When Christopher Nolan took over the helm of the Batman franchise in 2005 with “Batman Begins,” audiences all around the world were able to experience how the genius of the man behind “Memento” and “Insomnia” could be translated to the world of a superhero. Many were skeptical, but when it came time to launch the Bat back into cultural relevance, perhaps there was no better man than Nolan. Not only did Nolan succeed in rebooting a franchise that was all but run into the ground by Joel Schumacher with his instant classics “Batman Forever” (1995) and “Batman and Robin” (1997), but he also gave fans of the Batman mythology something they’ve never seen before on the silver screen. With a cast full of top tier talent such as Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, and Katie Holmes (Maybe or maybe not, you decide) it seemed as though nothing could go wrong with the reboot; and little did. The film was applauded for it’s depiction of Bruce Wayne’s rise to becoming the man in the Bat suit. “Batman Begins” successfully created an entirely new universe for Batman films to take place in and exhibited some of the best character development in recent memory. Nolan created a universe that, unlike the previous films, worked in a logical manner and could conceivably take place in the real world. With all of this groundwork already laid in the first film, there was nowhere for the successor to “Begins” to go but up. And up it went.
Nolan giving Harvey (Aaron Eckhart) some direction.
Much of the original cast returns for the sequel, with the only change from the previous film being the substitution of Maggie Gyllenhaal for Cruise’s Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes: Gotham’s female District Attorney and Wayne’s heart throb. In The Dark Knight the audience is introduced to two new characters to Nolan’s universe, Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart, and the Joker played by Heath Ledger. With character development out of the way, Nolan was able to construct not just an amazing summer comic book movie, but an absolutely stunning film that can hold its own against many of the best films of all time. This movie has it all. A plethora of great characters, stunning, and mostly 100% real, action scenes, superb acting and a strong story-line.
The story of “The Dark Knight” follows Bruce Wayne through his struggle to continue being the symbol that is Batman or to give up this creation of his to a more realistic crime fighter that can do Gotham city better than his vigilante alter-ego. As an anarchistic agent of chaos known only as The Joker wreaks havoc among Gotham in an attempt to destroy Batman as a symbol and give Gotham a greater class of criminal, Batman, and more importantly Bruce Wayne, is thrown into a conflict of interests. As the new District Attorney of Gotham, Harvey Dent, shows his true dedication to cleansing Gotham of corruption and crime, Bruce feels that it may be time to put his energies behind a true hero instead of fighting crime in a costume. This would not only give Bruce the opportunity to reconnect with Rachel Dawes, but it would also allow him to see how much this “Batman” had affected Gotham after his arrival as the Caped Crusader in the first film.
This is exactly what the Joker wants to prevent. The Joker despises order, hates justice, and can’t stand the thought of good people wanting to make Gotham a just city. He kills for no other reason than to create chaos. He blows up buildings in no other state of mind than that it’d be fun. He enjoys killing, he enjoys creating a mess, and he enjoys fighting the symbolic opposite that is the Batman.
Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight is none other than mesmerizing. Every scene with any other character in the movie is another scene spent anxiously awaiting the Joker’s arrival. Heath Ledger didn’t just perform a great Joker in this film, he became the man in make up. He became the agent of chaos. From every quiver or lick of his lips, to every limp, to every twitch of his eyes: He is the Joker. Heath Ledger’s performance in this film is the best performance I have seen in years. And I was one of the people questioning Nolan’s decision when casting Ledger. Despite Ledger’s tendency to steal scenes in this film, the rest of the cast is in top shape as well. Aaron Eckhart portrays a goody-goody District Attorney quite well, in a role he seems quite familiar with. Christian Bale returns as confident as ever, but this film is much less about Batman and much more about how Batman has affected the world around him.
This review is less in depth than it could be as I don’t want to spoil the film for anyone, but more give them even more incentive to go out and see it. Multiple times. If you haven’t yet seen it, shame on you. I know that if I went more in-depth about plot details, I’d blow a lot of stuff that could potentially ruin it for others, so I’ll avoid doing that. Instead, I’ll just make this film seem like the Second Coming, and insist that if you haven’t yet seen it, you are living in a world that could be so much better if you’d get in your car, go pick up some friends, go get some food, go to the nearest theater, buy tickets to each showing of The Dark Knight for the next three days and bask in the cinematic glory that is The Dark Knight. Now, if you ask UNSCleric what he thought about this movie, he’d say he missed Katie Holmes, he’d say it was okay, he’d say he’s seen better - but no one is asking him and he’s a little jaded because to Cleric, Christian Bale was cuter in Equilibrium. (No offense UNSCleric)
I'll take the guy on the right...
All of that aside, this film is the best movie of the summer. Period. Just because I’m praising this movie in what seems to be the most fanboyish manner, there are flaws. There are some hiccups in some aspects that may seem a little jarring, but do nothing to detract from the experience. I saw this film in IMAX and am glad I travelled 30-45 minutes away to do so. The scenes shot in IMAX are simply stunning and if you own Batman Begins on Blu-Ray and have seen The Dark Knight prologue on the disc, you’ll see just how much clearer and more vivid it is than standard 35mm film. Now imagine that clarity from floor to ceiling. It’s ridiculously amazing. If there is an IMAX theater near you, go there and do as I stated above with the friends and the tickets, etc.
Nolan once again raises the bar for superhero/comic book films. Not only did he succeed in creating a fantastic Batman film, but he created a film that could transcend genres and open new bounds for comic book adaptations that, before this film, were just fun, big budget films about teens in tights. This is the first film to ever exceed my expectations and thats even more incredible when you take into consideration how much hype surrounded this film leading up to its release.
With the Joker and Two-Face now forever represented in cinematic beauty, where will Nolan take Batman next? Will there even be another film? The end of The Dark Knight may lead many to think so, but with Batman’s arch nemesis already represented, and with the huge obstacles now in place due to Heath Ledger’s passing, what lies ahead for the future of the Nolan Batman franchise? Who would you like to see represented in the next film as the man that Wayne has to overcome? Personally, I’d love to see Mr. Freeze portrayed in a realistic fashion, but Nolan and co. have already hinted that if a third film is made, it’d be a character never before seen on the big screen. So I leave this question to you, the readers, to discuss in the comments: Who would you like to see in the next film? I’d also love to hear what you thought about the film, but as for me:
