I watched the Dark Knight today. It is a wonderful movie, but it has lots of problems. It is not just a great comic-book movie, it is a great crime and action movie also.
I love the characters in this movie. They are well acted and well written. This is amazing to me. For a long time the characters from Batman have seemed silly. I thought that Bruce Wayne was in need of a grief councilor, Two-Face was just random thug, and the Joker was just too broad.
A lot of problems with comic book characters is that they become part of the comic book universe they live in. Most of the cool things that have been done with Superman, Wonder Woman, The Hulk, and Batman are do to the larger story they are part of the other comics. I think this is why the Batman, Justice League and X-Men cartoons work so well. You can build the whole universe with a TV show.
I am impressed with the two new Batman movies because they have been successful without having all this time to set the universe. They are successful in building a world that the viewer understands easily and instantly. I think part of the reason it works is because the way they choose to show the world.
I like to choice to make the world realistic as possible. It is even less stylized than Batman Begins. I think that it makes the drama hit home a little more. Most of the events of the move seem like they could happen here. I think it makes the unbelievable a little easier to take.
I really love what they do with the character of the Joker. Heath Ledger does a great job with this character. I like the idea that the Joker is just an Anarchist. He just wants to see the world burn. This makes the Joker make sense in this world. They also do a good job with the origin of the Joker.
This is the best movie I have seen this year. Yes, it fails a little more that Iron Man, but it also takes more risks. I would tell any movie fan, if they like comics or not, to see this movie.
Labels: batman, comic book, movie, tag overload
