The Dark Knight

Ok, before I get too far into this, I have to admit that I've been a Batman fan (regardless of the incarnation) as long as I can remember, and being 35, that means the only pop culture phenomenon that has diverted significant attention from the Bat Guy is Star Wars.

Over the years, I've been enthtralled by the old 60's TV show, Saturday morning cartoons and countless Batman themed toys and games. Oddly enough, aside from the odd comic book my Dad would buy me at the drug store, I didn't really know Batman as he appeared in his monthly comic books. In the mid 80's (I can't remember the exact year), DC Comics relaunched several of their heroes after "Crisis on Infinite Earths." While I had some interest in comics at that time (most boys do at some point in their lives), I hadn't spent much time collecting any outside of some Star Wars comics, and also a woefull series based on the television show "V". The post-Crisis relaunch of Superman generated some awareness outside of the typical comic book world, and my Dad prompted me to buy the "Man Of Steel" mini-series that would retell the origin of Superman. Issue #3 of this series featured the first meeting of Superman and Batman. The Batman here was a little bit different from the more "super heroic" version I'd always known. He was darker, a bit more ruthless, and until the end seemed almost like a villain rather than a hero.

Well, I stuck with Superman after the mini series gave way to 3 monthly titles, and it wasn't long before I picked up a couple of issues of Batman. Ultimately, I found a trade paperback copy of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns". I wasn't at all prepared for what I found inside, but I was completely blown away. This story stuck with me the way few have in my life. All of a sudden, I was a "Bat Fan" again, and the Dark Knight was followed by "Batman: Year One", "Batman: Year Two", and finally both of his monthly books.

In 1989 (I think), Tim Burton's "Batman" hit theaters, and the movie was heavily influenced by the Millerized version. This was followed by 3 sequels, which I liked to some degree or another, until "Batman & Robin" came out and George Clooney pranced around like a modern day Adam West in a batsuit with nipples. Not a good movie, and this coming from a guy who still likes the 60's movie and TV show.

In 2005, Chris Nolan relaunched the franchise with "Batman Begins", which restored my faith in character, and incidently also rekindled my addiction to comics. That movie came the closest to portraying the character that I liked the best in the comics. The one that you could be under the right circumstances. The one who got by on sheer force of will and smarts rather than powers. I anxiously awaited the sequel.

Today, I saw the sequel, and while I think this version has strayed from the comics a bit more than I'd hoped, I don't mind because today I watched a truly amazing movie and I can honestly say that I have not been blown away by a Batman story to this degree since that day when I read "Dark Knight Returns." I won't pretend that it was a perfect movie, or that I liked every single second of it. But Christian Bale plays Batman the right way, the Nolan brothers write Batman the right way, and Chris Nolan directed the movie the right way. The cast is close to perfect -- top to bottom. Even the supporting characters ring true, and you do forget that this is a "comic book movie."

Everyone is talking about Heath Ledger's performance above all. Normally, I'm the guy who throws out a few "yeah, but..." lines at this point. "Dancing With Wolves" didn't feel like 3+ hours (yeah, but my butt thought it did). "40 Year Old Virgin" is one of the funniest movies every made (yeah, but while it had some great lines and bits, it was just too long for a comedy). You get the idea. Ledger's Joker was so much more amazing than I expected that I can't even begin to describe it. He is terrifying, funny, and for 152 minutes, I forgot I was watching an actor's final performance because I was watching a real life Batman fight the real life Joker. I guess the best words I can offer were those of my wife -- She was exhausted, and she didn't understand what he was all about. THAT'S the point of the Joker in this movie.

He is the ultimate flip side of the coin from Batman. He's always been that in the comics, and true to form, he is the flip side of Nolan's vision of Batman. We spent a 2+ hour movie exploring how and why Batman does what Batman does. For the Joker, he simply just is. We think we get an origin story of sorts early on in the movie, but he retells it a few times, and it's never the same story. The Joker here is pure anarchy, pure chaos and pure evil. He doesn't care about money, power -- none of that matters. As Michael Cain's Alfred puts it "Some men just want to watch the world burn."

The movie could stand some more humor -- "Begins" seems positively sunny in comparison -- but the story is so tightly knit and expertly executed that you don't feel cheated. The one caution I would give anyone is that if you have a child that wants to see the movie, especially if the child is under 13 -- read up on all you can, or even see the movie yourself before you let them see it. It is a violent, scary afair, and is clearly aimed at a more mature audience. This is not Adam West vs. Ceasar Romero, and it's not Michael Keaton vs. Jack Nicholson. It is a fascinating film filled with plenty of action and excitement, a great story and great acting.