Jul 19
More Dark Knight
Okay, there are things I didn’t like about The Dark Knight. I thought it ran a little long. I thought Harvey Dent’s CG disfigured face looked ridiculous. Christopher Nolan’s Gotham is very real, there’s not a hint of fantasy, it’s a look and feel that separates his Batman from the rest. It’s a style that is entirely consistent until Harvey Dent wakes up in the hospital. His disfigurement is rendered in CGI that just doesn’t fit within the context of the world Nolan so painstakingly built. Lastly, Christian Bale’s “Bat Rasp,” the voice he uses as Batman, is incredibly stupid. It ruins all of his dialogue, which is particularly unfortunate since he has far more dialogue in The Dark Knight than in Batman Begins.
However, the entire movie is absolutely worth seeing solely because of Heath Ledger. His Joker is entirely worth nine dollars and two and a half hours. The character is brilliantly acted and written. He’s so cold, so dark, but so driven. He truly enjoys mayhem and destruction. His entire purpose in life is to prove that chaos is the only true constant. The only thing that’s reliable is the fact that nothing is reliable. He’ll do anything to prove his point, even die. He’d gladly die for his cause. One scene in particular gave me the chills…
Batman’s moral code won’t allow him to kill, the Joker wants to prove that this code will break like anything. After an extended chase through Gotham, the Joker stands in the middle of the street with Batman quickly bearing down on him atop the Bat-cycle. He stands, not moving, not planning on moving. Being run down in cold blood would serve his purpose. He says, “come on, hit me…” over and over. In that moment, he’s ready to die, he wants to die, if it means completely destroying the part of Batman that is most precious. It’s my favorite scene in the entire movie, it’s why I’ll go again.
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9 Comments so far
Don’t agree with the nits you picked; I thought it was perfect.
And I had WAY too much to drink before and during the movie; I had to get up to go to the bathroom TWICE. So I’m going again, too – but not just because I missed some of it the first time.
Oh, I definitely stand by my nits.
OK, then let me nitpick your nits:
I think the Two-Face look fits perfectly with the movie, for the simple fact it’s repulsive and scary. The thing they put on Tommy Lee Jones’ face in Batman Forever, now that’s ridiculous.
And as far as the “Bat-rasp”, I believe it has a practical purpose: to disguise Bruce Wayne’s voice. He is Gotham’s most recognizable citizen, and even showing the bottom half of his face is risky; hearing his normal voice would have any Gothamite saying, “Hey, you sound just like Bruce Wayne.”
First, BOTH Two Faces are ridiculous. Though, TLJ’s is less ridiculous in the context of his movie because that entire movie is ridiculous.
I understand the Bat-man disguising his voice, I just don’t understand why he has to sound stupid.
“I understand the Bat-man disguising his voice, I just don’t understand why he has to sound stupid.”
Lawl. Ahem. Yes, I concur completely.
Word. Kevin Conroy did just fine with two different, un-digitized voices in B:TAS.
In defense of the Bat-Rasp, let me remind you of the three most badass words uttered. Ever.
SWEAR TO ME!
You can’t tell me that line would’ve sounded as powerful with Bruce’s average voice.
I can, and do.
I agree with everything you had to say, ESPECIALLY the bat-rasp. It sounds like his costume is pressing against his larynx.