The Dark Knight Film Review

An Incredible Superhero Movie

Following the success of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight increases the stakes, tension and action in a blockbuster of epic proportions. With a more complicated story this time around and some interesting thematic questions around good and evil, The Dark Knight will forever go down as one of the best superhero films ever created. Overshadowed somewhat by the untimely passing of Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight boasts one of the best portrayals of The Joker ever seen on the big screen with a well written story to back it up.

The story wastes no time getting to the heart of the plot following the ominous tease at the end of Batman Begins with Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) finding the joker card. A wave of justice washes through Gotham in the form of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) whose arrival sparks a plethora of high-profile arrests to disrupt the once-cosy crime syndicates residing in the city. With Batman (Christian Bale) questioning his own identity following this impressive crusade and The Joker lurking in the shadows ready to infect the city with chaos, what follows is an action packed, roller coaster of excitement and emotion. Late on, the plot dynamic changes, with a surprising plot twist for Harvey Dent before an explosive, climactic finale ends the film on a bang.

With the characters already built up and established in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight deepens the relationship between characters while building The Joker up as a formidable force to be reckoned with. Built on a foundation of chaos and disorder, The Joker’s persona is just as dangerous and unpredictable as it is in the comics but without the goofy, caricature tendencies he had in some of the older films to fit with this new, gritty world.

Once again Christopher Nolan does an impressive job with the aesthetic and general feel of the movie, reveling in the gritty realism brought forward by the muted colours and dark, grimy underbelly of Gotham City. If there’s one blemish on The Dark Knight then it comes from the sound design which has a tendency to flit sporadically between loud, explosive blasts of noise and quiet, whispered periods that does detract a little from the slickness inherent with the cinematography.

It’s hard to fault The Dark Knight and it’s easy to see why. The story flows well with an interesting thematic undertone asking questions around good and evil as well as chaos and order. With deeper characterisation and a breathtaking performance from Heath Ledger as The Joker, The Dark Knight solidifies itself as one of the best superhero movies ever released and an absolute tour de force of action and excitement.