Atomic Popcorn - Movie Reviews, News and more

“The Dark Knight“.

Say it, savor it, revel in it. For the past year, ever since we saw the very first teaser for “The Dark Knight“, which was entirely comprised of character voice-overs and an ominous blue light slowly illuminating a gradually deteriorating Bat symbol, this has been the movie to see in 2008. From that very first line of dialogue we heard The Joker deliver in that teaser (”Starting tonight…people will die! I’m a man of my word. HAHAHAHAHA!”), chills were sent down our spines as we began to ponder how exactly this movie would play out. Last December, a new teaser with actual footage from the film was released, with its main focus being, of course, The Joker. Here is where we got our first official look of the late Heath Ledger in the role and suffice it to say that the general reaction was: “Oh. My. GOD!” By this time, it was pretty safe to say that Ledger’s take on The Clown Prince of Crime greatly outshone Jack Nicholson’s portrayal in Tim Burton’s 1989 film. While I certainly wanted to agree with that, there was another part of me that told me to wait until I actually saw the film before passing judgment on that. And then, a month later on January 22, Heath Ledger tragically passed away as a result of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.

As fans dealt with this sudden tragedy, worry began to mount concerning “The Dark Knight“. But the worries that Ledger hadn’t finished filming were almost immediately quelled when it was announced that he had finished filming his part back in November of 2007. Since then, Internet movie discussion boards have been inundated by the amount of talk and hype surrounding what is easily the movie event of this year. Through all of the ingenious viral marketing, trailers and T.V. spots, virtually everybody has come to one conclusion: even though he’s passed on, Heath Ledger lives on in what is without a doubt the biggest role of his sadly shortened career. Heath, this one’s for you.

After the “Batman” franchise had been demolished by the atrociously awful and extremely campy “Batman & Robin” back in 1997, Warner Bros. decided to lay The Caped Crusader to rest for a few years. It wasn’t until 2004 when the studio hired director Christopher Nolan to direct a revamp of the franchise, this one focusing on the more darker, realistic, human and ultimately complex aspects of the Batman character and his billionaire alter-ego Bruce Wayne. And in 2005, “Batman Begins” was released to critical acclaim and overwhelming satisfaction from fans. Nolan’s film proved to be not only the best Batman film to date, but also the best superhero ever made, period. With great performances by refined actors such as Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman, it proved to us that superhero films don’t always have to be about flashy effects and colorful costumes; they can also be about compelling story lines and a surprising sense of realism. So, when it was announced that a sequel to Nolan’s film would be made, everyone knew that it had a lot to live up to. Now here we are three years later with the release of “The Dark Knight”. Now onto my actual review of the film; as The Joker would say: “And here…we…go!”

Well, it’s here at last, ladies and gentlemen.  The summer movie that’s had both Batman fanatics and ordinary moviegoers alike shaking with anticipation for the past three years, ever since Christian Bale’s Batman flipped over that card at the tail-end of “Batman Begins” to reveal the Joker symbol: a jester.  It’s the film that sold out numerous midnight showings three weeks prior to its release, prompting theaters to add 3 a.m. showings.  And when those sold out as well, then came the 6 a.m. showings.  Does “The Dark Knight” have the potential to claim the title of “Biggest Opening Weekend” ever?  I’d certainly say so.  It’s also the film that is getting serious Oscar talk where Heath Ledger’s performance is concerned, as well as apparently being the year’s first favorite for Best Picture.  I kid you not.  Now, do I agree with that sort of talk?  Well, you’ve already seen my star rating, so you can go ahead and try to figure it out.  But I’d urge you to let what I actually say be the judge of that.

So first things first.  Does Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” deserve all the praise it’s been getting?  The answer to that is a resounding “YES!”  With “The Dark Knight”, Nolan has not only crafted a film that easily surpasses his original (and that’s saying something), but he’s also created a truly memorable filmgoing experience that is without a doubt the best movie of the year.  “The Dark Knight” is not only the best Batman film to date, the best superhero movie ever made and an ingeniously crafted crime film, but also perhaps one of the best movies of the decade.  I assure you, all this praise is justified.  “The Dark Knight” is more than just a great superhero film; it’s a rich, complex and dark envisioning of a comic book universe.  Everything in this film is grounded in a gritty realism that really does make you believe that these events transpiring on-screen can actually happen.  From an effective atmosphere, explosive action sequences and the most chilling and terrifying villainous performance in years, “The Dark Knight” is not only this year’s greatest achievement, but also director Christopher Nolan’s greatest achievement in his already impressive legacy.  Would I give “The Dark Knight” consideration for Best Picture?  Uh, yeah!

With “The Dark Knight”, Christopher Nolan has created his second masterpiece, right along with ”Memento”, and it is stupendous.  Nolan understands the universe of Batman; he understands the characters, their relationships with each other, and more importantly their impact on one another.  Every character in “The Dark Knight” somehow has an impact on the other characters, as well as the situations.  The choices each person makes ultimately has a consequence, and Nolan does a terrific job of showing those consequences, no matter how violent they may be.  This is most true for Batman himself, but that’s all I’m going to say.

