No joke: ‘Dark Knight’ good, not great
By drredeye • Aug 6th, 2008 • Category: Movies
Tagline: Why so serious?
Synopsis: A new menace is in Gotham City and wreaks unparalleled havoc, causing Batman to re-assess whether he should continue in his superhero capacity. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne vies with District Attorney Harvey Dent for the affections of Rachel Dawes.
Violence: Lots. And though not gory or graphic, it’s still intense, such as what will likely be known as the “disappearing pencil” scene. The movie is only rated PG-13 because no blood is splattered. Otherwise, it’d easily get an R rating. Definitely keep kids under 12 away from this one.
Sex: Some French kisses but otherwise clean.
Language: Some taking the Lord’s name in vain but no bombs.
Drugs/alcohol: Some casual drinking at Bruce Wayne’s party for Dent but otherwise clean.
Looking good: The plot is fairly compelling, making this more than just a superhero popcorn movie but a captivating crime thriller film. The actors are all very good (not just Heath Ledger as the Joker but also Christian Bale as Batman and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent) and Maggie Gyllenhaal is a ringer for Katie Holmes. The film is on high octane from the opening minute. The action scenes are tremendous. The side story of the rise of Lt. Jim Gordon to Commissioner Gordon is interesting. And the way the Joker, who has no superpowers, can effectively hold an entire city…and even Batman himself… hostage is amazing.
Needing a prescription: The plot also is what kept this film from receiving a higher rating. Spoiler alert…if you haven’t seen the movie, skip the rest of this paragraph. Last warning…go to the next paragraph. The Joker is finally captured after causing truly mass mayhem. Yet the authorities honestly feel they can keep this brilliant yet deeply evil man safely behind bars knowing that even the police force is thoroughly infiltrated with traitors and corrupt people? When the Joker does the inevitable escape, I as a viewer am pretty annoyed with either the police naivete or their stupidity.
The ending also is a bit unsatisfying and anti-climactic. After the Joker’s unparalleled reign of terror, the final battle with Batman is quite uneventful.
Bottom line: The film is not only enjoyable to watch but worth a repeat viewing. I actually enjoyed Batman Begins about as much due to the deeper character development for Bruce Wayne, but the complex web of human tendencies is well mined and examined in The Dark Knight. Though I would stop short of calling it the movie of the year, it’s still a very good film.
As a side note, the film appears to leave the possibility of the Joker’s return in a future Batman film, although obviously a new actor will have the unenviable task of filling Ledger’s shoes.
drredeye is a former fetus and former pro-choice advocate. He was raised essentially by a single mother in a lower-class, crime-infested neighborhood in the city of Chicago and later survived the dot-com bust under Bill Clinton's watch. That background helped hone his brutally honest style that colors his conservative opinions. Due to a combination of that provocative style and his often unique perspective on the issues of our day, his writings have been published by a major Chicago newspaper, a Christian magazine and other web sites. You may not always agree with the Doctor, but he'll always make you go hmmm. Yep, satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.
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i still wish Katie Holmes had stayed on board as Rachel Dawes for the Dark Knight; it was like the time spent getting familiar with her character in Batman Begins was wasted…