Wished it was better

Rating: 6/10 (22 July 2008)

When I saw this movie on Saturday, near the last 10 minutes I noticed a couple of people leaving the theater BEFORE the end of the movie. I thought- strange- but maybe they wanted to beat the rush on the typical parking lot gridlock. However, after my initial movie buzz wore off I considered that couple might have realized something before the rest of us rubes.
Yes I gave it a 6/10, but that's only due to the separate components that must be acknowledged. The 'Dark Knight' as a whole, is a jumbled up mess of philosophy and action.
Giving credit where credit is due: Heath Ledger- he lives up to the hype in my opinion. Some others think this is nothing special compared to previous demented performance like Malcolm McDowell in 'Clockwork Orange'. What they haven't considered that for someone who did schlock like '10 Things I hate about You', he transformed himself completely into a utterly psychotic killer. Ledger's Joker is not Jack Nicholson or Cesar Romero- it's his alone. Nolan's choice to make the Joker's trademark grin into a scar adds realism, even if it's untrue to the comic's storyline. Ledger even made my audience laugh uncomfortably in parts, like laughing at the crazy dude on the subway, but so crazy that no one laughs too loud for fear he'll rip your face off. Ledger made the Joker sadistic, disturbing, and one of the most memorable villains in movie history. He's not the Joker we love to hate; he's the Joker that gives you nightmares.
HOWEVER, beyond that the rest was only a shade above average for an action movie. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent was good; his sincere gusto to clean up Gotham was believable, the connection he made with Bale's Batman lined up nicely even as he stole his girl- for how could Batman begrudge such a nice guy to take good care of his gal? At about 1.5 hours into this movie it seemed like all the plots were getting sewn together- Batman had foiled the Joker's attempts to kill Dent and Rachel was waiting for him back at his penthouse. Okay we're done for now right? WRONG, so the next "ending" to what already felt like the conclusion to the main characters' struggles was an over-wrought mess.
The funny thing was that when I left the movie, I thought it was good. Perhaps if you spend $10 on admission, another $10 on popcorn, waited in line for a half-hour in the summer heat just to get a decent seat, and had waited through 20 minutes of trailers- aimed at what I assume to be teenage girls- you want to believe that THIS was SUPPOSED to be a 'GREAT MOVIE' if not 'THE' great movie of the summer.
Unfortunately, I can't support that expectation. I felt that Nolan had somehow painted himself into a corner; he built up Batman's legacy in 'Begins' and now had to surpass that performance which would ultimately be a very hard act to follow.
My complaints: too long, too many cheesy lines ("Bruce Wayne's penthouse is the safest place in Gotham City"), too many bit actors who could barely deliver their cheesy lines (cop- "I didn't sign up for this"), a plot that was too convoluted and unbelievable, and weak sub-plots that tried to take on some very hefty subjects (Batman's den of cell-phone sonar spying).
You can't make a movie all things to all people, but you can make a few a choice themes and laser in on it. What I assume to be Nolan's theme of chaos vs. order was sidelined by the Two-Face transformation that just seemed rushed and trite. The Joker was fabulous enough to let him chew the scenery all by himself or let him duke it out with just Batman. In fact, Batman himself doesn't have a lot of screen time and when he does Bale seems to be coasting along- even in the scene after Rachel's death.
I really wanted to love this movie, but I can't get over its flaws. Maybe after a few years I can watch it again and enjoy it for what it is versus what I'd expected- much like my response to "The Two Towers" which departs drastically from the book. I'm not a die-hard comic fan, but if I was I think my disappointment would be greater still.