Out on a Limb
As much as there were problems with The Dark Knight, it's still a great film adaptation of a comic book character. The performance of Heath Ledger is obvious, but the quiet stability of Michael Caine's Alfred is underrated. Morgan Freeman's righteous and sardonic Lucius Fox moves the plot forward nicely. The tension in the boats is nicely played, too.
Yes, the lowlight is definitely Christian Bale's Batman voice. It's terrible, but it's earnest and reflective of the early part of Batman's career to be sure. Still, us comic book guys were disappointed. So many were wiling to buy the hype of the internet games that ran before the theatrical release and were then quick to tear it apart. It's fun to dissect something we had no part in, were never invested from a creative side in.
There are some really terrific lines in the film that deeply define the relationship between Batman and Joker, and those lines are what make the film great. A couple of gems:
Bruce Wayne: Targeting me won't get their money back. I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight, but this is different. They crossed the line.
Alfred Pennyworth: You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn't fully understand.
Bruce Wayne: Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. Just have to figure out what he's after.
Alfred Pennyworth: With respect, sir, perhaps this is a man that *you* don't fully understand.
*******
[stumbles out of wrecked truck]
The Joker: [to Batman] Come on, I want you to do it, I want you to do it. Come on, hit me. *Hit me!*
*******
Bruce Wayne: What about getting back into the plane?
Lucius Fox: I'd recommend a good travel agent.
Bruce Wayne: Without it landing.
Lucius Fox: [smiles] Now that's more like it, Mr. Wayne.
********
Bruce Wayne: People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?
Alfred Pennyworth: Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.
*******
Batman: Then why do you want to kill me?
The Joker: [laughs] I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO! No. You... you... complete me.
Batman: You're garbage who kills for money.
The Joker: Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
Batman: Where's Dent?
The Joker: You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you.
*******
I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority of really enjoying this film as a riff on Batman and not a literal translation. I appreciate all the little story points and the posturing and the histrionics and the overly-romanticized archetypes. These are comic book characters played by real live human beings for dramatic effect. Don't believe me? How about Barbara Gordon's reaction to the news of her husband's death? How about her blaming the Batman for Jim's death?
That's drama folks. It's the kind of drama we like in comic books and the kind of drama we should expect from an adaptation of the medium we love.
At least until Ken Branagh gets Thor into theaters. That'll be Shakespeare to the extreme.
Yes, the lowlight is definitely Christian Bale's Batman voice. It's terrible, but it's earnest and reflective of the early part of Batman's career to be sure. Still, us comic book guys were disappointed. So many were wiling to buy the hype of the internet games that ran before the theatrical release and were then quick to tear it apart. It's fun to dissect something we had no part in, were never invested from a creative side in.
There are some really terrific lines in the film that deeply define the relationship between Batman and Joker, and those lines are what make the film great. A couple of gems:
Bruce Wayne: Targeting me won't get their money back. I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight, but this is different. They crossed the line.
Alfred Pennyworth: You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn't fully understand.
Bruce Wayne: Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. Just have to figure out what he's after.
Alfred Pennyworth: With respect, sir, perhaps this is a man that *you* don't fully understand.
*******
[stumbles out of wrecked truck]
The Joker: [to Batman] Come on, I want you to do it, I want you to do it. Come on, hit me. *Hit me!*
*******
Bruce Wayne: What about getting back into the plane?
Lucius Fox: I'd recommend a good travel agent.
Bruce Wayne: Without it landing.
Lucius Fox: [smiles] Now that's more like it, Mr. Wayne.
********
Bruce Wayne: People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?
Alfred Pennyworth: Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.
*******
Batman: Then why do you want to kill me?
The Joker: [laughs] I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO! No. You... you... complete me.
Batman: You're garbage who kills for money.
The Joker: Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
Batman: Where's Dent?
The Joker: You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you.
*******
I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority of really enjoying this film as a riff on Batman and not a literal translation. I appreciate all the little story points and the posturing and the histrionics and the overly-romanticized archetypes. These are comic book characters played by real live human beings for dramatic effect. Don't believe me? How about Barbara Gordon's reaction to the news of her husband's death? How about her blaming the Batman for Jim's death?
That's drama folks. It's the kind of drama we like in comic books and the kind of drama we should expect from an adaptation of the medium we love.
At least until Ken Branagh gets Thor into theaters. That'll be Shakespeare to the extreme.