FINALLY! A summer block-buster that overshoots expectations and leave you fully satisfied!
Mark my words. This will be the easiest review on Movielicious for quite some time. Excellence knew no bounds either behind or in front of the camera with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight!
You have never seen Gotham City so amoral and corrupt, or a performance by a villain so iconic, and you have NEVER seen a Batman franchise so dark and haunting! This one is not for the kids. It’s an adult, dark movie that leaves you impressed and provoked at the same time! How many movies can boast of that effect?
Batman is seen in a new suit and a mask that didn’t seem to fit on Christian Bale’s face all too perfectly. He is equipped with the latest gadgets money and technology has to offer and still he is rendered helpless by a villain who only needs a bulk of TNT and a shotgun to make a wasteland out of Gotham City! Simply marvelous! The way the storyline shapes up is as if Nolan is narrating a completely new and unheard of way of telling a super hero story. Never have I felt so intimidated by the Joker or seen a more powerless Batman struggling with what is moral and what isn’t. The Joker stands defiant against the caped-crusader because he wants to make the crime ‘fun’! He taunts him to reveal himself time and again while bringing together all 
elements dear to him in a deadly game of morality and truth. He doesn’t want to kill Batman necessarily. He wants to ‘play’ with him!
From past experiences with the Batman franchise, I always thought a Batman movie without ample hand to hand combat and punches thrown around would be a failed cause. Imagine my surprise with the Dark Knight because except for the first fighting sequence, there is little of the combat to look out for. Some amazing chases and explosions take place that makes me think now that all those punch-fests were long and a time-waste!
In this particular movie, Batman is contemplating retirement. He seems to be torn between his crime-fighting image and the millionaire tycoon that he is. In the course of the story, he is so impressed by the District Attorney, Harvey Dent, that he is pondering over hanging up the suit for good and going after the object of his affection: Rachel. One is tempted to ask him/herself this question: Who is the alter-ego of who. Is Bruce Wayne the mask that Batman wears to hide his identity or is it the other way around? Who is getting the best of who and who is losing more and what?
This movie is sure to fly you with it to an alternate reality where good versus evil in a time when morals are questionable and likely heroes are willing to break the law and tread the invisible line between what’s right or wrong in the name of justice. For any one who is not a fan or at least unaware of the Batman saga, this promises to deliver one hell of a show. The prime expectation from any movie goer is to be entertained! For any film maker, that is the first test! Nolan delivers this with sheer perfection!
As the movie ended, I was sitting there with awe and admiration for the genius Nolan is. i felt privileged to be part of a generation that will tell its future generations about a classic that spanned a generation itself. At the same time, I was saddened for a performance that might win an Oscar but no hands will be there to receive it. As the joker mumurs, “What doesn’t kill you makes you… stranger.”
Batman: The Dark Knight, in all its glory and darkness, is here to please!
Movielicious Ratings: [9/10]
Watch the trailer for The Dark Knight
August 1, 2008 at 2:18 pm |
My most anticipated movie of the year ……….
August 1, 2008 at 3:05 pm |
Anything said about this movie will fall short of words! It is THAT good.
August 1, 2008 at 3:09 pm |
Ledger SHOULD get an Oscar for playing the Joker. He outranked everyone including Batman
August 1, 2008 at 3:36 pm |
Good review. Got my all excited about it. Does any one know when will it come on cinemas in Pakistan?
August 2, 2008 at 12:05 am |
To truly experience this movie for what its worth, it has to be seen in IMAX. The beginning where they show the Gotham city from the top and in scenes where Batman flies in or soars with the cloak spanning the screen are amazing!
August 4, 2008 at 9:50 am |
Kermit we’ll know by end of this week IF this baby will hatch in cinemas here at all. Damn distribution rights and what not you see! If they do manage to bring it in, the most probably date for its premiere here is August 14!
August 4, 2008 at 2:29 pm |
They are saying Mummy: Tomb of the dragon emperor came might close to breaking Dark Knight’s success. As if! The new mummy movie sucks! Worst of the three.
August 4, 2008 at 2:49 pm |
This movie is so fine, it is surely going to break Titanic’s & 600 million record at the box office!
August 13, 2008 at 11:11 am |
[...] but it is way too early in the year for such declarations. Let’s not confuse my verdict on The Dark Knight. We all know TDK was a league apart. TT, however, just might have the potential to be a comical [...]