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- First reviewJuly 19, 2008
- Last reviewJuly 19, 2008
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VictorP's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
A Cast of All Stars
PostedJuly 19, 2008
VictorP
from Washington, DC
The Dark Knight is the next step in the pre-evolution of the Batman series. The cinematography is decidedly dark but if you are looking for the heaviness of Sweeney Todd or even The Grudge, this is not that movie. The Dark Knight, rather, remains classically appealing to its original 1988 core audience. Opting away from gore and death, The Dark Knight delves into the psychological rot or lack there of, of the human race. We are redeemed by our belief of the value of all humans.
What really makes this movie worth seeing is the cast. Unlike the previous "new" Batman where some roles were blaring in their lack of depth, every role of the Dark Knight is acted with such personality and roundness, one could swim through the talent.
An extra star has to be added to the now deceased, Heath Ledger, who took his interpretation of the Joker many levels above his predecessor, J. Nicholson. No one should be surprised by his talent, given his performance in Brokeback Mountain. This time, though- to the level of comprehension a viewer may have- Ledger's performance is Oscar worthy without the moral hang-ups that influenced his hopes with Brokeback. The rest of the cast, Bale, Oldman, Caine and Freeman especially, delivered their usual flawless performance. And it wasn't at all surprising that the addition of Maggie Gyllenhaal to the line up only up'd the dramatic tension of the story. Her work in Secretary takes the surprise out of her star-worthy presence.
What didn't work as well was the odd editing/ writing around C. Murphy's reprising role as the now good vigilante, Scarecrow- this appeared to be a side story that got edited out. There were also more obvious situational issues in the writing and storyline, such as a six minute driving and shooting sequence where the driver is completely silent while his terrified (with reason) sidekick shouts about the trouble they are in. Still, with a stellar cast, well-developed and rounded characters and a story with a sound moral twist, you can't go wrong seeing it. Make sure to go to the bathroom first though. It clocks in at 2 hours 20 minutes, but there's likely another 20 minutes of previews to sit through.
An extra star has to be added to the now deceased, Heath Ledger, who took his interpretation of the Joker many levels above his predecessor, J. Nicholson. No one should be surprised by his talent, given his performance in Brokeback Mountain. This time, though- to the level of comprehension a viewer may have- Ledger's performance is Oscar worthy without the moral hang-ups that influenced his hopes with Brokeback. The rest of the cast, Bale, Oldman, Caine and Freeman especially, delivered their usual flawless performance. And it wasn't at all surprising that the addition of Maggie Gyllenhaal to the line up only up'd the dramatic tension of the story. Her work in Secretary takes the surprise out of her star-worthy presence.
What didn't work as well was the odd editing/ writing around C. Murphy's reprising role as the now good vigilante, Scarecrow- this appeared to be a side story that got edited out. There were also more obvious situational issues in the writing and storyline, such as a six minute driving and shooting sequence where the driver is completely silent while his terrified (with reason) sidekick shouts about the trouble they are in. Still, with a stellar cast, well-developed and rounded characters and a story with a sound moral twist, you can't go wrong seeing it. Make sure to go to the bathroom first though. It clocks in at 2 hours 20 minutes, but there's likely another 20 minutes of previews to sit through.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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