MASSIVE spoilers. Do not read if you have not seen, but plan to see "The Dark Knight"!
Okay, everyone's going to be seeing it soon, or has, and if I wait much longer and read other posts about it I'll start confusing other people's thoughts with my own, so...
I have a confession to make: I had no intention of seeing this movie at all. I didn't see "Batman Begins" either- a.) because Katie Holmes annoys me, and b.) having suffered through the iterations of the Batsuit that included nipples, I was all "Batman"'d out. I hate to say it, but Heath Ledger's death, the buzz about his performance (and the IT Guys inviting me to an early showing) sold me.
The story was pretty good. The idea that Bruce Wayne would start to question his own motives, the necessity of his existence, is stunning. The idea that he would give it all up for love, to take a back seat to someone else who was just doing his job better, really resonated- does the world need someone who hides in the shadows or do we need guys who stand in the sun and do what needs to be done? The existential angst of a superhero as great cinema, but without all the navel gazing- who knew?
The characters were well done- less cartoony than the first Batman series, and I think that worked to the movie's advantage.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent was really good. You feel for him- he's trying to get things done, but he can't figure out who's on his side and who isn't. He's charismatic, popular, and he gets results, he gets Bruce Wayne's girl, he gets everything. The scene in which he realizes that Rachel is as good as dead is heartrending, because you know it's Dent's undoing. And Bruce Wayne's. Both made choices- Wayne's might have been more selfish because he's choosing Dent as his replacement, but in the end they both lose Rachel. I still can't believe they killed her off, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. What's even more stunning is that Dent also dies (and that the Joker doesn't- oops) after being turned into a vigilante of sorts.
The Two Face makeup squicked me out something fierce. It was very well done, a bit Terminator-esque, and a vivid illustration of the rage Dent felt. I think it worked better than the Tommy Lee Jones' iteration of the character, in fact. I couldn't help but stare at the burned side of his face, which was such a stark contrast to Eckhart's blond good looks. And I couldn't help thinking, "He's gonna have a nasty infection!" Whe he rubbed away part of his chin I almost fainted. :-p
Christian Bale was great. I really didn't care for the "voice of power" bit (I didn't know Batman smoked?), but I really enjoyed his portrayal overall. Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman is fallible- he falls asleep in board meetings, brings Russian ballerinas to lunch with his old girlfriend and her new lover (Russian IT Guy lost it at that point- her accent was horrid, apparently!), makes his closest confidantes angry, and loses the woman he loves- he doesn't always win, in other words. In general, he's more human than Val Kilmer's iteration: he's still learning and maturing, and I hope we get to see more of that in upcoming films.
And then there's Heath Ledger. I'm not really a huge fan of Heath Ledger's work. I've never thought, "Ooh! A new Heath Ledger movie. MUST SEE!" but I think he was the epitome of a rising star. He chose some interesting projects and didn't play it safe- immersing himself in his characters to the exclusion of all else. I liked "10 Things I Hate About You", and "The Patriot" and "A Knight's Tale". But that's all I was going on when I went into the theater, so I was blown away by what I saw.
A good villain doesn't talk too much and is totally unpredictable. I could compare Ledger with Jack Nicholson: Nicholson's Joker was stylized and intense, because Nicholson was camping it up, but no matter how campy he gets, is intense intrinsically. No matter what role he's in, Nicholson is a little scary. Ledger, on the other hand, at least in my limited experience of his oeuvre, is not scary, nor particularly intense, so the fact that he brought both to the role was an eyeopener.
From the beginning, in which the Joker methodically kills off all of his accomplices during a bank robbery, you know this fellow is more than a cartoon. He's vicious, cunning, and really really bad ass. His little pencil trick made me gasp and squirm. The way he turned Dent to the dark side was painful to watch. The Joker is the only one who can truly galvanize Batman back into action- Dent is good, yes, but he's working off a code of ethics that hamstrings neither Bruce Wayne nor the Joker. And he relies on chance (or does he?) which makes him no match for the Joker, who relies on man's natural inclination toward chaos and disorder. Fairness? I think not. Okay, I do, but I know how foolish I am in thinking Dent has it nailed. He is totally undone by his own convictions, and caught up in the Joker's far too easily. In a moment that is both true and totally ridiculous, the Joker confesses that Batman completes him in a fashion that would put Rene Zellweger to shame. And you know it's true.
The ferry scene- in which a convict proves he has more humanity than a "normal"- was impressive. The Joker understands where man's inhumanity to man comes from, and what it can do if given free rein, but in that single moment, when Tony Tiny Lister's convict takes the detonator and tosses it out the window, the Joker is once again humanized. And proven wrong. Judging the human race as a whole is a tricky business, but giving us all the benefit of a doubt is what keeps society ticking along, right?
It's a bit sad to know that the two live actors' characters are gone, but that Ledger's Joker survived, while Ledger is dead: we won't get to see a performance this good in this series, or any other film, again. And it's too bad Two Face is gone too, because Eckhart was damn good. But hopefully the franchise will judder on with more good performances, and wash the taste of Joel Schumacher, Jim Carey's Riddler, and even George Clooney (what was he THINKING?) out of viewers mouths and brainpans.
