Monday, 21 July 2008
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Movie Review: Batman - The Dark Knight
by mr. oak
Call me nostalgic, call me old school - but I missed Michael Keaton as Batman. Until, I saw this. The Dark Knight officially has become my favorite superhero flick of all time.
The highly anticipated "The Dark Knight" turned out to be one of the most commercially AND critically successful films of all time. This past weekend, the Dark Knight racked in a whopping $155 million which shattered the previous box office record held by Spiderman 3.The story pretty much picks up from where it left off from Batman Begins. We find Batman, played by Christian Bale, continuing to battle Gotham's mob, alongside with superstar "White Knight" District Attorney, Harvey Dent. Some storyline tensions are added to the mix when we learn that Bruce Wayne's old flame, Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Katie Holmes), is dating Harvey Dent.
But the movie is all about one man. The Joker - played by the late Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger's acting is so mesmerizing that you can't take your eyes off of him. His character takes us on a rollercoaster ride of mayhem, evil, and darkness - dragging us along by our feet through the bowels of Gotham. The Joker eventually teams up with Gotham's mob and quickly becomes the Dark Knight's perfect nemesis from beginning to end.
Rating: IMAXable
FTW: Christopher Nolan reprises his role as the director and picks up the same approach as Batman Begins. Basically that a superhero film doesn't need to be colorful, silly, and simple to be a true superhero movie. The Dark Knight does not condescend and carves many layers in morality, human nature, and life in general that makes the story (even for a superhero movie) more believable than most.
FAIL: The love story between Rachel and Harvey simply wasn't there. I felt it was critical to play this out further and also add to Bruce Wayne's complex feelings towards her. I think this would've ultimately added to Harvey Dent's character which is a huge part of the Batman story.
Can you take your mother to this? barely any profanity, and no sexualized scenes either. You can take your mother to this, however, she'll probably make a note that if you don't study you might turn into joker.
Can you take your kids to this? I would strongly caution taking your kids to this. Thinking about the violence level, Batman Begins is practically a Disney movie when compared to The Dark Knight. The violence never stops from beginning to end. The use of knives, gasoline and fire, and guns riddle the movie from beginning to end - definitely not for the young. I can easily see how this movie teeters on the PG-13 rating and was just a few editing cuts away from becoming R.
The Christian Spin: The movie is all about Joker's unflinching evil that gives no justification and reason for any of it. While he serves as the epitome of evil, the story ties in how everyone has flaws and darkness within them. From everday citizens, to criminals. To "white knights" like Harvey Dent, to the Batman. But in the end, at one of the biggest moral dilemmas of the movie we find that the little bit of evil is always next to the significant amount of good within all of us. And that's what will ultimately separate us in the end....
Final Thoughts:
As you watch this, the Joker is mesmerizing to the point where you forget that it's Heath Ledger. But in the moments you do remember it is him, there's a deep draw and pull to the Joker. Every act, every word, and every motion the Joker makes, you can't help but to wonder if it was a cue or answer to Heath Ledger's untimely death. His brilliance in this role only strengthens the tragedy in that we see how we lost a great actor and a broken soul.And in that - I pray for Hollywood. In all it's facade, its special effects, the smiling actors, the exorbitant cash flying around, and unbelievable ability of influence- hollywood is regular people. People with broken spirits, flaws, and in need of an all loving God and in that we should all pray for them.
And in that, rest in peace Heath Ledger - and thank you for giving us the role of your life.
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Comments (84)
158 million, actually.
I never really saw the Joker as evil... Scarecrow, yes, but the Joker.... he's very very layered. I don't think anyone will be able to label him.
loved it! watched it twice.
SPOILER ALERT, much?
Well spoken! I agree, Ledger's performance as Joker is so captivating, even if I was petrified waiting to see what he was going to do in a few scenes. It wasn't until the end credits began that all my feelings of brokenheartedness returned for the loss of Heath Ledger. And I'm glad to see that "The Dark Knight" now holds the boxoffice record! =)
**for anyone who hasn't seen it, DON'T READ what's next!**
Another spiritual illustration I noticed was how at the very end, Batman tells Gordon he's going to take the responsibility for crimes he didn't commit. It's not an exact parallel to Jesus or anything, but I thought it was a mighty heroic thing for Batman to deliberately take another's blame upon himself.
i haven't seen it yet, haven't had the chance. but now you've made me want to see it even more. can't wait.
