i went to the friday night standing room only showing of Batman and came away satisfied for once that i paid so much for a movie ticket. although i had to put up with the usual goofy mothers bringing their infants and toddlers to a serious movie and the occasional numb nuts who flips his phone up to text his mom to tell her that hes having fun(note to the clueless: a glowing cell phone screen is just as annoying as a ring!!!!) the film was intense enough to make me forget the rest of the crowd was there in the theater - and thats an achievement.
heath ledger was of course brilliant, he definitely puts the crazy-get-back into the jokers character and makes other portrayals of the joker look pathetic and anemic. it really is to bad he had to die because i think he would have explored other roles with great intensity like the jokers and maybe even have wanted to do other characters or villains....but who knows. RIP. Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman(i heard his accent come out at one point i wonder if anyone else caught that), and Maggy Gyllenhaal all do great jobs as well but because of Ledgers performance and death i think most of it will be overshadowed.
the movie dives into several deep areas about life that you would think would be reserved for stage theater or a serious novel. how many films can you think of that touch on human nature and all of our competeing plans, terrorism, and game theory decisions? what choices would you make if each choice came with a cost? what do you do when life gets gray and no option looks good? how far do you go when confronting terrorism without sacrificing your own moral integrity?...these are some of the questions that the films raises i think.
i also came away fearful of terrorism, i know the director didnt intend for the film to be statement about the war on terror but there sure are strong parallels to be made, especially with the joker representing the irrationality of radical islam. it makes a person appreciate the sacrifices that have been made to protect our civilization from people who, "just want to see the world burn".
the dark knight was not without a dash of comic relief though. the joker at times is genuinely funny, especially seeing him dressed up like a nurse, man that was hilarious. and when he is being interrogated batman slams his head on the table...that brought chuckles to the whole audience. overall i give the film an A-. it could have earned a plus if it dared to show how dark things could actually get because i thought for sure that someone in the real world would have pushed the button on that detonator on the ferry. i think the director, nolan, was making a statement in that scene which wasn't wrong. there are people who do choose to do right. but on any given day you never know who might just have to make that decision and i guess that what game theory is about. google the 'prisoners dilema' thats a classic that will shed light on the ferry scene.
where on earth do we place this film? its darker than the hulk, deeper than spiderman, and more serious than ironman. its definitely close to the spirit of our times. this film would not have resonated prior to 9/11. i think it would have scared people away. but for some reason it just fits at this time in american history. 10 years from now what will people think of the dark knight? another 'dances with wolves' that people just kind of watch and scratch their heads? who knows, i think it will have a timelessness about it.
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