Review – The Dark Knight
- Ethan Cole
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The Dark Knight has changed things. The term ‘comic book’ seems inaccurate; hence the more commonly used term: ‘graphic novel’. Semantics are beside the point; for this film has elevated beyond the cartoony-emo care-free family fun of a standard ‘superhero’ or ‘comic book’ movie and shit all over it. This is a large scale urban drama – a character study; a boiling pot of ideals and concepts; heated to a crescendo: the utmost clusterfuck, in which catharsis and a ‘truth’ returns to entertainment. But it’s not all serious. There are times where it’ll put a smile on your face; grinning from ear to ear; for The Joker has a few gags that are quite a doozy (sardonically speaking).
HAHAhahahAhAhAhahAHAHaHahAHAhahAhAHAHahaahahAHahahAhahahahAhAHahahaAHaHA
And here we go…
Perhaps the most welcome element: the amount of aggression, rage and commitment to a cause on screen; all without some bullshit high-horse Hollywoood agenda, rather it’s imbued with a ‘truth’ and humanity – the many workings of character studies. Additionally it doesn’t forget that this is entertainment. And it’s damn good.
The Dark Knight opens with an immense sense of scope; much larger in scale than Batman Begins, despite mostly taking place in Gotham. It possesses an epic quality not usually found in urban crime films – this is hyper-reality well established; and isn’t broken throughout the film. As a result the sense of tension and risk is present – yielding much in the way of suspense as there are a number of surprises; in this universe anything can happen to people – even a scene that would normally be generically/cheap in any other ‘comic book movie’, comes off with a sense of genuine suspense; not really knowing what would happen. A fantastic feat.
Christopher Nolan has crafted an impressive film exploring a number of themes; without losing any of the depths of each character – all within 2.5 hours; capturing the evolution; sense of purpose; intent and execution – the ideals and the fractured state; right down to the foundation, not just of the individuals, but of the Gothamites. It’s a plausible world; [spoiler] right down to the copy cat bat vigilantes [/spoiler] and the public reaction; without pandering to the audience with any winks or nods. [spoiler] Additionally, it’s amusing to see a completely whacked Jonathan Crane roaming about Gotham. [/spoiler]
Just as one man can allegedly make a difference, one man can just as easily fuck it all up. Herein lies the brilliance of escalation; the unfurling chaos is excellent – personified perfectly by The Joker; a true anarchic force – a grim jester; lord of Mischief bringing out the some of the darker side within humanity. Right from his introduction; we are shown how he deals with the pack; and plays them. Ledger’s performance is the next evolution of the Joker from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (Uncut) – sinister and maniacal; but unlike previous incarnations he’s a madman grounded in a plausible reality. Because this is PG-13 we don’t see anyone receive the gift of an everlasting smile; only the after effects. Some people believe less is more; but in this insane world of freaks and madmen: more is more. Though understandably they couldn’t show it, and I’m mostly OK with that; since a delectable menace is present. The best part is there’s no attempt to humanize him, or give him some sort of rehashed origin. The Joker just is. The perfect icon to counter Batman, both coexist as mythical symbols; which is where the beauty lies – especially where Harvey Dent is concerned. Dent is the byproduct of the two agendas clashing – both Batman and The Joker utilize the new symbol of Gotham to achieve their goals.
The juxtaposition of these two forces heightens the inevitable tragedy of Dent’s transformation into Two Face. It’s a surprisingly good performance by Aaron Eckhart – the drive and determination eventually devolving into a twisted mess; carrying the appropriate weight and significance onscreen with Batman, Joker, and Commissioner Gordon. Also, it’s a nice touch they included the possibility that Dent could’ve been Batman in the eye of the public – and especially well done throwing in a “caped crusader” line in a way which didn’t even come close to being hokey.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a welcome change from Katie Holmes (who was fucking annoying); possessing the strength and energy required of the character – coming off more likeable and at the same time integral – not just as a grounding force for Bruce and Dent.
Jim Gordon has more to do here; heading up the Major Crimes Unit and willing to stake his life for a cause and ideals; but again there’s a great conflict here in the corrupt world where no one can really be trusted. Oldman evokes this conflict to great effect as things devolved – it’s a chaos that rings true.
Whilst Alfred doesn’t have a large a role (as far as screen time) his presence is felt and evident throughout the major points in the film; yet there is a greater sense of conflict evident albeit subtle – but predominantly he’s still looking out for Bruce; still exuding the required warmth. Similarly Lucious Fox; whilst maintaining plausible deniability and the sense of greater responsibility he garners a heightened sense of caution. It will be interesting to see where these two characters go in the third film.
