E.Favata's Comic Book Movies

I will warn you that there are MAJOR SPOILERS ahead and would advise that you see the movie first before you go and read further.




!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!




I am sad that I could not make the midnight showing dressed up as Joker as I had planned but I am proud that I will be able to tell my children that I saw one of the best CBM movies(if not 'movies' in general) opening night. Guess I’ll have to wait to dressup as Joker for halloween so I could fulfill the needs of my inner geek, although my girlfriend says she won’t be seen with me if I do but that's a consequence I’ll have to live with. To be honest I was caught up in the hype that surrounded The Dark Knight as I imagine many fans were and I am happy to say that it not only lived up to my expectations but surpassed them in almost every way. Some people may find this movie boring at times as my brother, his girlfriend, and my girlfriend did but I think that is only because the movie is two and a half hours long and it can be uncomfortable seated in the same position for such a long period of time and even more so if you have to slouch down so the person behind you can see, as it was for me.(Damn good for nothing kids should remember to bring a phonebook to sit on!!!!)

The Dark Knight is by far one of the most intense movies I have ever seen. It grips you from start to finish and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The plot thickens with every turn and the script is grade A writing by both Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan. Just when you think you have everything figured out they throw you another twist that’ll keep your head spinning. The special effects are top grade but doesn’t stand up to the outstanding story and script. And the music is just as beautiful and perfect as the score was in Begins. My only complaints about the film is the device that Fox and Batman use to find Joker in the final act is completely impossible to conceive and even in the world of the comic book would be hard to describe and the overall birth and death of Two-face seemed to be anti-climatic and unforefilling to the average geek such as myself. While Eckhart’s performance was good it felt to me that they killed off his character too quickly just as a way to tie up some of the plot lines but I felt that they did it the best way they could so it didn’t ruin the overall experience.

The performances by the cast are superb and Maggie Gyllenhaal is a worthy replacement for Holmes. While Maggie doesn’t have Holmes’ looks she brings a sweetness to the screen that no male actor can. Bale delivers one of the best performances as Batman that I have seen but his voice can get a little irritating when he tries to make it deeper while in costume. Michael Caine also played his part efficiently and so does Gary Oldman(one of my favorite actors) whose fake death scene caught me unaware. But all the hype is centered around the late Heath Ledger’s last performance as the infamous villain Joker and after seeing the movie I can understand why he was having nightmares in the first place. Ledger didn’t just play the role he dissolved into the Joker. What I saw on screen was not the sweet knight in a Knight’s Tale or the homosexual rancher from Brokeback Mountain it WAS the Joker. I have never seen a better portrayal of such a homicidal maniac ever in my life and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t get nominated for an oscar. Watching it just sent chills up my spine and even just the sound of his voice and laugh made the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand up. Granted this is definitely not the same Joker from the comics, this Joker is much more of a sadistic anarchist who’s only joy in life is to create chaos but he still holds that glint of genius that the Joker has in the comics as he is always two steps ahead of Batman and the proper authorities. Also, I am proud to say that they never give you a clear answer on how he became the Joker. It is revealed through Jokers dialogue that his father did it to him after killing his mother but latter on in the film he gives a different scenario in which he scarred his own face in hopes to make his wife smile and he was in the middle of another probably false or imagined origin story just before Batman throws him off a building, with Joker laughing the entire way down just to be saved by our Dark Knight before he hits the concrete. His lines are some of the best in the film and even the little things that Ledger does help bring the character even more closer to life. In the hospital scene I can remember him washing his hands with antibacterial hand sanitizer after a very interesting conversation between him and the scarred Harvey Dent then on his way out using a detonator to cause a series of explosions but when the final explosion is delayed he presses the detonator button frantically in an almost comical way and jumps when it finally explodes behind him.

The schemes that Joker come up with are some of the most interesting I have ever seen on screen. He places average people in moral dilemmas where they have to choose to become the murder or the maunder. There were two such scenarios where he tells the citizens of Gotham that he would blow up a hospital unless they killed a certain man within an hour and another where Joker forces two boats full of passengers, one of which full of convicts, to decide which is to be blown up by a certain time before both boats are destroyed. It creates something unique in which the citizens of Gotham can in fact be considered a supporting character in themselves as it forces a group of people to act as one.

I have loved Batman since before I could read. I can remember a time when I wanted to be him and maybe, in my own little world, I was him at times. My father used to take me to the barber and I would ask if I could get my hair cut just like Bruce Wayne, the barber got a kick out of that one every time while my old man just thought I was weird. I idolized a man who was born from imagination and I'm happy to say that I wouldn't be the man that I am today without him. And it is probably one of the most fullfilling experiences ever to finally see The Dark Knight on the big screen. But the thing I've learned since then is that heroes can only be born from the tyranny of evil men. Just like the divine balance of the universe, there can't be good without evil. That is what The Dark Knight is about. It is the point where both opposite ends of the moral spectrum meet to create a beautiful dance of chaos. The Dark Knight is a piece of art that is simply a portrait of ourselves and the choices we make. Would you choose to save someone even if it meant risking your own life? Would you take it upon yourself to raise your sword against a superior foe in hopes it would make a difference or maybe just to inspire others to do the same? Or would you be the villain who sparks the fire in another man's heart to create change in a chaotic world full of greed and hatred?