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The Dark Knight

Jul 21, '08 1:54 PM
for everyone

Category:	Movies
Genre:	Action & Adventure

The Dark Knight. One of the most, if not the most, highly anticipated comic movies since the first Spider-Man. The countless and meticulously detailed viral campaign had us in a frenzy for months. We all looked forward to seeing Heath tear the house down as Joker, and his untimely passing added to the 'must see performance' allure of the movie. After the mild success of Superman Returns, the horrid excuse of a JLA movie production, and the success of Iron Man and subsequent 'one universe' Avengers build up movies in the works - it's safe to say DC had a lot... a whole lot riding on TDK. With all this hype and pressure, could the movie possibly live up to its lofty expectations? Well, it did. It did in spades.

The Right
Christopher Nolan
This man deserves to be on the top of this column. The man took a franchise scarred by bat-nipples, hokey dialogue, and Ahnuld, and turned it into something smart, real, and took our hero places where only Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and Jeph Loeb dare take us. Dark Knight is simply a masterpiece crafted with utmost precision - at two hours and a half, absolutely no scene is wasted, every bit of dialogue has meaning, every shot with a purpose. If I were DC, I'd entrust this man to carry the franchise and do whatever he freaking wants with it.

The Cast
Chrsitian Bale is solid here, but he is absolutely trounced by the stellar supporting cast and a breathtaking performance by his villainous counterpart. I mean seriously, this cast could rival any Oscar contender out there - Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman? That's Hollywood royalty right there shining their magic. But of the new blood in the movie, Aaron Eckhart (as Harvey Dent) is the breakout star. His role is wonderful - Gotham's saviour with a face. Whereas Batman lowers himself to the criminal's levels to rid them, Dent uses his stature as Gotham's D.A. to send mobsters and gangsters behind bars the judicial way. He's Shakespearian-ly broken down and you should feel his tragedy, if not for a certain actress to be mentioned later.

The Joker/Ledger
This man deserves his own section in this column. This was a performance for the ages... not just for comic movies or blockbuster movies, but in the history of movies. EVER. The Oscar buzz surrounding his otherworldly portrayal of Batman's most iconic and best villain is much substantiated here. You'll memorize his dialogue (Some favorites: "LOOK AT ME!!!!", "Why would I want to kill you? You complete me!", and many more). You'll cringe when he 'tells' his story of how he got his scars. You'll be awed by his cleverness. You know, for a guy who proclaims he doesn't scheme or plan things, he sure knows how to outsmart Dent, Gordon, and even Bats himself. He's right when he says "I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve". By the end of the movie, you won't believe in Harvey Dent or even Batman... you'll root for the Joker like you rooted for Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow.

The Story
This is not your father's Batman. Deep, complex, and mature, this one's definitely not for the kiddos. Heck, even I needed two viewings to soak up all the nitty-gritty details of the story. The Dark Knight treats it's audience with respect and acknowledges their hunger for a smart crime movies the likes of Heat or the Untouchables. No other comic movie shows us such different views on society - from Joker's agent of chaos and anarchy philosophy, the contrast of Dent and Batman's methods to abolish crime in Gotham and their dynamic to work together, and even the latter's symbolic meaning to Gotham being tested. The tone of Nolan's Batman movies sets itself apart so much from your typical superhero movie, that I can't possibly fathom a JLA movie in the same universe as our hero.

The Wrong
Maggie Gyllenhaal
When Katie Holmes was going to be replaced by Maggie, I kept an open mind. Katie was the cuter one, but Maggie the better actress. Plus, the latter had a certain charm... as I saw in Stranger Than Fiction, even though she's not stunning, she can get you to fall for her. Sadly... not so here. She played her role all right, but nothing substantial that you'd actually care when tragedy befalls her. This weakened the impact on both Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent, which was crucial to understanding both characters.

The Bullet-Fingerprint Recreation Device
Contrived attempt at making this version of Batman 'The World's Greatest Detective'... This device was just silly. It even gave Bruce the location of where Joker's false sniper would be. A minor nitpick that really broke the flow on 2nd viewing, but a storytelling detail that seemed more 'convenient' than 'smart'.

