Review of The Dark Knight (2008) by Jared W — 22 Jul 2018

In light of its 10 year release anniversary, The Dark Knight demanded to be paid homage. Christopher Nolan's take on the Batman legacy created a work difficult to surpass; and the crowds agree. Even though it is a superhero movie at its base, there was nothing simple about this picture or even comparable to past movies of its kind. The effects and visuals were grandiose and the fight scenes were intense. Moments of deep thought by the batman were portrayed by his standing at the top of a skyscraper alone. Fight scenes were all-incorporating as buildings collapsed, autos were involved, weapons, and even hand to hand combat. Fortunately, there were no 'booms' or 'pows' as in the original batman.

Hans Zimmer's soundtrack was superb; highlighting the emotions of each scene and character. The music turned to noise when there would be mental commotion, and beautiful melodies arrived when the most honorable and loyal parts of batman's character were portrayed. Never did I catch the music take away from the film, but only contribute to the emotions which should be felt in each scene.

This was a new type of superhero movie. For example, Batman is faced with an opponent who becomes overwhelming. He must rely on his peers, super cool weapons, and brute strength to fight his opponent. We have seen these aspects in past superhero movies. What was different about this movie was how Batman was not untouched and he did not end up as the "knight in shining armor." From the villain's perspective, the film became very poetic as it delved into the deeper parts of the Joker. We learn why he became who he was, and how he and Batman "needed" each other. So many supporting actors, one played by Morgan Freeman, acted as Batman's foundation as he traversed such a mentally and physically taxing trial; losing loved ones as he had in the past, deciding who would live and who would die, and avoiding the joker get inside his head.

The star-studded cast worked seamlessly as they interacted and developed their characters. In addition to these great performances, Heath Ledger's Joker was all-time. Words truly cannot describe how deeply his role was felt and how he relayed the joker's diabolical nature to the viewer. He truly assumed this role and turned it into something infamous which couldn't be contained by the movie's running time. As a viewer, you return to your daily activities, plagued by visions of the disturbed personality. The rotten and psycopthic thought processes continue to develop in your mind as you try to process how the joker and his men were able to scheme what they did. The complexity of the plot and all the twists really leaves the viewer asking questions that could never be answered. The joker constantly has you guessing what he is going to do next while simultaneously trying to figure out how he just did what he did. He is so divisive in plotting people against each other to prove just how dark the human race really is all on its own. He keeps himself out of these situations to make people choose. At the pinnacle of the movie, batman is left with a choice, which choice leaves the viewer thinking, and hoping to see more.

This is a must-see movie and truly a basis for all superhero movies created since. Christopher Nolan outdid himself with this one. The only regrettable part of this movie is the bar was set so high. Superhero movies will never be the same.