Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 7/25/08 Section: Student Culture

Media Credit: Courtesy of Warner Brothers/DC Comics. Batman, played by Christian Bale (standing), takes a back seat to the Joker, played by Heath Ledger (sitting), in "The Dark Knight."

"The Dark Knight" transcends a genre, is filled with plenty of thrilling action scenes, includes one absolutely chilling performance by the late Heath Ledger, and is undoubtedly entertaining, but it's not the flawless instant classic that you may have heard it is.

But even with its flaws, the latest in the series is arguably the best Batman movie ever, with the possible exception of Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman."

First, the good:

It's mature. If you strip away the Joker's face paint and Batman's bat suit, you would forget you're watching a movie based on a comic book. It poses ethical and philosophical questions left and right, such as "Would one rather let himself be killed or kill 500 others to survive?" - one of several questions the Joker (played by Heath Ledger) creates through his attempts to terrorize Gotham City.

The relative simplicity of past Batman characters is trumped by this incarnation of Bruce Wayne's masked alter-ego (played by Christian Bale), who struggles to win over the trust of Gotham's government and civilians - a far more realistic situation than past assumptions that a guy dressed as a bat is the city's most reliable crime-fighter.

Adding more realism, a slew of gangsters make Gotham's crime problems more believable, and tougher for Batman to overcome, than in past movies.

Director Christopher Nolan did an exponentially better job with action scenes in "The Dark Knight" than he did with 2005's "Batman Begins," in which rapidly changing camera shots and an overuse of close-ups made much of the action incomprehensible.

Remaining true to Tim Burton's Batman films, every set effectively carries a dark atmosphere, from Batman's lair to the police department to the streets of Gotham, with the wardrobe design keeping up.

And, in a performance worthy of Oscar consideration, Heath Ledger pulls off the Joker character flawlessly. While some may prefer Jack Nicholson's Joker from "Batman," one can't deny Ledger's maniacal laugh, threatening looks, disturbing facial ticks and perfectly delivered dialogue. Strong writing didn't hurt, including some innovative ways for the Joker to do his evil deeds.

Continued...

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