[Movie Review] THE DARK KNIGHT
Hype is a tricky thing. In some cases, it can work wonders for a film. In others, it can come back to bite a film square in its tush. There have been several instances lately when the hype for a film was so deafening before I watched it, only to have the film be an overhyped piece of garbage. The hype for The Dark Knight has been unlike any film I have ever witnessed. Theaters have sold out at an alarming rate, people are willing to pay $100 or more for a scalped ticket, and people woke up at ungodly hours just to catch screenings of this thing. Now, as stated above, I have been a victim of overhype more times than I care to remember (looking at YOU, Juno!), so I was considerably concerned at the raging hyperbole sweeping the Internet and critics’ circles in regards to this film. “Best movie EVER!”. “Oscar worthy!”. “Cures cancer!”. This has been my most anticipated film of the year, but it has also been my most feared. I was bracing myself for the likely possibility that this film was not going to be all that. So, as I stood in line with my sister and a friend at our IMAX theater, I silently psyched myself up to be disappointed by this movie.
Those fears were fortunately unfounded, but I need to state some things up front right now. This is NOT the greatest film ever made. This is utterly ridiculous. What this film IS, on the other hand, is a massive raising of the bar, and not just for comic-book films. This is the type of film that could very well be studied in film classes in a few years. Now, I know what you’re thinking right now. “Oh, but Kristina, you were just dissing the hyperbole over this film, but it sounds like you’re joining in it right now! HYPOCRITE!” No, I’m not foaming at the mouth and declaring this movie to be better than sex. I’m telling you that this is an excellent piece of filmmaking that should be celebrated and appreciated, but people declaring this thing to be the Second Coming are taking things a wee bit too far, at least in my opinion. This is not a diss against the film, but more of a caution against folks who are going a little, well, batty over this thing. The conflict that I feel while trying to caution against hyperbole is massive because, when I walked out of the theater, I was literally too stunned to speak, and when I regained my voice, hyperbole started spewing out. That’s why I decided to sleep on it and give this review some real thought before I came here and typed ”OMG it RULEZ PWNGE EPIC WIN!” all over the place. I just need you to know where I’m coming from before proceeding with this review, okay? Good. By the way, I know that some of you were smacked with sold-out showings or haven’t had the film open in your neck of the woods yet, so this review will be spoiler-free as a courtesy to you.
Where on Earth do I begin with this thing? We all know the basic story by now, so a recap is pretty pointless. I’ll start off with performances, beginning with Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne. I love Bale like nobody’s business, so it pains me to say this: He didn’t really do much for me as Bruce Wayne. This is not to say that he was bad in the role, but compared to his work in Begins, Wayne is sort of…I don’t know if one-note is the correct phrasing, but that’s as close as I can get. Now, he doesn’t stay one-note through the entire film. Wayne has his moments here and there, but for the most part, and this is so strange to say, but he was the most uninteresting character in the entire movie. I think that is the problem. He’s not one-note, he’s just outshined by other characters. Now, Batman is another story entirely. Batman has clearly progressed from the first film in multiple areas, from his fighting style (which I can actually SEE since Nolan retired the shaky cam) to a new suit, to a strengthened relationship with Jim Gordon. Batman gets put through the ringer in this film in ways that I cannot tell you in this review, and it was absolutely fascinating to watch what Batman endures and what he is willing to do in the name of protecting Gotham. My only problem (and it’s a minor one) with Batman is the same problem that I had from Begins: that Bat-voice is ridiculous. It is completely and totally ridiculous, and TDK exposes this problem even more because Batman noticeably speaks more in this film than in Begins. There were several moments where I kept expecting Batman to start coughing from talking like that. Gary Oldman was so good as Jim Gordon that it breaks my heart that more people aren’t talking about him. He was my second favorite character in Begins(behind the Bat, of course), and I was eagerly anticipating where TDK was going to take the relationship between Batman and Gordon. It doesn’t disappoint. The two of them are very much a team in this film, and there are several moments in the film where their partnership and the tight bond between them is front and center. There’s one moment in this film, just a quick shot of Batman sitting on Gordon’s porch exactly as he did in Begins, that says volumes about their bond. Gordon really is the unsung hero of Gotham. This man doesn’t have a cape or a kickass car. He just has a badge and common decency to work with, and there was something very powerful in the way that Oldman portrayed the character. Batman, Dent, and Gordon form something of a crime-fighting triumvirate in this film, and it’s telling that although Gordon appears to be the least powerful of the three, he is actually the support beam holding their team up. The dreams of Batman and Dent would never come to fruition without Gordon’s support, and I grew to appreciate the character’s significance even more in this film.
Aaron Eckhart was stellar as Harvey Dent. Stellar, stellar, stellar. I totally bought him as Gotham’s “White Knight” District Attorney who teams up with Gordon and Batman to take down the mob. There’s an underlying dichotomy in this film between Dent and Batman/Wayne with Dent as the golden boy “White Knight” who bags the girl and has the city’s love and support, and the Dark Knight of the title who is feared and reviled. I know a lot of you will be going into this thing eagerly anticipating Dent’s metamorphosis into Two-Face, but by the time the moment came, I was so enamored with Dent and what he stood for that I was praying that it wouldn’t happen. This is the stuff of Greek tragedy, a decent man rocked by tragedy who turns into the very thing he despises most. It’s powerful, powerful stuff and Eckhart makes it look so damn easy. I know everyone is talking about some other dude in the cast, but Eckhart really is the heart and soul of this film. Maggie Gyllenhaal steps into the role that Katie Holmes butchered in Begins, and she is a noticeable upgrade. She’s got some spark (like you’ve heard Joker say in the trailer, “A little fight in you. I like that!”), but Dawes is still a pretty useless character no matter who plays her, and when she isn’t onscreen, I wasn’t wondering where she was. This film is strong enough without having to toss in a love triangle, but to the film’s credit, they actually take this triangle and turn it into something truly touching and significant for all three parties. Michael Caine is criminally underused in this movie. I kept forgetting that he was in the film until he’d show up again to give a life lesson. I don’t mean to imply that he’s only in one scene, but I was a bit disappointed that he wasn’t utilized more, but when he’s there he is aces. Morgan Freeman, on the other hand, is in the film for the perfect amount, and he’s great as usual.
Alright, I’ve avoided it long enough. Let’s get to Heath. He’s amazing. Amazing. Amazing. I can’t tell you how amazing without giving spoilers, so just trust me when I tell you that he is amazing. You’ve heard what everyone is saying, and there really isn’t too much that I can add to it, but I have to say that the Oscar talk…maybe it’s just me, but as great as he is in this, I didn’t leave the theater thinking about a nomination for him. I wouldn’t be surprised or upset if he was nominated for it, don’t get me wrong, but winning an OSCAR? An OSCAR? For reasons that I can’t quite put my finger on, I’m just not sure about that. That being said, it’s a damn shame that Heath is gone because this role would have made his career. His Joker really is the stuff of nightmares.
There are several themes in this film that will require multiple viewings for me to fully grasp, but a quick sampling includes the dichotomy between good and evil, the belief that people are inherently good/evil, people who are painted in shads of gray rather than black and white, and lies vs truth. All of this is weaved together to form a rich, compelling story that is equal parts a comic book film, crime drama, and character study. I get the feeling that this review sounds overly negative, and I’m not trying to be negative. I LOVED this film. Loved it to pieces. Like I said, I was rendered literally speechless at the end. I’ll even go so far to say that this is the best film I’ve seen this year, followed by HB2 and WALL-E. And I’m not trying to be a downer and tell people that it’s bad to get excited for The Dark Knight. It’s okay to get excited over this film because it’s worth getting excited for. I can’t remember the last time that a film of this caliber was released during summer. Grab your friends and go see this thing, preferably in IMAX, and enjoy the film for what it is. Just don’t expect it to cure your cancer.
5 Responses to “[Movie Review] THE DARK KNIGHT”
The movie is very good, no doubt about that, but it’s some of the bloat and dumb shit that keep it from being great for me.
Everyone is talking about how dark and scary Ledger’s performance, but you know the thing that roped me in was the comedy he brought to it.
Also, it was pretty cool seeing Nicky Katt, Tiny Lister (Deebo!) and I believe it Casper Van Diem was in the parking garage in the beginning.
Ledger’s performance does have some great comedic moments. There’s a shot of him walking(trying not to give a spoiler so I’m gonna be vague) and just thinking about the way he walks and what he’s wearing makes me laugh like crazy.
I know what you mean
Yeah, the hospital walk out is great, and that little scamper he does at the end of seen killed me.
It’s a VERY close second to me after the “pencil” bit. I was very much like “So he stabs a guy with a pencil, okay, whatever!” But it’s all in the HOW, it’s all in the performance. Great moment! The “hospital walk out” is still ace though!
Trackbacks
What's Your Opinion?