Laurynomaly

I admit it, I am a fangirl. I joined the hype and ran out to the local, stadium-seating available, Regal theater on Wednesday afternoon to secure tickets for the midnight showing of Dark Knight. I both marveled and gawked at the crowds of hundreds of curfew-breaking teenagers in their Batman pajamas and fuzzy slippers (I am slightly upset that I didn’t wear mine!) as my friends and I searched for adequate seating. I had every intention of seeing the movie and immediately posting a review, as there are thousands of reviews of all flavors, but I really had to postpone my collection of thoughts on the movie. I cannot just attribute it to being three in the morning when I could finally compose myself for publication. I became completely overwhelmed by the wealth of story I endured. Even in the post-viewing discuss of the movie, I sat like a traumatized child—wide-eyed with no clue as to how to find the proper words to attribute to the corresponding emotions. My entire college-educated vocabulary escaped me as my recollection of scenes from the movie played in my head and I could only surmise what had just happened in three words, “That was awesome.” I saw it again and still, the best I could articulate was, “It was great.” I was so deeply moved by it that—all delusions of grandeur aside—I found myself questioning my own morality and evaluating I have become. I really do enjoy movies that deal with both mature and fundamental human concepts. Nothing can capture my heart faster than movies that move me.

There are so many levels to address about just the movie itself that I need to commend the environment that was created outside it. I have to praise the intellect and intricate design behind the promotional campaign for the movie. After watching the website ibelieveinharveydent.com change over time and reading about the physical Harvey Dent campaign tours, I started to wonder if the entire promotional team had a certifiable obsession with the movie or if, I, myself needed to be committed for spending countless working hours following it (and commending the beautiful Flash website work.) My self-assessed condition only worsened as I spent several minutes on my lunch break dialing telephone numbers for Gotham City businesses and operations that I found on whysoserious.com. To my amazement, they actually dial out to pre-recorded messages for the corresponding businesses in Gotham. The promotional team for Dark Knight deserves their own wikipedia entry and dedicated fan forum for the amount of time, planning, effort, and financial resources they poured into constructing a real city out of a fictional world. There must have been so many names to credit for the promotional staff that they had to have their own venue to celebrate the premiere and the success of the movie with because I am sure it’s a hell of a cast party.—and I highly respect every member of it.

The plot begins with a large percentage of Arkham’s Asylum being put away due to the combined efforts of Lt. Gordon and Batman. With Batman getting dirty so that no one else has to and Lt. Gordon to sort out the information from investigations, the two certainly usurp the role of taking out Gotham City’s trash. Lt. Gordon seem to be particularly concerned with a series of bank robberies and, with the aid of the newly elected D.A. Harvey Dent, the Lieutenant opens up an investigation on the several banks in the city that are suspected of entertaining mob activity. The Joker also plays a hand in organized bank robberies and the law enforcement suspects a link.

Such is the plot, necessary and highly effective with a big twist, yet not nearly the most awe-striking element of the movie. Double-dipped with witty dialogue and loaded with character development, the film keeps the audience fully engaged. Christopher Nolan and writer, David Goyer, deliver an extraordinarily well-written, witty, descriptive, and moving movie. Every minute of the two-and-a-half hour run time helped develop the story and allowed both the plot and the characters to come full circle without keeping the audience a beat too long.

With many of Gotham’s finest criminals being brought to justice, the bad guys find it hard to continue doing what they do best. With the city in a nearly safe state, the criminal syndicate grows nervous. The most formidable approach to this problem is to eliminate the Batman, a solution suggested by none other than the Joker himself.

