane and completely without regard for life. He seems to be after nothing more than, as Alfred says, "watching the world burn". He is the ultimate Batman villain, and may be the ultimate villain, period. Heath Ledger's death was tragic, and something as minor in the grand scheme of things as a movie role can't be compared to the loss of a life, but I think it's safe to say that The Joker, at least in this series of Batman films, died with him. Nobody is going to be able to recapture his performance, and we can only wonder what another film with him as The Joker would have been like. But on the positive side, we'll always have this film, and what an amazing film it is. It is the quintessential Joker vs. Batman story, and it's hard to imagine a better one.
The amazing thing about The Dark Knight is that Ledger's performance isn't the only great one in the film. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent was eye-opening. I'd never thought much of his character (my only experiences with him being very limited) but he's really what the plot is about. As much as The Joker is the center of evil in the film, Harvey is the center of good and a force for the changes happening in Gotham. What happens with him over the course of the film is made all the more powerful because of it, and is one of the better origin stories for a character that I've seen.
Christian Bale turns in another solid performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman, although as far as the self-absorbed-billionaire/superhero is concerned, I have to give the edge to Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. I also got a little tired of his gravelly voice as Batman, although I understand the need to have him disguise it somehow. But still, he is by far the best Batman to date, bringing humanity to the character that was sorely lacking before.
The film is a long one, clocking in at around 2 1/2 hours, but there's not a wasted frame of film in it. I was riveted to the screen from the opening scene to the last frame. I was never sure where the film was going next - which is a good thing. I hate being able to predict what's going to happen in a movie. It's especially critical in this film to keep the audience off balance, since that's the very nature of The Joker. There are great stunts and action sequences in the film, excellent special effects (notably with one particular character in the latter half of the film), and finally a Gotham City that looks like a real, believable, modern city. Being able to see it in the daylight really grounds it in reality. There are some scenes in The Dark Knight that are disturbing. There's violence in this film - quite a lot of it. But they still manage to be restrained with it, and avoid it being gratuitous or overly-graphic. Sometimes it's better to let the imagination fill in the blanks, and that works very well here. As good as this film is though, I'd strongly suggest you pre-screen it first before bringing young kids.
Go see this film. It's really hard to classify it as a "superhero" film, because it transcends the genre. It's the best film of the Summer, and it's the best film I've seen in a long time. The downside? I don't see how they can top it.
I'm going to have to give this one... 10/10.
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