Movie Review: The Dark Knight

My rating: **** stars

Finally, the wait is over. The Dark Knight is here, and it’s dominating the box office like never before. From the beloved, deeply missed Heath Ledger to a devilishly sexy Christian Bale, The Dark Knight captivates, enthralls, shocks and tests moral values so thoroughly, so intimidatingly that its audience loses control of its senses.

Christian Bale as Batman

Let’s see what this film delivers to it’s viewers:
Dark humor? Check.
Edge-of-the-seat action? Check.
Twisted plot? Check.
Psychological conflicts? Check.

But that’s just the beginning. Director Christopher Nolan creates more than a cliche comic book thriller — he opens up a realm of creative dementia. Good vs. evil? No, not even close. This is NOT a classic battle of polar opposites.

The Dark Knight is an exploration of moral capacities; a mental vivisection of its characters. Beyond the painted face and bat suit is a masterfully designed examination of the human mind.

So what’s the story line?

Gotham City’s million-dollar man, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), aka Batman, has had quite enough of being the “White Knight” — the town hero — so he decides to leave it up to District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who is also dating Wayne’s former sweetheart, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

Meanwhile, the Joker (Heath Ledger) is playing his own games, willingly, yet dangerously tossing his masked accomplices like a card game. (No pun intended.)

Soon the city becomes barraged with chaos and conflicting roles between two powerful men. Around every turn is a new twist, a new mystery waiting to be solved in this endless jigsaw puzzle of a movie.

 

Heath Ledger as The Joker

But what lies in the heart of this film is its actors. Christian Bale dove head on into the conflicted psyche of a diabolical Batman. As the film progresses, the audience delves deeper and deeper into the mind of Bruce Wayne.  Bale expresses the troubled, yet very noble comic book hero like no other actor before.

As for Heath Ledger (rest in peace), I can hardly describe the acting phenomenon. Once the movie begins, Heath Ledger no longer exists. All that remains is the masochistic, maniacal Joker — and nothing more. Ledger was the Joker and IS the Joker. Although his death was untimely, he has left the world with a legend and will always be remembered for that.

As for my personal recommendations, I would HIGHLY advise EVERYONE to see this movie. Even a comic book (especially Batman) HATER would love it. I can say no more than that. If you want to soar the skies of inventive imagination, then watch The Dark Knight. But be prepared for a thorough self-examination of your own ethics, and be prepared to leave a changed person.

~ by cmculbert on July 23, 2008.