Review of The Dark Knight (2008) by Barneyonmt — 18 Jun 2016

WHAT I LIKED: This film has a famous reputation for a reason. Primarily, of course, its image is dominated by one of the best movie villains of all time, who not only serves as someone unhinged and terrifying, but helps to illustrate some very interesting themes. Amazingly, every situation played out by the Joker, brings Gotham (and the audience) onto a whole new desperate and frightening playing field, which in turns causes you to genuinely consider and question humanity all the more. In the end, it's this that makes 'The Dark Knight' the truly successful social commentary that it is, but it's not without some fun action either.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The themes and schemes are all very interesting, but the characters and plots aren't nearly developed enough for me to genuinely connect with the film. Instead, you watch from outside as Nolan uses characters and stories as a tool to portray his ideas; it's not a harmonious partnership between story and narrative, instead the themes exist at the expense of lots else. As a result, you'll be gripped be each scene, but in between you might feel a bit disconnected.

VERDICT: A darker, deeper Batman that brings excitement and social commentary to the audience. It'll grip you in the moment, but when you're out of it, you won't particularly connect.