Review: The Dark Knight

Want a nice good film? Watch this, or you die regreting if you don't. Well, after Batman Begin's success and the studio's announcement if making a sequal. I was hoping and longing for this movie. A realistic, dark, psychological Batman film is just too great and people always wanting for more.

After years of waiting, I can say that I am not disappointed.

In Batman Begin, the filmmaker have to use the first half of the film to tell the origin story of Batman. The first film also has some mystical element in the form of Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow's hallucinogenic gas. It is serious and realistic, and for me, what it attempted, to a certain extent prepared the audience for a more realistic and dramatic sequel, The Dark Knight.

If you happen to watch a minor sequence of the film, that shows neither of those costumed characters, you may think this is a police thriller, a political drama, love triangle story or even perhaps a spy film. This is a film where you won't think you are watching a comic book film where illogical things happen and you have to swallow it. No. This is a film where you can sit and enjoy not only those fancy production design and special effect, but also a good story, superb direction and the bet part, fine acting. Yes, in this one, you are there to enjoy the actors' performance, not a two hours long commercial for Christmas toys.

The Dark Knight drops the bad convention of the previous franchise of telling the origin story of the villain that appears. The old films, especially the campy Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, wasted too much time on the villains' origin story they actually made Batman or Bruce Wayne's characterization flat.

In The Dark Knight, The Joker pops out of nowhere. Despite he told stories of how he got the scar to his victims, but he seems to have a different story each time, which ultimately made all his stories unbelievable and the people knows nothing about him. He is mysterious, intimidating, intelligent and charismatic. Wow, you can use the same expression for Batman. From the public, the underworld point of view, no one knows about who Batman really is. And this parallel between this Batman and his nemesis successfully made this Joker a real match for Batman.

Jack Nicholson's version is good enough, but Ledger's Joker is the one that can really give Batman a really fucking bad day. Before this, Jack is seen as the definite Joker, but his version is tainted by some irresponsible changes to the character and Batman's mythology. Jack's Joker has a name, identity and the worst part, he killed the Waynes. That's a pathetic change. And since Jack's Joker had an identity, he has less creep and less intimidating. Ledger's Joker however, gives you the chill even just thinking of it.

Some manga critic use to say, "People afraid of things they don't know". That is very correct, if we can name a scary thing and rationalize its form, then we will not be that scared anymore, but if we can, we scared. Reason being we know nothing about is, so we don't know what it can do and how should be react. that's why we scared. Since we know Jack's Joker was Jack Napier, then he is just a crazy mob in make up. But Ledger's Joker....other than The Joker as he introduced himself, we can't call him by any other name cause, we don't have a shit info on him.

Two-Face made a debut in this film. Unlike the previous big screen appearance of Two-Face which was tucked in Batman Forever and given a simple exposition on his origin, the whole Dark Knight film is to a certain point of view, the origin story of Two-Face. The incident that led to Harvey dent's disfigurement fits so well in the film that at the end, our heart actually aching when seeing the White Knight turned into the dark side. Like a fallen angel. More, this look is great, far more better than the fake looking this Tommy-Lee has in Forever.

This is good, since the mysterious Joker will never able to create sympathy for the villain side, so the film really need a so called villain that can let the audience to judge of, to think about and understand that people is not born evil.

The Batman this time really have a more detective role. Well, he was from the "Detective Comics". This time we see Batman on the move, not only those fighting and crazy stunts, but also how he actually unveiled the mystery, solve the case and the best part setting impressive and intelligent plan to capture Joker or the Chinese accountant. We also get to see Bruce Wayne in action saving life without the cape, when under short notice he have to go crack the plan behind the hospital bomb treat and preventing his stupid employee getting killed.

Not only Bale's Batman has soul, flesh, blood and dough, his Batman also has the brain and you won't doubt that this Batman is a hero.

Well, as you may have aware, I wrote more on Joker. That is because in the whole film, I think acting wise, Heath Ledger got the full point, Bale is great and so is Eckhart. But Ledger was the show stealer, and I enjoyed every second of his performance in the film. It is a great lost that he no longer around...sigh.