Chaos Isn't A Joke Anymore

With The Dark Knight being the mega-blockbuster that it is, it shouldn't come as a surprise that everyone and their dog is writing a review for it.


I saw the movie on Saturday and, in light of how popular I knew it was, figured that I wouldn't comment on it, since anything that I had to say would surely have been stated before, and probably writter better, too. Then I remembered the old proverb of writing about a superfluous topic simply because it's of interest.

"It's my blog, and I'll write whatever the hell I want!"

With that tidbit of wisdom in mind, let's talk Batman.



Having grown up in the 90s, I can't say that I was particularly familiar with the comic book scene, nor (thankfully) with the campy classic Batman. That's one bit of 50s/60s culture that isn't my cup of tea, and if someone has a problem with that disregard of culture, have I got a cup for you.

My first introduction to Batman was the animated series, which I think helped to build my fondness of the film noir and 40s styles. Honestly, how could a kid not like a show like this? It's action-packed, full of atmosphere, and just downright cool. Ironically, I never actually saw the Tim Burton film that inspired the style until very recently, but that's okay. As much as I like Tim Burton (he was inspired by Jan Švankmajer, after all), I think I prefer the villains from the cartoon.

Incidentally, the villains in The Dark Knight are absolutely nothing like the villains in the animated series, the Tim Burton films, or (for the best, I'd say) the Joel Schumacher films. No, while many of those previous projects portrayed the characters as gleefully nuts, none of them hold a candle to the absolute, bone-chilling insanity that is the Joker in The Dark Knight, as played by the (unfortunately recently deceased) Heath Ledger. Now, I don't really keep tabs on celebrity pop culture or which actor is which (I've better things to do, like write in an obscure blog), I and anyone who's watched this film has got to wholeheartedly admit that Heath Ledger pulled the roll off with such convincing genius, it had the old lady standing next to me wringing her hands and gasping annoyingly all through the movie. A truly insane bringer of chaos is something so alien, so unusual, it's nearly impossible to make seem realistic. In fact, I thought it was impossible, until I saw this film.



The movie is anything but a triumphant hero film, and I really, really liked that. Now, I may not have gotten all the philosophical points of it that guys who make furry porn did, but much like when watching WALL-E, I felt that, rather than simply watching a film, I was seeing a glimpse of a real, living world. Unlike when I was watching Batman Begins (which, although a good movie, held no special place in my heart), I felt like I was observing some great work of art, something that was beyond improvement (almost). It's no WALL-E, but then two works of perfection in one year are unlikely.

However you flip it, the Dark Knight is a superbly dark psychological thriller that is about as poppy-filled and happy as an elephant graveyard. If you are prone to deep depression and digging the angst out of your wrist with a strait razor, I would recommend that you go see something more jovial. For everyone else, see this dark masterpiece. It's very unsatisfying.

Its only real fault is stealing the limelight from WALL-E, which I would have liked to see christened as the best film of the year. Looks like The Dark Knight will be taking that trophy, if its gross revenue is any indication.