Synopsis:
The follow-up to the action hit "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight" reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime.
With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain") stars as arch-villain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays District Attorney Harvey Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast in the role of Rachel Dawes. Returning from "Batman Begins" are Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon; Oscar winner Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") as Alfred; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") as Lucius Fox.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Christopher Nolan film, "The Dark Knight." Nolan directed the film from a screenplay written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan are the producers, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull serving as executive producers. "The Dark Knight" is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.
CMC Review: By Adam Lasik
When I entered the theater to see the newest Batman thriller, I was going in with the presumption that it is even darker and scarier than the first of the "original comic feel" version of the series. I was expecting misery, depression, anger, violence, and hopelessness tinged with just the slightest bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Gotham, after all, is a criminal's haven, with but one man strong and ruthless enough to set the underworld shaking in their boots.
I came to this preconception because others professed to have "heard" this to be the case.
Others are either wrong, or have faded memories of the original in the series.
The Dark Knight is, indeed, darker than any of the other superhero movies of the summer, to be sure. It just may be darker than any other movie of any genre this season - but while the story has several intentionally disappointing plot points that are ostensibly intended to make viewers sad and provide motivation for various character developments, it actually lacks the same depth of darkness and misery portrayed in the original.
And that's not all it lacks. At several points, the story seems to be lost for any sense of direction, and at others it simply drags with essentially pointless or uninteresting diversions. Foreshadowing is entirely too easy to read and makes relatively significant plot points quite predictable, even for those not familiar with the original comic book series.
The acting is above average across the board, highlighted by Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. Beforehand, it appeared as though Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was being lauded out of sympathy for the actor following his death this year, and perhaps it is to a certain extent, but his is clearly the most compelling role in the entire movie. The cinematography does a fine job of maintaining the atmosphere created by the original comic book series and the original Batman Begins, although at points it becomes choppy and ends up interrupting the flow of the story. While generally effective and adequate, it does not quite measure up to the standard set by its predecessor.
Overall, The Dark Knight is a very entertaining film, with little-to-no concerns about language. There is a lot of violence, but almost nothing graphic or particularly gory. Much of the violence is left up to the imagination of the viewer, rather than clearly depicted on the big screen. There are a few instances in which alcohol is shown and consumed, and in one place it is applauded as a means of coping with challenges or threats. There is very little sexual content to speak of, although girls in bikinis are shown, and at one point Bruce Wayne walks in on a couple clearly either about to begin, or just finishing an apparently casual sexual encounter.
The overall message of The Dark Knight ends up something of a mixed bag. There is a great deal of hope underscoring the entire film. Hope not just for Gotham, but for people in general. An assumption of goodness inherent in the human condition is clearly presented, even as the Joker argues the opposite. The Dark Knight is at least as much, if not more a character examination of humankind when presented with moral conflicts than it is about Bruce Wayne's own struggles. Furthermore, Wayne/Batman repeatedly argues that the city needs a real hero, as opposed to himself as Batman. These are powerful, positive messages about and for the masses without any clear political affiliation or inspiration. Is it a Christian theme? No, clearly not - but it is not a bleak, pessimistic, dark theme, either.
But everpresent is the Joker's perspective that people are essentially selfish, and that every hero can fall. Man is corruptible and weak. He is easily thrown off-course. It is that dichotomy of Batman's perspective of inherent goodness with the Joker's perspective of inherent evil, and it's foundation in truth, that makes the message and worldview of the film so intriguing. Of course, it is that same contrast that is exemplified repeatedly in the Bible, so parallels can most certainly be drawn.
At 150 minutes, The Dark Knight is a rather lengthy film. The points that drag and the choppiness of several scenes make it feel every bit as long as it is - so make sure you stop at the restroom on the way into the theater. If you don't, the film certainly is entertaining enough, exciting enough, interesting enough, and Heath Ledger's performance is good enough to make you force yourself to hold it until the end.
Just a word to the wise.
Overall CMC Rating: 81/100
- Entertainment Value: 21/25
- Violence: 9/15
- Language: 18/20
- Sexual Content: 17/20
- Drugs and Alcohol: 8/10
- Worldview/Message: 8/10
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