The Dark Knight: Worth The Wait
I really liked The Dark Knight.
In general, I’m a fan of the superhero genre, but I thought The Dark Knight freed itself of that classification—it was a really good movie that just happened to be about a superhero.
I thought Heath Ledger was outstanding, and that he gave an original interpretation of the Joker which was truly frightening. I know that some people are criticizing the suggestion that he deserves an Oscar nod as being overly sentimental, but I doubt you’ll see many performances that are better, and the fact that it was in a movie that is sensationally popular (a characteristic that is often looked down upon by award voters) shouldn’t be held against him.
As the title implies, the Dark Knight is a very dark movie, darker maybe than a lot of people are comfortable with, but I think that’s its great strength. Against a backdrop of larger than life characters, fantastic car chases, vicious fight scenes, and devastating personal tragedy, it delivers a dark and startling message that should make us all think.
There is a constant struggle between Good and Evil, and that struggle is complicated by the fact that Good can’t resort to the same methods to win that Evil can. If it does, it loses its goodness, and ultimately, the cause it was fighting for in the first place.
It’s a lesson that Batman learns, and at a high price.
If you haven’t seen it yet, do. I’m actually considering going a second time myself…
In general, I’m a fan of the superhero genre, but I thought The Dark Knight freed itself of that classification—it was a really good movie that just happened to be about a superhero.
I thought Heath Ledger was outstanding, and that he gave an original interpretation of the Joker which was truly frightening. I know that some people are criticizing the suggestion that he deserves an Oscar nod as being overly sentimental, but I doubt you’ll see many performances that are better, and the fact that it was in a movie that is sensationally popular (a characteristic that is often looked down upon by award voters) shouldn’t be held against him.
As the title implies, the Dark Knight is a very dark movie, darker maybe than a lot of people are comfortable with, but I think that’s its great strength. Against a backdrop of larger than life characters, fantastic car chases, vicious fight scenes, and devastating personal tragedy, it delivers a dark and startling message that should make us all think.
There is a constant struggle between Good and Evil, and that struggle is complicated by the fact that Good can’t resort to the same methods to win that Evil can. If it does, it loses its goodness, and ultimately, the cause it was fighting for in the first place.
It’s a lesson that Batman learns, and at a high price.
If you haven’t seen it yet, do. I’m actually considering going a second time myself…
2 comments:
I skipped this blog last time because I hadn't seen the movie yet.
If you've been to my blog lately, you'll know that I really didn't like the movie, but I agree with you on Heath.
Angela,
Your sister told me you didn’t like it, and I just couldn’t believe it.
I’ll head on over to your blog to yell at you about it.
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