The Dark Knight Returns
Ed Komenda
Issue date: 7/23/08 Section: The Edge
Na na na na na na na na BATMAN! Although not as upbeat as that famous song, the newest installment of Batman does more to the common perception about super heroes than any previous attempt. "The Dark Knight" transcends the typical "good versus evil" motif and takes viewers for a dark ride through the innermost caverns of human nature, where that line between right and wrong has never been so thin.
This review doesn't have to thoroughly describe "The Dark Knight's" many plot-lines, since the entire population has probably seen the film at least once, if not multiple times. The real key to enjoying "The Dark Knight" lies in completely indulging in the film's many excellent performances.
Although the film revolves around Batman (Christian Bale), as its title implies, audiences often find themselves watching another character who is just as intriguing, if not even more so. The Dark Knight himself has to share the screen and occasionally give it up to the characters that surround him - characters with the grittiest textures ever seen in any Batman installment.
With perhaps the film's most memorable performance, the late Heath Ledger takes the reigns as the maniacal Joker. The Joker's presence on the screen seems to never be enough, though; audience members often find themselves wondering just when that master manipulator will enter the frame next. The twisted outcast has a walk that won't be forgotten any time soon, and a serpent-like tongue that suggests far more than a bad habit; the Joker is el Diablo in the flesh.
Whether he is describing his deprived childhood or the way his face became brutally scared, the Joker's story is always different - a nod to his masterful skill of manipulation. Every interaction between the Joker and other characters brings out a side of those involved that has never been seen before.
The Joker's public plight is to "kill the Batman," while in reality, that's the last thing he wants to do. Confrontation brings many ideas to the table, especially when the bat gets the clown alone. In one such confrontation, the Joker utters the phrase "you complete me," taunting our hero and suggesting that the two are really alike, which, in a literal sense, is true.
This review doesn't have to thoroughly describe "The Dark Knight's" many plot-lines, since the entire population has probably seen the film at least once, if not multiple times. The real key to enjoying "The Dark Knight" lies in completely indulging in the film's many excellent performances.
Although the film revolves around Batman (Christian Bale), as its title implies, audiences often find themselves watching another character who is just as intriguing, if not even more so. The Dark Knight himself has to share the screen and occasionally give it up to the characters that surround him - characters with the grittiest textures ever seen in any Batman installment.
With perhaps the film's most memorable performance, the late Heath Ledger takes the reigns as the maniacal Joker. The Joker's presence on the screen seems to never be enough, though; audience members often find themselves wondering just when that master manipulator will enter the frame next. The twisted outcast has a walk that won't be forgotten any time soon, and a serpent-like tongue that suggests far more than a bad habit; the Joker is el Diablo in the flesh.
Whether he is describing his deprived childhood or the way his face became brutally scared, the Joker's story is always different - a nod to his masterful skill of manipulation. Every interaction between the Joker and other characters brings out a side of those involved that has never been seen before.
The Joker's public plight is to "kill the Batman," while in reality, that's the last thing he wants to do. Confrontation brings many ideas to the table, especially when the bat gets the clown alone. In one such confrontation, the Joker utters the phrase "you complete me," taunting our hero and suggesting that the two are really alike, which, in a literal sense, is true.
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