"And here... we... go!"
BOFF! WHAM! POW! That's what you'll be feeling as this sucker goes along (just without the pop art graphics). This is it kids. This is the Batman film that most fans have been waiting for. I've been a fan since 1988 at least. I had watched "Superfriends" and "Superpowers", but by '88 they began airing the 1960's "Batman" series starring Adam West. This was a prelude to the release of Tim Burton's '89 film. By the time the animated series began in 1992 I was hooked deeply. I bought the comics each month and taped each animated episode the day it premiered (still got 'em). BATMAN RETURNS disturbed my young mind. Being too dark and too bloody for this young man, I didn't finish the first screening (but now I own it, so I guess I won after all). I saw BATMAN FOREVER twice on opening day mostly due to my Jim Carrey fascination at the time (and the Riddler has always been my favorite antagonist). For crimes against the legend, we shall not speak of the film that starred Arnold in his most-puntastic role, Mr. Freeze. Only the cartoons on tv (including "Batman Beyond" and "Justice League") kept the character afloat onscreen.
It was quite a few years before Christopher Nolan's first film of the reboot, BATMAN BEGINS, delivered as promised and filled in portions of the Batman mythos that had heretofore been undiscovered in the past 60 years. The hype leading up to this summer continued to grow and grow, until finally it opened... to sold-out showings and record-breaking box office. Folks learned that it's a good movie and they shouldn't really be that hard to make. The tale told within THE DARK KNIGHT is timeless: good vs. evil. It's really that simple, though the good must sometimes shade themselves within shades of gray (if not entirely black) to meet their goals.
Onscreen, it's the elephant in the room: Heath Ledger died in January 2008 and left behind a classic performance as the Joker that will live on forever. He is amazing and it's not just bluster. That "magic trick" is one of the more audacious entrances a character has made in ages... and it's played purely as a whim by the Joker, naturally. You realize as the movie goes along that he never really laughs either. What? Oh it's true, listen as he makes his debut to the mobsters, this version of the character is more of a put-on. His facial scars are real, but his white face only makeup. He claims to be simply an arbitor of chaos. He's simply riding the gimmick through straight to the land o' crazy... just because.
The remaining cast have also proven themselves worthy of entrance into history as each stands tall in their relative roles, most reprised from the first film (Christian Bale as Bruce/Batman, Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox). It is the film's new blood of acting that elevates it further, as the story goes deeper and darker. I do think Maggie Gyllenhaal was an improvement over Katie Holmes and each actress suits her respective film.
I've kept this all relatively spoiler-free, but really, it's made over $400 million at this point (and climbing) so I'll assume you've seen it. Fair warning, but at this point it's time to talk about the meat of the film and the surprising potatoes surrounding it.
Can you believe they killed Alfred like that? Holy crap salad, Batman!
Alright, sorry, that was to freak out anyone who still wants to see it but hasn't yet. Alfred didn't die. And neither did Gordon. As a die-hard fan I wondered how much of the other audience may have been fooled by this ruse. His triumphant return causing the capture of the Joker was a greatly laid scene nonetheless and Oldman has proven that this role rightly belongs to him.
So how about that interrogation scene? It's Batman vs. the Joker like never before onscreen. The showdown with the truck vs. the Bat-pod. "Come on, hit me!" It was the clash of the titans.
The real spoiler here comes in the form of Harvey Dent. As the city's crusading district attorney he's trying to clean up what the Batman and Gordon's men mop into the station. He's the filter through which the slick mobsters cannot slip away. His relentless good nature above all is such a slap in the face of those he's surrounded by. 'Who expects good people anymore?' would seem to be the thought of the Gothamites. Their city is still probably THE most fraught with trouble and evil in all comics. Sure, Superman has to save Metropolis from an alien invasion or crashing meteor each week, but Batman's city is filled to the brim with stinking, ugly evil. Most of the costumed villains even claim their garish guises to be their own reactions to Batman's dynamic nature. How sad that it is that Dent himself also falls prey to the city and the darkness within himself.
The Two-Face makeup and effects were incredible. Yeah, that's how it's supposed to look alright. It's a sad character for sure, but Aaron Eckhart surely was the scene-stealer of the film. It's easily one of Eckhart's best roles right up there with THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and IN THE COMPANY OF MEN. His downfall is the soul of the movie. As he goes, so goes the heart of the city, plunged into darkness. Some have said that his role was altogether un-necessary, but I disagree. Without his storyline you don't feel the effect that the ending has on Batman. He loses alot. By the credits, we feel his loneliness and the persistence he must go through in order to keep peace in his city and within himself.
Having a cameo of sorts by the Scarecrow in the first half hour was a great reminder that it's not just the big dogs like the Joker that Batman must face down. He must also scratch the fleas before they fester within the skin of the city and eat it alive. The classic 90's story-arc, "Knightfall", featured all Batman's rogues gallery being released from Arkham Asylum at once. He had to deal with one after another after another, the minor foes mixed in with the most evil. It's the story of a man driven to his very end. It came at a pivotal time for comics and the character. THE DARK KNIGHT comes at a pivotal time for films as well.
The "comic book movie" revolution is in full-swing, love it or hate it. Some are good, some less so. What THE DARK KNIGHT does is it grants entrance to a comic book world, but one that parallels that reality with which we are faced daily. There may not be a crazed clown looking to blow up your ferry ride, but there is a sense of sitting terror that presides over the country. One that has never quite released its grip since 9-11-01. The movie plays on that fear and asks, "Who can save us?" As the ferry resolution proves, sometimes we just have to save ourselves.
If you're not a Batman fan, there may be no turning you onto the film. The quibbles made by those who do not like it are valid quibbles. However, the film has grown leaps and bounds in its history-setting run on the box office and that is beyond dispute. Is it too dark for kids? I would say yes, but that depends on the kid. For adult die-hard fans like me, it has just the right visuals, just the right character, and just the right feel of how Batman and his city exist. The forthcoming sequel can never live up to this one, but I'll enjoy seeing it try. After all, THE DARK KNIGHT is that rarest of sequels that eclipses its original in greatness. It's truly amazing that this movie could be made with no Batcave and no Wayne Manor. They're not even really missed. That would have been virtually unthinkable before, but now that it's been done (and done well) the gates of possiblity have been even further opened.
I'll finish here as only a Batman geek can, by giving you my favorites within the Batman universe:
-The late Frank Gorshin as the Riddler was my favorite villain on the 60's tv series and helped inspire me to be a performer.
-As much as other folks rave about Frank Miller, my favorite Batman authors are Paul Dini and Jeph Loeb. Dini is one of the craftsman of the 90's animated series (the best incarnation of Batman to date) and he's a writer who knows his stuff. Loeb's "The Long Halloween" tale is a true noir mystery filled with everything that one could love about a Batman story. There are elements of it in both Nolan's films. I recommend it highly.
-For my money, "The Laughing Fish" is the best Joker episode of the animated series. The score was made exclusive to that episode and it's apparent. Plus, you can never have enough Harley Quinn ("They're finny and funny and oh-so-delish...")
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