Darkness is at the forefront of the newest Batman film, The Dark Knight, as the comic book cartoon-esque bar set by some previous movies of the genre is completely thrown out the window, leaving in its place an adult-oriented version of a medium originally intended for children.
The Dark Knight, the newest Christopher Nolan Batman film, is just that -- dark. With a capital "D." Though Gotham City appears extremely bright and thriving during the day, the night is still full of crime. Harvey Dent, the new district attorney of Gotham, however, is hell-bent on stopping crime by cutting off the financial flow of the city's mob bosses. The mob, though, hires someone they "didn't fully understand." Someone who would challenge Batman (Christian Bale) as he hasn't been challenged before.
The film wastes no time introducing the villain, Heath Ledger's Joker, as a psychopathic criminal with no clear intentions. Money, fame and power don't seem to be any of his motives; all he wants is for Batman to reveal himself.
Heath Ledger, from the first extreme close-up of the Joker's scar-riddled face, is instantly what makes this movie. Every scene without him on the screen forces a lump to the throat and a severe pounding in the chest. When is he going to make an entrance? What is he going to do to these poor people? What devious plan will be next?
Most horror movies can't create the type of suspense felt during every scene of Ledger's performance.
It is undoubtedly the creepiest, most gut wrenchingly nerve-wracking of the year, and any Oscar nomination would be duly deserved to an actor swept away much too soon.
In Batman Begins, most of the film was dedicated to the development of Bruce Wayne. However, in The Dark Knight, Batman is given most of the room to grow. Though this makes for a great comic-book movie, Bale's performance is not nearly as memorable as in the previous film, because most of his dialogue is growled through the mouth hole of the Batsuit.
One of the biggest surprises of the film is Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, who becomes Two-Face. The transformation from ne'er-do-wrong district attorney to ne'er-do-well villain is frightening, especially after the first glimpse of the hideously deformed side of his face.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is an upgrade from Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, but her performance wasn't that memorable as she tried to navigate the love triangle between her, Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent.
The film is visually stunning, with expansive wide shots of Gotham that make it seem too large for one man to protect -- a fact that shows in the film.
Oh, the Bat-Cycle --they never actually call it that in the film, but by god that's what it is-- what a machine. The motorcycle is just one aspect of the stunning visual effects, highlighted by the darkness of the whole movie.
Overall, The Dark Knight is a gripping portrayal of one of the darkest superheroes ever created. It is emotional, terrifying and hard to stop thinking about once you walk away from the screen. As I left the theatre, the moon was yellow in the sky surrounded by clouds, and it was hard not to picture the Bat Signal marking its center.
This movie will be the subject of many conversations for weeks, but I won't get tired of talking about it.
Grade: A
