The Dark Knight [film]

Warner Bros

July 17, 2008, 08:42 PM

I was really nervous to finally catch the highly anticipated new Batman film, The Dark Knight. It has been receiving massive amounts of promotion since Heath Ledger died earlier this year. That is perfectly understandable, but it is often said that The Dark Knight is the last film Ledger did before his death, which is not true. He died while filming another movie, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, which is set to release next year. Apparently they finished the film with Johnny Depp playing Ledger's role. Sounds strange, but based on what I've read about the surreal aspects of the style and story, it may not be that weird.

Aside from all of the Heath Ledger hype, I have been generally disappointed with most movies I have seen lately. Hancock was terrible. Hellboy II was alright, but felt really really long. Iron Man and The Hulk were both really good, but it was hardly like I needed to change my pants after seeing them. Those are two films that are working toward the upcoming Avengers film, and honestly, it felt like a set-up. They were good, but obvious precursors to something else, rather than being standalone flicks. Even Wall-E failed to meet expectations since I wasn't fighting back the tears at any point... and I've seen it twice now. It's not that I'm heartless, it just didn't get me there (and I'm a total pussy when it comes to that stuff). It seems any movie I am really looking forward to lets me down, lately.

So, before seeing The Dark Knight, I did everything I could to calm myself down. Tell myself it probably won't be THAT great, but it will probably be good. It's 2 and a half hours long, so there's a good chance it will drag in a few places. There was also a really good chance that they would add deleted scenes or extended scenes featuring Heath Ledger, whether or not they good, just because he's dead. Hollywood is fucking creepy like that. Despite my best efforts to convince myself it would suck, I couldn't help bouncing in the lobby, clapping my hands like an asshole and giggling uncontrollably. Fuck me, I wanted to see it....bad. And I wanted it to be GREAT. I wanted it to be EPIC. I wanted it to be worthy of the actors in it. I wanted it to be even better than the first one.

I gotta tell you, it surpassed every expectation. It was better than I possibly could have imagined. I wasn't on any kind of substance but found myself physically reacting to what I was seeing. I was on the edge of my seat, literally, through most of the movie. Laughing loudly through some parts, jumping out of my chair in others, and I even found myself emotionally moved, not necessarily crying but feeling close to it. The acting in this film is impeccable. The writing is amazing. The directing is perfect. The effects are mind-blowing and never seem to escape the realm of possibility. And of course, if Heath Ledger needed a masterpiece before his untimely passing, this is it.

The Joker ran away with the movie. It's all about him and his character is both larger than life and surprisingly human. Ledger plays him brilliantly, adding new dimensions of psychosis to the classic villain. He performs a magic trick at the beginning of the film that absolutely sets the tone and makes you instantly fall in love with his portrayal. You can't help but love him. Ledger turned The Joker into a real person...a seriously disturbed human being, but a human being nonetheless. He is diabolical, he is destructive, but he is never evil. This fits in perfectly with the direction of this new crop of Batman films, starring Christian Bale.

What the former Batman films were lacking was a sense of reality. They were cartoonish and their attempts at being 'dark' felt contrived. Sure they were enjoyable to my much younger self, but they are not films I can go back to as an adult and really appreciate in any way. They were too cheesy. Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman made him a real person. He's not just some weirdo billionaire with a lot of money and hardcore daddy issues who seems to have little trouble balancing his double life. Bale makes him a real person, who was given a sense of 'higher purpose' by his father and fulfilled that purpose through his own efforts, in his own way. He is not good. He is not bad. He is Batman. That doesn't automatically mean he has no real sense of morality, he just sees that the 'right thing to do' and the 'good thing to do' aren't always the same. In fact, they're rarely the same. Suffering and sacrifice are real...even for someone like Batman.

Bruce Wayne uses his money. He runs his company. That's not something that has ever really been included in past Batman films. The resources and access afforded to him by being a CEO and billionaire playboy assist him in his mission, but unfortunately also make it possible for him to be 'found out.' If the Wayne company is responsible for building everything Batman uses, there is a chance someone may eventually put the pieces together. Additionally, Bruce Wayne is absolutely incapable of having a real romantic relationship. The lovely Rachel Dawes, played in this film by Maggie Gyllenhaal, represents Bruce's end game. When he can no longer be Batman, he will finally be with his one true love and oldest friend. But how long can she really be expected to wait for him? She's beautiful and she's brilliant. For her to remain single for no apparent reason isn't realistic.

In the Dark Knight, Dawes has been dating Gotham's new District Attorney, the incorruptable and endlessly confident Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart. Dent is anxious to take their relationship to the next level and all but begs Rachel to marry him. Meanwhile, certain events have been unraveling that give the District Attorney the opportunity to take down a giant crime family; events set in motion by none other than The Joker.

The film, of course, brings back Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Fox, Gary Oldman as Lt. Gordon, and even Cillian Murphy (The Scarecrow) makes a brief appearance. New additions include Eric Roberts as crime boss Salvatore Maroni, Anthony Michael Hall as a television reporter and Nestor Carbonell as the Mayor. The choice of mayor made me giggle, as I was a fan of the live-action The Tick series where Carbonell played Bat Manuel, latin lover and crime fighter. Interesting, but totally pointless, coincidence.

I can't say anything else about this film without giving something away and I wouldn't dare do that to you. Although the film is 2 and a half hours long, it doesn't drag for even a moment. Every second of that 2 and a half hours is used to its fullest, taking every necessary twist and turn to tell the most compelling story in one of the most beautiful films in recent memory. I thought this movie would be amazing and it surpassed my expectations. It was better than I could have imagined, and one can't help but take a moment in the closing credits to mourn the loss of Heath Ledger. You will never see that character again, and that sucks. We lost a brilliant actor who had the depth and skill to reinvent a classic and make this film so much more than it possibly could have been without him. He was The Joker. Like in all superhero series, new villains emerge and this series will undoubtedly continue, but it will do so without the incredible talent of Ledger and his version of The Joker. It really is too bad, since it's a character I would love to see again, but that impossibility almost makes The Dark Knight even more legendary. It's like capturing lightning in a bottle.

You simply have to see The Dark Knight in the theatre. This one can't wait for DVD.