The Dark Knight: Eight Years After the Film was Released, did it Live up to Expectations?

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Elizabeth Gunder, Temporary Staff

 

Batman movies have always been exceptionally good, am I right? Everyone making a new Batman movie wants to out do the last. This has been getting harder and harder seeing as how there have been so many movies made about Batman. There have been some actor portrayals and overall plot choices that are pretty tough to beat. Could they get any better? The Dark Knight, 2008, was supposed to be a big movie, but did it live up to all the standards?

The Dark Knight had some incredible actors, including: Heath Ledger as the Joker, Christian Bale as Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The entire cast was absolutely amazing. The actors had chemistry that made the scenes come alive. Personally, I like this cast a lot better than the 1989 Batman cast.

Jack Nicholson played the Joker in 1989. His performance was extremely hard to beat, but Heath Ledger did not disappoint. He provided a deep meaning to the character. Heath Ledger’s joker was portrayed as more unstable than Jack Nicholson’s Joker. The Joker has a specific goal, he does not just want to kill people for fun. (Although, he seems to have a great time while killing people.) The Joker is proving a point. He shows everyone that even the best of heroes can become villains. You can die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. The Joker succeeded at proving his point. (I hope I didn’t spoil too much for you.) Throughout the movie, references are made to white and dark knights. Characters are being compared to knights often. This concept added depth to the entire storyline.

The plot of the entire movie is outstanding. There is never a dull moment. Even when there is no fighting or immediate danger, the movie draws your attention. This is difficult to do in most cases. If a slower scene is dragging on, sarcasm is used to fill in the blanks with comic relief. Even the score of this movie is amazing. It is suspenseful and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. The Dark Knight definitely has more drama and action than some of the older versions of Batman.

Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan took similar but different approaches to the movie. Tim Burton was the director of Batman, 1989, and Christopher Nolan was the director of The Dark Knight. It’s interesting to see how the same plot can be taken and formed into completely different movies. It all has to do with the director’s perception and ideas. I find it fascinating that two people can take the same material to start with and have totally different results.

In conclusion, there have been some good Batman movies throughout the years, and a particularly great movie is The Dark Knight. It’s action packed and has an excellent cast. Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker was outstanding. The storyline and themes of the movie had a deep meaning that the audience could connect to. This was one of my favorite movies.