The Dark Knight -- Rating -- 6 out of 5

"WHY SO SERIOUS??"

"LET'S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE"



Well, when I walked out of the movie theater, I certainly didn't have a smile on my face (the reasons for which u'll read ahead). It was only when I got in the car and headed home that I began to smile. Why shouldn't I? I had just watched one of the greatest movies of all time. I'd be hard pressed to find something better because, in a phrase, the Dark Knight can only be described as a work of art.

People have gotten all too accustomed to seeing superhero movies which either feature a teenage/post teenage superhero and his problems in life (8 legged creature is a hint) or a super hero who is quite simply perfect and nearly indestructable (except for kryptonite of course). And then you even have the complete waste of time type superhero movies with wannabe youngster Nicholas Cage on a bike and more ludicrous acts in the same vein. Thankfully, Christopher Nolan agrees with me on these views and he has brought to life the super hero that is unlike the above things.

With Batman Begins he reinstated Batman as a popular hero and revealed to us his origins and his human side. I for one thought that was an exceptional effort by itself. I just assumed that like most series of movies, this one could not have its Empire Strikes Back, possibly the only second movie in a series ever to be the best of the series. But that last statement was Valid only until July 17 2008.

For the Dark Knight came out on July 18th. I'd been following all the pre-release hype, with people posting their reviews of the movie based on preview screenings and based on how much people were raving about the movie, I kept hoping that it lived up to the hype at least a little bit. Well, for the first time ever, I watched a movie that FAR exceeded the hype. If anything, people weren't raving enough in my opinion, because quite simply, The Dark Knight is _________ (insert superlative here, whatever it is, it is an understatement).

I'm going to try and write the rest of this review without revealing anything that will spoil the surprise for people who have yet to watch the movie. So here goes.

This movie is almost completely and entirely dominated by one man. The late Heath Ledger will forever be remembered as the man who portrayed quite possibly the greatest, the eeriest and the most twisted villian of all time. In every scene he appears in, he has the effect that great actors have, he dwarfs everyone else. While every single performance in this movie is of the highest quality, they all pale in comparison to the Joker. From his introductory sequence to his incredible make up and his audacious purple suit, you are completely mesmerized by this twisted genius in the garb of a nutjob, to the point where you have to remind yourself that the movie is about Batman. From his lip smacking to his lingering laughter to his repeated question of "Why so serious", he is utterly terrifying. Add to this quite possibly the most ingenious musical theme of all time for a villian (kudos to Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard) and you keep getting chills up your spine throughout the movie (sometimes accompanied by the involuntary shudder). All I can say about Heath Ledger is this. It is sad that he had to pass away at such a young age and he will be missed for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he will not be seen again in a role which is a shoe in for an Oscar.

And now, I need to remind myself that this movie is the Dark Knight, not "the Joker Movie". Christian Bale proves yet again that he is the best actor to ever play Batman and his performance is excellent. Be it as Bruce Wayne, with the cars (don't miss the Lamborghini) and the women, or as the Dark Knight in all his power, Bale is perfect for the role and I certainly hope he returns for at least another movie. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, both nearly legendary actors in their own right have relatively small roles as Lucius Fox and Alfred respectively, but that is not to say that they don't carry out these roles with the same class that we normally associate with them. Maggie Gyllenhall, who replaces Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes (Thank you Tom Cruise), brings a lot more character into the role which is certainly more than just a pretty face, even if she does seem a little old at times in the movie. Gary Oldman is the perfect Lieutenant Gordon and the rest of the cast has done an exceptional job as well.

As for the movie, what can more can I say. For the first time ever, a super hero movie has looked at humanity. It has analyzed not just the hero, but it actually looks at mankind as a whole. It poses a lot of questions that I feel are both necessary and missing in other superhero movies. Is there anything you can't achieve as a person that you can as a vigilante? Who decides about who deserves to die and who doesn't? Who decides what is right and wrong? Like my discussion on Yin and Yang it poses another question, is all evil necesarily entirely evil and is all good necessarily entirely good? This movie tackles questions like this, makes you ask yourself the same questions and to an extent makes you believe in the concept of duality even more.

One more thing that really struck me about the movie is how immersive it really is. You get completely into the emotions and the tensions that are happening in the movie and you get a first hand glimpse of the dark dark world of Batman. Actually, its more than just a glimpse, especially with the IMAX experience, since, for the duration of the movie you become a part of the extremely dark and sometimes depressing world and you can't help but stare in awe at the magnificent panoramas and the incredible visuals of the movie which will linger with you for a long long time.

At the same time, the action sequences are incredible and they even out do Batman Begins by huge margins. You'll be wowed and dazzled by the gadgets (the BATPOD rocks) and the stunts and the music and the explosions and the thrills. From the opening scene to the very end, you WILL NOT notice the time just fly by. There is so much happening, be it action or drama, and it moves so very very fast that you don't realize that you have been sitting in Gotham City for a solid 150 minutes (2.5 hours) and when you walk out the theater, it takes you a while to get yourself mentally out of the world of the Dark Knight and you want to ask yourself "WHY SO SERIOUS?".

Overall, this is an incredibly near-perfect movie with just one HUGE flaw.

IT ENDS.....







P.S. I want to go watch it again, is there anyone in Ann Arbor who is up for going sometime this coming weekend?

P.P.S. I intentionally rated this movie as 6 out of 5.