‘Dark Knight’ lives
up to all the hype

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

The year’s most anticipated movie is surprisingly one of the best. It’s a rare occurrence when a movie can live up to the hype, but The Dark Knight does just that. In fact, it exceeds expectations.
Combining a talented cast with the engaging script and direction from Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight can do no wrong. Even it’s lengthy running time of two and a half hours passes by quickly with no dull moments.
All the thoughts of Heath Ledger’s untimely death in January dissipated upon seeing him disappear into the role of the Joker. From the way he wears the purple suit to his supremely creepy laugh to his made-up face complete with scars, Ledger stops being that Australian guy from Brokeback Mountain and truly becomes the Joker.
Ledger’s performance, along with his death caused by an accidental overdose of prescription medications, overshadows the great performances of Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart. Bale and Eckhart also seem to effortlessly transform into their characters, but Ledger is the one generating talks of an Oscar nomination.
Bale, reprising the billionaire Bruce Wayne/caped crusader he played in 2005’s Batman Begins, almost has a tougher job than Ledger. By default, the hero is one that the audience is supposed to root for, but in this case Ledger’s Joker is such a likable villain that Bale has to work to make Batman a hero worth pulling for. Bale proved himself worthy of the mask in Batman Begins, which explored the origin of Batman.
The Dark Knight focuses on the increasing crime in Gotham City and the inability of anything to be done about it by anyone besides Batman. Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) decides to recruit the new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Since Batman fights crime from behind his mask, Gordon and Batman hope that Dent can be the white knight Gotham City needs and give crimefighting a face. Dent does just that until the Joker comes along.
The Joker, who is wreaking lots of havoc in Gotham City, has made it his personal mission to unmask Batman. The showdowns between Batman and Joker are great and filled with suspense, especially one in a police interrogation room.
When Harvey Dent suffers an unfortunate injury and becomes the bad guy Two Face, Eckhart steps up his game and Two Face becomes another formidable foe for Batman.
In another wise casting choice, Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes, but unfortunately she doesn’t have much to do besides being a damsel in distress. Dawes has some history with Batman and is trying to build a relationship with Dent, but her character is not explored beyond that.
The Dark Knight is more than just a really good comic-book superhero adaptation; it’s a good movie across all genres. It’s suspenseful and thrilling, dark and foreboding, makes you think, plus has lots of action scenes.
I don’t know if another Batman movie will be able to top this one, but I don’t put it past Nolan should he decide to try it again. Based on the money this has made and will continue to make, it’s almost certain there will be more to come. ••
Movie Grade: A