(Originally posted December 26th, 2017)
This is another one of those big ones. One of those movies that basically everyone says "You need to see that one" or "It's one of the best". So, as you can imagine, I was pretty excited to finally get around to watching The Dark Knight (2008) and, I have to say, for a film like this, I was very impressed. The hype didn't get to me. It wasn't one of those films that you hear so many great things about that it disappoints you when you finally see it. This was just excellent. Starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Heath Ledger as The Joker, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
 |
| The Dark Knight (2008) |
One of the things that everyone raves about is Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. And, yeah, he was just as good as everyone said. Comparing this Joker to Jared Leto's Joker is just embarrassing. I mentioned that Leto didn't really make the character his own. Ledger certainly did. This is a powerhouse of a performance. The best Joker I've seen. Don't get me wrong, I loved Nicholson's performance, but there was something about knowing the character's backstory that just kind of took the edge off him. Here, the character's a complete mystery, just like in the comics, and it just works. It is a little confusing how this guy got to be this powerful, but, again, that's part of the intrigue of the Joker. One of Batman's biggest grievances in the comics is that he can never figure out who the Joker is, and while the emphasis isn't really on that here, that's certainly a part of it. I love how he keeps giving completely different backstories to people, mainly about his scars. I don't know, there was just something about this portrayal that was completely different from anything I've seen, and it was just so refreshing to watch.
 |
| Heath Ledger as the Joker |
But, for all the praise Ledger got for this performance, and for how good a villain the Joker is here, I'm surprised more people don't talk about Aaron Eckhart in this movie. Oh, my God, he's just phenomenal. In a way, he's actually more impressive than Ledger, as Eckhart's range is just bewildering. He starts off as a charismatic do-gooder, and ends as a vengeful psychopath, and it's just so believable. I love everything about this performance. His slip into the maniac Two-Face is, again, really well done, and I loved how they worked the coin in throughout. It was a really great take on the character of Two-Face who, from hearing about him from the comics and from Batman Forever, I always thought was kind of a silly concept for a villain. I love how they made it so grounded here, and I especially love the make-up on his burnt face in the second half. I don't know how they made that look as good as it did, but whoever made that happen should all win Oscars. Tommy Lee Jones tried in Batman Forever, but this is, was and always shall be, the definitive Two-Face.
 |
| Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face |
All of the other actors are once again sensational. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes, and I she definitely does a better job here. Maybe it's just because of the direction they went with her character. It was something I really didn't see coming. In fact, a lot of the movie was somewhat unpredictable. You all know that I love it when a movie can leave me guessing, and while I knew what the ending was going to be since the film's been out for almost 10 years now and it's kind of a meme at this point, the way they got there was just so wonderful. I couldn't predict any of it, and it's amazing that a film this good and this popular managed to remain relatively spoiler-free for so long. I also really like the message this film has which, in case you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil for you, but it's something that I feel like more superhero films should do, since it's a really interesting idea, but I also know that Batman's really the only character that could do that message right, so I guess it's a good thing this is one of the only films that explores that.
 |
| Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes |
Alright, what's not to like? Well, Christian Bale's Batman voice can, at times, get a little grating. He either goes too gravel-y, or not throaty enough, and it can be very distracting in a scene that's trying to be so serious, but the tone is broken by Bale's ridiculous voice. It only happens once in a while, but when it does, it just takes you out of the experience. Also, and I know I was praising this earlier, but I really want to know how the Joker set a lot of this up. I'm sorry, but he would have had to predict exactly what dozens of different people were going to do in order for his plan to work, and I don't see how that's humanly possible. He claims he's just making it up as he goes, but that's just a lie. He can't be. If he is, he got luckier than anyone in the history of cinema, because that's ridiculous. Again, it's a small gripe since that's the entire point of the character, but at times it just got to me.
 |
| Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne |
Apart from that, The Dark Knight (2008) was just as good as everyone said it was, and it's certainly right up there with the best of the month. It's going to be interesting to look back in a few months time to see how a lot of these hold up on repeat viewings, but I have a feeling this is one of those films that will just keep getting better each time I watch it. 9.5/10.
Tomorrow: Spidey's back for the last time this month in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment