"A BATFAN
SPEAKS!"
-- written by Andre Manseau, regular
contributor to Arrow in the Head
When I was a young boy around the age of 8, my
father took me to see Batman, featuring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
Until that time, the only Batman movie I knew was the campy one with Adam West.
I was a huge Batman fan though, because my father had given me his old Batman
comic books and I read them from cover to cover. This is a decision he regrets
because had he given them to me now, they’d be worth a lot of money, but I
cannot imagine who I’d be now if he hadn’t given them to me.
I’d worn those
comics out, carrying them around in a milk crate and when not reading them, I’d
rest my feet on top of them. This is all to say that I attended that Batman
premiere on opening night dressed as Batman himself, and introduced everyone to
‘my’ movie when I got inside the theatre. I got my picture in the paper, and
this officially cemented my status as a lifelong Batman fan.
I would soon get
the VHS tape for Christmas and it remains one of my most prized and watched
possessions and the first Batman film is undoubtedly my favorite film of all
time. It represents so much to me that I got Keaton’s symbol tattooed on the
back of my neck.
As we all know, the series began to take a decline
after Burton’s second effort, Batman Returns. Joel Schumacher took over the
franchise and brought it to neon-inspired heights, more reminiscent of a kids
film than anything else. I enjoyed Batman Forever and I don’t mention the one
that came after it. Nothing would ever top my favorite film though.
Soon, I
heard rumblings after a few years that Chris Nolan had signed on to bring Batman
back to the big screen, and properly too. Back to serious roots the franchise
would go, with a capable Christian Bale under the cowl and a fantastic
supporting cast, Batman Begins was a tremendous reboot and easily the second
best Batman film ever made, in my eyes.
The end of that film signaled what would be a 3
year anticipatory period, because Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon brought forth a
Joker’s card, which implied the Joker would be in the next film. This would be
the movie I’d been waiting almost twenty years to see. Could it live up to the
hype?
After seemingly endless months of fantastic viral
marketing, the movie finally came to release last Friday. I’d of course had my
tickets for well over a month and had only been hearing the best things. In the
beginning I was skeptical of Heath Ledger’s Joker, but the more I saw, the more
convinced I became. Perhaps this film could be the biggest film of my life. As
I’d mentioned to my other die-hard friends, it didn’t matter what the movie was
about; it was two and a half hours long and featured Batman vs. the Joker.
Luckily for me, The Dark Knight was so, so much more than I expected.
This film is an exercise in filmmaking excellence,
and although I’m sure you’ve read a ton of professional reviews, I don’t think
you could read one that would be more heartfelt than my own. As I sat in the
theatre, from the opening scene, I was captivated and could not look away. The
Joker character was done so well that there were times that I was almost
emotional. Heath Ledger disappeared into this role, leaving only the maniacal
character that he created. You don’t see someone else in the makeup, you see
someone truly representing a role that they made their own.
Without Heath, this
film could not be what it is. The character is truly portrayed as an agent of
chaos, one who does not fear death and cannot be followed in a logical pattern.
The stories about the scars, the licking of the lips and the maniacal cackling
are all things that add a ton of credibility to the character. There is a
certain brilliance exuded by Ledger’s Joker that insists he needs to see that
everyone has a breaking point, and that he will find it by any means necessary.
The Joker is a brilliant loose cannon. He commands the screen and it is
impossible not to laugh at his insane humor and be repulsed by his sick mind. I
wanted more and more Joker, and I don’t think I’m alone in that.
Harvey Dent’s character is played magnificently by
Aaron Eckhardt, a vastly underrated performer who brings true emotion to the
screen. His transformation to Two-Face is truly horrifying and you’re feeling
for him every step of the way. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a fantastic fix to one of
Batman Begins’ only sore spots, and this comes as no surprise as she is a
talented actress to begin with. Christian Bale remains slightly over the top as
Batman, but his Bruce Wayne is absolutely perfect, solemn and fractured. It is
impossible not to feel Bruce’s inner torment through the film and the sacrifices
he must make are immense.
The rest of the cast is absolutely perfect as well,
and reads as a who’s who of Hollywood- Morgan Freeman as Wayne’s right hand man
Lucius Fox, Michael Caine as the voice of reason, Alfred, and Gary Oldman has
another star turn as Jim Gordon. The action sequences in this film are
brilliant, awe-inspiring and relevant. Several scenes made my jaw drop in their
perfection. As you can tell, I truly enjoyed this film.
When the movie was over, I immediately wanted to
see it again, and I’m going this evening. Of course my friends loved it too, and
my girlfriend (who isn’t a real fan) said it was the best movie she’s ever seen.
I’ll likely go another 2 or 3 times just to catch everything. Just one of the
reasons that this film is top notch is because it shows that superhero movies
don’t have to be inane and insulting like Fantastic Four. This film isn’t a
Superhero movie that happens to be good, it’s a fantastic film that happens to
have Superheroes in it. The plot in this movie is so engrossing, rich and
detailed that it requires a second viewing.
Chris Nolan and his crew don’t lead
the audience by the hand, and they always manage to keep you guessing. I’m so
proud that a Batman film has been made not just for Batman fans, but for anyone
at all. As much as it hurts me to say it, this movie makes Batman 89 look quite
small by comparison. Burton’s Batman was painted with long, black broad
strokes, with Jack Nicholson essentially playing himself with the volume turned
up. The Dark Knight is an intricate machine that is full of sorrow, sacrifice,
difficult moral decisions and characters who are completely three dimensional
and simply fascinating. If there are any complaints, it is almost as if too
much was in this movie.
And now the film has broken box office records
everywhere and will likely continue to do so throughout its theatrical run. It
has become the number one movie of all time on IMDB.com, and is the talk of the
town. I can’t help but feel that a lot of the press is coming from Ledger’s
unfortunate death, but this movie will stand the test of time and lives up to
the hype more than almost any film I can think of. The last time I felt a movie
was so perfect was indeed nearly 20 years ago, and I never thought something
else could knock Burton’s Batman from its perch in my memories.
I don’t believe
Nolan can top this film since Ledger’s untimely passing will prevent another
masterful performance, but if this was the last Batman film, I’d be okay with
that. Batman is finally back, and he’s in top form. Believe the hype, grab your
friends and get going, this is the perfect comic book film and damn near a
perfect film in its own right. You owe it to yourself to see this
film.
