It is the most successful film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The Dark Knight leaves the Netflix catalog in a week. The third opus, The Dark Knight Rises is also recommended, but with the Joker.
What is it about?
In this new installment, Batman steps up his fight against crime. With the support of police lieutenant Jim Gordon and Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman aims to eliminate the organized crime that is all over the city. Their association is highly effective, but it is soon turned upside down by the chaos unleashed by an extraordinary criminal known to the citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
The Dark Knight, written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, directed by Christopher Nolan with Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckharty… until August 14 on Netflix
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight has been hailed as one of the best superhero movies of all time, and that hasn’t changed over the years. While superhero movies have been on the rise for decades now, there is one character and one movie that still stands above all others today. The Dark Knight not only revolutionized the superhero genre, but influenced a wide range of subsequent films.
The iconic Joker
Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker is legendary. By fully immersing himself in character, Heath Ledger set a new standard – hard to beat – for how a villain can be portrayed in a realistic world and setting. Moreover, the underlying notion of anarchic terrorism throughout the film further anchors it in the real world. For the first time, this Joker inspired real terror in the audience.
A perfect duo of villains
As iconic – and true – as the Joker is as a villain, Two Face has proven to be a perfect complement to the Clown Prince of Crime. For the sake of the story, the orchestration of Harvey Dent’s (Aaron Eckhart) downfall takes time to reach maximum emotional impact, but they’re both electrifying even when they’re not directly interacting with each other. Two-Face is exciting and unpredictable, but it doesn’t distract from the film’s central antagonist.
constant tension
Superhero movies almost always feature a fight that takes place on the streets of a city, with awestruck audiences watching the main character fight against a cool supervillain. The destruction of the city is chaotic and exaggerated, but always presented as something senseless. As if the damage done wasn’t real (hello Marvel). The Dark Knight portrays destruction in a way that makes the audience feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. The carnage is not only realistic but believable. Seeing a hospital leveled by bombs is just one example of the real tension the film provides and remains an image etched in our memory.
Christian Bale as Batman
Real supporting characters
Too many one-man superhero movies tend to have an array of supporting characters who simply act as scenery or props to help the audience understand the hero better. Few films actually use these characters as anything more than a practical tool. The Dark Knight puts its secondary characters at the forefront, they are an integral part of the story. Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Harvey Dent played active roles in tracking down the Joker, while Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Lucius (Morgan Freeman) and Alfred (Michael Caine) each played their full roles. They are not only sidekicks, they can also protect themselves.
There is no happy ending
The Dark Knight isn’t a traditional superhero movie, and it doesn’t come across as one. The film’s central twist sees Rachel Dawes being killed by Harvey Dent, who has gruesome facial injuries. Injuries that caused a real psychological disorder that literally broke him and violated his principles. This behavior returns to Batman in the final moments of the film, which ends with a bitter taste in the mouth. It is one of the darkest superhero movies ever made. There’s no happy ending, at least not in the conventional sense, which is a direct blow to most superhero movies that have come out so far, and it’s a great way to shake things up.
Christian Bale on top
There was a good cast of actors who played Batman until Christian Bale. Some of them have really great performances, and some of them fail… Michael Keaton is one of the best representatives of Batman, but his interpretation probably doesn’t hold up today. On the contrary, Christian Bale shows what the modern Batman looks like. The Englishman has the acting chops necessary to bring the proper gravity to the role. While Batman is brilliant, Christian Bale is just as compelling as the tortured and broken man Bruce Wayne.
The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are leaving the Netflix catalog on August 14th.
Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
