The sheer volume of comic book movies this year has been staggering, but overall the consensus was that this movie would be at the top of the heap. With a long running viral internet campaign, a bunch of advanced screenings, and dozens of clever promotions, I think the Dark Knight was crowned this summer’s blockbuster hit months in advance of actually opening. Add to that the tabloid appeal of Heath Ledger’s tragic death after an amazing performance in what is arguably this movies lead role and you’ve got the year’s most talked about film. So yeah, I saw this behemoth of a movie coming from a mile away and it still managed to surprise me within the first 10 minutes with a bank robbery otherwise reserved as the climax of a heist film. Also I’m a huge fan of actor Aaron Eckhart and I was not expecting that his Harvey Dent character was going to get as much on screen time and dialog as he did, and every such scene was great.
The only bit that was easy to predict was that Christian Bale would reprise his dual roles as millionaire Bruce Wayne and as Batman, the city's celebrated vigilante. At the beginning of the movie that is not too bad a gig, crime is down and he finds himself mostly fighting copycats and low rent villains. Then the Joker makes an appearance, destabilizing the balance of power amongst crime families and making it a really bad town to be a cop in. This incarnation of the Joker is extremely menacing, more of a horror icon than a gimmicky bank robber. And once the Joker points his ill will in the Batman’s direction things become violently unpredictable, with important characters turning up dead every few minutes. In fact the movie seems to sink into a deeper and more hopeless place with each scene, as we are shown time and time again that high tech gadgetry is ineffective against the unpredictability of low tech terrorism. At times this is a welcome analogy but sometimes the metaphor becomes too obvious, in particular when Batman decides to implement a plan that allows him to spy on the entire population of
I mostly took all that in stride given the fact that almost every movie this year has some dubious political commentary on patriotism and the war against terror (see my Iron Man review). More interesting is what this movie has to say about what it takes to be a hero and how such people are rewarded.
For example, the district attorney Harvey Dent becomes an extremely successful crime fighter only to have his spirit crushed and his face mutilated, creating the classic bat-villain Two Face in the process.
Other characters such as Commissioner Gordon (
But in the end summer films are not just about the characters, it’s about the memorable set pieces. And in this movie there is no shortage of car chases, explosions, high tech gadgetry, and cathartic ass kicking. Batman is just a little bit darker than usual, although I would happily have him give up his new bone crunching ways and growly voice in exchange for some personality. Perhaps the next sequel will introduce a brightly colored sidekick to dampen his off-putting angst. I’m not asking for Batman’s adventures in candy land but after saying so many times that it’s darkest before the dawn, I would love to see what the dawn looks like.
