Thursday, July 17, 2008
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"Welcome to a world without rules."And with that immortal tagline, I am now proud to present to you, JunHan's professional movie review on the most recent and anticipated blockbuster: Batman: The Dark Knight. Sequel to the critically acclaimed Batman Begins(2005), The Dark Knight covers the story of Bruce Wayne's never ending fight against corruption in the grimy city of Gotham. With new allies Harvey Dent and Lieutanant James Gordon, Batman goes against new foes, like the new mobsters as well as psychopathic clown and famous comic-book nemesis, the one and only Joker in this mind blowing sequel.
Focusing on the characterization of Batman next, it is indeed reassuring to see that Nolan has continued with his rebuilding of the much discredited Batman franchise with his increasing portrayal of Batman's emotions, his doubts, his worries and beneath it all, the central question of whether Batman can ever give up becoming Batman. Complementing Christian Bale's postively emotional acting in this case are the ever-wise cracking Alfred Pennyworth, portrayed by Michael Caine, as well as the witty Luicius Fox, portrayed by Morgan Freeman. Batman's doubts and questions over his confrontations with the Joker form a key development in the plot and I was glad to see it well-executed.
The love triangle of Harvey Dent, Rachel Dawes and Bruce Wayne, while not sufficiently explored, did not really hamper the film much, though I was quite dissapointed with the lack of development for Harvey Dent, whom as comic-book fans know, turn into the intriguing and villainous Two-Face. His fall from grace, while sufficiently portrayed in the movie, was not fully developed in my opinion and could have been worked on further. Rachel Dawes, like in the previous film, remained a weak link in my opinion and all but represented the stereotypical damsel-in-distress, necessary in all superhero films.
The use of special effects, while nothing home to write about, were relatively spectacular in this film, with the introduction of the Bat-pod, Batman's personal motorcycle. The desgins and costumes were relatively spectacular as well, with the Joker's grungy design standing out in paticular.
All in all, this film is definitely one of two films which I declare a must-watch this summer, with the other being John Woo's Red Cliff. TDK woos audience with its gripping storyline, complex characterization, bringing to the big screen accurately once again, one of our favourite comic book icons of all time.
The Dark Knight(TDK) indeed delievers on all fronts and is a movie worthy of acclaim. To begin with, I would like to talk about Ledger's performance as the psychopathic clown and Batman No.1 foe the Joker. Now, after Ledger's controversial death in 2007, critics and fans alike whom have watch TDK have called for a posthomous oscar for the actor due to his well-received performance. After watching his performance myself, I would however, have to disagree. Ledger did indeed potray a Joker that I immensely enjoyed. Not since Mark Hamil's eeire adaption of the character on the cartoon scene have I seen such a well-portrayed Joker. Ledger indeeds typifies what fans of Batman expect from the Joker: a sadistic humor and twisted sense of the world. However, I personally felt that while the Joker's evil side was sufficiently demonstrated, his comic side, the side which made people laugh along side him and his sadistic jokes in the Animated Series, was to me, sorely lacking. Others may choose to disagree, but for me the ability to bring out the sadistic humor in people was really what appealed to me in the Joker character.
Focusing on the characterization of Batman next, it is indeed reassuring to see that Nolan has continued with his rebuilding of the much discredited Batman franchise with his increasing portrayal of Batman's emotions, his doubts, his worries and beneath it all, the central question of whether Batman can ever give up becoming Batman. Complementing Christian Bale's postively emotional acting in this case are the ever-wise cracking Alfred Pennyworth, portrayed by Michael Caine, as well as the witty Luicius Fox, portrayed by Morgan Freeman. Batman's doubts and questions over his confrontations with the Joker form a key development in the plot and I was glad to see it well-executed.
The love triangle of Harvey Dent, Rachel Dawes and Bruce Wayne, while not sufficiently explored, did not really hamper the film much, though I was quite dissapointed with the lack of development for Harvey Dent, whom as comic-book fans know, turn into the intriguing and villainous Two-Face. His fall from grace, while sufficiently portrayed in the movie, was not fully developed in my opinion and could have been worked on further. Rachel Dawes, like in the previous film, remained a weak link in my opinion and all but represented the stereotypical damsel-in-distress, necessary in all superhero films.
The use of special effects, while nothing home to write about, were relatively spectacular in this film, with the introduction of the Bat-pod, Batman's personal motorcycle. The desgins and costumes were relatively spectacular as well, with the Joker's grungy design standing out in paticular.
All in all, this film is definitely one of two films which I declare a must-watch this summer, with the other being John Woo's Red Cliff. TDK woos audience with its gripping storyline, complex characterization, bringing to the big screen accurately once again, one of our favourite comic book icons of all time.
i want this to last 10:12 PM