The Dark Knight
Now that’s more like it. Taking a hefty cue in tone and content from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight is much, much better than 2005’s Batman Begins. In fact, The Dark Knight is easily one of the top 5 films of the year so far.
Set shortly after the events of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight kicks off with the Gotham mob under pressure from multiple sides. Batman (Christian Bale) is meddling with their night time operations and during the day they have Gotham’s “White Knight”, new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), to worry about. In desperation they turn to a highly unpredictable criminal mastermind, the Joker (Heath Ledger), to dispatch their enemies.
The result is the most complex and multi-layered superhero film ever made.
Don’t get me wrong, The Dark Knight is not flawless. Sometimes the plot gets a little over-complicated for its own good, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, replacing Katie Holmes) is still a “nothing” character, Batman’s voice is way too grating, and the cellphone sonar technology used towards the end of the film is about as silly as the “vaporiser cannon” in Batman Begins.
However, these flaws aside, the overall package is immensely satisfying – for casual movie goers and “old school” Batman fans alike.
I don’t think I can progress any further in this review without mentioning Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. Ledger does a very impressive job in what is, let’s admit it, a dream role.
I won’t ever dismiss Jack Nicholson’s Joker, who also fits comfortably into the Bat mythology, but whereas Nicholson’s Joker used the character’s traditional gas and acid staples to kill people, Ledger’s Joker is far more interesting – frequently goading his victims into dispatching one another.
Playing complex mind games that would make Hannibal Lecter and Jigsaw jealous, Ledger is an electric presence on screen, licking his lips in perverse delight as the camera frequently spins dizzyingly around him.
Ledger is clearly having so much fun in the role that there can be no question his death earlier this year was just a tragic accident, and not suicide.
As for other performances, Bale and Eckhart are good, but have very little in the way of emotional connection with the audience. Their regret and grief in certain scenes don’t quite have the resonance that they should have. And, frankly, Two-Face was wasted – his story arc seemed to exist purely to set-up the next Batman film.
Anyway, aside from Ledger, what really sold the film for me performance-wise, were the actors playing traditional Batman supporters: Michael Caine as butler Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox and, especially, Gary Oldman as police lieutenant Jim Gordon.
Caine and Freeman are warm, reassuring presences, lightening the mood in what is otherwise a pretty sombre film. Oldman meanwhile is utterly perfect as Gordon, a good man frustrated by the political wrangling and corruption around him, and torn over his loyalty to the vigilante Batman.
If it wasn’t gratifying enough to see vital supporting characters from the comics given a respectful, well-rounded treatment, “old school” Batman fans will also be pleased to know that the film is rich in rewarding little references to other Bat media. The Joker drives around in an amusement park van at one point, Bruce Wayne is a teetoller, and there is a throwaway reference to cats getting through Batman’s new armour (Batman Returns anyone?).
As I said before, The Dark Knight is probably the most complex superhero film of all time. Themes and meanings run deep, with a surprising amount of attention given to the dilemma of whether Batman, who operates outside of the law, should be considered an inspirational hero… or something else, far more necessary for Gotham City, but without the admiration of the people. This kind of examination, missing from the earlier Batman films, as well as so many other superhero movies, is fascinating.
In terms of making the choice between seeing The Dark Knight in a conventional cinema or IMAX, I would definitely recommend the IMAX experience. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have both been shot on location in real-life cities, as opposed to on studio sets like the 1980s and 1990s Batman films. As a result, there are plenty of aerial shots of Gotham’s urban landscape, which are all the more impressive on the giant IMAX screen. The Hong Kong sequence, with its airborne acrobatics is a particularly enjoyable spectacle. And the explosive, high octane action scenes are, on the whole, enhanced as more immersive experiences.
There isn’t much more to say. If you don’t have an IMAX cinema in your area, it doesn’t matter. Go and see The Dark Knight anyway. You’re in for a movie treat whatever format you see the film in.
Set shortly after the events of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight kicks off with the Gotham mob under pressure from multiple sides. Batman (Christian Bale) is meddling with their night time operations and during the day they have Gotham’s “White Knight”, new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), to worry about. In desperation they turn to a highly unpredictable criminal mastermind, the Joker (Heath Ledger), to dispatch their enemies.
