A Fan's Review - The Dark Knight

Hey guys,

The Dark Knight is the vision of Chris Nolan, a brilliant director who has brought the dream of many fans to life. The Dark Knight is Nolan’s finest work to date and finally captures the character of Batman the way he should have been seen from the beginning, dark and bleak.

What can I say here? You’ve all read the reviews, you’ve all heard about Heath Ledger’s death, you’ve all seen the trailer. But was the Dark Knight really everything it was cracked up to be? Yes. This movie is quite possibly the film that will define our generation. Every 10 years it seems we come by a movie that is known as a mark for that time period, and so the Dark Knight marks ours. The movie itself is a visual masterpiece. Limited CGI with loads of real-world special effects, not to mention characters that not for one minute bore you. One thing we always find in movies is that there are sad scenes that just for the most part interrupt a films progression and take viewers out, but not this film. Even when there was no action currently taking place (which was rare) there was some type of fast paced feeling that didn’t take away from the story but kept your eyes glued.

Another unsurprising development is that Batman himself isn’t as much of a star as the Joker. We saw what happened in the trailer, but man, this guy is messed up. What will go down as Ledger’s finest performance, the Joker is a dark and twisted character that you can fear but at the same time love and want to watch. Ledger brings him to life with tiny little character flaws like his obsessive ability to lick his lips or how he likes to change the story about his scars every time he tells it. Two-Face or Harvey Dent is another interesting character. A constant character throughout, Harvey keeps you interested as Gotham’s last hope for normality, but makes an interesting an immediate change towards the end, and then actually carries our story out. Basically the character’s make this film, and you immediately understand them.

Going back to visuals, Nolan doesn’t like CGI. That being said this movie has some of the most nerve racking scenes I’ve ever sat through (I jumped a couple times). Things like Two-Face’s well…face, is beautiful (in a sick way). The effect is so perfect that for once I forget I’m watching a computer and actually listen to him speak. Another beautiful scene is the car chase towards the end, which if you listen closely, will notice that there is no music, just the beautiful sounds of metal against concrete. Every action sequence is shot so well that they flow right into the next scene without having to transition. My personal favorite being the 18 wheeler flip which marks the first time an 18 wheeler has ever been flipped forward without the use of CGI (that’s right, they really flipped it).

Unfortunately I cannot go any deeper without giving more of the film away. If you see one movie this year (besides WALL E), you must make it this one. A killer cast, heart-pounding scenes, beautifully shot, and twisted in the most amazing way. The Dark Knight sets the standard for any super hero movie to come.

Enjoy!

-Matt