Director Christopher Nolan accomplishes two things with The Dark Knight that no other director of a comic book movie has: He sets his characters in an identifiably real world, without a trace of cartoonery, and he offers an incredibly gripping--and bleak--tale that targets adults, not kids. I cannot recall one moment in The Dark Knight that would be appropriate for a five-year-old. The film is morally complex and, at times, uncomfortable. It takes us to new places in the canon of comic book movies, and for a longtime fan of the books, it is an absolute wonder.
4 comments:
I couldn't agree with you more, Andrew. Thoroughly enjoyed this installment. And of course, Heath Ledger is sublime.
DO NOT READ THIS COMMENT IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THE BATMAN HYPE!
Yes! Ledger's performance is truly harrowing, one of the best in the history of cinema villains, but we should also mention how well written the Joker is. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have created a mind-boggling, post-modern, nihilistic fiend--a searing meta-analysis of reality. It breaks my heart that Ledger won't be back to play him again. He was the embodiment of the Nolans' nightmare.
True. True. The next Nolan Batman movie (and I'm sure there will be as all franchises happen in threes) will undoubtedly suffer without Ledger.
Remember the Batman Animated Series on TV that started about 15 years ago? I've just begun to rewatch them. I remember running home from school in a panic so as to not miss the first five minutes of each episode.
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