The result is the most complex and multi-layered superhero film ever made.
Don’t get me wrong, The Dark Knight is not flawless. Sometimes the plot gets a little over-complicated for its own good, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, replacing Katie Holmes) is still a “nothing” character, Batman’s voice is way too grating, and the cellphone sonar technology used towards the end of the film is about as silly as the “vaporiser cannon” in Batman Begins.
However, these flaws aside, the overall package is immensely satisfying – for casual movie goers and “old school” Batman fans alike.
I don’t think I can progress any further in this review without mentioning Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. Ledger does a very impressive job in what is, let’s admit it, a dream role.
I won’t ever dismiss Jack Nicholson’s Joker, who also fits comfortably into the Bat mythology, but whereas Nicholson’s Joker used the character’s traditional gas and acid staples to kill people, Ledger’s Joker is far more interesting – frequently goading his victims into dispatching one another.
Playing complex mind games that would make Hannibal Lecter and Jigsaw jealous, Ledger is an electric presence on screen, licking his lips in perverse delight as the camera frequently spins dizzyingly around him.
Ledger is clearly having so much fun in the role that there can be no question his death earlier this year was just a tragic accident, and not suicide.
As for other performances, Bale and Eckhart are good, but have very little in the way of emotional connection with the audience. Their regret and grief in certain scenes don’t quite have the resonance that they should have. And, frankly, Two-Face was wasted – his story arc seemed to exist purely to set-up the next Batman film.
Anyway, aside from Ledger, what really sold the film for me performance-wise, were the actors playing traditional Batman supporters: Michael Caine as butler Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox and, especially, Gary Oldman as police lieutenant Jim Gordon.
Caine and Freeman are warm, reassuring presences, lightening the mood in what is otherwise a pretty sombre film. Oldman meanwhile is utterly perfect as Gordon, a good man frustrated by the political wrangling and corruption around him, and torn over his loyalty to the vigilante Batman.
If it wasn’t gratifying enough to see vital supporting characters from the comics given a respectful, well-rounded treatment, “old school” Batman fans will also be pleased to know that the film is rich in rewarding little references to other Bat media. The Joker drives around in an amusement park van at one point, Bruce Wayne is a teetoller, and there is a throwaway reference to cats getting through Batman’s new armour (Batman Returns anyone?).
As I said before, The Dark Knight is probably the most complex superhero film of all time. Themes and meanings run deep, with a surprising amount of attention given to the dilemma of whether Batman, who operates outside of the law, should be considered an inspirational hero… or something else, far more necessary for Gotham City, but without the admiration of the people. This kind of examination, missing from the earlier Batman films, as well as so many other superhero movies, is fascinating.
In terms of making the choice between seeing The Dark Knight in a conventional cinema or IMAX, I would definitely recommend the IMAX experience. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have both been shot on location in real-life cities, as opposed to on studio sets like the 1980s and 1990s Batman films. As a result, there are plenty of aerial shots of Gotham’s urban landscape, which are all the more impressive on the giant IMAX screen. The Hong Kong sequence, with its airborne acrobatics is a particularly enjoyable spectacle. And the explosive, high octane action scenes are, on the whole, enhanced as more immersive experiences.
There isn’t much more to say. If you don’t have an IMAX cinema in your area, it doesn’t matter. Go and see The Dark Knight anyway. You’re in for a movie treat whatever format you see the film in.
Comments
I'm a little disappointed in the Two-Face arc, too, since he's one of my favorite characters in the Batverse.
Hmmm, mjenks, that's one major gap in my Batman reading and knowledge - I should really get hold of the Killing Joke at some point.
Joker was great. Wayne/Batman was great. But Gotham City itself could have been grimier, meaner, DARKER.
It's funny how Fincher was originally offered the job of directing the new series.
Anyway, other than that -- and the corny action sequences in both 'Begins' and 'Dark Knight' -- the films are A-ok.
P.S. -- For anyone wanting to get acquainted with the classic Batman lit, read the following: Year One (Frank Miller), The Long Halloween, The Killing Joke.