Superhero movies have finally grow up. This is what critics roared after The Dark Knight premiered. Christopher Nolan (Memento) helms this sequel after successfully restarting the Batman franchise with Batman Begins. The Joker (Heath Ledger) is on a crusade to bring high crime back to Gotham. Thus opposing Batman (Christian Bale) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) dubbed "The White Knight" for his public image of the relentless pursuit of justice. Bruce Wayne's ex-flame Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is engaged to Dent. Joker savagely gets to her, turning Dent into the disfigured vigilante Two-Face and endangering the public's hope in saving Gotham. So much has already been said about The Dark Knight. In my attempt not to repeat anything, let me get these out of the way.
1) Yes, Heath Ledger was brilliant as the Joker.
2) No, it's not a perfect film. It has many flaws in both story and direction.
3) It probably did deserve a Big Picture Nomination, but it my humble opinion, did not deserve the top prize.
Got that out of the way. Now onto the new stuff:
I believe the single reason for The Dark Knight's huge success is it's clever crafting of the story. Most superhero films deal with the plight of our protagonists having to save the world, dealing with the huge pressure of saving lives and living their own, or some rational revenge trip and getting over a personal conflict. The Dark Knight is different. The film's victim isn't the superhero. It's Gotham. The city can either rise from it's ashes or sink back into a era of darkness. This is what is at stake. Bruce Wayne's personal issues take a back seat.
I relate The Dark Knight to No Country For Old Men. Not only is it's best action in the middle of the film, but it also really has three leads. Batman, Joker, and Harvey Dent (the least discussed yet the most important character in the movie). The cities' hope rests on Dent's shoulders. Batman fights crime behind the scenes, but Dent is the public figure everyone can get behind. In this post-Obama era, we are all more than aware of how important image is to the community and hope of the people. The influence of Harvey Dent is shown in a highly crafted scene where two boats full of people (one of citizens and one of criminals) is told they have to blow up the other in order to survive. How they react is very telling.
SPOILER ALERT: In the end, Batman catches The Joker as we all knew he would. But more important, again, is Harvey Dent. Transformed into Two-Face, he goes on a killing spree avenging the death of his fiance. Now the people already have hope. But happens when their "White Knight" goes dark? Batman agrees to become the rogue and take the heat for the murders including Dent's. That way Dent could be looked on as a martyr and the people still have something to believe in.
Now the Bad:
There are some clumsy scenes in this film that don't make any scene. Joker's escape scene for one. The Joker, surrounded by cops, has a hostage and demands to be able to make a phone call. This triggers a huge explosion in the preceint. In the aftermath, the Joker is all alone. Somehow this explosion managed to kill everyone else yet conveniently bend around the Joker leaving him unscathed?
Nit-picky yes, I admit. But it still bothered. As did Christian Bale's horrible Batman grunt. Please, anyone that was touting Bale for Best Actor, get real. I would have seriously rioted.
Also, there tended to be a sub-story that wasn't quite all the way explored. The trailer's sold the movie as Batman having to do the unthinkable in order to stop the maniacal Joker. But in the film, him tapping into people's cell phones was as bad as it got. George Bush-like, yes, but unthinkable no. However, Nolan originally did plan for the film to be a two-parter. So look for this storyline to be continued in the next installment.
CULTURAL INTROSPECTION:
For me, The Dark Knight's theme was the effect image had on the community. I feel this is interesting due to President Obama's historic win almost half a year after the film premiered. Touting phrases like "The Audacity To Hope", and "Yes We Can". His whole campaign was built on hope and faith. At a time when the country was in dire straights, this is what the people needed to hear. The tough economic climate has hit hard, but to some people, just the belief that Obama will pull them through gives them strength to hold on.
THE BLACK PERSPECTIVE:
The Dark Knight adequately displayed black people, probably better than any other superhero movie I've seen.
Morgan Freeman plays Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wanye Enterprises. Other than Alfred, he is Wayne's most trusted confident. Providing all of Batman's gadgets of being the voice of reason for the wiretapping stunt. Fox is intelligent, capable, and morale, rising above the stereotypes of most African-Americans in power.
Tiny plays a prison inmate, which would seem stereotypical at first. But when Joker serves the two ferry's the ultimatum, it is Tiny who acts and throws the detonator off the boat. This also rises above the savage-like stereotype of African-American inmates.
EXTRAS:
The Dark Knight is the second highest grossing movie of all time behind Titanic.
RATING:
= 4 Stars
= 4 Black Fists
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