It can’t be argued that superhero movies are all the rage nowadays. Over the past few years there has been a literal explosion of Marvel and DC characters flashing up onto the silver screen in live action. While these types of superhero films aren’t new, the genre has been growing steadily more rapidly after the success of the pioneering film series Spider-Man and X-Men. Now, it’s almost as if there’s an annual picking going around to see which comic book character will be the next one to make the transition from paper to film. Some of them have succeeded and some of them have failed. Some have been incredibly successful and some of them have been labeled as flops by disgruntled critiques and fans. One character has been going on long enough to see both sides of this spectrum. That character is Batman, whose most recent release, The Dark Knight, has been met with wide critical acclaim.
Following the story set in the prequel, Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan’s sequel presents audiences with a look at Gotham’s Caped Crusader as he struggles to keep the streets of his city clean. Introduced is the Joker, Batman’s arch nemesis and most recurring foe in the comics, who utilizes sabotage, murder, and perilous mind games that push Batman to his limits, physically, mentally, and even morally. Critics have praised the film for this almost nerve-racking script and for the dark atmosphere presented throughout the story. Famed Chicago Sun-Times movie critic, Roger Ebert describes the production as a “haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy” and helps “redefine the possibilities of the comic-book movie.” Rolling Stones magazine called the film’s script “deft” and said it “refuses to scrutinized the Joker with popular psychology, instead pulling the viewers in with an examination of Bruce Wanye’s psyche.”
A lot of praise was given to the characters and their actions against each other, mainly to interactions between Batman and the Joker. Entertainment Weekly gave it a positive review as well. In it, the film’s characters were praised for their relationship to each other with the statement, “Every great hero needs a great villain. And in 2008, Christian Bale's Batman found his in Heath Ledger's demented dervish, the Joker." The story, largely driven by the character of the Joker, shows evidence behind this due to the Joker showing up at nearly every major plot in the film or at least being related to the majority of them. Not all of the critics were pleased with the film however. David Denby of The New Yorker criticized the story for “not being coherent enough to properly flesh out the disparities.” He felt that the film was too long and rushed from point to point, leaving no time for the audiences to catch up. Another negative review came from David Edison of New York Magazine who stated that the story was too dark. One of his quotes sums his review pretty well: “It could only be darker if Batman died.” Edison calls the film “noisy, jumbled, and sadistic,” but his review doesn’t hold much sway when compared to the hundreds of overwhelmingly positive reviews from other sources. But it shouldn’t be a surprise that a few found the story bad. It always happens.
Speaking of the story again, it is dark and gritty, as mentioned in several reviews, harkening back to the positively received Batman films directed by Tim Burton. The concepts of murder and distrust run rampant throughout the story, from the very first introduction of the Joker to the final end with the face off between Batman and Two-Face. Several sensitive themes are presented in the film by the Joker’s actions. The themes of moral rights and ethnical decisions are laid bare within the script as the Joker tries to get Batman to become a dark, twisted version of who he normally is, of what he stands for. Critics have taken note of an uncommon theme of evil triumphing over good as it plays out with every encounter the audience gets of Harvey Dent. While not a popular theme, the script presents it very thoughtfully and not too vaguely.
The Dark Knight is well deserved of the amount of praise that it has received. The story presented within the script gets the audience thinking. There are numerous events that let the audience members think of what they would do if they were in a specific character’s position. The story is one that, while presenting an entertaining film, gets the audiences out of their special effects blindness and into a story that causes them to think. While not every critic gave the film good reviews, the story was supported by the masses and most likely unhindered by a few minor instances of bad press.
Till next time,
Richard Jicha
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