The Dark Knight review

Before You read the review, I just want to say this: The Dark Knight has already broken seven records: Most Imax preodered tickets, most preordered tickets, biggest midnight opening (about $18 mil), biggest opening day (about 60 mil), biggest opening weekend (about 155 mil), biggest Imax opening (about 6 mil), and most theaters showing The Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight

From the moment the movie starts, The Dark Knight is no mere superhero movie. It is much more than capes and spandex, but at the same time it remains what the title implies: the story of Batman. Batman is almost not a superhero. He is a man, a man with morals that is, who can be hurt. He conflicts with himself, his loved ones, and most importantly, the mask. His conflicts do not start from within himself. They stem from the antics of one man, a man as human as Batman: The Joker.

The Dark Knight 's story begins with The Joker committing robbery. In the process, he kills his accomplices to get all of the money. That night, Batman stops a meeting of various criminals with the 'assistance' of Batman impersonators. Batman and Lt. Jim Gordon meet in the vault of the robbed bank, and converse on letting Harvey Dent, the new district attorney, in on their possible mob ending plan. The mob meets and contemplates the loss some of their funds, which was stolen by the Joker. The Joker enters and proposes a plan to the mob: to kill Batman.

The Dark Knight is like a dreamcatcher. It is complex, and relies greatly on the outside ring to hold it together. In this sense, the outside ring is Gotham. Two very long strings are woven in first: Batman and The Joker. Their battle is the main focus of the movie, and thus each character is a branch from those two, except Harvey Dent. He is the third main string, holding the dreamcatcher along with the rest of the strings, but a branch to some degree. When an intricate dreamcatcher is done right, it is a beautiful thing. This is the case with The Dark Knight. A huge cast of characters, a Peter Jacksonesque running time (2 hours and 32 minutes), great twists, a detailed plot, and one of the best villainous performances results in the greatest superhero movie ever.

Heath Ledger's final and greatest performance is truly a sight to behold. The Joker's madness and creepiness reaches such a level, as well perfection, that at times it is funny. Every little motion is a reflection of his character: the licking of his lips, the straightening of his hair before attempting to kill Rachel Dawes, and his echoing laugh. He treats suffering like it's a circus to enjoy; he spreads his hands as if saying "What? That's all?" when the blowing up of a building doesn't happen right away. He laughs as if being tickled when he is getting the crap beaten out of him. The creepiest, cruelest, and most terrifying aspect of his character is the lack of conscience he has. The Joker gets excited before he slices a man's face in half. It is a terrible character to see, yet it is one of the greatest performances to watch. The fact that he is just a man, like Batman, is even worse. The Joker will become the highest bar to reach for villains. Alongside this horrendous character is fantastic music. Churning violin music assists in the most intense scenes of the summer: A knife in a victim's mouth as The Joker explains his scars, and the horrifying realization that he enjoys watching the world suffer. When Batman soars, swelling music gets the heart pumping, even though the visual scene would get you going on its own.

The Joker is not the only dark character. Bruce Wayne has lost his relationship with Rachel Dawes, and Harvey Dent is now courting her. Bruce is now realizing that he can not be the only symbol for Gotham. Its people start to turn on him, and from that he begins to doubt himself. He cannot decide whether or not to go on, but he is not the only one incubating those thoughts. The police force is has less faith in it than it should, and thus Harvey Dent becomes a rising hero. In this complex tale, each character conflicts with their most treasured beliefs. Does a killer deserve the same pain as his victim? Who should stand up, when no one will stand behind you? These questions and their answers work so well and entertain so easily that a constant state of moving forward is brought on. Over the entire course of the movie, the pace is always more than just "interesting", and at its height, it's like Bourne with a dose of Red Bull. Plot, action, and pace go together so well that at times it is difficult to distinguish which is which.

The Dark Knight becomes a crime thriller, a portrait of a city in crisis, but in the end, it is good versus evil. The Dark Knight has its heroes, its villains, and its heroes who live long enough to see themselves become the villains. Gotham is always in need of a hero. This hero is Batman, the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, or Bruce Wayne to his friends. The Dark Knight is Batman's story, it his tale. Never has the world seen Batman in such a light. It is new, cunning, and perpetually entertaining. It is a movie filled to the brim. It is a great acting performance, a gloomy tale, a record breaker, a fantastic score, but above all, it is one thing: The Dark Knight is a masterpiece.