Yeah, It's That Good…

Last updated on: August 5, 2008 at 4:13 pm by J. Ryan Parker

Yeah, It's That Good… 2008-08-05T16:13:40-07:00 J. Ryan Parker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

So I know that a pop culture website should stay more up to date than this one has as of late. However, I have a good excuse as I have been away in rural Mississippi for a week and a half trying my hand at filmmaking. Now that I am back and recovering, putting up some new material is a number one priority. In the near future, look for a review of Craig Detweiler’s newest book, Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century, and also an on-line interview with the author. I’ll also be joining Tripp Fuller and Chad Crawford on their Homebrewed Christianity podcast to talk about all things comic books and films in what will hopefully become a recurring conversation. Until then, I thought I’d give my belated review of this summer’s biggest box office hit (and quite possibly of all time), The Dark Knight, which I have seen three times already. Yeah, it’s that good!

Every once in a while, you should let your reservations go and believe the hype. The internet…ipods…Crystal Pepsi…well maybe not the last one. But, believe all the hype surrounding The Dark Knight, surely the best film of the summer and quite possibly one of the best of the year. Director Christopher Nolan picks up right where he left off with Batman Begins. Christian Bale returns as the caped crusader in a Gotham City that seems to be turning a corner on the way to a brighter, less crime-riddled future, with the help of District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and Lieutenant-turned-Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). That is, until a new, darker iteration of The Joker (Heath Ledger) limps onto the scene, turning the criminal underground, the police, and all Gotham residents on their collective heads. By now, most of you have…or better have…seen the film, so I will dispense with plot details. Basically, The Joker calls Batman’s bluff, exposing his “hypocrisy” and injects chaos into the city by bringing down, through a series of catch 22’s, Dent just as he is about to crumble the criminal underworld’s infrastructure.

Nolan’s latest Batman film is visually and thematically darker. Most of the film takes place at night or in dark corners. The only day shots shine light on massive chaos as The Joker robs a bank, sabatoges a police funeral, and blows up Gotham General Hospital. The themes are even darker and more complex than the visuals. But they should be given the source material.

Let’s think about Batman for a second. Here is a superhero who compensates for his lack of superpowers with an all-consuming desire for revenge. Bruce Wayne lost his parents to murder as a young child and has spent his entire life seeking revenge, not necessarily on the criminal(s) who effected his parents’ murders, but on any criminal(s) that stand in his way. In this film, Bruce/Batman is continually fueled by the revenge and rage that sprouts in Batman Begins. In the Gotham Knight anime DVD recently released, a short featurette compares Batman to the villains that he fights. Nolan does a great job of drawing this connection as well. Two Face (A.K.A. Harvey Dent) and The Joker both roar when they are angry or do not have their demands met. Listen closely when Batman does not get his way either: close your eyes and they sound the same. While Batman may naively claim that he does not…or does not want to…kill people, he blindly misses the fact that his (in)actions result in untold, unknown deaths. The Joker recognizes this and finally calls him on it: “You complete me.” He later tells Batman, “I’m not a monster, I’m just ahead of the curve.” If anything, The Joker might be more faithful to his words, as demented as they may be.

Critics have been quick to point out the parallels between The Dark Knight and contemporary socio-political mores. Nolan does not deny their presence, but rather sees them as a reflection of the times in which he lives and works…an impossible reality to ignore, even in filmmaking. Cell phone bombs, “ransom note” recordings, cell phone tapping, torture, attacking terrorists first so that they will not attack us…. Craig Detweiler picks up on the diverse interpretations in the beginning of his article at conversantlife. All of these are present and relevant but perhaps a bit too simplistic for Nolan. He takes these issues a step further in his construction of Batman.

What is this symbol to which Bruce Wayne, Batman, Harvey Dent, and Commissioner Gordon all make reference? What is Batman supposed to be in these chaotic times? If not the moral or ethical center of the film, it certainly is one of its high points. There is no easy answer here, and I would imagine that it will remain one of the lingering questions even after multiple viewings. Alfred (Michael Caine) reminds Bruce that Batman stands for something more than responding to the whims of a terrorist. What then is Bruce/Batman to do in the face of The Joker’s scare tactics? Though Batman responds with force, he also chooses what could be described as the role of a suffering servant or, as Gordon calls him, the silent protector. Batman willingly takes on Two Face’s guilt and complicity in the police murders and the death of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhal) that surround The Joker’s mayhem.

Ledger’s Joker stands for something more than a comedic villain that Batman must overcome. Here, The Joker believes in something more destructive than violence and could care less about financial reward. Towards the end of the film, he burns a heaping pile of money and tells a fellow criminal, “All you care about is money…this town deserves a better class of criminal.” For a while, The Joker gives it to them in the form of chaos, a world without rules. Ledger will not be able to reprise his role as The Joker, and, out of respect to the actor, I doubt Nolan would include that character in any future sequels, if he signs on of course. However, The Joker’s survival at the end of the film and Batman’s escape, signal that they could be locked in that romantic “good versus evil” dance about which The Joker surmises, “I think we could do this forever.”

No review of The Dark Knight would be complete without a nod to Heath Ledger’s performance. Three viewings later, it still consumed my attention, shocking and unnerving me. It is an Oscar nomination worthy performance, and if he does win, it simply won’t be just because he died too soon. Very quickly into the film, I found myself forgetting that Ledger once existed behind that grotesque makeup and having to convince myself that The Joker wasn’t real after all.

Film

Previous Post

July 21, 2008

Coldplay

Next Post

August 6, 2008 Go West Mutants...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Classics DVD Film Music News Pop Culture Events Print Sports Television Uncategorized Video Games

Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who saw the vision of the valley of dry bones?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ezekiel Isaiah Daniel Jeremiah