"The Dark Knight" is grimly magisterial. It's a summer blockbuster that contemplates near-total civic disaster: Crowds surge, tractor-trailers flip, and buildings explode, but the pop violence feels heavy, mournful. Light barely escapes the film's gravitational pull.
Yet flitting through this 10-ton expressionist murk is a diseased butterfly with stringy hair and a maniacal giggle. Played by a dead actor, he's the most alive thing here.
It's not quite fair to say that the late Heath Ledger steals "The Dark Knight" from Christian Bale and the forces of (problematic) good, but, as the Joker, he is the movie's animating principle and anarchic spark - an unstoppable force colliding with the immovable objects of Batman and director Christopher Nolan's ambitions. Much more serious in intent and message than 2005's "Batman Begins," "Dark Knight" would be fatally ponderous without Ledger's nasty little sprite. As it is, the movie strains at its own Wagnerian seams.
"Knight" begins where "Begins" left off, with Gotham City desperately trying to wrest itself from the grip of the criminal underworld. New mob boss Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts) cuts deals with the Russians and Chinese while the media tries to figure out whether this Batman guy is a hero or a vigilante. Imitation Batmen run amok, led by the earlier film's Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy, in a brief and unexplained appearance). And someone is robbing the mob banks of Gotham, leaving a Joker behind as a calling card.
Is Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) of the Major Crimes Unit somehow involved in the heists or merely taking advantage of them to seize the bad guys' assets? What does the new district attorney, a white knight named Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), want? Why is Wa...
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...e Incredible Hulk" look like, well, comic books. The question of whether a true hero is a due-process man like Harvey Dent or a "dark knight" who breaks the rules and gets innocent people killed is worried at throughout the film, building to a climax that forces us to confront exactly what murdering someone might do to the average man's soul.
"The Dark Knight" prods at the boundaries of power and surveillance as well, casting a shadow over Batman while leaving his technological guru (Morgan Freeman) in the light. (Michael Caine's Alfred, meanwhile, acts as the Caped Crusader's enabler, politely urging him to stay the course.)
These are good and necessary things to ponder, yet they're nearly lost in the cross-cutting clutter. You come away impressed, oppressed, provoked, and beaten down, holding on to Ledger's squirrelly incandescence as a beacon in the darkness.
It has been eight years since the ending of the previous movie, The Dark Knight. At the end of this movie, Batman took the blame for the people killed by Harvey Dent, the district attorney who set out a war against crime. During The Dark Knight, crime had decreased dramatically because of him and Batman. Numerous criminals were placed in prison because of him. Therefore, Batman took the blame for his murders because he understood that a discovery of Harvey Dent’s killings would allow the numerous criminals that he imprisoned to be set free.
Helen Keller stated, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” This quote speaks to Batman`s (Bruce Wayne`s) drive and ambition to get justice for his parents death. Batman becomes what people consider a vigilante because his parents were killed. In the Batman films, Christopher Nolan’s 2008 The Dark Knight and Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, the audience can observe the similarities and differences in each film. In the films Batman is played by two different actors, Burton`s Batman is played by Michael Keaton and Nolan`s Batman is played by Christian Bale. Burton`s Batman and Nolan`s Batman go through similar obstacles and struggles, but they use different resources and, have
Christopher Nolan’s: Batman, staring Christian Bale, is one of these high-grossing movies that appeals to a wide audience.
Somebody who had established higher power in their community. Somebody who tried to run from fate, and has the moment of recognition and understanding of their destiny. Batman. Even though he is considered the strong and powerful superhero of Gotham City, Batman's characteristic features show that he relates strongly to that of a "tragic" hero. In the beginning, the Batman is presented at a higher state of appreciation, even though the police see him as a vigilante. Despite his wealth, Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, is easily relatable to audiences, which makes it easy to sympathize and empathize with the character. Batman is in a constant battle within himself, trying to be the good guy, while defeating the bad guys. His morals prove true when he admits that he won't kill any of the many villians that cause destruction for Gotham City. But, because of this moral, sometimes the villians end up escaping and doing more harm then good. In the end, this interal chaos and internal battle is seen interally and externally through Batman. At the end of the most recent Batman series, The Dark Knight, his exit at the end of the movie is, in essence, his figurative death. Bruce Wayne wants to keep Gotham City safe. And with the "Batman" gone, villians will be least likely to continue to destroy and conquer. As an audience, we cling to the edge of our seats and feel dismay for our beloved superhero and what is to become of
The Dark Knight, released in 2008, is a crime/drama film where the elements of the Classic Hollywood Cinema is much more prominent than in Memento. Christopher Nolan's film style evolved from Memento to The
Batman (Christian Bale) is hoping to hand on his crime fighting duties to D.A Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) yet when Batman’s cards are on the table the twisted mastermind who goes by the name of the joker (Heath Ledger), forces the masked vigilante to go against everything he ever stood for.
