Why so serious? No, seriously Batman, why?

I just saw The Dark Knight today and came away with a few thoughts. After some of the people I know had said it was too dark, and others hailing it as the best summer film I thought I’d say a little. I won’t really dapple into directing, it was good and so were the effects lets leave it at that for this entry, I am thinking more of the story, acting etc.

Maybe do not read it if you have not seen it in case I give something away…which I will…so SPOILERS ahead…

I very much enjoyed the film, yes, maybe it was very dark, but for me it was dark in a way I could understand. Maybe it is because I love Shakespeare so much, but it felt to me like one of his tragedies since I ended up connecting to the villains, and well for the obvious thing that happened to do-gooder Harvey Dent.

The Story:
I thought it was well written (except for the whole we shall have to blame Batman at the end, I mean really they could have put the blame on the Joker and his goons or something.) Aside from a few things it was pretty damn good, there was motive and reasoning for the most part and every character was sketched out in a way that allowed you to see beyond the exterior.

When the Joker started telling different lies about what had happened to him I found that brilliant. It was obvious to me that the first story about his father was fake (Why so serious?) but for those that cannot understand outright, it was subtlety given away as a lie when he spoke of his mean wife and her attack as another version of his life history and reason for scars.

The scars themselves were not deep enough to make his face masked beyond recognition but along with his put on accent and make up and what I would call brilliant acting, I forgot it was Ledger which for me was the point. After his death, watching any films he had been in was very sad (as it happened so recently), but with this portrayal of the infamous Joker I forgot to think about the fact he had died. His performance for me stole the show; it was so good it made me think of brilliant theatre. The character also was incredibly well written, having neither the desire for revenge nor the hankering for money to move him, he was merely, as he said ‘an agent of chaos,’ and Alfred’s anecdote about his own time in Burma was well placed in showing simple thinkers, like Batman at that moment, that some men cannot be moved. That is why, despite wanting to psychoanalyze and profile the Joker, we are left not knowing who he is or what was a part in making him A man who is not afraid of losing anything cannot be persuaded to give away anything, and I am glad they did not cheepify the character by doing so.

Bale and Batman on the other hand left me slightly disappointed. I am aware that the humour that was once in the Batman of old is no longer around, and that Nolon’s vision is realism (as much as movies permit) along with intense struggle on the edge of good and bad, closer than most think. The darkness is needed to convey the severity, but I need to like Batman, and I really am left feeling just sorry for him only. The character of Batman (Adam West aside) has always been grumbling and moody (bordering on emo, but for good reason) but he also possessed (or in my opinion was supposed to) a sort of charisma and charm. Okay he is no adorable Clark Kent, or quirky Spider-Man, but in the animated series he made Mr. Darcy-esque smirks and Keeton did a great job in showing Bruce’s human side. I know much of it is the writing and I know they wanted to write something very different from your average super hero movie sarcasm, but some of what the Joker had should have rubbed off on the Bat. The Joker’s lines were dark and menacing and very serious at times yet left the audience also smirking or going, seriously? (Great line. Batman: let her go! Joker: Ooh, very poor choice of words…) Bale, however, leaves me thinking ‘well good old chap thanks for the self sacrificing and all that….’ And that’s it. Bale’s few attempts at humour come off as just privileged white rich kid number 87 and frankly I felt way more for Harvey.

Harvey Dent, as played by Aaron Eckhart (who did a great job with his role though the hair a tad goofy) was very Dudley Do Right, but also gentle, sweet, and not even that jealous of Bruce or Batman. He was secure in his position as Rachel’s man and Gotham’s unmasked hero. Instead of making him the typical alpha preppy or jock who is “too” good that you cannot stand him, he was, for me, lovable and his ending was extremely heartbreaking.His over the phone scene with Rachel before she dies is shattering as is his switch to evil. Perhaps some of the most well written parts of this film focussed on foreshadowing the tragic demise of Harvey Two-Face Dent. The face (or half of) was creative in that it was not bright cartoony pink-purple with boils but it looked like an ‘injury’ that he could not have lived with for much longer anyways. (A little out there and gross nonetheless) Although supposedly he may not be dead afteral, producers have said it was 'ambiguous'. His line “You either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself the villain,” lost some of the effect after constant teaser trailers but was still chilling, as was his initial innocent coin toss.

Thank goodness Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes, who Tom probably forbade from doing the sequel. She was a much better for the role of Rachel Dawes and did not make me hate her, so yay. I was not happy with her character poking fun at Harvey for the threats on him and acting like he should be tough, (then again once you dated Batman I guess you expect it) I mean if it is the man she wants to spend her life with then show a little more concern ahead of time lady. But all in all she did well, and it was time for her to go. Batman cannot have a ‘love of his life’ (or so he thinks) running around in every film, it just was not Bat-like to keep it going. I liked, well I would not say liked, but it was sad and yet touching how she devoted herself to Dent and how they both died within a very short time. Her note to Bruce, withheld by Alfred for Bruce’s sake, was not a nice one, but the movie was better for it as we get to remember Harvey as not being second fiddle, and it adequately parallels Batman’s choice to protect all of Gotham from a truth that would equally crush them, the demise of their hero Dent.

