Rating:
4.5 out of 5
Everything you’ve heard about Ledger’s performance is true – I think he should at the very least be nominated for an Oscar. He absolutely disappeared into the role and while he’s onscreen I challenge you to take your eyes off him. He’s mesmerizing and scary as hell. The subtleties he brings to the character combined with the way he was written pack a gut-shot one-two punch. You’re going to love his magic trick…
At the same time the film is also (in my opinion) the closest to the spirit of the Batman of the standard comic books in that our hero is more of a detective in this film than he’s been in any to date. The Dark Knight felt much more to me like a crime drama along the lines of The Departed or Heat than it did a comic book movie – and that’s what caused me to question it upon first viewing. But when I watched it a second time I saw how this was really the most faithful big screen incarnation of The Dark Knight ever done.
For the most part, the comic book world of Batman is not fantastic – it’s more like The Punisher’s world – taking place on the mean streets of a corrupt city, dealing with mortal (if extremely dangerous) enemies, and that’s what we’re given in The Dark Knight.
Another shining star in this film is Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two Face. Eckhart does a great job and it was essential to the film that you really believe his inherent goodness and role as “white knight” of Gotham. When he finally falls it’s believable and not cliched. As a matter of fact, anywhere the movie could have veered into a cliche – director Chris Nolan takes it in the opposite direction. Really Dent’s fall is the primary story arc in the film.
And then we have the IMAX factor – If you are fortunate enough to live within driving distance of an IMAX theater, I recommend you watch the movie in that format. If you can’t get in on opening weekend, go see it on a regular screen and go see it in IMAX the following weekend to experience the difference.
The scenes filmed in that giant format just swallowed you up. Many of the action sequences were filmed in IMAX and the effect really fills your senses. It’s as close as you can get to feeling like you’re in the movie without 3D. The opening sequence with the bad guys swinging out from a skyscraper and the scene were Batman drops from the top of a Hong Kong skyscraper will almost give you vertigo. And you’re going to love the scene where you first see the Batpod. 
Should you bring the kids? I wouldn’t (and didn’t). This has scenes that are right up there with PG-13 horror films in not only imagery but situations as well. This Joker is no Jack Nicholson with a deadly hand buzzer – he’s brutal when beating on his adversaries and his favorite weapon is a knife. And there are a couple of scenes that are pretty much PG-13 versions of what might come out of a Saw movie.
So after all that, why not a 5 star rating? There were just a couple of things that didn’t quite make sense to me that I won’t spoil here, and the film did feel like it ran too long at 2 1/2 hours. There did reach a point where I was ready for it to be over, yet it went on for another 20+ minutes.
In conclusion, The Dark Knight is the most “grown up” comic book superhero movie made to date. While I wouldn’t dream of Iron Man being nominated for an Oscar despite how great and entertaining I found it, The Dark Knight is at that level, and that’s quite an accomplishment for this type of film.
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117 Comments
@Vic
Yah, the whole deal with Batman being a secondary character is definitely one of its flaws, but it’s pretty minor since I’ve always like The Joker as a villain and Ledger did a good job with that. But I do think they should have balanced it out a bit more. The friend I went shooting with today actually just told me that he thought TDK was just “OK” and the only real criticism he kept mentioning was this fact. So apparently it was far more important to him than it was to me, because this one aspect alone would not have been such a big deal.
@ Last Laugh
Yah, I forgot to mention that one of my favorite things about TDK was its message of never backing down to terrorism! I’m not sure if it was intentional, but it was definitely there, same with 300.
To be honest Ken to me it sound an awful like you were saying the majority of the world agrees with you. By saying they are simply to afraid to admit it. I think the vast majority are honest with your opinion and you just wish more people agreed with you. I think the people who give an opinion on this movie mean what they say and aren’t afraid to tell the truth.
The war on terror thing may not have been in the script but it’s part of the conciousness that forms it, I saw several parallels, the most basic in the Joker’s anarchistic nature , how do you deal with someone who does not care about anything , even their own survival,in how the Joker tries to force Batman into reacting in anger, even to the point of killng him,[ the big-rig aftermath] partly because he doesn’t care about himself in the normal way , but also because ultimately if Batman kills him , he will have won by undoing his moral core which would destroy all he is trying to be. And also in the Joker’s underestimation of the positive possibilities of human nature during his ’social experiment’as,after all what can he base it on but his own experience of life and his own consequently warped humanity, It’s thought provoking but I don’t think entirely deliberate, just part of the collective unconscious.
There was some discussion of this in an article in Total Film [July Issue] Gary Oldman mentioned it in interview, from the perspective of his character and the problem of how you police anarchy.
