Champion knight

Rating: 9/10 (31 July 2008)

As I write this down, news is filtering thick and fast of the various box records The Dark Knight is breaking across the world. And it is racing towards the 300 million $ mark and all set to challenge the 1997 blockbuster Titanic and its 600 million $ box office smash. Being a movie belonging to one of the most popular franchises sure has its advantages, like the first weekend is loyally crashed by its very loyal fans to start the cash registers ringing loud for first week or so. But after that it's all up to the movie, whether it can hold on to its fans and gather some more. As far as The Dark Knight is concerned its repeat viewing has become a trend. Making sure the fans do come again is the master creator of dark atmospheric films Christopher Nolan. This man surely be declared now as gifted as he has truly reinvented a squeezed out franchise.
With superhero movies like super, spider, iron and hulk competing for space and fans all around, it needed a master performance to pull in such response. Christian Bale solidly reprising the role of Bruce Wayne a.k.a batman again (bit of a throat problem needs to be solved though when he is in his batman mode) this time fighting with new set of villains for Gotham city lead by The Joker. The sad demise of Heath Ledger increased the anticipation of his final role as Batman's nemesis Joker, but that tragedy was not needed because such is the power of his performance that he must have became the most cheered villain in Hollywood. An Oscar buzz is created around Heath's role which is fairly distant dream, but he is a crowd favorite (I would keep my fingers cross). Mercifully Katie Holmes is replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal as Bruce's childhood crush Rachel Dawes who now works for Gotham's new District Attorney, Harvey Dent performed efficiently by Aaron Eckhart. Harvey Dent's arrival makes Bruce believe he can now take a premature retirement from his night time job of fighting crime. But the arrival of bank robbing menace The Joker, forces his plans of retiring a back seat as Batman gets ready lock horns with one of the greatest villains to dawn on silver screen. Its not just the Joker's personality, his action hits you hard as muscles his way through to become Gotham city's darkest fears. Some of the action would give you creeps as joker goes along performing his job as a sadistic villain (stuffing explosive mobile phone in a person's stomach) taking over the city's, a rather global crime industry. But if Batman thinks he will save the day with his close ones safe, he would rather be mistaken. Jokers take on his destructive job as fun rather than to amass wealth makes Batman question himself as with one evil swipe Joker brings Bruce's world crashing down. Worst of all, he has to now fight with Harvey Dent's new avatar as the revenge seeking two face (a very grim turn with burned face). As the final reels the movie begins to roll Gotham city are on brink of virtual take over by Joker and Batman fighting on two fronts, the audience are kept on the edge of there seats. Such is the power of the movie that even if you know it's a super hero movie as traditionally the good verses evil battle with victory of good over evil, that along with Batman you question the outcome of the film. The lingering on of the climax comes to an exciting but grim end.
The movie ends with lots of promise with many questions to be answered by Batman, as we await the third installment. The anticipation for the movie meets its expectations as the well paced and perfectly lengthy entertainment lingers in your mind even after the end credits. This champion performance may be a blessing for the third movie or a curse, depending whether it meets its now towering expectations. For now at least we do trust Mr. Nolan to meet any expectations and are thankful for treating his movie's fan followers as being matured rather than action franchise crazed toddlers.