The Bat Flies Again
It has already been claimed by fanboy film director, Kevin Smith, that “The Dark Knight” is “the ‘Godfather II’ of comic book films.” The sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins has rapidly been selling out tickets to the coveted midnight showtimes, forcing some theaters to add 3:00 am and 6:00 am shows in response to the demand. Waiting in the wings to finally be released to the hungry eyes of the general public, “The Dark Knight” already has the entire world talking. But, what truly is it that surrounds the anticipation of this superhero film?
The easy answer is to state the obvious. On January 22 of 2008, the world was stunned when the young and thriving actor, Heath Ledger, left this world so tragically early. Having just wrapped up the production on “The Dark Knight” and finalizing his performance as Batman’s legendary nemesis, The Joker, Ledger’s final complete example of his legendary talent is set to culminate within the celluloid confines of this anticipated film. However, “The Dark Knight” was a film that was receiving a significant amount of buzz far before the tragic events of one of its star performers.
It has been over 10 years since the the Batman character was depicted in the appalling effort known as “Batman and Robin.” After that film, the world was hardly looking forward to another translation of one of the most diversely represented characters in comic book history. Played by countless actors with multiple revisions, the story and character of Batman was in dire need of a proper face lift. But, with so many interpretations having been depicted, what more was there to explore?
Noticing untapped waters in the legendary superhero, director Christopher Nolan took on the “Batman Begins” project to reboot Batman with an extremely realistic, considerably less comical, and ultimately entertaining vision. By pivoting the film with a strong emphasis on characters and the moral struggles they face, “Batman Begins” brought a refreshing perspective to the typically throwaway superhero genre.
It hasn’t been since the original Superman film of 1978 that a superhero movies prevailed with a quality story and memorable classic cast of characters. “Batman Begins” was one of the only superhero films to borrow from Richard Donner’s legendary Superman classic. Now, with “The Dark Knight” following directly upon the events of “Batman Begins,” Christopher Nolan has gathered an acclaimed cast of talent to surround the life of his title character. With big names like Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman all reprising their roles from “Batman Begins,” the new faces of Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger set “The Dark Knight” upon a monumental pedestal of showcase acting talent.
To push the boundaries of superhero films further among the respected atmosphere of Academy Award winning films, Christopher Nolan has used the Batman character to craft a story that doesn’t limit itself to the confines of the source material. What Nolan and company does effortlessly is seamlessly tie together a fantasy world of a comic book character with hauntingly similar representation of our own world. Since Nolan limits the utilization of computer animation, he adds considerable flavor with three dimensional characters and life-like action sequences. By allowing his characters to intricately interact with the happenings of Gotham City, audiences can devour the excitement of the film within the believable world it depicts.
With such an admirable aim of quality and realism spawning from director Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight” is your chance to witness the collaboration of some of the most brilliant minds currently working in cinema.
“The Dark Knight” opens in theaters Friday, July 18.