Smoke billows out from a Manhattan skyscraper, damaged by a fiery explosion. This could easily be a scene from 9/11, however we see Batman looking grimly on as a poster advertises the film will be released soon. Clearly this film plays on the fears of terrorism. As depicted in The Dark Knight, the Joker plays the terrorist, while Gotham’s leadership struggles to contain him. The film departs from the superhero ideals of pure good versus pure evil, showing a murky world where moral decisions have to be made in order to stop evil. Because of this, The Dark Knight seems to be an allegory for the War on Terrorism. This paper will look at how the Joker represents terrorism, while Batman represents George Bush and his administration’s War on Terror.
Since ancient Greek times, the stories of heroes seemed to take the world by storm. Tales of these half-human half- gods intrigued many people and endured for centuries. This mythology has created one of the most successful movie genres in the world, making millions of dollars in box offices and sales in merchandise. The popularity of heroes did not go away over time, but rather it increased to a point where they are placed on a pedestal. Their stories and movies not only discuss important attributes people should have, but reflect the type of “savior” needed to fix the societal problems we face. The causes of their popularity are quite simple, people love entertainment and their ability to relate to the character. However, upon closer examination
‘Mum, I want to watch Superman movie!’ ‘Okay, John, but you must finish your homework first,’ mum says. When we were small, we loved to watch superheroes movie and most of us used to imagine ourselves as our favorite superheroes. When we grow up, superhero movies become part of our lives. We all love superheroes because they made us feel save and secure. Some of us even worship them as God and we try to imitate them. For me, superhero movies are the best and I love to watch them very much. My favorite superhero movies are ‘Iron Man 3’ and ‘ The Dark Knight Rises’. Although both of them are superhero movies, there are few similarities and differences between them, which are the costumes, moral values, technology and also hero characteristic.
...revolutionize a whole new genre of movie, a genre which is fast becoming more and moe popular. 'As filmmaking technology has made it more and more feasible to bring the worlds of the comics to movie theaters, the comics themselves have begun to provide a broader and richer array of material.. from which films might be made' (Booker 2007: Paul Benton, Lecture notes). All the mentioned arguments throughout this essay on top of; the star performances, unique marketing and special effects, help make The Dark Knight a truly great film. Prior to the movies release it was questioned wether the film could sustain the 'increasing moral weight imposed upon it', the movie to date has more than dealt with this pressure, and has become a focal point for many discussions and essays, and finally it is because of the morals and ethics within the movie that I have written this essay.
The Dark Knight Returns Part Two, is an animated film released on January 29, 2013 which is adapted from the 1986 comic book by the same name written by Frank Miller. The story follows a retired Batman who has decided to come out of retirement because he knows that his days are numbered and that it is time to look for a good death. The vigilante’s comeback sparks the comeback of the Joker and gets the attention of the United States government. This all leads to a legendary fight between Batman and Superman, in which one is fighting for a purpose and the other is blindly following authority, and it all ends with Batman dying but not really. The Dark Knight Returns is a romance story that is set on an epic scale, involves a figure of great cosmic importance, and has the Dark Knight go on a
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and Persepolis all question what is right and what is wrong while still balancing the duality of the two. They make you wonder who the bad people really are and if the supposed good people are actually good. With the utilization of icons and color, they also emphasize the ever-present question of morality and human life. Batman utilizes duality and creates closure to show that there is always another side of the coin and all you have to do is flip it to see it. Watchman uses character development to build tension in the narrative and create duality in the characters and their moral codes. Persepolis uses a child's view of the world to present a childlike sense of justice and right and wrong.
The book The Last Knight by Norman Cantor depicts the life of John of Gaunt. The author presents a good analysis of the medieval European civilization by looking into the moral, political, and ethical perspective. Cantor provides the idea that the landed aristocracy was similar to modern billionaires. He asserts that the similarities do not end with their massive wealth, but also that they were not interested in really bringing change to their world. I concur with Cantor on this point.
Batman and police commissioner James Gordon try to rid the Gotham of organized crime while combating the rise of the menacing and terrorizing psychopath villain, the Joker. (uci.edu) It’s important to take notice of the other clowns featured throughout the movie as well as their roles in the heist. This is crucial and singles the Joker out as the odd man.
The plot of Batman Begins mainly focuses on the origins and psychology behind Batman, and how he copes with the struggles he faces. One major thing that changed the course of the story, was the death of the Thomas and Martha Wayne. It formed an emotion change in the story that effects Bruce Wayne and all of Gotham to arise the struggles and problems that will be faced in the rest of the movie. Another key point in the story was the seven-year disappearance of Bruce Wayne. When in the Chinese prison it would also discipline him, which was something that he hadn’t had much of before. The meeting of Ras Al Ghul and his further training were also key experiences to develop Bruce Wayne into Batman. These were the some of the building blocks in the plot. The plot of The Dark Knight was very different to Batman Begins. The main plot is that Batman has limits and Gotham needed a different hero, whereas, in Batman Begins, Batman was the hero and didn’t think he had any limits. The foundation of the Dark Knight was more of what had happened in the few absent years between the two movies, and not what would happen. The