When “The Dark Knight” opens, Gotham City seems to be worse off than it was before.  Even though Batman is cleaning up the streets, he has in turn inspired other criminals to incorporate theatrics into their schemes.  Take, for instance, Gotham’s newest threat: a criminal mastermind and bank robber known as The Joker (Heath Ledger).  He plans bank robberies so elaborate and synchronized, only one person can come out of them alive.  The Joker’s new presence baffles the Gotham City Police, as both they and Batman attempt to figure out where The Joker will strike next.  The Joker is so powerful on the streets, in fact, that he casually walks into a meeting of all the city’s mob bosses and orders them to kill Batman if they want their future secured.  And so begins a wave of chaos and anarchy from The Joker that is seemingly unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has a lot on his plate to deal with.  He’s still getting used to Gotham’s reluctance to have a vigilante who, in the people’s eyes, does more bad than good.  Bruce is actually looking for someone to carry on his mantle because he’s not entirely sure he can continue on under these circumstances.  Bruce sees Gotham’s true savior, a “white knight”, in its new DA, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).  Harvey is a righteous, crusading DA who’s adamant about bringing down all the crime lords in the city, no matter the cost; even if it means crossing the mayor.  But when a key mob accountant flees to Hong Kong, Harvey sees no choice but to enlist the help of Batman.  And so, with the help of Lucius Fox’s (Morgan Freeman) high tech creations, Batman travels to Hong Kong to fetch that accountant.  But even Batman’s devices and fighting skills can’t stop The Joker’s deadly reign of terror, as the bodies continue to pile up.  It seems as if The Dark Knight and his only trustworthy friend, Police Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) are facing Gotham’s darkest hour, with no sign of any light at the end of it all.

All right, first things first.  The Joker.  Well, suffice it to say that the late Heath Ledger creates a Joker that is so sadistic and violent, he makes Jack Nicholson look like Cesar Romero.  It’s truly an unbelievably great performance and if Ledger doesn’t receive a posthumous Oscar nomination for this role, then I will officially consider the Academy insane.  It really is the best performance by an actor I’ve seen thus far this year, period.  Heath Ledger plays The Joker as a character with zero morality and mercy, completely disappearing into the character in the process.  It takes only one still-photograph of Ledger as The Joker to see how much he differs from previous incarnations of the character.  Even though he may have the least amount of screentime out of all of the billed actors on the poster, it’s a true wonder to behold whenever The Joker shows up on-screen.  Here, The Joker is more morbidly funny than before, and the laughs he receives are definitely dark ones.  I could just go on and on about how truly brilliant Ledger is in the role, but I have other aspects of the film to discuss.

Now, let’s not have Ledger overshadow all the other great acting on display here.  Christian Bale turns in another excellent performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with his character effectively contemplating his city’s needs for a hero and wondering if he’s truly the right person for the job.  Michael Caine returns as Alfred and once again proves that he’s still just as good as when he first started acting.  Gary Oldman, to my pleasure, was given much more to do this time around, as the character of James Gordon is actually given something of a story arc.  Morgan Freeman has a larger role as well, and it really serves him.  Maggie Gyllenhaal, who has replaced Katie Holmes in the role of Bruce’s love interest Rachel Dawes, is certainly an upgrade from Holmes, as she brings all-around better acting to the table and makes Rachel a more likable character.  And then there’s Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, who I think turns in the film’s second-best supporting performance.  Actually, most of the story involves Harvey’s character and Eckhart is more than up to the task of having the most important role of the secondary good guys.  But of course, Batman fans all know that Harvey’s destiny is to become the grotesque Two-Face, and he is given a good amount of screen time as both characters.

The advanced screening of “The Dark Knight” that I attended was on an IMAX screen, and the film was a marvel to look at on there.  Christopher Nolan used IMAX cameras to film specific portions and scenes of the film, and those parts were simply astounding.  The picture quality was flawless as it immersed you in the action.  If you plan on seeing “The Dark Knight” in IMAX, then be prepared for a true experience of moviegoing.  All of the already exciting, applause-worthy action sequences are made even more jaw-dropping by the enormous IMAX screen.  It’s simply amazing technology.

All in all, “The Dark Knight” is one hell of a Batman Movie, with awesome action and incredible acting and writing to back up its “Wow Factor”.  Christopher Nolan has achieved something special here; not only has he created the greatest superhero of all time with Best Picture-worthiness, but he’s redefined the superhero genre altogether.  I encourage everyone to see this movie, whether or not you think it’s for you.  I guarantee you if you don’t think you’ll like it and see it, you’ll be happy you did.

I think it’ll take multiple viewings to fully appreciate what Christopher Nolan has done here, and I can’t wait to see it again.

Rating: