MikeO is haunted by The Dark Knight

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” – Harvey Dent

Batman has been around for nearly 70 years and in ‘The Dark Knight,’ the latest big screen adventure featuring the comic book icon, he comes as close to becoming a villain as you will ever see.   Batman has always been on the edge, and skirted the limits of what it takes to get the job done … the true definition of an anti-hero.   

In “The Dark Knight” Christian Bale returns as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, who spends his days sleeping through board meetings and his nights dressed up in a high-tech armored bat costume and dispensing justice in his own way.   It’s starting to work; the city’s criminals have been forced underground, and a slew of copycats are following his lead.    Even Gotham’s police department is becoming less corrupt, and there’s a tough new District Attorney Harvey Dent whose personal philosophy is ‘If they’re not trying to kill me, I’m not doing my job.’

Enter the Joker.   In the film’s first scene we get a glimpse of his madness as he stages a well choreographed bank robbery that we soon realize is designed to benefit only him. Forget about honor among thieves, he works alone.  He’s vicious, cunning and has no qualms about killing or maiming … and he seems to do it for no reason other than his own enjoyment.

It doesn’t take long for Batman to learn that no matter how hard he pushes, the Joker will push back even harder.  But when the Joker destroys the one thing Batman holds most dear (and we’re not talking about the Batmobile), the line is drawn.

It’s the line we won’t let our heroes or even anti-heroes cross. They can’t kill, at least not on purpose. Recall the reaction of Aunt May in Spider-Man 3 when Peter Parker tells her that Spider-Man had killed the man who murdered Uncle Ben.  She didn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it … because even though she was not a fan, she recognized him as being a force of good, not evil.  (Am I getting too geeky?  I’ll pull it back.)

I have been a fan of Batman since I was a child and he always scared me (the real Batman, I mean, not Adam West’s comic portrayal that I admire but do not, by any measure, fear.) But the Joker has always scared me more.   The idea of a character that kills with laughter in his heart and a grin upon his face is terrifying.  I still get chills thinking about the first time I saw a comic book with one of the Joker’s victims.  He was a museum guard … a cop! … His eyes frozen in fear, his mouth stretched out between a smile and a scream … and that was more than 30 years ago.

Just like that image, I don’t think I will ever forget Heath Ledger as the Joker … the man with no past and no cares about the future except how to cause more chaos.   He’s captivating and insane and when he is on screen you won’t even want to blink.

Surprisingly, it’s not his story … or Batman’s.  This is the story of Harvey Dent, who (no spoilers here) becomes Two Face and shows Batman that even the strongest of crusaders can be driven to madness. 

I could write a thousand words about this film; the amazing action sequences filmed in the IMAX format, the dense storyline that demands several viewings, the ending that sends the Batman universe in a whole new direction …

I always wanted to see a real Batman and Joker film on screen … brutal, vicious, mean and exciting.  At last we have it and I should have been careful about what I wished for.  It’s almost too much, too dark. Even now, 24 hours later, I am filled with dread and sadness about what happened to these characters … and I can’t wait to see it again.

(One final note … pay the extra buck or three to see this film in an IMAX theater.   I didn’t think it would make much of a difference, but the scenes of Batman soaring between skyscrapers in Hong Kong, and Batman’s first big confrontation with the Joker while on the Batpod are breathtaking.)

Comments

[Darkninja75]

It is truely the best movie. Heath Ledger is a great actor as the Joker.

[Denise]

cant wait to see it!!!

[Hector Ayala]

I was fortunate enough to see the advanced Imax screening on Wednesday night and thought that the movie definitely lived up to its hype! Heath Ledger's performance is truly Oscar worthy. I don't think anyone will ever be able to play the Joker as he did. The movie is great with special gadgets that are not so far-fetched as to be unbelievable. I am looking forward to seeing it again and will not mind having to pay to see it the second time.

[neni]

can not wait to see it sounds awesome!

[B]

I went to watch this movie last night and it was great. I am not a person that likes action movies but this one was an exception. I waited in line for more than an hour just to watch this movie. Great one!

[Connie in Houston]

OH MAN...you are soooo right. It is a fantastic movie. And be careful how much you drink, 2.5 hours is a long movie, but worth waiting in line for. But it is tough to pull yourself away for the restroom break. It was a record for me..I didn't want to miss a thing. I plan to go back and see it again. As you said, it is packed with a lot in it.

[Jim Green]

I suppose this is a late review, but felt it necessary since I obviously have one of the only opposing viewpoints to the movie.

The sound track was great and I appreciated a few of the well placed laughs, but this is definitely not in keeping with William "Bill" Finger's original Bat-Man of 1939. Bill never pointed guns to the heads of ten year olds in his comic strip, and for the life of me I can't see how it added anything to a fictional character that many of us grew up reading.

Some have said it added to the realism, but anyone thinking that a man flying around in a cape is realism to begin with is just plain silly, so why add such personal evil to women and children to the plot? I thought Keith Ledger definitely had the best performance, but it took me a while before I could erase the image of him playing with that cowboy’s hiney in the movie Humpback Mountain.

As for Batman, played by Christian Bale, certainly they could have come up with a more muscular man, and that silly voice of his under his face mask sounded like he had cotton stuffed in his nose.

I like a good shoot-em up movie just like the next guy, but violence toward women and children just doesn't do it for me. If you haven’t seen it, don’t take the kids.

[MikeO]

Jim, I think you're right.

The film isn't flawless and Bale's choice to give Batman a voice that some have compared to McGruff the Crime Dog has always bugged me ... it was especially pronounced in the scene on the roof of the police station with Batman, Dent and Gordon. I think the cowl was plugging his nose and Batman seemed to have a big underbite ... it reminded me of Jim Carrey in Cable Guy!

These characters have grown progressively darker throughout the years and, in some ways, I think it makes them better. Or maybe I only think that because I wanted the characters to grow up with me. As I mentioned in my review, I always enjoyed Batman but the character hit a new high for me when I read The Killing Joke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Killing_Joke), which retold the Joker's origin and turned him from just a funny bad guy into a true terror.

That being said, I can't imagine what it would be like to have this dark view of Batman as the baseline in a child's mind ... where does the character go from here?

[coolkhush]

the movie has stolen my heart i couldnt wait to watch it for sure n it was the best movir of 2008 and im glad i didntmiss it even u dont ???

[coolkhush]

the dvd release is the new attraction and i jus cant wait for it ...

[coolkhush]

the dates are closing in people are ull noy excieted for the dvd launch ....

[tishabridges]

the dvd release is cumin soon and im really so excited for it really waiting for it ??