The title The Dark Knight is very important. The first re-boot of Batman released in 2005 featuring Christian Bale as Batman laid foundation for what was to come in the new franchise through it's gritty realism in the style of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Frank Miller wrote The Dark Knight Returns storyline in 1986 with absolute acclaim by readers and critics everywhere. It was more of a 'mature' audience read than other Batman comics. For many avid Batman readers the Dark Knight series marked the harshest version of Batman that could be read. This 2008 movie The Dark Knight is not at all the based on the 1986 Frank Miller story. The similarities end with the style, but are none-the-less every reason for the Batman we know today. The Batman we see now in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are a brave step by DC to represent Batman at his most real and most serious.
What is it that makes the character Batman appealing in the first place? When it comes to graphic novel (comic book) characters or heroic characters in general it comes down to him having no super-powers. None, nada, neinte, ZERO. So how do you make a super-hero movie with a super-hero that has no super powers? The answer is everything must be as close to plausible as possible in order for the movie goer to suspend disbelief. This is the foundation of director Chris Nolan's approach to re-starting the Batman franchise on the big screen.
The Dark Knight is perhaps the best superhero movie made to date, yet it does have flaws. Maggie Gyllenhaal is perhaps one. While Gyllenhaal is a more realistic choice and less distracting assistant District Attorney she is only an acceptable love interest because the character is a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne's. Gyllenhaal has great acting ability of course, I loved her in Secretary but she is not a starlet I see as a love interest worthy of Batman.
Not so many years ago Batman's Bruce Wayne character was played with the best edge by of all people comedian Michael Keaton. Perhaps Val Kilmer was the best tragically wounded Batman, yet Christian Bale has met all sides of Batman with a quality few others will match. If there is any criticism I have of Christian Bale's Batman it is how he speaks as Batman in his horse angry tone. His Dark Knight is only dark and one dimensional. I don't get a sense of feeling other than anger when Batman speaks.
Meanwhile the late Heath Ledger tapped into Mark Hammel's animated Joker with the true character of the Joker that comic book readers have been waiting to see on screen for years. Heath Ledger's Joker is stellar on every level. It is not that Heath Ledger brought something to the Joker character as much as he plays the character in the manner in which he truly is throughout the graphic novel versions that Batman readers know. The Joker is a genius psychotic. Ledger's Joker will have you laughing and horrified within seconds. Ledger's timing is impeccable as he interacts with other characters in the Gotham underworld. Only once during the film (and this was during my second screening) did I try and see through the acting to the actor and that was only because the hype prior to the films release of Ledger's death had me thinking about it. Another realistic feature of this Batman film is that they don't kill off key villains. True to the real Batman he catches them and sends them to Arkham. With the continuation of the Joker, Heath Ledger will be sorely missed. One day when another Joker makes a play... there will be wild speculation of who can fill Heath Ledger's shoes. There will be great anticipation if anyone can pull it off.
The Dark Knight story itself is an intense ride that true to any good action movie starts with action. Twists and turns abound with bank robberies, far away places, challenged characters and of course a romantic love triangle. The continuity of the first film is tied in and you could even say story lines overlap between the two. Small details are dealt with as are large. For instance, Wayne Manor is being rebuilt as it was burned down in Batman Begins. There is no Batcave here.
The sub-plot and heck... the true story arc The Dark Knight features Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two Face feels a lot like the Batman novel The Long Halloween which I can recommend as an excellent read. Never mind it has pictures folks. Trust me. When you are done this film if you want more, find The Long Halloween and if that is not enough, read Hush which is even better but will not be a Batman movie in my opinion. It appears the actors loath Robin as much as we enthusiast do. When asked about Robin in any further installments Christian Bale is quoted: “If Robin crops up in one of the new Batman films, I’ll be chaining myself up somewhere and refusing to go to work.” And to think... Christian Bale's favorite Batman story is Dark Victory.
What makes The Dark Knight such a great movie? The story. It goes and goes. It doesn't let up. Amazingly it was written by the director Chris Nolan. The action scenes are sometimes long, many times short. Like good poetry it does not conform to standard rules. We are not exposed to extensive Batman fight scenes as they are not necessary.
The Dark Knight is a full two hours and forty-five minutes in length. While it was long, it did not feel drawn out. Have you ever thought during a great film, this is a such a good story, I'm sorry it has to end... This one is that good, and additional movie time is well worth it. I've polled others and no one has said The Dark Knight could have been shorter, or that it drug on like a Lord of the Rings installment. It grabs a hold of your attention and doesn't let go. So much chaos is stirred up, it takes time to sort out. Scene after action scene delivers with purpose and an unrelenting grip. The realism this Batman offers is much more appealing that the Tim Burton 1980's Batman. I recall after viewing the Tim Burton version of Batman my reaction was... "There wasn't enough Batman." That cannot be said for The Dark Knight. I recall the Batman of the 1980's films were hailed as more real and not campy like the Adam West Batman. Here gravity has purpose and if Batman takes a fall, you know to be concerned. The rare outlandish moments become fun as the departure from reality is an acceptable escape. When Batman's Bat Mobile is trashed... He doesn't magically get a new one, he relies on what is left of it, his Batpod. In this Gotham people have character along with personality. You understand how characters make their decisions due to well done character development by the director. While no one can really be Spider-Man or Superman. No one can be Hulk, Ironman or any of the X-men. Batman is vulnerable yet a cut above us all. He is a character we can believe in. Spider-Man two was an amazing ride and left us wondering... where can they go from here as characters are dealt with. That could be the case here with The Dark Knight. Such a good film means it will be a very hard act to follow.
I have screened The Dark Knight in both IMAX and traditional movie theaters. This is the first feature film to utilize enough IMAX footage and the IMAX technology for non-IMAX scenes to make it a very appealing IMAX experience. What is IMAX? IMAX screens are special theaters with movie screens as tall as eight-stories. Even though the screens are more of a 4:3 proportion and not 16:9 wide-screen. IMAX screens are of course wide, but they are as tall as they are wide. More than that, they are extremely large. As I mentioned, they are in most cases 8 stories tall and almost as wide. The overall experience is meant to immerse you in the scene. Some IMAX theaters wrap around you literally as does the one in the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. However that screen is not a public theater. It features science and educational films complimenting the Franklin Institute.
Thirty full minutes of footage was shot in IMAX over a total six scenes. Traditional film is 35mm. IMAX cameras shoot 70mm film, the worlds current highest screen resolution for film. IMAX film is literally 10 times the size of standard film. On screen scenes not shot in IMAX expand vertically to match the IMAX format and fill the IMAX screen. Those scenes can be distorted, but for this particular film, IMAX technology was used to preserve the clarity and avoid squat distortion. There are a reported six scenes shot in IMAX for The Dark Knight. Which scenes are IMAX? Well, consider this. It's not any scene with CGI in it. Four scenes are action scenes and the film opens in IMAX as it introduces the Joker. Obviously if you have the means to see The Dark Knight on IMAX, do so.