I do miss some of the old school comedic aspects of Batman. But looking back some of it was not as good as we may remember. Notwithstanding the 60’s campy serial for obvious reasons we look at TAS (the animated series) and the 90’s flicks.

-Batman (1989) directed by Tim Burton.

Burton is an oddball, and he made some good films, this one is consistent with his dark comedy pseudo grotesque tendency, but for me this one lacked something. First of all: Vicky Vale= yawn. WTF was she even doing there. Bassinger was boring and ditzy. The joker, as portrayed by Nicholson, was over the top. In my opinion he can be very overrated. I mean he pulled off many characters and I won’t deny he can act, but usually he plays a good asshole because he looks like one. There was noting in his story that made me wonder about him further at all. He was a mob boss who fell into a vat of goo—seems to me all old comic villains just were mob bosses or scientists who fell into some goo making them worse and uglier. In this version he killed Bruce’s parents years ago and he had a plastered on smile with many dorky ass minions. Keeton was a pleasant surprise as most thought this dorky guy would not be able to carry off the cape, but he did.

-Batman Returns (1992) another Burton one.

I enjoyed it a lot more than the first, it may be my fav or the movies. It was still weird and out there but it showed awesome banter between Batman and Catwoman (which girly me loves). The mentally unhinged Catwoman was well played by Michelle Pheiffer, who aptly showed Selina Kyle’s newly acquired insanity. The scene where she tic tac toes the face of a would-be rapist/mugger is awesome, as is her make out scene with Bruce when they unknowingly touch scars given to them by each others masked personas. Also there is the hideous penguin (Danny Devito) so gross and reminds me of a bitchy lady I once knew. And Christopher Walken as well...himself :)

-Batman Forever (1995) Directed by Joel Shumacher

There is a debate over who was worse as the caped crusader: Kilmer or Clooney. I would say Clooney, but that does not mean Kilmer did anything worthy of praise either. Stone faced and cold with Seal’s Kiss from a Rose playing to his love story thing with Nicole Kidman bored me to tears. Featured villains were the Ridler (Jim Carey, who was a pretty good choice at the time) and Two-Face (Tommy lee Jones) This two face, another fall into goop type scenario, was unworthy of pity and had bimbos run around his two sided condo or something. Oh, and Robin comes into play here too.

-Batman and Robin (1997) Shumacher again.

No, just no. Now they are introducing Batgirl….common. Alicia Silverstone is okay but this was not the Barbara Gordon I wanted there. Good thing they had her though, and Chris O’Donnell as Robin, since Clooney needed they to act off. Villains: Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) and Mr. Freeze (good old governor Arnold *insert accent here*) I suppose his story was an attempt to acquire sympathy for a villain but too damn corny to work. I was young at the time so I thought it was okay.

-Batman Begins- we spoke of that already. Okay, Loved the parts with Liam Neison and training in the snow, but hated Katie Holmes.

-Batman- The Animated Series (sometime in the 90’s when my brother had all the toys)

Probably the best of all of them as we see a plethora of villains and get to spend more time knowing all of them. I still maintain although Ledger was amazing, no one scares me more than Mark Hamel’s voice as the Joker. Also Bruce was solemn and tough yet lovable.

-The Dark Knight, aka the only film not saying the word Batman in it.

Although there was no witty banter from anyone other than the Joker, the story was enough to hold me. Bale’s statue like delivery did not make me puke, it just made me miss how I envision the character to be. Ledger was amazing, Gyllenhaal good and a stronger woman presence than many others, Cain fun as always, as was Freeman and Oldman-who was lovable. I knew the death was fake…I mean he was not even called commission Gordon yet!

The movie was full of foreshadowing, and subtle hints at each characters future (including the Cat reference which makes me think Catwoman is next, shit they better not pick some ditz to play that!) Many of the most poignant moments (also fun for analysts) were made by utilizing these and showing the slippery slope between the right choice and the easy one, without being too preachy. (P.S high five to the big prisoner on the boat)

A hero is not to be happy, that is what most movies and comics tell us. They are, in essence, giant and overtly obvious messianic symbols that bring forms of salvation, self sacrifice, all the while suffering in silence. Batman is no different, he may not have fallen from another planet, he may not possess any powers, but his human side acting courageously selfless is what has endeared this character to people for years. The Dark Knight, good and bad points, at least still manages to uphold that.