The Dark Knight – Movie Review

This has been the best summer for superhero movies. Ever.

Falling in the same league of greatness as Iron Man and Hellboy 2, The Dark Knight holds up just as strong. Though truth be told, the movie doesn’t really feel like a superhero movie. Sure, there is a hero running around in a costume (occasionally unintentionally looking humorous), and a villain intent on madness and mayhem, but in a post-9/11 world, the amount of terror that the Joker brings to the city of Gotham feels frighteningly real. With no superpowers, no random freak accidents, no displays of too-futuristic technology (there is some, but like in Iron Man, the technology seems genuine and believable, even if we don’t actually have it yet), this movie seems almost plausible.

But what makes the movie most enjoyable is the almost non-stop suspense. The Joker makes it apparent very early that he does not hesitate to kill and shows no mercy. As such, nearly every character featured is placed in a life-threatening situation, and some do die. Adding to the suspense is the slow and gradual revelation of the many facets of the Joker’s plan. This causes me to ask “Do you think he plans it all out ahead, or makes it up as he goes along?” (And yes, I stole that from Pirates of the Caribbean.) Not only is The Joker an extremely well written character, Heath Ledger is perfect for the part. As much as Robert Downey Jr. was Tony Stark, Heath Ledger is the Joker. It is therefore both satisfying and saddening that this is his final role. This is by-far the best super-villain adaption to grace the silver screen yet.

Yet with all the focus on The Joker, it feels as though he is the main character – and indeed, he may be. Harvey Dent seems to be the other chief player, as we see the major evolution (or is it devolution?) of his character. Both characters maintain a believable persona, and while extreme, they never seem over-the-top. Batman seems to take side stage as he’s put more on a reactionary role to the various crimes of The Joker and other gangsters. Nonetheless, Batman is successfully able to display the symbol of heroism that he is throughout the film.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this film, my main complaint can be summarized in three words: “Why so serious?” The Dark Knight is perhaps the most aptly named movie that I have seen because it is simply that: dark. Between all the scenes of grungy crime, of terror-filled suspense, and occasional grotesqueness, there is very little room for any humor. Given this is supposed to be a depressing film, but its serious overtone seems to weigh it down in several places. Even in the rare moments when we do get a chuckle, it is almost always the result of dark humor. Am I the only one who thinks edge-of-your-seat movies can still make you laugh? Cloverfield sure did. (Grade: A-)

-M. Staples

A Second Opinion

I am sure most of you now know what the movie is about so let me just cut to the chase and say that The Dark Knight actually manages to live up to the hype. Heath Ledger IS that good as The Joker and his Oscar worthy performance should go down as one for the ages. The grounded storyline IS a crime epic that manages to transcend the comic book trappings in just about every way. The cast IS that good, as everyone brings their “A” game to each and every scene.

To be totally honest, the only complaints I can think of have to do with the nature of Batman in general. As Staples mentions in his review, there are moments where Batman feels just a touch out of place amongst the deadly serious, realistic tone of the film. Also, Bale’s “Batman voice” works well enough, but when given lots of dialogue to speak in that voice, it comes off as forced and a bit silly. These are minor complaints, however, and I only mention them to justify why I did not give the film an A+ instead of…(Grade: A)

-Kyle Posluszny

A Third Opinion

This is easily the best comic book movie ever made. It’s also the best movie of 2008 (so far). When stripped down, the movie’s a crime drama with just a hint of superheroics (and super villainy) thrown in as dressing. Its relevant subject matter – the post 9/11 theme – is disturbing, yet compelling. A lot of people compare this movie to Michael Mann’s Heat, and I agree with that. And while there may be some parallels the two movies share, The Dark Knight easily stands on its own as a superior offering (not to mention more unique).

This version of The Joker is perhaps the scariest incarantion yet. He’s not a man transformed, nor is he a man with an agenda. He’s pure chaos and when he says that all law abiding citizens are just a small push away from becoming just like him, it’s easy to believe. Throughout the movie, The Joker uses this mantra to test the law, the citizens, and all the key players that dwell in Gotham City. And in the end, he’s proven wrong on a broad scale. But the damage he inflicts to Gotham’s infrastructure is undeniable. Everyone who survives his onslaught of terror is changed morally for the worse. No one is left unscathed, clean, or innocent.

I can’t say enough about how tight the script to this movie is. Never did I ever feel a single line of dialogue felt out of place or cheesey. The runtime definitely feels like two and a half hours by the end of the movie, but it’s by no means a slow movie. It’s just emotionally exhausting, and you’ll understand when you see what these characters go through. I won’t go into performances since you’ve probably read through all the initial buzz, but I will say the entire cast is spot on perfect. Because of Heath Ledger’s untimely demise, most of the attention is being directed towards his performance which is brilliant. However, I must stress that Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart do beyond exceptional work as well.

I can’t see Christopher Nolan making a better Batman movie than this. Part of me just wants him to hang it up and move on to something else. But another part of me never wants his unfettering vision of Gotham City to ever die. Because a super hero movie has never felt so grounded. So real. No other villain will ever be able to challenge Batman at this level. The only person I can see Batman taking on next and having some semblance of urgency is Superman (Dark Knight Returns style). (Grade: E for Epic)

– J. Montes