The VeRdict
Recently, The Dark Knight broke box office records for best opening weekend with $158 million, topping the previous king Spider-Man 3. It's also one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year. This success is much deserved, so hats off to everyone who worked on the movie. For the longest time, Spider-Man 2 for me was the best comic movie ever. I'm still torn between the two, but TDK is right up there sharing the mantle. The Dark Knight is a cinematic masterpiece with a gritty story, solid cast, and will be remembered forever for the simply otherworldly and iconic performance of Heath Ledger as Joker. For DC Comics, the night has been pretty dark, but this movie hopefully marks the milestone that it's own dawn of great franchise movies has finally arrived.

Tags: dark knight, batman, christian bale, heath ledger, joker, harvey dent, two face, review

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49 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

bleau72 wrote on Jul 21

You finally got your review out. Good for you bro! I hope the next Batman Flick would show more of his detective skills...I believe that's the next logical step to explore in this franchise.

slangards wrote on Jul 21

Totally agree with you on Gyllenhall. She seems a better choice to play a strong lawyer (compared to Holmes), but the mannerisms she gave the character screamed flighty, little girl.

Other than that, I loved it. Enough to see it 3 times anyway.

j4ever wrote on Jul 21

Batman CSI mode

j4ever wrote on Jul 21

ryderaquino said

LOOK AT ME!!!!", "Why would I want to kill you? You complete me!"

The most memorable quote of the year. Kinikilabutan pa rin ako.

thehumancomet wrote on Jul 21

Good review. i disagree about Maggie Gylenhaal. While not a babe, she gave the Rachel Dawes character a sincerity that made you understand why Dent and Wayne loved her. I was so shocked when she died. I didn't expect her to die, but it added to the story's emotional whirlwind.

thehumancomet wrote on Jul 21

Dark Knight's completely rewritten the comic-book-adapted-to-film genre when you think about it. It's sleek, it's intelligent, and more importantly, it has consequences for the characters that should never be swept under the rug. i agree, Ryder...The Dark Knight IS a masterpiece.

slangards wrote on Jul 21, edited on Jul 21

Agree. Since the audience of comics consisting more and more of young adults rather than kids, I wish Marvel would get a clue and give us more adaptations like this. More like Ang Lee's Hulk than the new Incredible Hulk.

I'd like to see a Punisher movie that is appropriately dark. More like a Mafia movie to Batman's cop drama. That would be killer.

apexprime wrote on Jul 21

Batman sounds like he has a sore throat most of the time. And yes Bale was overshadowed by Heath, I could feel the evil emanating from the screen and plus the funny circumstances/jokes he made saved batman from being a draggy offering.

apexprime wrote on Jul 21

slangards said

More like Ang Lee's Hulk

Ur kidding right?

thehumancomet wrote on Jul 21

slangards said

I'd like to see a Punisher movie that is appropriately dark. More like a Mafia movie to Batman's cop drama. That would be killer.

there IS a new Punisher movie coming out this December, with actor Ray Stevenson (King Arthur, Rome) donning the guns and the grenades as the title character. the trailer has me hoping this might finally be the one to get it right. check it out on youtube.

thehumancomet wrote on Jul 21

slangards said

I wish Marvel would get a clue and give us more adaptations like this. More like Ang Lee's Hulk than the new Incredible Hulk.

um....yes, Ang Lee's Hulk was very cerebral and i appreciate what he was trying to do....but in the end, the film wasn't very entertaining to watch. it's all about the execution. Ang Lee's Hulk script left a lot to be desired...

i thought the new Hulk was a step in the right direction. there was more character and action, (it is a comic book movie after all.) Iron Man and the new Hulk movie were great. they made me forget awful marvel films like (shudder) Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, Elektra, Daredevil....i could go on and on...

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 21

yup finally! actually, matagal ko ng gusto, kahapon ko lang kasi nakuha si powerbook ulit. hehehe.

as for his detective skills, sayang nga. it was one of the most interesting facets of his character in the comics and even in the old timm burton animated series. here, all of joker's targets are delivered on a silver platter. and like i said, the bullet-fingerprint thing is just... weird. bring on the riddler to test bats' brain!

speaking of which of batman's many rogues would you guys want to appear in the third flick?

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 21

hey lance! yup, i know her role and how crucial it is... i guess i was looking for a bit more. might not have been her fault, like maybe it was her script or something. i guess her demise should've felt the way vesper/eve green went in casino royale... impactfull and life-changing to the hero. here, rachel was supposed to have a major effect on both bruce and harvey, but while they did achieve it, in my opinion, it could've been executed better.