The Joker couldn’t be written better—ever—and Heath Ledger makes an astounding performance. I see no need to think of a side-by-side comparison to Jack Nicholson’s Joker—and frankly, doing so will just deliver an insult to both actors. They are two different classes of villainy for the same character. There are times when the Joker in Dark Knight is down right hilarious. There are other moments when he is just criminally insane. There are some scenes where his cackling cues your human flight sense because he sounds and looks the epitome of creepy. There is no question that he is entirely a criminal mastermind who orchestrates a symphony of terror throughout Gotham. Years of law enforcement training and experience will teach you the process of analyzing enemies: Find strengths and weakness and discover the criminal’s motivation to track him. The Joker has no emotional weaknesses to use against him—he boldly tells Batman, “You have nothing to do with all that strength of yours.” He is devoted to nothing and exists without a hint of a self-preservation instinct. He has no motivating factors to drive his murder—only his fascination with chaos.

Throughout the movie, Bruce Wayne questions his efforts to bring justice to Gotham. Though he spends his evenings capturing criminals, he remains conflicted as to whether or not it is helping the city or adding more innocent blood to his hands. Many of his actions illustrate his willingness to bend the rules and let the ends justify the means. His deepest frustration comes when he realizes that his efforts result in more despair. The Joker preys on this vulnerability.

The two characters, Batman and the Joker, are truly the flipside of each other; two extremes on different sides of the good and evil spectrum. The Joker surmises their relationship when he states, “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets and immovable object.” The Joker plays life as a form of entertainment with no rules and no obligations, just one single objective—to watch humanity destroy itself. Batman administers justice with no jurisdiction, outside the limiting written laws of man and the changeable mores of society. Both characters exist—in a twisted kind of way—for purely selfless objectives: to catalyze the good and/or the evil in society. And they remain in the city whether the good [and evil] people of Gotham like them there or not….

Batman’s willingness to do—and, therefore, inspire—good attracts him to Harvey Dent, Gotham’s newly elected D.A. who has a fierce enthusiasm for righteousness. At first Bruce keeps a watchful eye on Harvey Dent, but in a touching moment during a Wayne Enterprises fundraiser, Bruce proclaims, “I believe in Harvey Dent.” Nicknamed Gotham’s “White Knight,” Dent shows that he brings big balls of justice to the table when puts most of the mob in jail.

So Harvey Dent becomes the face of Lt. Gordon and Batman’s plan to catch the Joker. Their friendly alliance wavers when the Joker’s crusade against Gotham’s peacemakers corrupts those that can be corrupted and takes away close friends. A personal strike against Harvey Dent fills him with vengeance and his reaction severs Batman and Gordon’s trust. His quest for revenge costs the lives of at least five people, yet Batman continues to throw his support behind Harvey because, in the state that Gotham is in, Harvey Dent is the hero that the city needs.

Supporting cast members Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine offer stellar performances. The adorable Maggie Gyllenhaal makes Katie Holmes look like a wet mop in her knockout performance as Rachel Dawes. Smart, down-to-earth, strong-willed Rachel plays an important role in the development of Gotham’s finest. Always a moral guardian, Morgan Freeman’s technologically-savvy Lucius Fox gets a chance to define his moral standards in a heart-wrenching moment for Wayne Enterprises. Michael Caine plays the excellent father-figure/mentor and crutch to a morally tormented Batman.

Since many of the scenes imply bloodshed, most of the victims of violence wore masks, and there was very little nudity (a delicious shot of Mr. Bale removing his shirt and a second scene when he tastefully dives off the boat wearing only board shorts </drool>), the film gained a rating of PG-13. The film deals with mature concepts of character and deep questions about the vaguely drawn lines of morality and corruptions that I believe the understanding of the film deserves more life experience than a thirteen-year-old has.

In the end, the good never seem to be ahead and barely prevail, but never stops fighting. It is definitely worth paying multiplex prices for and 48-hours later paying IMAX prices to see again.

The Dark Knight IMAX experience brings you into a different world of viewing movies. Though the production team only shot half of the scene at IMAX resolution, the shots in their six story bigness drop you on top of buildings, throw you through windows, let you take flight with Batman, and make you cower in fear at the sound of that crazy Joker laughter. It drew me in so deep, I lamented when the movie was over—I simply didn’t want it to end—and went through a twenty-minute period of readjustment into the real world.

And I still want to go back to see it a third time. This time, I will spend my attention marveling in the craziness that is The Joker.