Movie Review -- some details of the movie given. It is the thought that came to mind upon departing the movie. A quote from the 60th chapter of the prophet Isaiah. Whether Isaiah's darkness refers to the physical world or to world of the soul, I know not; either way, it is the world depicted by Christoper Nolan in the Dark Knight.
The scenes are optically dark because of clouds, being indoors or it being the evening during shooting. There are no pastoral scenes of beauty, little sunlight, even the sole female actor, the lovely Maggie Gyllenhaall, is a dark-haired average looking girl. Internally, goodness is absent in every day affairs. Wayne Mansion is the exception and an oasis of goodness, but even there evil enters comfortably in the form of the Joker. The heroes "act" with goodness in mind but without any of the benefit of goodness's pleasure, any sense that at least heaven is pleased, that eventually the sun will shine, and that they are serving an transcendent cause. Even at the movie's end, the act of self-denial and courage by Batman draws no "hurrah" in the audience. It just ends. Darkness still fills the void. Good hasn't won the day, it just hasn't lost -- that day.
Did I like it? Yes, it's a good movie, but I do not like the grotesque in any movie, I don't do horror movies or occultist movies, psycho thrillers or anything close, so those kind of effects leave me quesy. My idea of a good bad guy is Apollo Creed in Rocky 1, he's bad but he's still kind of cool. I had to close my eyes for at least half the movie. I never quite looked at the Joker or Two-Face. Would I have liked the movie besides that? Yes I would, then again, the Joker was the movie, and the center of the plot, weak as that was. The most suspenseful part for me was the character development of Two-Face which was genuinely interesting and believable -- and orchestrated by the Joker.
The gadgets were cool -- cars, motorcycles and the like. Bale is a great Batman, and does some impressive hand to hand combat. Commissioner Gordon is a great actor, and really the one guy you are most emotionally attached to.
I liked the movie, but at the end, the Joker is too grotesquely evil, leaving me unsatisfied, I hate to say.
5 comments:
"There are no pastoral scenes of beauty, little sunlight, even the sole female actor, the lovely **Heath Ledger**, is a dark-haired average looking girl." -???
Can I blame that on a typo? Thanks.
I will admit I was somewhat stressed watching this movie. I watched a lot with my hands covering my face. Even so I thought it was fabulous!
The Joker was just pure evil. I thought what Alfred said was great "some men just want to watch the world burn". Also, when the Joker first tells the story of how he got his scars you feel some kind of pity for him and then when he tells the other versions you realize none of it's true, he's just evil.
I loved the scene with the convict on the boat who took the detonator and threw it out.
I think I will see it again and this time I won't have to watch the whole thing though my hands ;)
Here's me prediction for the next movie. Bruce Wayne will retire Batman for a while seeing as he's wanted for murder. Meanwhile he'll meet some girl and get serious with her and then something so big will hit Gotham that they need Batman back and he won't want to tell the girl because look at what happened to the last girl he loved. Then something will happen to the girl but he will end up saving her but at the same time realizing he could never keep her safe so they can never be together and the the hottest superhero around will end up alone...again.
I like the plot idea Liz. A lot.
I put my fingers in my ears during the Joker slicing descriptions. So not only did I not watch, I did not listen either.
Agree on the detonator scene.
Didn't anyone else think there was some suspense missing? Maybe it was me or maybe it was because i did't watch half of it.
Thanks
Well one thing that left me a little flat was the fact that we spend this whole movie chasing the joker and his last scene is him just hanging upside down. I guess I wanted more closure on him or something.
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