First, a quick housekeeping note. On Tuesday, July 22nd, at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Los Angeles, at 8pm, Evan Sayet will be doing a night of politically conservative comedy. I am one of his opening acts. For the love of all things holy, show up en masse.
I will skip the recap of my coed touch football game since we got thrashed 36-10. I hope to redeem myself playing kickball today. Yet sandwiched between those two events was a trip to the movies to see the new Batman movie, The Dark knight.
It will take two columns to cover this movie, and I recommend that people watch the movie twice. The first time, watch it as a movie, and only as a movie. Enjoy it as entertainment. Then watch it a second time, in a political context. Make no mistake about it. This movie is very political.
Tomorrow’s column will deal with the politics of this movie. Today I will just deal with the movie itself.
In a word, it is phenomenal. I have seen all 6 Batman movies. This movie by far is the best of the bunch. None of the others even comes close. This movie is that good.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/18/batman.irpt/index.html
I am a purist when it comes to Batman. I want any production of anything connected to this series to be truthful to the original comic book characters. I personally do not read comic books, and as a child, never did. Nevertheless, I am aware of what the characters are supposed to be.
The very worst portrayal of Batman (the entire production, not the lead role itself) came in the form of the television show from the 1960s. While Cesar Romero and Burgess Meredith are outstanding actors with distinguished careers, the series never captured the true characters. Adam West and Burt Ward were fun, and Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt were as well. Yet fun does not and should not be confused for accuracy.
In all fairness to the series, it never claimed to be anything other than what it was: a campy television show.
“Campy” is the word used to describe the show. In a vacuum, the show was comical and inoffensive. Yet it was never a true reflection of what Batman was all about.
The very best portrayal of Batman came in the form of “Batman: The Animated Series.”
The animated series is simply brilliant, bordering on flawless. Although it is a cartoon, it is not for children. In fact, as good as the cartoon itself was, the cartoon movie “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm,” was even better than that.
The contrasts between the television series in the 1960s and the animated series of the 1990s is as different as night and day.
What the series in the 1960s got wrong, the animated series…and the newest movie…got right.
First of all, the Joker on the original series was a thief who cackled. He stole stuff. He was a fraternity prankster that engaged in heists.
That is not the essence of the Joker. The Joker is not a thief. He is a homicidal lunatic. In fact, “lunatic” is not the right word. The Joker is not crazy. He is simply evil. In fact, he is a homicidal sadist.
What makes the Joker in the movie so fabulous is that there is no explanation for why he became this way. There is no sob story. There is no attempt to humanize him. The villain is not another societal victim.
Also, the Joker does not kill or destroy for money or power. He does it because he feels like it.
The destruction and mayhem and pain he inflicts is not the means to a greater end. It is the end itself. The reason this matters is because it is impossible to reason with somebody who cannot be bribed or bought, or even threatened. Try to kill him. He doesn’t care. He kills for sport.
As simple as the Joker is, Batman is supposed to be complex. He is not a smiling guy. He does not have a sense of humor. He is an individual that is tormented. His pain never heals.
(One thing the movie never deals with is the fact that the Joker murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents when Master Wayne was a boy. Leaving this out does not in any way diminish an outstanding movie)
Yet as compelling as Batman and the Joker are, the rest of the characters are brilliantly fleshed out. Commissioner Gordon is a true good guy. The descent of District Attorney Harvey Dent into the abyss that is Two-Face is perfect.
I again recommend that people watch the animated series to get a feel for what the heroes, villains, and anti-heroes are all about. Then watch this movie.
With the Joker, there is no explanation for how he became who he is, and why he does what he does, because that would weaken the character. With Harvey Two-Face, it is essential to understand every aspect of him. Why he acts the way he does is critical to his storyline.
This movie deserves an Oscar nomination. As for the actors, some people wanted to give an Oscar nomination to Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker. For the sake of an honest viewing, do not go into the movie with sympathy for the tragic death of Heath Ledger. I say this only because had this young man lived to see opening night, the audience would have still rewarded him with loud ovations. His death was tragic, but his performance itself stands alone as worthy of a nod from the academy.
Not counting best picture, I would give at least four, and perhaps six, Oscar nominations.
If I could give only one Oscar nomination, it would go to Aaron Eckhart. His performance as Harvey Dent and Two-Face were masterful.
Gary Oldman, who plays Commissioner Gordon, absolutely deserves a nomination.
Christian Bale is by far the best of those that played Batman. With all due respect to Jack Nicholson, who was very good, Heath Ledger was better. Both Bale and Ledger deserve Oscars.
Although they had limited roles, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine should be given consideration. Morgan Freeman plays the tech genius who works at Wayne Enterprises. Late in the movie, he has what I consider to be one of the most important scenes in the movie. It has political overtones that will reverberate in the form of debate water coolers for years to come. As for Michael Caine, his Alfred the Butler is one who is understated, speaking the soft, infrequent…but meaningful…words.
This movie touches on civil liberties, and is absolutely a metaphor for the War on Terror. In fact, the Joker is more than just a villain or criminal. He is a terrorist.
This is important because the “good guys” are not always on the same page. Some want to preserve civil liberties at all costs. Others want to catch the bad guys regardless of the societal consequences. In between representing the shades of gray are some of the other characters. Rather than state who is at what point on the spectrum, although it might be obvious, it is best to let viewers watch for themselves.
The parallels for who each character might represent can be saved for another day. Actually, that day is tomorrow.
For today, it is merely a cinematic masterpiece.
One of the goals of the original Batman movie with Michael Keaton was to create an environment that was “dark, but positive.”
This movie is dark. The positive is there, but one has to dig down deep to find it.
As for the movie itself, one does not have to dig deep to find what is positive. From beginning to end, “Batman: The Dark Knight,” is spectacular.
Watch it twice.
eric
Batman and I go way back.
Julie Newmar used to give me feelings that were confusing for an 8 year old boy. I wanted to do something to her but just couldnt figure out what it was.
Halle Berry has eliminated that confusion
I remember one of my prize T shirts being my Batman T shirt
The theatre is about two blocks from here.
I plan on going to the matinee on a weekday afternoon.
I’ve already heard so many good things about it that I want to make sure that my son and I have as much of the theatre to ourselves as possible.
We live in a bedroom community so on the weekdays its pretty peaceful in the afternoons around here and the theatre should be fairly empty.
“Rather than state who is at what point on the spectrum, although it might be obvious, it is best to let viewers watch for themselves.”
Those would be the other Bats
Eric,
You know I thought the movie was being over hyped but you have convinced me. When the crowd thins out, I am going to go see this movie.
Editor’s note:
My kickball team, known as the “Ball Busters,” kicked rumpus this Sunday. We may wear pink, but we left the blue team black and blue with a 6-2 thumping.
eric :)
“(One thing the movie never deals with is the fact that the Joker murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents when Master Wayne was a boy. Leaving this out does not in any way diminish an outstanding movie)”
[puts on geek hat]This was a bit from Tim Burton’s first Batman movie, not from the original materials. Batman Begins got this bit right from the original materials (specifically the Bob Kane stories).
You should read Frank Miller’s “The Drak Knight Returns,” a garphic-novel of a Batman in the future. It is very 80’s in alot of aspects (including references), but still is an excellent read.
[/geek hat]