The Dark Knight Transcends the Whole Comic Book Genre
into action flicks, still a kid at heart, an artist, a comic book junkie!
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JUL
28
2008
Writer/artist Frank Miller’s revisionist take on Batman turned many heads back in 1986 when he produced the three-issue limited series for DC Comics called The Dark Knight Returns. He brought grim-and-gritty to the forefront and changed Batman’s world to a dark, abysmal hell. He also portrays Batman’s crusade as one that can never end. Director Christopher Nolan borrows that cue from Miller when he simply titles his film The Dark Knight. It’s a subtle signal warning people that Batman’s world will always and forever cast in a great shadow of darkness.
But a film like this needs all the necessary components in place in order for it to succeed. Under Christopher Nolan’s masterful direction, The Dark Knight is the film that propels the comic book genre into the next stage and set the bar high for all those that will follow it. Nolan’s vision was realized with Batman Begins as he planted Bruce Wayne and Batman firmly in reality. Grounding this character so he became relatable to people, The Dark Knight is a natural progression of what was first accomplished through Nolan’s watchful and meticulous eye.
A few themes have developed from this movie that really explores Batman’s psyche and those who are affected by his presence.
Gotham City was already a cesspool of corruption even before Batman was born. Young Bruce Wayne learns this the hard way with the loss of his parents. While the streets are rampart with the common criminal, the really masterminds are those that hold political positions of power. Gotham’s evil is rooted with the elected officials who are supposed to be serving the people. Not all are corrupted as Bruce finds a kindred spirit within Lieutenant James Gordon. In order to rise above the corruption, Bruce needs to adopt a symbol that transcends the conventional. Thus, the Batman is born. Over the course of time, the common criminal is finding it hard to go about doing business as usual with Gotham’s newest protector stopping their every move. This is where the criminals have taken Batman’s cue to become theatrical. Enter the Joker.
The Joker explodes onto the scene without any introduction. No origin story is needed at all. Nolan takes the Joker back to his original roots as a mass murderer, as someone who does what he does just for the sheer fun of it. It’s not about power or wealth or fame at all; it’s all about the joke. And the biggest joke to the Joker is that, despite the good intentions of people trying to make Gotham a better place, they can be easily corrupted if push comes to shove. All it takes is one bad day to make the 180-degree turn complete. While the Joker tries to do this with Batman and fails, he succeeds with Gotham City’s newest district attorney, the one dubbed as the “White Knight”—Harvey Dent.
Throughout the movie, we see Harvey’s rise and fall. Nolan wisely depicts this transformation to show some sympathy towards this tragic character. He also wisely avoids showing anything remotely about the Joker’s origin for that reason as well; if we learn why the Joker became the way he is, we might start having sympathy for a character who deserves none. The Joker is pure evil.
And here is the dilemma Bruce Wayne creates for himself. In adopting a new guise as Batman, he hopes to clean up the corruption in Gotham City. With the help of James Gordon and Harvey Dent, there might come a time when Batman is no longer needed, as Harvey Dent is the face of Gotham City’s hero. Bruce believes he might actually have a chance at a normal life, especially with Rachel Dawes. But Batman’s presence has created the likes of the Joker, Two-Face and the Scarecrow. His crusade will never end and this is what Rachel realizes; she cannot wait for Bruce to complete his quest.
Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne and Batman, and solidifies why he is a great choice to play the character. The first movie shows how he conquers his fear and uses it to his advantage. This second movie shows him in a more comfortable role, but now he is starting to understand that it’s a crusade that might never end.
Gary Oldman’s role as Lieutenant-Commissioner James Gordon becomes more important. In the war against crime and corruption in Gotham City, Gordon, Batman and Dent form an alliance to make Gotham a better place. Michael Caine is still the father-figure to Bruce Wayne as Alfred Pennyworth, while Morgan Freeman provides Batman with all his wonderful toys as Lucius Fox. These two men figure prominently in Bruce Wayne’s life and prove to be important allies. A big change in the cast is the inclusion of Maggie Gyllenhaal, as Rachel Dawes, who takes over the role from Katie Holmes. Gyllenhaal adds more depth and credibility to the character.
Aaron Eckhart really shines in his role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face as he allows sympathy for this character. Two-Face, in reality, is the flip side of the coin to Batman. This is what Bruce Wayne could have turned out to be if he decided to embrace to wrong side. Harvey Dent is a reminder of that.
But it’s Heath Ledger who really steals the show as the Joker. In fact, I couldn’t even find traces of Ledger at all. It’s as if the Joker was a real character portraying himself in this movie. It’s a testament to Ledger for really delving into the psyche of this homicidal murderer.
Even though The Dark Knight is an original story, it does adapt themes for Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: The Long Halloween. The former is an influence on how the Joker’s belief comes into play while the latter deals with the trinity of Batman, Gordon and Dent, and its subsequent dissolution after Harvey’s misfortune.
The Batman mythology has come full circle with The Dark Knight as the original concepts are now being recognized after 70 long years. Comic books have come a long way from its funny pages days and I believe this movie has really washed away the stigma that this genre is only meant for kids. Society has matured over the years (at least I would like to think so) and so has this genre. But Nolan has crafted this film in a way that goes beyond the comic book genre. Take away the superhero element and it’s still an amazing movie. The theatrics just propel the mythology to even greater proportions.
Last edited on Jul 29, 2008
The Dark Knight is recommended by elvisdo
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