Spring Break
Movie Review: "The Dark Knight"
The latest Batman is a gem with just a few smudges
David Zugnoni
Issue date: 7/25/08 Section: Student Culture
Now, the bad:
The movie suffers from its own ambition. Viewers are taken on a ride through the most elaborate Batman plot ever, and as a result, some subplots aren't fully resolved.
Early in the movie, for instance, members of the Chinese mafia are introduced and Bruce Wayne takes a trip to Hong Kong for battle. But, as the movie approaches its end without the Chinese gangsters appearing much, the sequence in China reveals itself as an excuse to include more action and not a valid addition to the plot.
The love interest of both Bruce Wayne and Gotham's district attorney (played by Aaron Eckhart in a performance second only to Ledger) is Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal). The love triangle is an extremely important part of the story, but the Rachel character gets lost in the shuffle of everything else going on. Viewers are left to assume that there's something to Rachel without ever receiving any substantial evidence.
Lastly, a minor but annoying issue, Batman's voice sounds extremely unnatural. Historically, Bruce Wayne puts on a mean voice whenever he puts on the bat suit, but it's simply too distorted, occasionally to the point where viewers can't make out his words.
Despite these complaints, "The Dark Knight" is more than worthy of the price of admission. The good definitely outweighs the bad, and even viewers not familiar with the Batman legend will stay interested through the film's two-and-a-half hours.
The movie suffers from its own ambition. Viewers are taken on a ride through the most elaborate Batman plot ever, and as a result, some subplots aren't fully resolved.
Early in the movie, for instance, members of the Chinese mafia are introduced and Bruce Wayne takes a trip to Hong Kong for battle. But, as the movie approaches its end without the Chinese gangsters appearing much, the sequence in China reveals itself as an excuse to include more action and not a valid addition to the plot.
The love interest of both Bruce Wayne and Gotham's district attorney (played by Aaron Eckhart in a performance second only to Ledger) is Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal). The love triangle is an extremely important part of the story, but the Rachel character gets lost in the shuffle of everything else going on. Viewers are left to assume that there's something to Rachel without ever receiving any substantial evidence.
Lastly, a minor but annoying issue, Batman's voice sounds extremely unnatural. Historically, Bruce Wayne puts on a mean voice whenever he puts on the bat suit, but it's simply too distorted, occasionally to the point where viewers can't make out his words.
Despite these complaints, "The Dark Knight" is more than worthy of the price of admission. The good definitely outweighs the bad, and even viewers not familiar with the Batman legend will stay interested through the film's two-and-a-half hours.
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