The Dark Knight-Rides Once More To Protect The Rich
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Then there is the extremely bizarre decision to make it obvious that Gotham is Chicago. When the hell is that all about? I have been to Chicago a couple of times and was able to recognize all sorts of sights from the downtown area. However, just in the event that you don’t recognize Chicago, maybe the repeated obvious displays of license plates from Illinois will tip you off. Who was responsible for this miserable decision?
Christopher and Jonathan Nolan partially grew up in Chicago, but why the studio allowed this is beyond comprehension and it hurts the film. Note Gotham, as stated in the script, is suppose to be a city of 30 million people. Why insert this if Gotham is so obviously suppose to be Chicago? Ah who cares these are just details and artists and geniuses don’t have to be troubled with such small details, right? That whole, “god is in the details” stuff is for poor people who aren’t hooked up, right?
Then there is the moronic stupidity that is Two-Face. For a film that attempts to project the notion that it is obeying the laws of nature and physics, at least to some extent, The Dark Knight really falls apart with Two-Face. How long could someone live with their face in the horrific state portrayed in the film, and function without pain medication?
The budget for this film was about $170-$180 million dollars, perhaps more. One would think a little more oversight is in order, but that is the problem isn’t it? It is pretty darn obvious that the studio executives in charge don’t have the ability to do their job or just don’t give a crap. For the record there is a real difference between, “we don’t make art here, we make money” and making sense. Only hacks and religious fanatics don’t care about making sense. If The Dark Knight was a rushed independent film with a credit card budget then one could forgive this sort of slop but not with a budget flirting with $200 million dollars.
So, at its heart, here is what you get with The Dark Knight, a film that is all about the explosions, baby! Yeah, explosions! Why not have Michael Bay direct this thing, seriously.
Story C- (The Dark Knight is entertaining because of all the slick toys and intense action. But as far as the script is concerned, it suffers from a lack of focus and original ideas, especially when stripped of its toys. It so dull and clichéd, you know the hero is going to find a way to save everyone, you know he’s going to do all the right things, you know he is going to be noble and better than the average man. Why, of course, as Batman/Bruce is fabulously wealthy and that, of course ensures that he will always do the right thing. Yes, I digress.)
Acting B+ (The acting helps save the sloppy, often poorly thought out script from itself. Bale, Caine, Eckhart, Oldman Freeman and Ledger all do great jobs and don’t act like they don’t care about their performances because it’s a “stupid superhero” movie. That is what professionals are supposed to do and is often lacking in comic book based movies.)
Visuals A- (The visuals in the film are definitely a big part of The Dark Knight’s appeal, but with that much money-what can I say it never ceases to absolutely amaze me how much cash these people waste. But they waste it with such an elegant flare.)
Originality/Innovation D+ (Skip the hard sale telling you how awesome this film is and then ignore all the shiny toys and explosions. Then try to find the originality in this film. Oh go ahead. It’s a tough, tough job. There are a couple of sort of original moments in Hong-Kong, but beyond that…)
Enjoyability Grade C+ (The production values are high enough that most people will turn off there brains are say “pretty” for two and a half hours. Since that is all Hollywood aims at with these flicks-mission accomplished.)
Home Theater/HD Factor A- (No doubt this is a Blu-Ray must. This film will look great in high-def.)
Overall Grade C+ (Yes, the shocking grade of a mere C+. Yes, I offend the Hollywood Gods. I know my perspective is a bit unique in that I can’t separate what was done with the money in ratio to what was the final product on the screen. Bottom line, for nearly $200 million I would think studio executives would expect a whole lot more than what The Dark Knight delivers. Maybe they would pay more attention to quality if they weren’t being distracted by the British accents, I don’t know. But, in the end, the studio will make a ridiculous amount of money off The Dark Knight, and in this era, that is all anyone, anywhere seems to care about-making money and protecting it, dark night indeed.)
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