The Dark Knight

I read (present tense) comic books. Not "graphic novels" or "trades" or whatever you want to call them because you're embarrassed about being a geek. Lets call a spade a spade; they're comic books. There's been a lot and I've been reading them for a long time.

I know who Batman is. I know who the Joker is. I know who Harvey Dent/Two-Face is. I know why Batman wears his mask, I know why the Joker smiles, and I know all about Two-Face's coin. I know how they came to be and what their relationship is to one another and have know this for 20 years. Something I share with a lot of people, I think. Batman, and to a lesser extent the Joker, are two of the most iconic figures to come out of comic books. On the same level as Superman or Spider-Man as far as recognition goes. Creating a story involving these characters and blowing me away as thoroughly as The Dark Knight did I would not have thought possible. Yet here I stand, corrected.

The Dark Knight lives up to its hype.

Don't let my nerdiness dissuade you, you don't need to be a comic book geek to enjoy this movie. Which takes this from being just a good movie to being a great one. They tell the story while staying true to the source material (for the geeks) without having to compromise the plot (for everyone else). It works on both levels. There are no sloppily placed "in jokes" to appease the fanboys, like in previous movies based on comic books. You shouldn't be left feeling you have to ask your geeky friend why half the audience laughed at one point. Or why the characters refer to events that don't happen in the movie. Something both recent powerhouses Iron Man and Hulk are guilty of. It's just a solid, intense story that would have been viable in any other genre. Which is the way these movies should be made.

My favorite thing from movie has to be Harvey Dent/Two-Face. He's really the only dynamic character. While brilliantly portrayed, Batman is the same stoic hero from beginning to end and the Joker remains the Joker; insanely diabolical. Only Harvey Dent undergoes any sort of transformation/growth in the movie and it's wonderful to watch. Aaron Eckhart does an amazing job portraying the fall of Harvey Dent. He brings life to a character I normally couldn't care less about.

Also of note, due to real life events the Joker will presumably not be returning in the next movie and I'm thankful for it (not for Heath Ledger's death of course but the fact that they wont be bringing the character back). I doubt they could duplicate the success they had this time around. There's been a lot of talk about Heath's roll as the Joker and it's nothing to scoff at. He's like the boogie man. You never know when the Joker is going to show up and what horrible thing he's going to do when he gets there. From this, a sincere intensity is created in the movie. I can't remember the last time a comic book movie's villain has created this level of worry/dread in me, even when he's not on screen. It's a fantastic feeling.

Although not visually brutal, some of the violence in the Dark Knight is jarring. Be careful if you plan on bringing your younger kids. Other than that, go and enjoy. It's a great movie.

One final thing, there's no need to wait around 30 minutes for the credits to roll; there are no extra scenes.

Comments

[Stephanie]

It knocked my socks off. I keep thinking about it days later. There was not one aspect I thought was weak. Writing, directing, acting, music. It was exceptionally tight.