Film Review: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Released July 18, 2008
Seen July 27, 2008

I’d like to preface my review by stating that I did in fact like the movie. I read that a critic wrote that he didn’t like the movie and received monstrous amounts of hate mail due to his validly expressed opinion. With this review, I aim to do the same. That said, I didn’t love the movie quite as much as the general public. I wasn’t a fan of the last Batman movie, “Batman Begins”, whereas nearly everyone else in the world loved it. The same seems to be even truer for this newer installment, which already ranks #3 on IMDB’s top 250 list. I did enjoy “The Dark Knight”, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied. To begin with, Batman is hardly in the movie. I understand that this is supposed to be all about the Joker, and that’s all good and well, but for a movie that attempts to stress Batman’s dual role in the city of Gotham, I would have thought he’d be more front and center. Heath Ledger does turn in a tremendous final performance as the twisted Joker, and he truly carries the film. His character is a carefully-crafted villain who really shines throughout the whole movie. I wish I could say the same for the rest of the cast. Maggie Gyllenhaal, usually a fantastic actress, is hardly better than her predecessor in the previous film, Katie Holmes. Aaron Eckhart isn’t used nearly as well as he could be, especially given his excellent fast-talking performance in “Thank You For Smoking”, which might have led into a perfect portrayal of Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face. The movie, which clocks in at about two and a half hours, packages its action and plot sequences into several meaty sections. A lot happens at once but all in all little actually occurs throughout the film, a problem the first film had. Without ruining the movie’s finish, I’ll simply say that while I can appreciate the desire to craft an ending similar to that of the comic book storyline, I don’t feel that the film appropriately set itself up to end up in that position. The film does boast some terrific music, impressive effects, and that fantastic turn from Heath Ledger. Anyone else will tell you they loved it, and I’ll tell you that I liked it. I have heard the IMAX experience is the way to go, so if by some crazy chance you haven’t seen it yet, you may want to consider upgrading.

B