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 21

here's hoping the new punisher won't suck (again). hehehe, lexi alexander, save us all!

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 21

haha, yeah i was saddened the raspy voice was back. they should just let kevin conroy voice bale in batman mode. hahaha

actually, i think this is the first time ever a villain was the major draw in a comic movie instead of the hero. closest i could see would be venom in spider-man 3, but he was never marketed before the movie cuz' he only came out the last 20 minutes or something.

takawtina wrote on Jul 21

ryderaquino said

The Joker/Ledger
This man deserves his own section in this column. This was a performance for the ages... not just for comic movies or blockbuster movies, but in the history of movies. EVER.

TOTALLY, TOTALLY AGREE. I BET THAT IF HE DIDN'T PASS AWAY, HE'D CARRY OVER WITH THE ROLE UNTIL THE NEXT MOVIE. WHAT A TOTAL WASTE.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE JOKER IS THE SAME AS "BROKEBACK BOY" AND "THAT DUDE FROM THAT 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU CHICK FLICK." HEHE

transformers17 wrote on Jul 21

Sunstreaker was in the movie! Lolz! The Black Lambourghini Countach! =)

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

yup, heath was definitely a big talent and hitting the prime of his career. sad to see him go, but i guess when your time's up it's up. this is one the roles that will immortalize him though.

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

bwahahaha, and don't forget, the Tumbler has an alt mode:

bleau72 wrote on Jul 22

Cool! This is just fan art, right?

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

of course! hahaha pipedream lang yan. but hey, if the allspark managed to find it's way to gotham you never know! haha

punkikay wrote on Jul 22

ryderaquino said

speaking of which of batman's many rogues would you guys want to appear in the third flick?

yeah nga... unlike in batman begins, at least there was a hint that joker would be the one to watch out for next, but here... nada! i think it's batman himself cause he's being chased by the dogs now! haha! kidding!

lexclusive wrote on Jul 22

planning to watch it 5 more times...

punkikay wrote on Jul 22, edited on Jul 22

o my o my o my! i thought i was the only one unsatisfied with dear ol maggie! how come her character's the only one who got older (not to mention, uncharismatic)!? even alfred looked the same! hahaha! and another one i agree with you is on Aaron Eckhart!!! i heart eckhart!

oh and of course, the usuals: heath is the star! joker completes me! batty's voice is irritating as if i'd already imagined it in DVD subtitle with "sjurhurhrguhurjhuggrrrhur." ahahaha! this flick is not for the kiddies. huhu my 4yr old niece was excited pa naman. and yeah... i hafta watch it again to fully grasp it, there were too many layers and too many talking and too many debates about the so called "human condition." i actually got a migraine after the movie. ;p

stompbox wrote on Jul 22, edited on Jul 22

takawtina said

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE JOKER IS THE SAME AS "BROKEBACK BOY"

Who told the other Brokeback Boy's sister in "The Dark Knight": "Hello there,beautiful."

I wanted to go "Beautiful because she looks like her bro?" :p

"I wish I knew how to quit you." Oops, Wrong Gyllenhaal. haha.

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22, edited on Jul 22

hey punky! haha funny how we always see eye to eye. i think katie refused to reprise her role cuz' she was too busy with her boy toy tom cruise. too bad, would've been nicer to see her blown up instead. as for eckhart, i was saddened they 'offed' him at the end, but hey it was kinda open-ended (he could easily have just slipped into a coma or something).

4 years old? a bit heavy for the kiddos. which is awesome. let 'em watch the batman cartoon, let us have nolan's vision.

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

stompbox said

"I wish I knew how to quit you." Oops, Wrong Gyllenhaal

bwahahaha! so THAT'S how he got those scars! jake got a little too rough in them mountains...^_^

stompbox wrote on Jul 22, edited on Jul 22

ryderaquino said

i think katie refused to reprise her role cuz' she was too busy with his boy toy tom cruise.

Which is why "You complete me" sounded more hilarious. Hello Tom! :p

No one's commented on the score yet. The Joker theme was BRILLIANT, with that siren-like sound building up to something that you know will be really, really bad.

j4ever wrote on Jul 22

diba tumalon sila from a high rock (naked pa sila nun) to the river/lake. Baka tumama sa bato lolz.

aidan0210 wrote on Jul 22

i like the part when joker made a pencil disappear......the hard way...hehe

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

true true, it's hard to top batman's best villain. it's pretty much downhill from there. mr. freeze and penguin are kinda hokey. catwoman is no match for bats. killer croc is one dimensional. poison ivy doesn't seem to fit the universe nolan's built. maybe riddler done right would work. i actually wouldn't mind if they went with a new villain ala the old animated 'mask of the phantasm' (an awesome bat-movie in its own right) only to reveal the joker as the threat again in the end.

as a matter of fact, if joker does appear in any capacity in the sequel, who would you guys want to replace heath? buzz has it that johnny depp and paul bettany would be good contenders...

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22, edited on Jul 22

hey you're right! funny how the off-screen stories cross over. hahaha

and yeah, the music when joker share's his scar story was tense. actually, as a whole the score isn't as distinct as elfman's old batman score. they pretty much left 'molossus' from batman begins unchanged as his main theme. zimmer and newton howard's score is great and very suitable, but not as iconic as the old score or even the old batman the animated series opening intro theme!

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

aidan! yup, i loved that scene. especially his reaction: "it's... (waves hand) gone!". haha

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

dude that's 12 and a half hours of your life! don't! haha

aidan0210 wrote on Jul 22

joker always ask how he got those scars...

killthecat wrote on Jul 22

Eckhart and Katie Holmes were in "Thank You for Smoking" together pa pala!

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22

wow, the behind the scene stories just keep coming! haha

j4ever wrote on Jul 22

5 stars for that concept art.

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 22, edited on Jul 22

just something funny i saw on themovieblog:

platonidon wrote on Jul 22, edited on Jul 22

ryderaquino said

i was saddened they 'offed' him at the end, but hey it was kinda open-ended (he could easily have just slipped into a coma or something).

or it could be interpreted as 'the man they all know as harvey dent is dead because he now goes by the persona of two-face' or something. to preserve the image dent had established. haha. movie after thoughts. reasons why i love this film. gets you thinking even after youve watched it.

stompbox wrote on Jul 22

So Christian Bale just got arrested for assault on his mom and his. Oh well.

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 23

yikes! not very heroic by mr. bale...

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 23, edited on Jul 23

wala lang:

punkikay wrote on Jul 23

wahahahahahahahahahha! this is hilarious! why are his facial expressions like this? hahahaha! the one who made this is really a genius! thanks for sharin!

punkikay wrote on Jul 23

yep! hard to top both joker and heath! but hey people are saying that heath was supposed to be the next johnny depp! so why not depp instead right! all the crazy characterizations and stuff, he's the man for the job! and i agree with you that maybe riddler is the one that can really fit nolan's world! hahahaha! so sad for poison ivy and the rest of the half human villains... not even invited!! ;p

oh hey! i found this link! you'll definitely enjoy this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25681350/

punkikay wrote on Jul 23

ryderaquino said

hey punky! haha funny how we always see eye to eye.

what can i say great minds think alike! hahahaha! oh how i wish harvey dent's just in a coma. then in the next installation there'd be more than 2 villains! hahahaha! and yeah, i already explained to my niece that she cant watch this movie because she was already screaming to death the last time we watched superman returns! so she better stick to her animated version if she still wants to keep her cute lil voice and sanity!

punkikay wrote on Jul 23

platonidon said

yeahhhhhh.... you're quite right there! really good movie after thought!

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 23

whatever direction they chose, it'll be tough topping this one. i just hope it won't end up being 'spider-man 3' all over again.

interesting link! the monster-y villains would make good secondary antagonists... maybe if done in an-uncheesy-weird science way. like say, scarecrow's fear gas mutated them into something real (just remembered batman as a monster in 'begins'). i dunno. like i said, it's all downhill from joker! gahh! bring on SUPERMAN!

ryderaquino wrote on Jul 23

mmmmm, interesting! although if dent does return in the threequel... what in the heck would the man do? what would his motive be? it seems they tied his story-line pretty neatly already. it'd be a shame if he just turn into some petty thug. too bad... AARON ECKHART rocked dark knight. he gave an equally solid performance as Heath i'd say.

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