"The Dark Knight" Is it worth the watch?

First and foremost: I am a Batman fan. I grew up watching the old “Batman” TV shows and played the “Lego Batman” game with my brother. I am well aware of Batman's core tenets. I have not, however, watched Christian Bale's “Batman”. I’ve been skeptical. Ok. The movies came out when I was in like 4th grade, and I was going through a heroes aren’t cool phase: that phase has since passed. I think you should know that I did not know that “The Dark Knight” was directed by Christopher Nolan until I saw the credits. I KNOW. I totally should have known, but it was also a nice surprise at the end of the movie. Also, I did not know that this was the second movie in the trilogy. Obviously, this watching experience started off very well. Ok. Enough backstory. Let’s jump into the review. Shall we? Wait! Spoilers ahead. Now to the review. 

I’m pretty critical of a heist scene. Usually, the scenes are predictable, overly choreographed, and boring. This opening heist scene was anything but. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. The bank teller with the rifle… crazy! The people committing the heist slowly killing each other off… INSANE. The complicated nature of the heist accompanied by the betrayal between the thieves was ENTERTAINING. More importantly, I think it showed how smart the Joker really is. Is he insane? Yes. Does he need help? Yes. Does he create and execute complicated heists filled with twisted meanings? YES! 

Sometimes, shows decide to make the Joker look lucky or like his madness is his driving force. BORING. This movie did the opposite. It made the Joker look almost like a twisted Guru who took extreme measures to show people his philosophies of life were right. When he escaped by blending in with the other school buses, I was FLOORED. It was amazing. Every choice the film team made for the Joker was spot on. I loved the insane makeup and the wild suits. After the Joker is imprisoned, some of the cops remark that all of his clothes are brand-less. Ok. Didn’t realize the Joker was that detailed. Through those details, the audience is shown how sinister and brilliant he really is. It makes sense that Heath Ledger won an Oscar for this role. It was a great opening to the movie, and it built some confidence for me that this would be at least a good film. 

I recently watched “The Penguin” series on Max, so I LOVED seeing all the Gotham mob content. If you are looking for a new Batman-esque show, you’ll love “The Penguin”. I digress. Ok. Let’s talk about Harvey Dent/Two-Face. I didn’t care for it. I’m sorry. Actually, no I’m not. I don’t think this iteration of him made sense. What do you mean the cops at the station nicknamed him Two-Face, but he was also heralded as a hero for Gotham 90% of the time? It didn’t make sense to me. I think the actor could have gone further. I would have loved to see him be so charming, it would make everyone around him a little sick. I would have liked to see him partake in some sketchy dealings. Just SOMETHING to make him seem Two Faced. I did like it when the Joker talked to Harvey Dent about fairness and life in the hospital that was so fun to watch. “The Dark Knight” does a great job integrating philosophical conversations into a scene that may seem just like any old superhero movie scene. It is a film weighted with interesting conversations and bathed in fantastic costuming. I understand why so many people like it. I just don’t like what they did to Dent/Two-Face. 

Let’s talk about Batman. I adored the gadgets. Great visual of source material fabulously coming to life. Christian Bale does a SPLENDID job portraying Bruce Wayne as a billionaire playboy. He is just so charming. Robbert Pattinson’s Batman could learn a thing or two from Christian Bale’s interpretation. I wish the Bat Cave didn’t look like the inside of an Apple Store. I get it. The movie people wanted to do something different to make this Batman stand out, but I still don’t like it. The suits though: ICONIC. I find it admirable that the costume department committed to the capes after all he is the “caped crusader”. Watching the Bat mobile turn into the Bat bike was SICK! I think the gadgets were my favorite part to watch. It definitely made me want to go back and watch “Batman Begins”. 

Overall, this movie had great costumes, actors, and special effects. Christian Bale was MAGNIFICENT as Batman, and I can totally see why this trilogy continues to come up whenever Batman is mentioned. Do I think this is the best Batman movie I’ve seen? Actually, yes. Even though I didn’t love what they did with Dent/Two-Face, the other aspects of the movie make it worth watching. The philosophical conversations had and started from this movie make it more than worth the watch. It is a little long, so I recommend ordering a pizza and grabbing your favorite beveragino before you watch. Don’t worry! I’ll let you know if “The Dark Knight Rises” is worth your time very soon!

Photo from IMDb