DVD
REVIEW: THE DARK KNIGHT
12/07/08
With the exception of
Superman (1978) and Batman (1989), movies based on comic
book superheroes have always been considered a low-grade
form of entertainment. It wasn’t until Spider-Man 2 (2004)
came on the scene that many saw the complex direction a
comic book superhero movie could go in. Spider-Man 2 lead
the way for Batman Begins (2005), a movie that redefined the
superhero genre for the better. Batman Begins represents the
most possible real word interpretation of the character
we’ve come to know as Batman. It is quite possibly, in my
opinion, one of the best comic book superhero movies ever
make, until now. The Dark Knight continues where Batman
Begins left off creating what could be considered an epic
crime story that transcends the superhero genre.
In The Dark Knight, Batman has hampered the operations of
most of Gotham’s mobsters, and they are now struggling to
survive. It seems that Batman is a force that no one can
defeat, but as the law of nature would dictate with a better
class of hero comes a better class of criminal. The Joker
enters the scene demanding the mob hire him to get rid of
the problem: The Batman. The mob refuses, labeling The Joker
a demented freak in clown makeup. However, when Batman
together with Lt. James Gordon and D.A. Harvey Dent are
about to take down the entire mob, the mobsters give in and
hire The Joker. Little do the mobsters know that they have
unlashed a force that will torment Gotham in ways nobody
thought possible.
The Dark Knight represents the epic battle between good and
evil and brings about questions concerning any society
striving for civility has to answer. How do you defeat an
evil that has no rules, when society’s heroes have to abided
by them. Here The Joker represents the worst of the worst
and an evil that has no purpose but to destroy. Heath Ledger
nails this sense of dread in his performance. Even the voice
Ledger uses to portrait The Joker gives an off-center eerie
feeling. It’s hard to describe, but even the ticks and
make-up are so uncomforting that it would feel terrifying to
just stand next to The Joker. They really did an excellent
job developing this character. Director Christopher Nolan
gives The Joker the right amount of screen time. Usually
when a performance is good, directors tend to give the
character more screen time, overexposing the character, but
Nolan does not give in and in turn keeps us wanting more.
The entire cast was excellent. Michael Caine’s Alfred is
possibly the best in the series. I also liked the back story
constructed for him. Aaron Eckhart was the perfect Harvey
Dent and his Two-Face was visually terrifying. Maggie
Gyllenhaal did a great job replaceing, Katie Holmes, her
Rachel Dawes is a stronger more independent women but I kind
of missed Katie’s softer performance. Gary Oldman as Lt.
James Gordon was as good as in Batman Begins and Morgan
Freeman who plays Lucius Fox, the mastermind behind Batman’s
weaponry, is as good as ever.
Christian Bale is an actor I’ve liked since his stellar
performance in American Psycho. He lends a little of Patrick
Batemen’s ego to Bruce Wayne. His Batman doesn’t require as
must acting, but is still very strong. The only complaint I
have is the hoarse voice Bale uses for Batman. It does get
annoying after some time.
Like any superhero movie, Batman delivers big in the action
and special effect departments. Nolan’s work with the
special effects is something every filmmaker working today
should note: Do not let the special effects overwhelm the
film. Here the stunt work and special effects are so
intertwined that you barley notice them but they are
nevertheless spectacular.
I’m usually not awed by the soundtrack of a movie, but with
The Dark Knight, I found the soundtrack to be superb. The
music for our hero is dark but heroic, on the other hand,
the music for The Joker is that of pure insanity. The
soundtrack is a work of art in itself.
I spoke to a couple of my fellow critics and they didn’t
like the ending of the movie as much as I did. I think The
Dark Knight has one of the best endings in comic book movie
history. I don’t want to spoiler it for anyone, but I got
chills when Batman said, “Batman is whatever Gotham needs
him to be.” and rode away in his Bat-cycle overlaid by James
Gordon’s narrative.
Movie
Review
By Milton Brayson
milton@smartcine.com
DVD: The transfer
used by Warner Home Entertainment for the film it is
just spectacular. The widescreen looks beautifully,
probably not as good as Blu-ray but eye popping for
those who don't own a Blu-ray player. I watched the film in
an HD TV set, using HDMI up conversion and it looks
excellent, no complains, however this is a movie that deserves a Blu-Ray
copy. If you have a Blu-ray player or you are
thinking about getting one this Christmas, you should
make the Dark Knight you first copy.
The Single Disk Widescreen
Edition like it was expected doesn't have any special
features, do to the length of the film. This edition is
just for those people who have no interest in getting
any inside information about this masterpiece. Those of
you interested in getting an inside look at the
film, should go for the 2 Disc Special Edition or
the Blu-ray.
Warner Bros Home
Entertainment is promoting two websites for The Dark
Knight fans. mydarkknights.com and
darkkinghtpuzzle.com. In these sites fans can check
out some really cool games, widgets and other
applications. You can even pick your favorite character
and personalize your social network profile/website.
VIDEO:
2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English,
Spanish and French
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English Spanish
French - Optional
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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