The Artistic Side of Superheroics

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2008)

The art of the superhero film is to most people, not an art at all. Films like Spider-Man 2 and Hellboy, while widely acclaimed by critics did not receive anything more than special effects nods from the big boys upstairs when it came time to hand out shiny trophies. In 2005 however, ground was shattered when Christopher Nolan, the highly-thought of director of Memento took the Schumacher-ized Batman series and gave it one swift kick in the jaw. The two and a half hour film was entitled Batman Begins, and like all superhero films it received little critical thought, but it changed things. Now with the 2008 sequel at long last out, Christopher Nolan may be the first man to pull an Oscar out of a superhero shaped ass. As the main antagonist of the movie would say, "I'll show you, you'll see." The plot of The Dark Knight revolves around the same concept of it's predecessor. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) parades around the dark streets of Gotham as the Batman in an attempt to clean the most corrupt city the world has yet seen. Together with his trusted manservant Alfred (Michael Caine) and local police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), things are starting to look better in Gotham. Even the new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is making big changes, so big in fact that Batman is beginning to wonder if he's truly needed anymore. But things change when a sinister madman known only as the Joker (the late Heath Ledger) begins to terrorize the city.
The story is pound for pound what was expected from Nolan since the previous installment. It's dark and powerful with psychological themes doused throughout. The film improves on the last one by truly showing the tormented side of billionaire Bruce Wayne as he deals with being both the most loved and hated man in Gotham on and off. As Harvey Dent begins to save the city with the law and not his fists, Bruce Wayne reaches the point where he seriously questions the necessity of his role as Batman, especially if it will get him back into the good graces of his lost love Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is now wrapped up in a relationship with the aforementioned Dent. The love triangle is a small part of the story and does little to detract from the main film, but instead adds to the emotional aspects perfectly.
More needs to be said for the film's greatest strength though, which is Heath Ledger's performance as the sinister Joker. One of his first on-screen lines is "What doesn't kill you, makes you stranger," a thought the man clearly echoes throughout the film. Ledger has a way with this character that will make you feel guiltier than ever before, making the viewer laugh at his quirkiest of moves, despite those moves resulting in tragedy near all the time. The Joker is at all times hilarious and menacing, switching from laughing and toying with civilians, to threatening them at knifepoint while sharing the tragic stories of his life gone down the drain. Ledger's performance is nothing short of a masterwork, as he portrays one of the most challenging characters a comic book could produce flawlessly. It's truly amazing to watch every scene in which the Joker is featured.
Though Heath Ledger inevitably overshadows the rest of the film, there's no need to take away from the other performances. Bale is fantastic as the emotionally torn Wayne and Eckhart as Harvey Dent will likely go down as one the most under-appreciated roles in cinema this year. The rest of the cast is fantastic at what they do, and while none of them steal the show, none of them have to. Each member of the ensemble cast brings forth great performances that compliment the others well and really just complete an already stellar movie.
The Dark Knight is clearly at this point, the best movie of the year. The acting is the best I've seen in some time, the story is top notch and stays close to Batman mythology, and the overall dark and emotional tone captured by Nolan is powerful and fantastic to be a part of. All in all, to call this film anything short of a masterpiece would detract from what is easily the best superhero film yet produced. To call it a superhero film would almost be a crime in itself, perhaps it is better described as a dramatic thriller with superheroic themes.