The Dark Knight Review: Part 1 - Overall Impression

I build things up in my head. When I was a kid I had to take a downer on Christmas Eve so that I'd go to sleep before four in the morning. While this makes the anticipation epic, it often leads to being let down when the actual event comes to pass, and my anticipation for The Dark Knight couldn't have been higher. I had built it up to unattainable heights and entered the theater expecting to be let down.

The Dark Knight did not meet my expectations...it blew them away. As enthralling as it is intelligent, Christopher Nolan's latest offering is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is an epic crime thriller that transcends genres and leaves its audience breathless.

This is not an action movie, nor is it a comic book movie. With characters as deeply tied to plot as those of The Departed and a villain as interesting, and horrifying, as Hannibal Lecter, The Dark Knight is a film that crosses the traditional lines of film genre. It is simultaneously a thriller, a crime drama and an intimate character study. It is not unusual to see films succeed at being great at one genre, but seldom do the elements of film making combine to create something that attempts, much less succeeds, at combing more than one. The Dark Knight does just that and does it better than any film I've seen in years.

Nolan's gripping tale focuses on characters that do not merely do battle as good versus evil (though their battles are depicted with stunning visuals.) Rather, each develops in their own manner as a reaction to the events around them, with the catalyst being Heath Ledger's stunning performance as the Joker. While one part of my series of reviews will discuss his role more thoroughly, let it suffice to say that Ledger's performance, stemming from an amazing script, creates a character that asks the audience to question their definitions of true evil and fear. Oscar worthy? Certainly.

The rest of the cast performs just as well, each adding key points to the plot while developing into deep, well-rounded characters.

Grounded in reality, the story is tense but paced. About an hour into the film, I realized I was clenching my fists, completely captivated by the film's tension. While the basic idea of some of the characters may be outlandish, Nolan has dropped them into a believable world. This draws the audience into caring about these people and the events that unfold around them. And how do they unfold. Not until the film's final moments does the plot, just as the Joker's plan to ruin Gotham, turn itself on end to reveal its true purpose. Though this may be a good-and-evil tale it is not the main purpose of the film. This is tragic a story of a world's varied reactions to heroism, evil and deceit. Nolan has previously used techniques such as telling his stories out of sequence to hide a film's true motive. Here, however, he has found a way to hide his message beneath an intelligent system of mystery and intrigue that does not require such gimmicks to remain suspenseful and unexpected.

Will The Dark Knight revolutionize its genre? As much as I wish it could, I doubt it will. It takes too much talent, talent that most of Hollywood doesn't have, to make a movie of this caliber. Fantastic characters, a gripping plot and visuals that will be envied for years have been combined to create something truly special. The Dark Knight is a piece of art that will not be forgotten.

5/5 Stars

Coming tomorrow: Character review

TDK review: give me a couple of days

After seeing The Dark Knight for the second time, this time in IMAX, I've decided to write my review a little differently from the traditional format. This was a sensational film, and I'm going to break it down and review each element individually over the next week. Topics will cover genre, its relationship with Batman Begins, characters/performances, homages, etc.

In the meantime, go see it (again, hopefully.)

Go see The Dark Knight

I'm pretty tired. I went to see The Dark Knight at midnight and am now up for work on three-and-a-half hours of sleep.

IT WAS WORTH IT.

I'll have a review up tonight. Until then, let it suffice to say that I've never anticipated a film more, and I was astonished. This is the best film I've seen in a while, and everyone should see it as soon as they can.

Michael Bay's rejected screenplay for The Dark Knight

I have been a loud opponent of last summer's Transformers (so much so that I might put a review up here, a year later, just to throw in my two cents.) Consequently, I hate Michael Bay. This is hilarious.

One Week From Today

I haven't looked forward this much to anything in a long time. If you don't know what I'm talking about, "Watch for my sign" on July 18

Here is an quote from TIME Magazine, just to prove how extraordinary some things can be:
"It traces a descent into moral anarchy, and each of its major characters will hit bottom. Some will never recover, broken by the touch of evil or by finding it, like a fatal infection, in themselves."

Movie rating background

Here are some examples of where my movie loyalties lie. These are in no way the top five from each category, just five examples of each

5 stars:

• The Godfather (I and II)
• Star Wars (IV, V, VI)
  
• The Princess Bride
• The Motorcycle Diaries
• Casablanca
  

4 to 4.5 stars:

• Batman Begins
• Shrek
• Rocky
• Young Frankenstein
• Alien

3 to 3.5 stars:

• Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (a very strong 3.5)
• Snatch
• The Great Escape
• Donnie Darko
• Austin Powers in Goldmember

2 to 2.5 stars:

• Gladiator
• Transformers (2007)
• Spider-Man
• Titanic
• Star Wars (I and II)

0 to 1.5 stars:

• The Ring
• Training Day
• Crash
• The Fast and the Furious
• The Notebook
  

WALL-E: A great movie that, like its main character, looks beyond

Pixar knows how to make movies. Great plots, fun characters and astonishing visuals have been the norm since Toy Story debuted in 1995. Wall-E is no exception...and there's a little something more this time around.

