Jul 25
I’ve Seen Knights, Some Bright, Some Dark
Ever since Joel Schumacher pissed on the gorgeous Dark Knight myth, I have always been skeptical about new Batman movies, and Nolan’s first attempt wasn’t an exception, although it wasn’t that bad at all. Now it seems I just needed some time to get used to the scenes featuring Gotham city in bright daylight. It almost felt like a blasphemy because I thought no decent evil deed should be accompanied by photons galore.
However, The Dark Knight (the movie) persuaded me Nolan was really serious about having his own treatment and I think I should respect that and finally quit mourning the Tim Burton era.
The story here is the ultimate winner. It is clever, nuanced, tight and absolutely inspiring. It’s the first Batman story that would really work even if you take it out of the comics context.
Of course this approach has its negative side - in some moments I felt like I was watching a pure action movie. The subtle, childish magic of the Burton treatments is absent, so you end up thinking that all those masks and make up are totally out of place. In terms of mythology, this is like an evangelical chant in the Sistine Chapel where nobody pays attention to the frescoes.
Take the Joker. Some people want to give an Oscar to the late Heath Ledger for that role but I found his version pretty bleak compared to Jack Nicholson’s iconic impersonation. Not to mention the frivolous madness in Mark Hamil’s voice from Batman The Animated Series. Ledger replaces it with a trembling, nervous hum and greasy hairstyle. Beneath all that effort, there is a clear feel of over-acting. In the movie, he repeats several times the line “Why so serious?”. I would like to ask him the same question. It seems The Dark Knight’s Joker is not entertaining himself as much as I expect him to. Evil is evil because it’s fun to be evil, not because it’s a burden you have to bear.
Write that down, Nolan! :)











