Movie Review - The Dark Knight

Considering the massive amount of positive buzz surrounding The Dark Knight, what could I possibly add to the mix? Well, for starters, I'm a huge Batman fan. I grew up watching Batman The Animated Series from the 90's, reading Batman comic books, and watching reruns of the 60's TV show. Despite all that, I was never truly happy with the live-action movies. I felt that they never reached their full potential.

While I loved the first movie directed by Tim Burton, at the time, I absolutely hated the others. Batman Returns was just a gargantuan mess. My main gripe was that Tim Burton took way too much creative license with the whole thing. It was an extremely bizarre film, even for a movie that featured someone in a bat costume, and there was nothing that even resembled a coherent plot. It almost seemed like a fantasy film. The Penguin's name was also taken way too literally. Danny DeVito's character was a horny, goo-spewing idiot who was raised by giant penguins in the sewers of Gotham. On top of that, his master plan was to use mind-controlled penguins armed with rockets to destroy the city. Need I say more? Who came up with this crap?

After that absurd garbage, the next sequel, Batman Forever, got a semi-reboot from new director Joel Schumacher. The dark and depressing color of the first two movies was changed to a flashy, neon-lit environment that would give people with epilepsy a very bad day. In addition, Val Kilmer took over the role for Michael Keaton. He was just adequate. Batman Forever seemed liked it had a good movie in there somewhere, but it never came around. The entire film was pretty goofy. Jim Carrey played Jim Carrey as The Riddler, while Tommy Lee Jones got the character of Two-Face entirely wrong. It wasn't the worst movie ever, but I can't really think of a reason why I'd ever watch it again.

Now, here is where I mention the dreadful clusterfuck that is Batman and Robin. It is an utter abomination. The less said about it the better.


Many people thought the damage was done to the Batman franchise. Why bother with another? How on earth could you fix what tragically ended the movie series? Well, the answers to those questions was Batman Begins, helmed by Christopher Nolan. It wiped the slate clean and started fresh. To say the least, this was the Batman movie I had been waiting for. It took the source material seriously for once and made a plausible story out of it. It gave reason and logic behind Bruce Wayne's motives and how he became Batman. It was a well done origin story.

I also thought it had one of the best casts around. It had Christian Bale as Batman, Liam Neeson as Ducard / Ra's Al Gul, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Micheal Cain as Alfred Pennyworth, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow. The only weak link in the mix was Katie Holmes.

Batman Begins made me question just how good the 89 Batman was. Despite Jack Nicholson’s performance, my opinion isn't nearly as positive for the rest of it. Just a couple of thoughts, The Joker dances to music by Prince, and Batman battles a random goon who flips over a fence and uses samurai swords. It was good for the time, but I feel like the movie has aged terribly. It isn't even in the same league as Begins.

Once word of The Dark Knight surfaced, the hype and anticipation was on a frantic level. There was a very intense marketing campaign behind the movie. Viral internet sites took over the web and the news was lit up with constant talk about The Dark Knight. Much of the interest of the movie had to do with the untimely and unfortunate death of Heath Ledger. Despite his tragic death, the good news was that the movie delivered on everything it promised. It was just exceptional. It goes without saying that Health Ledger’s portrayal as The Joker was what got everyone talking. The Joker was pure chaos personified. His only goal was to turn the city in to a constant state of panic and anarchy. This was no wacky prankster. The posthumous Oscar buzz is well justified.

Much praise should also be given to Aaron Eckhart as Harvey / Two-Face. This was probably the most spot-on depiction I could ever imagine. The sad rise and fall of the district attorney and “White Knight” of Gotham is truly horrifying. Kudos must also be given to the special effects used on his scarred face. I believe most of the theater let out a gasp once it was revealed.

The returning cast was still as great as ever, especially Gary Oldman. Jim Gordon’s role was much more expanded from the previous entry. Christian Bale still shines as the best actor to ever don the Batman mask. I don’t think there is anyone else that could ever take over for him properly. There aren’t any big names actors I can think of for that matter.

Maggie Gyllenall taking over as Racheal Dawes was also a plus. She was a much more able-bodied actress then that of Katie Holmes. My only complaint was that she is incrediably butt ugly in this film and makes a very weak love interest.

What else can I say? The action was intense and exciting. The script was top-notch. The restrained use of CGI was pleasant. Good old-fashioned stunt work was on display through the entire thing. The subject matter is deep, furious, bleak, moving and above and beyond anything else in the comic book genre. No real comparisons can be made between this and something like Spiderman. It just isn’t there.

The Dark Knight is the best thing to happen to summer blockbusters, comic book geeks, movie buffs and everyone else. I highly recommend it to anyone.