Batman means more to me than most things in this world. I’ve loved the Batman universe since I was three years old. I considered getting the Bat symbol tattooed on my chest if I ever got buff (needless to say I never got buff). I knew things were over with my ex-girlfriend when she said she didn’t wanna see The Dark Knight and that Batman wasn’t even a real superhero.
Basically, The Dark Knight was the movie I’ve been looking forward to for ages. And it did not disappoint.
*SPOILERS*
I’m going to just say random things about the movie in list format, for easy consumption.
1. Accountants are the cause of all problems. Lau fucked up the mob’s shit. The auditor at Wayne Enterprises, Mr. Reese, nearly fucked up Bruce Wayne’s shit. In the DC Universe, most financial types are not to be trusted.
2. Dogs are the only thing that can take Batman down. Bullets, knives, beatings, and Tumbler blowing up are fine. But dogs, no way.
Batman's worst nightmare
3. Two-Face is dead. It even says so in the script, which is widely available at book retailers throughout the country. It would also be gimmicky if they brought him back in the next one. Also, just think about the story. . . if he were in fact alive, that would be pretty awkward for Gordon. Batman’s running, leaves Gordon. Cops come and check Two Face’s pulse to see if he’s still alive. . .turns out he is! Gordon is in a VERY awkward position: he and Batman decided to let Harvey continue being the white knight, but how would Gordon not be able to put him in jail after he nearly killed his family! No one would be able to make that decision. Besides, the most interesting thing about Two-Face is how he became Two-Face. There really isn’t much story to tell about him.
4. Seeing it the first time I thought the sonar bit was lame, but after seeing it again I see how it was important to the story. However, they should tone down the tech gadgetry for the next one. I did like the ethical dilemma with Lucius that come out of it.
5. People complained about the lack of action in Batman Begins. . . I’m complaining about too much action in this one. I liked how a lot of Batman Begins’ action sequences were in the dark, made it more horror-like. This one just has Batman visibly kicking ass throughout the entire film. That is literally all he does. . . kick ass. There is hardly a time in the film when Batman isn’t punching someone.
6. Scarecrow’s cameo was pretty sweet. In the plausible universe of Nolan’s Batman, Scarecrow fills the void of town drug dealer. Great way to use the character.
7. On my third viewing, tears were welling up in a couple different parts (both happy and sad tears): Mayor awarding Lt. Gordon the title of Commissioner, Rachel dying mid-sentence, Bruce’s reaction to Rachel’s death and thinking that she was going to wait for him, Gordon having to tell his son that it’s gonna be okay, and Batman having to run off at the end and be the outcast.
8. The new Batman costume is amazing. Especially in direct comparison with the Batman Begins costume (or any old costume for that matter). His neck in the previous costume really is gigantic. The new costume is much more techy looking, which I’m not crazy about, but allows him to move more fluidly, which is great.
9. Bale’s voice. Everyone seems to point out this as the one thing they don’t really like about the movies. I think it’s okay. In his defense, he needs to disguise his voice and intimidate evil doers. . . but it also sounds a lil ridiculous sometimes. It sounds good when hes whispering or saying a quick phrase. It sounds really bad when he’s gotta speak more than 5 syllables. For example, at the end of the film when he’s talking to Joker he says, “This city. . . just showed you. . . that it’s people. . .are ready to believe in good.” Sounds like he has an asthma problem but is still trying to sound scary.
Overall, I’m not sure whether I like The Dark Knight more than Batman Begins. They are both fantastic, but Batman Begins had this energy that The Dark Knight didn’t have. It felt more exciting. This was probably because there weren’t any early reviews or as many spoilers. I guess they are both pretty equal for me, meaning they are tied for the number 1 spot, hah.
Coming soon: my Batman 3 hopes. . .