Though it goes without saying, this film is beautiful. Pixar never fails on this front, and this is their greatest visual achievement to date. I was almost moved to tears watching two robots dancing through...well...space. The neons of a future world are stunning, and, though there was a double take at first, live action is interwoven beautifully. If nothing else, see this movie just to see it.

But there is much more. Wall-E is thoroughly enjoyable. It is simply amazing how much life, energy and emotion come from a character with less than half a dozen different lines. Wall-E's character is just as developed and full of life as any seen in an animated film. The movie's strongest attribute is its ability to create empathy for the little trash compactor that could. As we watch him dance to a recording of Hello Dolly in the film's opening act, we immediately connect with every lonely moment we've ever had - every time we've yearned for companionship.

When Wall-E finally does find a companion in the form of Eve, his first visitor in hundreds of years, he wants nothing more than to hold her hand, and everyone watching immediately empathizes with him.

The supporting cast plays second fiddle to Wall-E, which is just fine. Unlike the sometimes fractured story of Finding Nemo, Andrew Stanton's previous effort with Pixar, the plot focuses almost solely on our hero (a portion of the film is devoted to its human characters, but I will discuss that later.) More than any other animated film I've seen, a character is developed with the wit and grace that is normally reserved for more dramatic story lines. At a time when so many movies are mash-ups of rehashed plots and montages (though Wall-E's plot is a little thin), it is refreshing to see a film, much less a family film, that takes the time to really look at the emotions of its characters.

As for the humans, they represent the aspect that makes Wall-E more than unique. I will not ruin the story for those who have not yet seen the movie, but the humans, the Earth they have left and the "world" they now inhabit are used as an obvious yet strong tool for social commentary. The message may be straightforward, but this is a children's cartoon. I have racked my brain, which is much too full with useless movie knowledge, and I cannot think of an animated film that is meant to be viewed by children with this level of social conscience. Never mind the message, this is a step forward in the art of film.

My one complaint with the film is the sometimes awkward camera work. At times, it feels more like a documentary as camera placements, movements and focuses are intentionally sloppy. A good example is a shot, which can be viewed in the trailers, of a herd of grocery carts slamming Wall-E against a glass door. There is a delayed rack focus, which looks as if someone was filming with a hand held camera. But, wait a minute, I'm discussing the camera work of an animated film - yet another example of how Wall-E reaches far beyond the norm.

The robot Wall-E wishes to feel the gentle touch of a friend. Wall-E, as a film, goes beyond reaching for the hand of its audience. It goes for a full bear hug in a move that, at this risk of making some uncomfortable, must be commended.

Final Grade: A / 4.5 of 5 stars

As this is my first film review on this blog, my next post will include my grades for other films and movies so that readers may gain an accurate idea of my grading scale.

So I've been gone for a while...

I started this blog earlier this year with the hopes that it could get me writing again. DAAP, that is the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at the University of Cincinnati, quickly dominated my free time. Consequently, I haven't posted since May.

Well, I'm now on co-op in Pittsburgh with Dick's Sporting Goods with a lot more time on my hands. My goal is to update at least once a week. Some will be quick thoughts that I wish to jot down; others will attempt to be well-planned works. As I have said before topics will cover a pretty wide range, but here is a quick list of what to expect:

Movie Reviews:
WALL-E
The Dark Knight
Tropic Thunder

Book Reviews:
Catch-22
A Clockwork Orange (this depends on how quickly I can finish Catch-22)

A recap of my work from the last quarter:
Light roject
Design Communications (Drawing) projects
A revamped portfolio

General Thoughts:
Athleticism
Will Power
Walking around UC
Introspection


I'm excited to start writing again. I guess we'll see how it goes.

-Jeff

Flying Pig Half Marathon

I completed the Flying Pig Half Marathon, that's 13.1 miles, this morning in 1:49:02 (8:16 splits.) I am pumped beyond belief, and I will provide a full update some time this week.

My Parents

I just watched the beginning of The Office, and it reminded me of something I've noticed for quite a while. Each episode of The Office begins with a nice, upbeat theme song. Every time it comes on, my parents stand up and dance around the living room. I know my parents love each other; I've always known this. But something about seeing two people who regularly complain about various physical ailments get up and jump around the room together. It's more than flowers or a kiss. They are genuinely blissful in each other's presence.



It is very rare to see emotion so pure as true love.



On a completely different note: Coming this weekend, Iron Man review.