Solid Teen Film

Rating: 4/10 (13 December 2008)

This is one of those films teenagers can see and then feel like they've seen a meaningful movie with great action scenes and grown-up themes, a movie that seems to present deep moral philosophies and it has the additional benefit of a cast that has real acting credentials. All in all, I suspect teens will rave about this movie as one of the best of all time.
In reality, TDK shows what Christopher Nolan can - and can't - do with a big budget. He wallows in his own zeitgeist, stuck in the quicksand of his creativity and unable to hone & polish a slush fund of ideas and concepts about explosions, car chases, the rantings of a killer called The Joker, and the fortitude of a hero called Batman. The movie drags on and on and on looking for its core, but never finds it. Ultimately, all it finds are the excuses it needs for the special effects.
Heath Ledger's performance is outstanding, but then his character is the only one in the film that has much of anything to say and, since he's a caricature, he can ham it up to his heart's desire. Character development is not high on the priority list. The supposed romance between plain-faced boring Rachel and Batman is like a red herring, serving what purpose I could not see. But then, plot development isn't a high priority for this story, either. There is a weak attempt to bring a mob crime boss into the plot as an accomplice to The Joker, and an even weaker sub-plot about moving money to Asia, but all of this is treated so superficially you can see how Nolan just doesn't have the artist's discipline to edit out unnecessary footage. He thinks *everything* he writes and films is important, forgetting that the mature audience is not looking for a ride on his ego trip.
TDK has the look of a storyboard or perhaps a comic: blocks of scenes, dialogue, and graphics. It lacks the fluidity of true drama that is paced with suspense and emotional connections between characters. It lacks the wit that is absolutely necessary to make a fantasy entertaining and involving. It is overwrought, overlong, and bloated by its self-importance. But because it's Batman on a big budget and has little competition and critics are starved for something to praise, it will sell.