As good as Batman was, I'm much more excited about the Watchmen trailer. How friggin' cool was that?!
further thoughts from a Batman Afficionado:
Pros: Definitely the best Joker I've ever seen. although I'm not sure I like the modern idea that a supervillain should not appear in multiple movies in the series, I was glad how they dealt with the Joker plot, and due to Ledger's death, I'm glad the way it ended. Maggie Gyllenhall was an uber-upgrade from Katie Holmes, that's all that needs to be said in regards to that. Christian Bale's Batman is exactly the Caped Crusader I've been looking for- he trumps Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, West, and the various voice-actors for the Cartoon series with his excellent portrayal of both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Christopher Nolan's screenwriting is really what did it for me, I really think he writes these screenplays with the actors in mind (which could be why there's no buzz about who the next villain is). And of course, having written the script himself, he is the perfect choice for directing it. Oh, and thank you for not introducing Robin. Also, the Gordon story line was fantastic.
Cons: I was not pleased with how the Harvey Dent story shaped up- I won't go further in to that, since it would be a HUGE spoiler. Suffice it to say, there should have been more depth to that whole thing, and I would have liked it to spill over to the 3rd movie. The ending was a mixed bag for me. Based on years and years of the comics, I understand what Nolan is trying to do, but I don't think I would have gone about it that way. Really, I would have left it to the power of the press, not Gordon. Also, I feel like over the last two movies, I feel like Nolan has severely lowered the likelihood of seeing:
Talia Al Ghul- Ra's seems to be dead
The Penguin- He's a mob boss. If you see Dark Knight, you'll understand.
Riddler- If I remember Correctly, Falcone was responsible for bringing him in to the picture.
With those three out of the way, and the 4 villains we've seen so far apparently dispatched, it really leaves the list of possible opponents for the third movie a lot of the b-listers- barring the usage of Lazarus pits... which would be oh-so-nice for making the Harvey Dent story completer, or bringing back R'as
I absolutely loved this movie. The only things I see being an issue are wrapped around the concept of "What will Nolan do next," but with Bale having officially signed on for part 3, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
waiting to watch this movie ... but i'm really looking forward to it now!
captivating is the only way I can describe the movie, you want to keep watching even when it's over.
heath ledger played a great villain. and i agree with adifferentkindofbeautiful up there at the top: he didn't seem really evil. i found him very likeable (as a villain) and for some reason i was drawn to his character. there was something magnetic about it. he was more human.
scarecrow was insane and he creeped me out, but the joker was very human and very smart. relatable.
and, as a big fan of cillian murphy, i was happy to see scarecrow again, even if it was just a short scene. :)
it broke my heart to read about heath ledger's death and the causes of that. it's easy to forget to pray for hollywood, or for individual actors, but that's something we need to do. i've always felt a burden to pray for celebrities, and i can't ignore that.
"Thanks for giving us the role of your life." That's...like a step beyond, and way past amazing.
There's no denying how good Heath Ledger was as an actor.
By the way, didn't read the second half. Haven't seen it yet. ;)
I agree the best Batman ever, And the Joker was more then amazing. If they reprise the roll of the Joker. I have no idea who would be able to play him. But Two-face should be in the next one. And his counter part The Riddler. I guess we will see. Amazing movie!!
i concur
I wont be watching it
The Dark Knight is the greatest movie of all time!
There should have been more of Harvey and Rachel. And they killed off Two-face way too quickly.
I am disapointed because Joker was amazing and now without Heath ledger there is no more Joker...
that was amazing your review was amazing and the movie was amazing. I agree it was awesome and I would see it over and over!! :)
I'm having a hard time understanding how people can see Joker as not being evil. He kills for pleasure. Yes, he has some humorous lines and he's incredibly intelligent (and I found the ethical dilemmas he forced upon people fascinating), but ultimately, he's not a likeable person for me.
seriously some great social commentary for a "superhero flick." i saw the midnight showing w/ all the fanatics dressed up in costume/make-up -- very entertaining! but i'm going to see it again on IMAX too.
btw, i agree about the lack of depth in the rachel/harvey story. but maggie g and aaron eckhart did have chemistry.. i think the story just didn't give enough time/dialogue to their relationship.
great review... i loved the end.
and i agree wholeheartedly; the
whole time i was watching it i could not stop thinking how brilliant
heath was as joker... and how this role probably contributed to his
death.
and i developed the biggest crush on joker. yup.
Right on! It was a great movie, and an outstanding performance by Heath Ledger. It makes me wonder how someone can play a role so evil and not let it slip into the back of his mind. I was mesmerized by this performance - I came to the movie expecting this to be the last "great one" by Ledger, and walked away with mixed emotions - partly satisfied, partly sad that we won't see his acting again.
I thought there was too much crammed into the story line of the movie, which was sort of distracting to me though. That was my only negative.
@pikapril25@xanga - i don't think he gave anything away that you couldn't tell from the trailers or the mainstream press reviews. if you haven't watched it, this review shouldn't spoil anything for you. it's still totally awesome - go watch it! :)
Heath Ledger did an awesome job as the Joker. This definitely was the best Batman movie I've ever seen.
You missed the FAIL of Batman's go! bike. Lord, that was terrible.
the movie is amazing! i loved it...though quite long, i thought it should be broken into two movies...but great nonetheless!!!