And just for the record, I’m not afraid to speak out about negatives, they just don’t really incite me to write about them, I’d rather write about stuff I find exciting or thought provoking, but thats just me,:}
I should also say , I have no special interest in seeing ‘Terrorism’in everything,[before someone mentions that] .It’s just an interesting angle , As is the Mythic, what about Tricksters, In many cultures they are the ones which through anarchic , rule breaking behaviour, warped humour and malicious and often lethal tricks[think 'Coyote' or 'Anansi']teach the ‘Hero’ who and what he really is, Batman’s encounter with the Joker defines him in a way no other really could,because he’s no one dimensional character, and in a way, as he claims, ‘not crazy’ and ‘just ahead of the curve’ He is supremely clever at unravelling people and holding a mirror up to their weaknesses.It’s his only reason to live, like any Trickster worth his salt. :}
@ Daniel
I’m sure you like to feel like I’m an unrational person just because I have negative things to say about something you’re obviously a fanboy of. But unfortunately for you, I’ve never said or implied any of that. But you’re free to think what you like, this is a free country after all.
@ Last Laugh
Yah, don’t think I would like every movie to be about terrorism either, the reason why I loved that aspect is the fact that the current trend in movies tend to always have some political agenda in the opposite direction. Frankly, I’m pretty sick of it. I’ve never believed that anyone should crumble under terrorist pressure. Nobody should allow murderers to dictate their actions, so it’s nice to see a movie where the characters actually stand up to it.
“My point is that nobody would dare mention any of them about this movie even though I know people are thinking them”
“I feel like people are afraid to say bad things about it with the fear that they would just be called stupid and not a good judge of movies.”
In my last post that’s exactly what I said that you said. Look there it is right there in quotes copied and pasted from your posts. I’m by no means a fanboy I don’t care if you don’t like certain aspects of the film. I simply don’t like you assuming that there are a bunch of people who agree with you but are afraid to admit it.
Um, I said there are people who think it. Where did I say I think everyone, or heck, even MOST people think it? There ARE people who think this, if you’re expecting me to get defensive, I’m not going to change any of what I said just because you’re interpreting it in a way so you can convince yourself that I am an irrational person. Because apparently in your mind only an irrational person can actually have an objective view on the film, meaning both positive AND negative things and not just get all giddy like a school girl in love.
You can keep telling yourself twhat you think I meant all you want if it makes you feel better. You won’t hear any complaints here, whatever makes you happy dude, it’s a free country.
Ok, boys, settle down. Don’t make me separate you two.
We like to keep Screen Rant a friendly place.
Vic
What is wrong with you Ken? I don’t honestly care at all how you feel about the film this isn’t even about how you feel about the film. Have what ever view you feel is necessary. I’m just taking offense to you suggesting that there is even one person who is simply afraid to say they didn’t like it. Hate the film or love the film or just think it’s ok it honestly doesn’t matter. Just don’t assume that people are afraid to say they don’t like a movie. It doesn’t even make sense.
Sorry Vic I’ll drop the subject since he refuses to actually pay attention to what i’m saying an just assumes that I’m some how upset that he didn’t think TDK was perfect.
Hell I don’t even think TDK is perfect. I admitted the pacing toward the end was a little off. I hated the idea of killing off Two Face. Personally I’m not a huge fan of the new suit or the Bat Pod and as always I hate the Tumbler.
Sorry Vic if it seems like it’s going back and forth, but I’m really not even arguing with him. I am sincerely trying to let him know that he can tell himself whatever he wants to, but he insists on trying to tell me what I meant by what I said, as if I don’t know myself or something, lol. I don’t know, somehow he feels like what he’s saying is so complex that somehow I’m not understanding it. I understand exactly what he’s trying to say, it’s simply not the case, but I’m not about to tell him he can’t misinterpret things if he really wants to. Heck if I care, don’t know why he keeps pressing it, not sure what response he wants from me, I’m not trying to stop him from thinking whatever he wants to think.
Well, I really have nothing further to say, so if he wants to keep pressing the matter, I’ll just respond with “*knod* whatever you say.” I guess I probably should have done that from the beginning huh Vic. Sorry I didn’t think of that earlier.
I am so sick of Batman at this point,,,
That’s all I got.
Lol, don’t start that again…
Yes Yaaawwwwnn, no more of that pur-leeze people ;}
Should have been a five out of five
Oh no, call the Dark Knight police…
4.75 out of 5 – can’t think of a complaint. I can’t believe I waited until now to see this movie.
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