A long time has passed since I last updated this site, and for that matter since I have had the time to dedicate to my inner geek, the comic and movie fanboy. This time has been spent mostly at work, living a life of perfecting an off white gray tan as I bask in the glow of multiple computer monitors and powerful racks of computers in the basement creative studio of my daytime office, sound like anyone you know? Or do I need to hang from the ceiling to paint a clearer picture?
Some see this existence as just the normal day-to-day routine of the average IT professional, but I see it as a small part of the life I would lead if I were an independently wealthy playboy with grudge against all things corrupt. A man that prefers the cold damp UV free environment of a cave then the hustle and bustle of a typical sunny life.
It was with the release of Batman: The Dark Knight I was compelled to write again as the story just reinforced the ideals I came to love as a child and respect as an adult. Most people don’t understand Batman and see him as someone that would physically appear and act as more of a villain then a hero. For those of you that have tried to explain why Batman is the way he is to the uninitiated you know what I’m talking about.
This is where I was awestruck with the The Dark Knight as the follow up to Batman Begins. Director Christopher Nolan and writer David S. Goyer bring the true gritty essence of Batman to the screen in not only an incredibly convincing manner, but in an accessible story for mass audiences, fan and non-fan alike.
With the form and content of the movies storytelling no doubt borrowing elements form some of the greatest comic / graphic novel selections of the Batman legacy compiled in to a dark and masterful composite (Frank Millers Dark Knight, and The Long Halloween had multiple recognizable references) the two work to tell the ever gripping story of a more disturbed and disillusioned Bruce Wayne fighting to do what he feels is right for the people of Gotham at the growing cost of his own identity and a normal life.
Spectacular performances by all cast members bring the entire Gotham (DC) universe to life before your eyes. The disturbingly demonic performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker steals elements of the movie as critics and fans alike predicted long before the movies release and before the untimely demise of Ledger earlier this year. It is unfortunate this will be Ledgers last performance but it is one that we all hope he and his family is proud of as he has become a touchstone in the enduring legend and history of Batman.
For me the movie also featured an amazing unsung performance of Harvey Dent / Two Face played by Aaron Eckhart that should get some more mention in the mainstream, between the subtle development of the character as Gotham’s “White Knight” in contrast to Batman and slowly descending the character in to a man with wavering morals torn between the law and saving lives. To a man literally fractured in two by the most convincing origin story for Two Face I have seen / read to date. The visual effects just topped this performance creating a Two Face portrayal worthy of all our nightmares, an amazing achievement in film and a step forward for audiences everywhere wanting comic book villains to leap of the page and grab hold of them in live action.
Of course we cannot forget the Dark Knight himself. Christian Bale’s method acting has once again brought us the dark and disturbed Batman we saw in Batman Begins and craved for so long as we were disappointed by campy portrayals of Batman in so many movies before Bale entered the armored suit. Bale does an amazing job of creating such a vast contrast between the care for nothing Bruce Wayne and the self-punishing Batman that even sitting in the audience you almost are not sure if Wayne is in fact the man behind the mask. This combined with the characters normal bag of technological tricks and the backup of the ever loyal Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and Lucious Fox make the bruiting defender of Gotham city all that more convincing as the everyman turned vigilante anti-hero we would all like to be.
If you have not gathered this by now the movie is stunning, a favorite of hardcore fans or the casual moviegoer alike and is a must see for story, performances and visual effects. I believe The Dark Knight embodies the very essence of the Batman mythology and provides a window in to the soul and psyche of the caped crusader as he is…
“The hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now...and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight.”
– James Gordon
Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2008