Movie Review: The Dark Knight (5/5 Stars)

During a summer that has provided disappointment after disappointment (examples include Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Hancock), The Dark Knight finally delivers what audiences have been waiting for: a big-budget blockbuster packed with action, but also complimented by a strong script and unmatched performances by a stellar ensemble cast.

About a year after battling The Scarecrow and Ra’s Al Guhl in Batman Begins, Batman (Christian Bale) is now a regular on the Gotham City crime-fighting circuit. Although his vigilante antics are technically illegal, Batman maintains a distant but favorable relationship with lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) of the city’s police department and Gotham’s new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Just as the trio seems to be succeeding at cleaning up the city’s streets, they are rattled by the arrival of a new villain, The Joker (Heath Ledger).

The Dark Knight is an automatic improvement on Batman Begins simply because it doesn’t require any back-story. Batman Begins delved deep into the character of Bruce Wayne, successfully explaining his motive for becoming the Caped Crusader. Thanks to this profound character-study in the first film, we already know who Batman is and we are able to jump right into what Batman does. And whom he does it to…

Although this is the newest Batman movie, the film’s focus is not always on the Dark Knight mentioned in the title. Instead, we also become intimately familiar with the story’s villain. Heath Ledger brings the Joker to the screen in a way that no other actor could have even dreamed of. Ledger’s transformation into the Joker is one of the most disturbing Hollywood has ever seen. What makes the Joker scary isn’t his creepy laugh, his hastily applied makeup, or even his heinous deeds. What makes him truly frightening is his love for chaos. He has no motive or greater purpose for the havoc he wreaks, he simply gets off on the panic it generates. The Joker is able to corrupt the purest of souls, and even further corrupt the darkest…and Batman is no exception.

Batman’s struggle to stay morally unadulterated is the true conflict. As big as the fight between Batman and The Joker may grow, it never overtakes the struggle within Batman himself. When our hero is forced to question why he does what he does, and whether or not it’s worth doing, the true brilliance of the Batman story emerges. So, while it may seem like the movie is more about the Joker than Batman, it’s really about the Joker’s effect on Batman.

While most superhero movies are about the action and special effects, The Dark Knight is focused on character development. As a general rule, great films have great characters that audiences can empathize with. If a viewer is able to connect on a deep level with a character in a movie, he will connect with the movie itself. What makes The Dark Knight great is the fact that anybody can find that connection with one or more of the characters. Simply put, The Dark Knight is this year’s best film.