Batman and Bruce Wayne; equally defined – the former working the latter to the greater agenda; the future of Gotham. Christian Bale imbues Batman with a greater wrath: war on crime; with each punch yielding vicarious satisfaction; something horribly absent in many a politically correct mainstream movie released in this pussified world. To some extent there’s something very Shield-ian [The Shield] about Batman’s interrogation methods and the general feel – there’s grit to be found here. Additionally it’s helped by the fact Nolan and co. have addressed and resolved the issue of Batman turning his head. However, the Bat-voice is more defined in this outing, but still; may not work for some; thankfully it seems to have been digitally augmented in post and ADR – though it’s surprising that Goyer didn’t add some sort of pseudo-science tech-jargon for a voice altering device that Bruce would attach via some plaster-like adhesive to his throat; under the guise that it would throw off any attempted voice print analysis. The voice works best when he’s yelling; the pure rage that pours off him – especially when Batman is on the war path; bad cop ain’t got shit.
The action; better shot and better edited – by this; you can tell what’s going on, as shots now tie together, though there are still a few awkward ones here and there. It’s not disjointed; where a disconnect occurs. Here; we’re right in the action – and Batman is awesome in the purest sense of the word; particularly nice to see Keysi evolved – and actually seeing the moves performed, though with the hand-to-hand fight scenes, the camera work could still be improved (but it’s definitely a step up from the last endeavor). Effectively the action scenes now bear the much needed tension and suspense that was previously lacking – as such the set piece in the third act is incredible; genuine suspense and sense of impending doom is prevalent – amped up by a well integrated use of Wayne Tech (which I won’t spoil).
No doubt some people will complain about the guns on the Batpod, “Batman doesn’t use guns!” Shut the fuck up. You’d be stupid not to use guns – what’s he gonna do throw a fucking bat-shuriken at all the tires of a truck while the clowns launch an explosive punch line? Shut the fuck up. Further some may even argue the Hong Kong angle – feeling it’s not necessary. But they’re wrong. It’s an important factor in the greater scheme (no this isn’t a spoiler; just common sense). Not to mention it’s a cool set piece.
Clocking in at nearly 2.5 hours, this is a film that does not feel long – the pace moves quick; there is no fat. There’s a few dribbles of grease, but it’s something that’s almost a mandate for the average audience member: the shot of kids in a car during an action set piece… because in this pussyfist world we have to have some sort of comic release now don’t we? It is however forgettable given the film as a whole. The score is pretty much more of the same; the almost hypnotic resonance; an undercurrent – as opposed to a full blaring theme; though it’s almost too familiar, with whatever upgrades (aside from the new tracks) possibly too subtle to even notice.
The film closes with more of a “I’ll see you around” as opposed to “until next time” – it doesn’t quite have that full cathartic punch to the gut; but it leaves you wanting more; I’d be alright with a 3 hour bat-flick.
Rating: 9.4/10
Cumjackulation Rating: 9.7/10
(ratings explained)
IMAX is overrated. Not solely concerning The Dark Knight experience, but as a whole - so far as films are concerned. The switching from wide to full IMAX frame is jarring - there's definitely a "woah factor” - and the image/clarity looks fantastic. But when it's only a single shot of a cityscape for a few seconds it can prove to be annoying.
The reveal of the Joker is a great one as it is. With IMAX it's just larger; grander – the "woah factor" does add a fair deal of impact when it comes to Batman base-jumping and gliding - but the problem with the IMAX medium is no fault of the film. The problem with IMAX is it's not suited for a cinematic experience (aspect ratio aside), one clear factor of this is the seating arrangement; unlike a proper movie theater - the ideal seats in the IMAX tends to be right at the back. Thankfully I’m in a part of Asia where they're all short. Good luck to all you stuck with them tall bastards. Further the IMAX theater setup airline style makes the nosebleed seats like licking the remains of a TV dinner off your glistening display... except the image is much sharper.
Whilst image fidelity is gained, something seems lost in the gimmick of it all; the cinematic quality of the ‘widescreen’. However, if you can live with the switching format and being stuck in a seat so close to the screen you might as well consider a career as a window licker then pony up the extra cash for it, however it's best to save it for a second viewing - if not; 3 viewings on a digital screen.