So yeah. This Batman wins. Even when he loses.
I have a confession to make: I had no intention of seeing this movie at all. I didn't see "Batman Begins" either- a.) because Katie Holmes annoys me, and b.) having suffered through the iterations of the Batsuit that included nipples, I was all "Batman"'d out. I hate to say it, but Heath Ledger's death, the buzz about his performance (and the IT Guys inviting me to an early showing) sold me.
The story was pretty good. The idea that Bruce Wayne would start to question his own motives, the necessity of his existence, is stunning. The idea that he would give it all up for love, to take a back seat to someone else who was just doing his job better, really resonated- does the world need someone who hides in the shadows or do we need guys who stand in the sun and do what needs to be done? The existential angst of a superhero as great cinema, but without all the navel gazing- who knew?
The characters were well done- less cartoony than the first Batman series, and I think that worked to the movie's advantage.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent was really good. You feel for him- he's trying to get things done, but he can't figure out who's on his side and who isn't. He's charismatic, popular, and he gets results, he gets Bruce Wayne's girl, he gets everything. The scene in which he realizes that Rachel is as good as dead is heartrending, because you know it's Dent's undoing. And Bruce Wayne's. Both made choices- Wayne's might have been more selfish because he's choosing Dent as his replacement, but in the end they both lose Rachel. I still can't believe they killed her off, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. What's even more stunning is that Dent also dies (and that the Joker doesn't- oops) after being turned into a vigilante of sorts.
The Two Face makeup squicked me out something fierce. It was very well done, a bit Terminator-esque, and a vivid illustration of the rage Dent felt. I think it worked better than the Tommy Lee Jones' iteration of the character, in fact. I couldn't help but stare at the burned side of his face, which was such a stark contrast to Eckhart's blond good looks. And I couldn't help thinking, "He's gonna have a nasty infection!" Whe he rubbed away part of his chin I almost fainted. :-p
Christian Bale was great. I really didn't care for the "voice of power" bit (I didn't know Batman smoked?), but I really enjoyed his portrayal overall. Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman is fallible- he falls asleep in board meetings, brings Russian ballerinas to lunch with his old girlfriend and her new lover (Russian IT Guy lost it at that point- her accent was horrid, apparently!), makes his closest confidantes angry, and loses the woman he loves- he doesn't always win, in other words. In general, he's more human than Val Kilmer's iteration: he's still learning and maturing, and I hope we get to see more of that in upcoming films.
And then there's Heath Ledger. I'm not really a huge fan of Heath Ledger's work. I've never thought, "Ooh! A new Heath Ledger movie. MUST SEE!" but I think he was the epitome of a rising star. He chose some interesting projects and didn't play it safe- immersing himself in his characters to the exclusion of all else. I liked "10 Things I Hate About You", and "The Patriot" and "A Knight's Tale". But that's all I was going on when I went into the theater, so I was blown away by what I saw.
A good villain doesn't talk too much and is totally unpredictable. I could compare Ledger with Jack Nicholson: Nicholson's Joker was stylized and intense, because Nicholson was camping it up, but no matter how campy he gets, is intense intrinsically. No matter what role he's in, Nicholson is a little scary. Ledger, on the other hand, at least in my limited experience of his oeuvre, is not scary, nor particularly intense, so the fact that he brought both to the role was an eyeopener.
From the beginning, in which the Joker methodically kills off all of his accomplices during a bank robbery, you know this fellow is more than a cartoon. He's vicious, cunning, and really really bad ass. His little pencil trick made me gasp and squirm. The way he turned Dent to the dark side was painful to watch. The Joker is the only one who can truly galvanize Batman back into action- Dent is good, yes, but he's working off a code of ethics that hamstrings neither Bruce Wayne nor the Joker. And he relies on chance (or does he?) which makes him no match for the Joker, who relies on man's natural inclination toward chaos and disorder. Fairness? I think not. Okay, I do, but I know how foolish I am in thinking Dent has it nailed. He is totally undone by his own convictions, and caught up in the Joker's far too easily. In a moment that is both true and totally ridiculous, the Joker confesses that Batman completes him in a fashion that would put Rene Zellweger to shame. And you know it's true.
The ferry scene- in which a convict proves he has more humanity than a "normal"- was impressive. The Joker understands where man's inhumanity to man comes from, and what it can do if given free rein, but in that single moment, when Tony Tiny Lister's convict takes the detonator and tosses it out the window, the Joker is once again humanized. And proven wrong. Judging the human race as a whole is a tricky business, but giving us all the benefit of a doubt is what keeps society ticking along, right?
It's a bit sad to know that the two live actors' characters are gone, but that Ledger's Joker survived, while Ledger is dead: we won't get to see a performance this good in this series, or any other film, again. And it's too bad Two Face is gone too, because Eckhart was damn good. But hopefully the franchise will judder on with more good performances, and wash the taste of Joel Schumacher, Jim Carey's Riddler, and even George Clooney (what was he THINKING?) out of viewers mouths and brainpans.
So yeah. This Batman wins. Even when he loses.