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- First reviewJuly 26, 2008
- Last reviewJuly 26, 2008
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flamingbanjo's Reviews
Overall rating
3
/
5
A long, Dark Knight
PostedJuly 26, 2008
flamingbanjo
While fans of the post-Frank Miller dark, violent "serious" Batman will find much to appreciate in Chris Nolan's latest, 'Dark Knight' suffers from a few obvious shortcomings. The first is its length: Clocking in at two and a half hours, at about the two hour mark it begins feeling like a bit of a marathon, with action sequence after action sequence bludgeoning viewers into a sort of numbness. It's not that they aren't well-conceived or stunningly executed, it's just ultimately a case of more is less -- I found myself zoning out a few times and had to remind myself why this particular fight scene was happening.
The second, and I have a hard time believing I'm saying this, is that it may be a bit too dark. The long running time only serves to emphasize the limits of the grim and gritty take on Batman that fans have come to love, because while overlaying film noir sensibilities over the brooding gothic terrain of Gotham's underworld may seem a natural fit, at heart superhero comic books are not meant to be meditations on Nature of Evil or the Dark Side of Man. They are meant to be action-packed entertainment, and when the glum emo Batman overwhelms the cool crime-fighting Batman, this movie can be a bit of a slog. The previous Nolan "Batman Begins" got this balance right, but in "Dark Knight" the scales tip a bit too heavily to the side of pretentious and depressing.
That said, the principals here do a great job with their characters. Christian Bale remains spot-on portraying the dual vapid playboy/ grim avenging angel role of Bruce Wayne/ Batman, and Heath Ledger is everything the reviews say he is in his depiction of the Joker. His take on this iconic character is truly frightening, a sadistic sociopath who, at heart, just wants to "see the world burn."
It is a shame that a villain with such staying power should be denied screen time in the inevitable sequels due to the untimely demise of Mr. Ledger, because his Joker is one of the scariest comic villains to ever grace the silver screen.
The second, and I have a hard time believing I'm saying this, is that it may be a bit too dark. The long running time only serves to emphasize the limits of the grim and gritty take on Batman that fans have come to love, because while overlaying film noir sensibilities over the brooding gothic terrain of Gotham's underworld may seem a natural fit, at heart superhero comic books are not meant to be meditations on Nature of Evil or the Dark Side of Man. They are meant to be action-packed entertainment, and when the glum emo Batman overwhelms the cool crime-fighting Batman, this movie can be a bit of a slog. The previous Nolan "Batman Begins" got this balance right, but in "Dark Knight" the scales tip a bit too heavily to the side of pretentious and depressing.
That said, the principals here do a great job with their characters. Christian Bale remains spot-on portraying the dual vapid playboy/ grim avenging angel role of Bruce Wayne/ Batman, and Heath Ledger is everything the reviews say he is in his depiction of the Joker. His take on this iconic character is truly frightening, a sadistic sociopath who, at heart, just wants to "see the world burn."
It is a shame that a villain with such staying power should be denied screen time in the inevitable sequels due to the untimely demise of Mr. Ledger, because his Joker is one of the scariest comic villains to ever grace the silver screen.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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