something special

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2008)

So, I had heard something along the lines of "so much more than a superhero movie" from like 20 different sources before I saw the midnight screening last night; yet I was still unprepared for what I would see. This movie truly is something special. More like a crime drama/character study that just happens to feature Batman/The Joker/Two-face. The drama and emotional aspects run HUGE throughout the movie. And not just the inner-struggle of Batman, there are some truly philosophical underpinnings about chaos and order and all that jazz too; although I don't think there will be any roundtable philosopher discussions ala Matrix for the DVD. The plot interweaves multiple character arcs and situations effortlessly. The dialog is just about as exciting as the action. Everything fits.
The acting is top notch. We've all heard how awesome Heath Ledger's performance was before anyone but the filmmakers had seen it, and its definitely true. So many nuances and quirks, such a mix of disturbing humor and psychotic tendencies; he IS the definitive Joker. Bale is almost going to be overlooked in this, but I truly think he is one of the best actors today. Gary Oldman enjoying a normal character for the second time is pretty awesome also. This leads me to maybe my biggest complaint of the movie:
Maggie Gyllenhaal. I may be in the minority that wants Katie Holmes back. Don't get me wrong, I think that Maggie is the better actress of the two. But the only times she has really won me over was when her personality shines through (Stranger than Fiction). Her personality is also what gives her her attractiveness; because (and I try not to sound like a jerk) it does not come from typical "good looks". The part of Rachel, does not (in my opinion) allow for her personality to shine through, and instead must rely on chemistry and girl next door/best friend kind of attributes; just a "thing" or a "radiance" or something and Maggie just didn't have it. I do not think she shared much chemistry with Bale either; and this really brings down a relatively important story arc in my mind. This is a big point to me and part of the reason for not giving a perfect 10/10
On to the action! Real-world-like destruction and genuine suspense and tension are the name of the game here; and they come through in spades. Not overdone, not underdone... just right. BUT I have to lay out my second complaint here. From what I can see, I do not believe Christopher Nolan is very good at doing hand-to-hand fight scenes. The shots are close and choppy (although allowed a little more room to breathe than in Batman Begins, I excused Begins because it focused on the ninja-like tactics though) and when you get to see solid shots of a move or two; its just not very impressive. In the realm of "action stars" (which admittedly, maybe this shouldn't be put in that realm) this Batman does not feel very effective or intimidating (other than in looks/tactics obviously). I understand that this could be done on purpose for the "real world"/"batman is a guy with no super powers" kind of aspect, but I grew up with the Batman movies, he was my favorite hero by far. (I'd say Batman, original Star Wars trillogy, and Indiana Jones were my things) Frankly, he kicked more butt in the hand to hand kinda form in the old movies. Don't get me wrong; I think Begins and Dark Knight are better movies.. but the kid in me wants some good old butt kickin. I think a slightly-toned down version of Blade would be a good level of action in my opinion.
So... I really am not trying to take this movie down based on my wants for slightly different kind of action. There is so much drama, tension, acting ability, story, everything is awesome. I immediately want to see this movie again. If IMDb would let me assign a 9.5/10 I would. 85% of the reason for losing the half point being the lack of chemistry between Bale and Maggie, 15% being the slight lack of enjoyable hand to hand action. Believe the hype and help this movie set records!