The Dark Knight Review!

 Alright! Today I'm reviewing the revolutionary 2008 Batman movie The Dark Knight. Directed by Christopher Nolan and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, this movie is fantastic. An absolute banger, a wonderful adaptation of the character and one of the best films ever made.

It is a constant debate between this and Interstellar as my favorite movie of all time. It basically changes on whichever I saw last, and The Dark Knight definitely gets that point. The movie is a masterclass in rousing action, character-driven plot, acting, directing, writing, visual effects, inspiration, an adaptation of Batman, a proper musical score, and practically anything it tries its hand at. 

No, The Dark Knight is not overhyped. The "actually a bad movie made good by nostalgia" criticism that follows the Raimi Spider-Man movie doesn't track here. The "okay movie with a good Joker" doesn't track here. Nothing about this movie is overhyped, it's completely perfect. 

Let's start somewhere - the main character. Christian Bale plays the role of Bruce Wayne to perfection. His dry quips, stoic heroism, and physicality are unmatched. There's not much I can say about Heath Ledger's Joker that hasn't been said already, so I'll keep it short and say that it is also perfection. It's the perfect Joker to go along with this world.

I love Rachel Dawes here (Minus points for the recast though). I love Harvey Dent in this movie. I love Lucius Fox. Jim Gordon is my favorite Batman character and he's amazing in here as well. And everyone's giving it their all, the perfect cinematic portrayal of the character (Or at least the character in this universe).

It gets to the point where everything is so iconic and definitive that it becomes less the perfect adaptation of Batman and more the perfect movie. Like, it doesn't feel like you're watching a comic book brought to life, it feels like you're watching a really good movie about a guy who dresses up like a bat to beat up a clown. That's really my only complaint with it, really. It does so well at what it's doing that it can't be the perfect comic adaptation because it's perfect at being perfect. Basically, it feels less like I'm reading Year One and more like I'm watching The Dark Knight. Not necessarily a criticism, but interesting.

That being said, this movie is literally perfect. To me, the best part of it is easily the writing. Every single line is iconic, so superbly written for the character, and so expertly delivered that The Dark Knight has become the funniest movie I've ever seen. The humor is so present and so consistently funny - not in the "got hit in the face" type, but in the "that was the perfect quip" type funny (Especially in Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine's case). 

This scene is ripped straight from The Long Halloween

I love the villains of the movie, Joker and Two-Face. I feel like Two-Face is over shined by his acclaimed counterpart, but it's a fun dichotomy. While Joker represents chaos, Two-Face is just a decent man in an indecent time. One drives the plot and the other is the emotional crux. I love the wide variety of mobsters that appear in the movie, they're all great. Even Scarecrow gets a fun cameo. 

I love that the movie leans so heavily into The Long Halloween for the dynamic between Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, and Batman. It recreates certain panels perfectly and even has a fun nod at Two-Face's comic origin. 

I also love that the movie has a lot on its mind. It's very much about the soul of Gotham, the epic battle that Batman and Joker have to save it. While the movie certainly doesn't have 1989's or even Batman Begin's grungy Gotham that feels like it truly needs to be saved (My only real complaint about The Dark Knight franchise), but the trolley problem the Joker creates is not only a good thought experiment but also just a really great way to incorporate the citizens into the Batman story. So that's great.

Man, this was such a beautifully portrayed character. It's amazing.

I also absolutely love the soundtrack, courtesy of Hans Zimmer. Every single frame, every single scene transition oozes with the coolest soundtrack-to-stuff-happening-on-screen vibes to ever come out of Hollywood. It's magnificent to listen to. 

It's also magnificent to look at. It's a beautifully shot movie. A bit weird to see Gotham in the daylight, but magnificent nonetheless. It's a magnificent experience in general. The movie moves well and is always has rapturous attention but still feels epic in scale and length. This is, in my opinion, the perfect movie. I could rewatch this constantly and never get bored of it. 

Overall, I give The Dark Knight a 10/10. "Perfect in every sense of the word, The Dark Knight is not only a staple of the comic book genre but also a staple of cinema as well."

Anytime the Bat Silhouette shows up it's a good time.