We all know the Batman sob story: Tim Burton made superhero movies other than Superman worthwhile, Joel Schumacher came to do the third film and dropped the quality, then ultimately killed the franchise while getting paid in the next one. (Remind you of anyone else?) Then Christopher Nolan came and did some cinematic CPR on the Batman series and made billions of dollars. Continuing the Dark Knight Legend after Batman Begins, The Dark Knight sets up a more exciting and engaging film than any superhero movie I have ever seen.
I've seen two other of Nolan's films-- Inception and Batman Begins-- and The Dark Knight knocks them both out of the park. Honestly. Inception was mind-blowing and ambiguous, so it was hard for me to decide my opinion on it. You either love it or you hate it. And Batman Begins... it was a decent, watchable film, but it suffered from origin-story-itis. It was good, but not great, but I can understand why people like it.
Then I saw this.
The story in this film revolves around tension in Gotham City. After a brief disappearance of Batman following the destruction of Wayne Manor in the previous film, he resurfaces as the mob team from Begins starts to wreak havoc despite their leader's sudden fit of insanity in the first film. With Batman back, the mobs become fearful of their successes. Cue the Joker. His plan: Kill the Batman for half of the mob's shares. The Joker offers Batman a chance to save the city by publicly revealing his identity, and for every day stalled, people will die, forcing Bruce Wayne to think about his morals. With the Joker an unstoppable force with even HIS thugs fearing him, everyone in Gotham is in danger.
There are more plotlines than this involving a popular district attorney, but despite the 2.5 hour length, you are thoroughly invested into the story and want to see what happens to the characters while STILL wanting more. Now that could mean that Nolan failed to give audiences what they wanted or he masterly created an interesting story and characters. I vote for the latter. Oddly enough, despite the MUCH longer length than it's predecessor, The Dark Knight has a much tighter storyline than Batman Begins. This is the Empire Strikes Back of Batman. Nolan takes every risk possible and creates not only time-investing experience, but a emotionally-investing one as well.
Now onto the acting. In Batman Begins, there were a few good performances, but other than Micheal Caine as Alfred, I can't think of any performance that was Oscar-worthy or very memorable. Maybe it was experience, maybe it was extra confidence, but EVERYONE stepped up their game, going from a B-minus to an A+. Most characters from the first film didn't get as much time in the limelight this time around, making more room for the newer characters, but their performances (and the writing) made the characters absolutely relevant. I can't imagine the film without Alfred. I can't imagine the film without Rachel. I can't imagine the film without Lucius. In Batman Begins, Christian Bale was a hit-or-miss for me as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I didn't care for him. He was definitely a heck of a lot better this time around but not quite Oscar-worthy. I can nitpick every performance and tell you every single thing about their acting, but I don't trust Blogger to do well with the capacity I would need, so I'll skip to the best of the best. Heath Ledger as the Joker. People have talked about him a lot, and they can keep talking, because he was marvelous. A perfect swan song. Heath Ledger deserved every award he got for this film, because his Joker was fantastic! He fully invested himself into his character, creating a man who is equally frightening and darkly comic. I mean, the Joker made me laugh and smile, and then in the next scene, I'm like,"...I was laughing at him." Legend has it, he improvised one of the most memorable scenes from the movie. I can't say enough good words about him, and he's the reason why people see this movie.
Nolan knew where he was going with this film, and he made sure everything was crisp. It was. This is a man who is a most creative screenwriter and a director who cares for his craft. Also, the score by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer was perfect for the movie. Intense when it needed to be, but dramatic when it was emotional. My only critique with the score was that it was noticeable who composed what. Zimmer composed the more intense, memorable pieces. Howard created the soft stuff. The two almost clashed. Hearing Zimmer in The Lion King, Inception, and Sherlock Holmes, he is wonderful alone, and I can't wait to see how he sounds in The Dark Knight Rises. He is a master of cinematic scores. I just don't care too much for Howard.
I love superhero films. They're great escape movies-- at least what I've seen. This is the best. I loved The Avengers back in May. I thought it was a perfect film. It captured the comic book feel perfectly-- it felt like I was reading a comic book without the speech bubbles. The Dark Knight doesn't feel like a comic book. It's an experience. It's slower than The Avengers, but it doesn't drag its feet. While they are both perfect movies, I prefer The Dark Knight because of its more realistic feel.
Do you like superhero films? Do you enjoy excellent entertainment? Do you like action films? Do you like thrillers? If you said yes to any of these, do yourself a favor. Rent Batman Begins to get the story, then buy The Dark Knight on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack for the experience. Bring it on-the-go and watch it in perfect definition. Because this film gets my highest possible rating: The Epitome of Cinematic Excellence.
The film's tagline is "Why So Serious?" There's a simple answer to that: It makes a better film.
