The Dark Hype

Living up to the hype is an increasingly difficult task in the information age. A "buzz" can be manufactured almost immediately after production begins through forums, fan-sites, and trailers. Oftentimes a good movie is so "hyped up" it ends up falling short of expectations. With the hype machine in full swing, the untimely departure of a good young actor, and the greatness of Iron Man, the Dark Knight had a lot to live up to.

Yes, the Dark Knight is a comic book/action movie. But everything about this movie, from script and cinematography, to acting and directing is taken very seriously. With the superb cast in place (Bale, Ledger, Oldman, Eckhart, Cain, Freeman) the movie becomes more crime drama and less action movie. Considering its about a billionaire vigilante dressed as a bat fighting crime against a terrorist in clown make-up, this movie is very serious and pretty realistic.

Of course you cant discuss the Dark Knight without praising Heath Ledger. I can't help but feel that his death has been exploited to sell tickets. With that being said, he really is excellent in the film. With the help of some killer make-up, Ledger is almost unrecognizable. He is scary and hilarious almost simultaneously and he steals every scene he is in. The Joker character is very well written and another talented actor probably could have done a good job as well. But Ledger was given the roll and he took it and ran with it. He brought a darker, more human side to a classic villain. He is more disturbed  anarchist than evil genius. Its sad that Heath Ledger died for the obvious reasons. But its also a shame that he wasn't praised for his acting abilities alone and not as some legendary Hollywood martyr. He deserves all the accolades he is receiving, but i can't help but think the sincerity of the praise is tainted and overshadowed by his death. 

The single fault of this movie, like most action movies these days, is that its too long. I enjoy a good epic film, but i hate an unnecessarily long one. Christopher Nolan could have cut 10-15 mins and it would have been just as impressive and a little more streamlined. With that said, The Dark Knight is darkly serious and almost believable. The themes and commentary of the film are well executed. The classic comic book good vs evil (or more accurately right vs wrong) is there, plus some justice vs anarchy, and commentary on the power of fear. It is  nicely intertwined and fits perfectly with the whole Batman vs Joker thing. It is by far the best comic book adaptation, but more importantly one of the better films this year. It is expertly crafted from top to bottom and proves that the superhero/ comic book genre can be taken seriously. 

It is somewhat of a trend that sequels are better then the originals. Characters are established, themes are fleshed out and cast and crew are more involved. Sometimes all you have to do is replace the boring Katie Holmes with any other actress. With the excellence of the Dark Knight, the sequel to Iron Man has a new standard to live up to. And Watchmen is looking like it may be a contender.