"The Dark Knight" Review
July 19, 2008 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: The Dark Knight * Official Site | In Theaters: July 18, 2008 |
| Runtime: 152 minutes | Directed by: Christopher Nolan |
| MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace. |  Gecko Rating: |
Darker, grittier, and slicker than previous Batman films, The Dark Knight sets the bar high for comic book movies. Everything from the storyline to the characters to the stunning cinematography is tops. My one complaint is that at 152 minutes, it’s too long. Even my movie-happy butt got numb sitting through it. But it will wasn’t enough for me to give it less than five geckos.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, the story centers on a reign of chaos taking place in Gotham City. Batman, a.k.a. billionaire Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), has been strangely quiet, as The Joker (a frightening Heath Ledger) and his thugs run rampant over the city, as evidenced by the first tense scene of a bank robbery. But there are other dark forces at work, as well: The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy); Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts) and his crime syndicate; and an Asian syndicate, run by Lau (Chin Han – read my interview with him here).
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None of these thugs want to cede power to The Joker, who’s ruthless and seems to enjoy killing just for the sake of killing. He’s one bad dude, and in this movie, we learn a little about the damaged childhood that made him that way.
There are copycat Batmans out there, as well, trying to “help out,” but getting hurt in the process. As Batman says to one, “I don’t need your help.” But things are spiraling out of control, because The Joker has vowed to make the streets run red with blood unless Batman reveals his true identity. Not an easy spot for the Caped Crusader to be in.
Working on the official side of things is Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). They’re doing their best to help Batman dismantle the bad guys, but there are lots of sub-plots at play, not the least of which is Dent’s relationship with Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, who’s got that great, old-time movie star persona). She’s a childhood friend and former flame of Batman’s, and he’s never gotten over her remark that they can’t be together unless he gives up trying to save the city.
Working with Batman is his treasured friend and, really, the guy who runs things, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine). He and Christian Bale work perfectly together. A few more notes:
Cinematography: This is one of the most visually stunning movies I’ve seen in a while. Great, clean shots of really cool architecture, both on the ground and from the air.
Music: Brooding heavy-metal soundtrack, that gets really tense during a few scenes. The music goes perfectly with the storyline, and made me hark back to another such film, There Will Be Blood.
Toys: Batman has some pretty cool toys, including a vehicle that gives new meaning to the term “armored car.”
Metaphors: I couldn’t help but draw parallels to The Joker and the madmen terrorists who plague our world. As Chin Han said, he truly is a Joker for our times.
Trailers: Great trailers prior to the movie, including The X-Files: I Want to Believe, Quantum of Solace, Watchmen, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Body of Lies, Terminator: Salvation, Tropic Thunder, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. I was in trailer heaven!
“The Dark Knight” Trailer: Check it out here.
Images: The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008
I know I will probably be slammed by a bunch of people for saying this but I only gave The Dark Knight a 4 out of 5. I thought the movie was great but it just wasn’t worth anything higher than a 4 in my opinion. It just was missing something in my opinion. This probably is due to the movie being too long in my opinion. The Dark Knight was a great film and one of the best movies of the year though. I also think Heath Ledger should win the Oscar for his performance because his betrayal of the Joker is one of the best villains I have ever seen in a movie.
Eric – I hear ya. I was *this close to knocking off at least a half-a-gecko for the length. I was pretty much ready for it to end after the final scenes with Dent, and it’s like they wanted to string it out as long as possible.
Other than the length, what did you feel like it was missing?
I’m going to have to dissent. I take the exact opposite opinion on the length. I could’ve taken another half hour as long as it was as good as the rest of the movie!
http://filmcriticforum.blogspot.com/2008/07/janes-dark-knight-review.html
David – Thanks for the comment. At least we can all agree it’s a great movie!
I agree and even commented on the ‘There Will Be Blood’ish music. I wasn’t a huge fan of the late Ledger before the movie, but he was absolutely phenomenal. The opening ‘magic trick’ set the tone for the entire film.
Some of my friends told me I missed out by not going to IMAX to see it, so that’s next!
Ack – Wish I had an IMAX theater near me!
Douglas – Report back if you see it in IMAX – let us know what we’re missing!
I must agree with the notion that its a good film. I don’t consider this a ”great film” by any standard. Those stating that its too long are quite correct. The needless injection of sub plot lines were plainly “goofy” and unnecessary. I think its pretty clear early on, that Joker is missing a few cards. The entire hospital scene – not needed – for example to further illustrate this concept. For the first one hour, I was watching a finely crafted work of art. The last 2/3 of the movie was needless and artless suffocation. I think the casting was good in some areas – bad in others. The hoopla surrounding Ledger – is not mere hoopla. He truly invigorates the Joker in ways that will make Jack to many, a distant second. I’m also amazed so many well known reviewers have this up at 90% and 94% on RT. Its just not that good a movie. Its entertaining that is true – and so its succeeds overall.