MaverikThe Dark Knight - Supervillains Done Right
July 17th 2008 15:43
So here it is. The movie everyone's been waiting for. And I do mean everyone. Not just the comic book geeks... Not just the Batman fanatics... Everyone who has an interest in movies at all has been saving their pocket money for the day that the film hit the theatres. It's THE movie of the midyear line-up, and very likely that one movie that most casual movie goer's see this year. And as comes with the territory, this means that the whole thing has been hyped beyond all belief, and couldn't possibly live up to expectations... Or could it?
If I need to explain the premise of this movie, than you must have been hiding under a rock for the last year or so. Batman is back, and the dark city of Gotham is finally starting to clean up, with the help of Lt. James Gordon, and the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent. Things are looking up, and it seems as though soon, the city will no longer need Batman to protect it. But of course, that notion is enough to make almost anyone laugh... And laughter is indeed heard, as Gotham's newest & oldest tormentor begins to leave his mark...
Before I go any further, I'm going to get this out of the way. Yes. Heath Ledger is the shining star that brings this whole production into it's own. His portrayal of The Joker sent shivers down my spine, as he made me cower, just as often as he made me laugh. He nails every scene with absolute precision, as every single line of dialogue that is sprouted from his lips is solid 24 carrot gold. This movie is unsurprisingly less about Batman, and more about The Joker, and the way he views humanity.
Why So Serious?!
And that is enough of that. There's a movie underneath all of Heath's presence that needs to be reviewed, and damn it I'm going to try and do just that.
As with the last one, I found a few issues with the new direction that the series has taken. The Bat Tank... The complete lack of any bat cave in this one, now replaced with that brightly lit room we saw Morgan Freeman showing off the Bat Tank's capabilities, and Wayne Manor replaced by a penthouse suite. These are more personal gripes really, and don't impact the film all that much. But the one thing that still pulls and tugs at my sensibilities, is that Bruce Wayne is portrayed as a young playboy fool who squanders his money on cheap thrills and women. And as much as this is a cover, it's one that has never sat well with me.
Christian Bale performs admirably enough, despite my misgivings about his character, really coming through in the action scenes, and managing to maintain a believable personality when confronted with the horrible acts of terrorism by The Joker. But to be honest, he fades into the background against the superb acting of the other cast members.
Unlike the Bat Tank, the Bat Bike is actually pretty cool
Aaron Eckhart also does a superb job as Harvey Dent, and eventually two face, finally giving us a true representation of the villain, as opposed to what we got with Tommy Lee Jones all the way back in 1995. Unlike Tommy Lee's character, this Two Face actually listened to his coin flips.
Atop everything else, the script holds no punches. The Joker's anarchistic views on the world are one of the highlights in the writing, and while Heath must be commended for bringing the character alive, we must give a lot of credit to the Nolan brothers for building such a fantastic point from which to push the character from. This is one movie that they will always be able to look back on, and remember fondly as one of their greatest triumphs.
For the first time in years, I left that cinema, completely blown away. I went in with all the build up and more hype than a 6 year old on a sugar rush, and I actually walked out of that room in disbelief. I expected it to be so good, that I just knew it would be bad. But what do you know? It turns out that a licensed film really can be great.
The Verdict: What are you doing still reading this review? Go see the damn movie already! I have every intention to own this film, and will likely watch it many more times, if only for Heath's portrayal of The Joker. Go to the cinema. Watch it. Love it. But the DVD.
Get going already!
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