a.rainy.day

So, I just saw The Dark Knight. And my thoughts? It kicked major arse. It is one of the few movies that actually lives up to its hype. And somehow Christopher Nolan managed to raise the already high bar from Batman Begins, and TDK is one of the few sequels in general that doesn’t suck. It’s a good comic book movie but it’s also a good movie in itself, which is somewhat rare in the comic book genre.

I’ll probably go see it again (if funds prove to be sufficient), because every time I see a movie for the first time I tend to miss a few things because I’m too absorbed in the novelty of everything. And because I was so excited about this movie, that I definitely missed a few things while viewing it. And because it was so crowded in the theatre that the only seats available were the ones in the first row, which are not the greatest seats to sit in while watching a movie due to the fact that it forces the person to literally look up at the screen.

Anyone who has watched any superhero film would know that whatever city that they are trying to save would have the city deliberate if said superhero is good or not. Which is logical if this random person in costume decides to take the law in their own hands. However, usually by the sequel, the city has accepted said hero and is completely dependent on them. In TDK, that isn’t the case. Gotham is still on the fence albeit sort of leaning towards accepting him, and for that I liked that detail.

SPOILERS AFTER THE CUT! Seriously, turn off the computer and run if you haven’t seen the movie yet. And be prepared for my incoherent rambling.

And yes, I do recommend seeing this. This is the summer blockbuster that is really worth watching. Even if you’re not into the comic book genre, go see the movie because you’re a bloody idiot if you don’t!

First off, the acting was phenomenal. I believe everyone did a good performance. And yes, I do think that Heath Ledger’s Joker was the best one. In previous film incarnations, the Joker was portrayed as more of a demented prankster. Psychotic, yes, but a little more goofy with the flower squirting and “bang” guns. But the choice to make the Joker as more a psychotic maniac was brilliant on Nolan’s part. It’s something that was never really explored in anything outside of the comic. I know there’s this whole fanfare about Ledger deserving an Oscar for his performance. And for once, I’ll have to agree. It’s very rare to see someone pull off a villain role as well as Ledger did. Although, I’ll leave that for the Academy to decide, since I’m pretty sure comic book movies are rarely ever nominated for something other than special effects and whatnot.

There wasn’t an origin story of any sort for the Joker in this film. But in reality, that’s fine. Because the Joker’s origins in the first place are kind of unknown. There are a lot of interpretations concerning how he became the Joker, but most of the time it’s not set in stone compared to the other Batman villains. This Joker didn’t have his skin bleached, it was just clown make-up, green hair, and scars. A slight twist, but it’s something new and generally welcomed. During the film, it played on the Joker’s pathological lying and how he gave multiple stories concerning his scars. It shows that Nolan really did understand the character, since the Joker’s sense of reality is skewed and he doesn’t know the difference. Anyone who is familiar with The Killing Joke would know that he prefers his past to be “multiple choice.”

And as for the other “new” face in the series, I did like Maggie Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of Rachel Dawes. However, the character itself was poorly written in the first movie. And as much as I would love to blame Katie Holmes (who was absolutely awful), the character was just weak and doesn’t follow the canon which could probably explain the lack of any depth in Rachel. Also, Holmes looked a little too young to be an Assistant District Attorney. Gyllenhaal looked a little young too, but at least it looked as if she took the role more seriously than Holmes.  And, Holmes, you are a bloody idiot for missing out on this film. Yes, you were dreadful, but it’s frikkin’ Batman! Look at all of the money you missed out on! This was a guaranteed blockbuster that will pwn every movie this summer. You chose Mad Money (I didn’t need to see it to know that movie sucked) over Batman?!

Although, I’m sure Nolan came to his senses and didn’t want her back. I am still questioning his logic on casting Holmes in the first place (who already had a pretty crappy resume before Begins) and had no other actresses in mind for the role.

From what I read, Gyllenhaal wouldn’t be Rachel unless there was something more to the character. I don’t really blame her since Rachel was kind of the stereotypical damsel in distress. Nolan agreed to her wishes and made Rachel have a little more attitude and sass. With those changes, I didn’t mind the character as much in the sequel. But, the character is still pretty terrible. What can you do? No movie is perfect.

All of the characters in the comics are ones that people would be familiar with and it would be easier to build upon what was already there, as opposed to just having a completely brand new character try to fit into the canon. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. To say the least, I’m so happy Rachel was killed off. More grief for Batman brings more depth and development.

Aaron Eckhart did a very good Harvey Dent/Two-Face. It definitely pwns the one from Batman Forever. Also, anyone who doesn’t know that Harvey Dent is Two-Face needs to shut off the internet forever, since it’s kind of a given that if Dent is in a Batman movie then Two-Face will most likely make an appearance.

What I really liked was that Nolan actually gave a very good origin story for Two-Face which is something that was never done in the Schumacher film. It was different from the original comics, but it was still good. Anyone who watched the animated series would know that Bruce Timm had a different origin story for Dent as well. Two-Face is a very tragic villain (again, never explored in the Schumacher abomination) and in this film, he had a very tragic ending. It was beautifully done having Two-Face die as Gotham’s White Knight. I don’t care about the speculation that Batman and Gordon could have faked the funeral, Nolan is too logical for that.

Plot-wise. Holy crap. It’s a little too complicated to put into a paragraph, but to say the least the trailers revealed NOTHING! But watching the Joker release this madness and anarchy upon Gotham City was frikkin’ epic. It’s more deep compared to other comic book movies. Frankly, if this ever happened in real life, then you really would need someone like Batman to save everyone. I mean, seriously, how does a someone cope with the fact that the city that you are trying to save is in complete chaos and panic? This is probably the deepest crap any comic book character has ever been in. And the twists and turns in the film (not too much, but just right before it gets ridiculous) kept the audience on its toes.

As for the ending, I was really pleased with how Batman was willing to have Two-Face’s murders pinned on him for the sake of preserving Dent’s image. Gotham needs its White Knight for a hero at the moment, not Batman. It shows who Batman really is. In Gordan’s last line in the movie, it describes him perfectly:

“Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. And so we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not a hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector…a Dark Knight.”

He is no longer the beacon of hope for Gotham which despite still being on the fence was sort of leaning towards accepting him, but that has been destroyed. It destroys his hopes of ever passing his mantle to Dent, since he’s obviously dead. It gives a good potential foundation for the third film.

The fight scenes were filmed much better compared to the first film. There were still a couple sketchy ones where it was a little confusing to understand what was happening, especially the one with Two-Face and Batman near the end of the film. And yes, the movie is pretty long with two and a half hours. Nolan could have trimmed down the Hong Kong scene just a bit. But usually whenever you see or read something for the first time, it usually does feel to take a long time. You’re not familiar with it and you’re trying to take in as much of the novelty as possible. Overall, I didn’t mind that it was 2.5 hours.

Now, I will impatiently wait for the DVD release which should be in stores just in time for the holiday shopping season.