Wannabe Film Buffs: The Dark Knight

Some movies don't stand the test of time. They become dated due to their acting, special effects, the general passage of time, or the now-canceled cast members and/or directors. Upon viewing The Dark Knight (2008) for Wannabe Film Buffs for the first time since seeing it in theaters as an insufferable middle school theatre kid, I figured this film would be no different. The bizarre and toxic charm of Heath Ledger's tragic death (looking at you, incel "philosopher" edge-lords with trilbies but call them fedoras whilst having incredibly questionable hygiene practices that make me never want to go to another local game shop ever again) is now a distant memory; and as of this blog post, we have now had two other live-action Jokers. I thought "Nah, this movie is gonna be dated and prove to be an unpopular opinion episode of Wannabe Film Buffs." I was very wrong.

Director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005) sequel improved upon its predecessor by such a degree, that it doesn't even feel like it's part of the same franchise as the other two films in the trilogy. It is smart, mature, and emotional. It is most likely the reason why it has been more than a decade since we’ve seen a solo live-action, Batman movie.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Pros

The cast, like in Batman Begins, knocks it out of the park. With the exception of the recasting of Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, the returning cast is the same and their on-camera chemistry is wonderful. Michael Caine once again delivers a stellar performance as Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) butler. Every ounce of his dialogue provides insight into the questions asked by this film and delves deeper into the ethos of the caped crusader.

The newcomers to the film, namely Aaron Eckhart, who plays Gotham’s new ambitious district attorney Harvey Dent, and Heath Ledger who plays the infamous clown prince of crime, the Joker, definitely deserve praise as well. Dent’s fall from grace to his villainous alter ego, Two-Face is engrossing and heart-wrenching. Of course, we can’t talk about this film without talking about the primary antagonist. Heath Ledger gives a new take on the Joker with his continuous debating of our heroes that make them constantly rethink their capabilities as protectors of Gotham as well as playing to the morals of society to commit crimes, which was something unseen until this point in past film interpretations of the character.

My one big gripe about Batman Begins was fixed: the action scenes in The Dark Knight are no longer shaky and close-up; they are breathtaking, pulse-pounding, and never feel like they overstay their welcome.

Another smaller criticism of the previous film was that multiple villains proved to be detrimental to the character development of each one. In The Dark Knight, there are indeed two villains, but since the Joker instigated Dent’s change from a district attorney to an unhinged murderer, it does not take away anything from Dent’s character, but adds to it.

The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is not only dark and angsty, but also heartfelt and subtle when necessary, and it’s definitely one of my favorite film scores I have heard.

Cons

One story discrepancy, while not ridiculous enough to take me out of the film, was when Batman takes the fall for the murders that Dent committed as Two-Face before his death in order to save Dent’s reputation. My question is why not just blame the Joker? After all, he was the one who pushed Dent to the point of killing multiple people. He did say it was his plan. While I am not entirely sure that would hold up if the Joker was tried on that, it would give the people of Gotham City less of a reason to hate Dent and another reason to hate the Joker other than his multiple atrocities throughout all three acts.

Final Thoughts

The Dark Knight ensures that sequels can not only be as good as, but better, than their predecessors. It takes itself seriously, it takes the audience seriously, and it was a monumental stepping stone for legitimizing movies based on comic books. With only one minor criticism, it is as near perfect as a film can be.

10/10