After previous film adaptations either played too much with the mythology of the character, or did not take the character seriously, Batman Begins was exactly what fans needed. Director Christopher Nolan has approached the source material with dramatic gravity and seasoned it with healthy doses of action (more so than the previous film) and arguably the best cast in a comic adaptation (notice I didn’t call it a Superhero movie) since A History of Violence.
The film takes place a year or so after the first film, and a lot has changed in that time. The Batman (Christian Bale) has escalated his war on crime, the new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is fearlessly prosecuting the Mob bosses with the help of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) is targeting the Mob’s money laundering operations. The city is changing for the better, but a new criminal, the Joker (Heath Ledger) is pushing back with a plan to send Gotham City in to complete anarchy and to push the Batman to his absolute limits.
The cast brings believability to a universe usually filled with outlandish costumed vigilantes. Christian Bale plays the multi faceted character Bruce Wayne, who shows different aspects of his personality to the public, his friends and the criminals he hunts down as the Batman. Michael Caine (Alfred) and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) deliver solid performances and have their roles beefed up as Wayne’s closest confidants. Gary Oldman conveys frustration and determination as Batman’s ally. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a wonderful addition to the cast as the center of the romantic triangle. Aaron Eckhart plays Dent as a more stable version of Bruce Wayne, and is a rage filled monster in his other role.
The late Heath Ledger plays the Joker as the personification of chaos. Charismatic and peculiar, the Joker is a homicidal Tyler Durden. Ledger plays the character as lucid in his insanity and is captivating (and often very funny) each and every time that he is on screen. The hype is real here, Heath Ledger is amazing.
Screenwriters David Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins) and Jonathan Nolan (The Prestige), craft a truly epic crime drama. The Dark Knight is a perfect follow up in tone and substance, to Batman Begins as it raises the stakes and intensity from the first film.
Filmed partially with IMAX cameras, The Dark Knight is perfectly suited for this format with its wide shots of Gotham City and the harbor of Hong Kong. Director of Photography, Wally Pfister creates a beautiful looking film and it marks the first time that a major feature film has been shot using IMAX cameras.
The Dark Knight marks a quantum leap in superhero adaptations; this could be called The Godfather of superhero films. Nolan and crew show reverence to the Batman's seventy year history and have created an exciting film. More than any film in recent history, The Dark Knight not only lived up to my expatiations, it vastly exceeded them. My only complaint is that the film moved past a very natural ending to an unnecessary final sequence with the film's second villain that could have been saved for a sequel. Minor complaints aside, the film was amazing.
Is it too early to buy tickets for the next sequel?
CraveOnline Rating: 9.5 out of 10
