Bat to the rescue

★★ 1/2 out of ★★★★

The Dark Knight (2008)

Runtime: 152 minutes

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

The Dark Knight isn't a great film as it ostensibly is. Perhaps, that is due to Christopher Nolan going autopilot in the second act, repeating Joker's schemes which dampens the menacing effect each encounter, a woefully simple premise and an overly complicated plot.

Set an unknown time period after Batman Begins, Lieutenant James Gordon, Harvey Dent and Batman begin an assault on Gotham's organized crime, the mobs hire the Joker, a psychopathic criminal mastermind who offers to kill Batman and bring the city to its knees.

The Dark Knight is arguably hailed as Nolan's best film. However, I can't shake off the fact that it turns into an excessive mayhem with cops and helicopters, as an excuse to not properly develop our main characters. It starts off interestingly with a tense bank robbery, ending with the first appearance of the Joker. This infectious energy and menace eventually fades, but by the time the Joker appears again, Heath Ledger (who plays Joker) is able to use this time to 'wow!' the audience. The Joker isn't someone who has galactic powers to control the universe; he is a person whose profound statements may leave an impact to the viewer. As he says, "It's not about the money. It's about sending a message." There's no denying Heath's portrayal is intense, terrifying and well-acted.

Generally, The Dark Knight wants to teach us how our life choices will generate its own consequences. Batman is always given a choice to either save one person or the other. This is a very interesting point, but the exposition is totally ridiculous. In Batman Begins, we explored the troubled and demented backstory of Batman, and how he overcame his fear of bats. In The Dark Knight Rises, his soul is tortured and he learns how to rise again. In The Dark Knight, he is challenged to remove his mask and kill someone. How pathetic.

We are also introduced to a new character: Harvey Dent. He is hailed as Gotham's White Knight: The hero we do not deserve, but need. Harvey Dent eventually becomes a villain, as the Joker targeted him to corrupt him, by taking his loved ones away. In the end, he becomes Two-Face, a villain who likes to flip coins like Anton Chigurh and kill people to probably kill time. Nolan hasn't taken enough time to properly develop him, and so instead of solving the problem, just resorts to flipping cars and killing the character. The same thing happens to the other characters. Bruce feels like a playboy, Rachel feels too minor of a character, the Joker's purpose and way of conveying his message is repetitive, and Lieutenant Gordon isn't profoundly memorable. Characters speak as if they're in a 'philosophy on life' lesson, and you never really get to know more about them and sympathise with them. 

There are special effects that are well executed. We see trucks and helicopters being destroyed, buildings and hospitals blowing up, and the CGI makeup on Two-Face. Ultimately, it all boils down to the superhero, their hardships, and the character arc. The Dark Knight feels quite empty in these spots, and is probably the most unnecessarily hyped superhero film of this century.

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