The Dark Knight: A New Breed of Superhero Movies

The Dark Knight, not your average comic-book movie. Directed by Christopher Nolan, and written by him and his two other brothers, Jonathan and Jonah, this film truly brings to light both sides of the spectrum of good and evil. As opposed to previous chapters of the Batman chronicles, this one has defiantly more violence; so much that I wouldn't be surprised if its genre was changed to 'horror' instead of 'action/adventure'.

Throughout the movie my eyes were totally glued to the screen. Not even an earth wake could shake my unwavering attention to the move running before me. And no, it wasn’t because I was caught up in the intense plot line (although it was quite attention worthy). No, for me it was the joker who stole the show.

Heath Ledger, the man behind the army face paint, did a marvelous job at portraying Gotham’s most sinister villain. Every cackle his menacing laugh, and every glint of evil in his dark brown eyes had me thinking that this man was the Joker. Everything about him was just so real and believable; it was if the part was made just for him. As for the role itself, his character was maniacal and was motivated by causing chaos amongst the people who inhabited Gothem city. The Joker makes everybody appear silly as opposed to himself who only wants to see the world burn to a crisp. Unafraid of death and always able to improvise on a dime, this crafty jester of sorts has become the new favorite character of many, me included.

I’ll now move on to Bruce Wayne, and his alter ego Batman, played by Christian Bale. Throughout the Dark Knight, Wayne is faced with the ongoing struggle to release himself from Batman. Although he was tired of the huge burden he carried around, Bruce was attracted to the nearly limitless power that came with the mask and tights. His accomplices, Alfred (played by Michael Caine), and Lucius Fox (played by Morgan Freeman), both aid him in his quest to capture the Joker, and stop him from terrorizing innocent people. All of Bruce’s attempts during the film proved futile because he refused to break his one law, to never consciously kill a man. So the fight will continue on, neither one of them unable to defeat their foe. Batman wasn’t able to because he wouldn’t allow himself to kill the Joker, and the Joker refused to unmask Bruce for the simple reason that he wouldn’t have anything to do with himself.

The Joker: You just couldn't let me go could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible aren't you? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I won't kill you, because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.”

Batman: Why do you want to kill me?

The Joker: [laughs] Kill you? I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, you... you complete me.

The movie starts out with the Joker enticing the mob by stealing their money. For protection, they hire Lau (Chin Han) who sends the remainder of their cash to a “secure” location in Hong Kong. But, seriously folks, what place on this green earth cannot be penetrated by the Batman? While Bruce is in China, the Joker affiliates with the mob in Gotham, claiming that he can kill Batman in return for half of their money.

This and a few other elements including Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), the new DA, and his recent fiancée, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), make the Dark Knight’s plot interesting and totally unique to any other Marvel or DC film that I’ve ever had the pleasure of viewing. It was fast-paced and edgy with a dark look at humanity through the eyes of the clown-faced criminal, the Joker. The Dark Knight has definatly raised the bar for all upcoming superhero movies and is without a doubt the best summer flick of ’08.

Sources:
MovieFone
IMDB