by Troy Haines
An argument that my friends and I often have is over what is the greatest comic book movie of all time. With the explosion of studio remakes that followed X-Men’s success, there is a plethora of titles to back in this argument (that only complete geeks have. What does that make me?) But generally, most people will accept that there is no right answer. That is, until now.
With the release of “The Dark Knight,” many of my friends have found their incontrovertible answer, and combined with the enormous opening weekend earnings, this makes the film one of the most anticipated releases for me personally in a very long time. Add to that the always brilliant Heath Ledger and the mystery and legend that has been built by his death, and the anticipation has been almost too much to bear. The question is, can any movie live up to this much hype? That is a question I set out to answer last Thursday at the Braden Theater in Presque Isle.
This was to be my first visit to the newly renovated theater since I was young, and I must say I am very impressed with how they have revitalized the building. For me, this in itself was a test in anticipation. Revisiting the theater of my youth (where I once lined up for four hours to be the first through the door to see the original “Batman” which has always been my answer in the ongoing “What’s the greatest comic book movie?” argument) was an experience which could easily have proven disappointing. It’s often hard to live up to the somewhat romanticized versions of our youthful memories, but the Dows have done an incredible job with their renovations, and it is a very nice theater. Chris Dow had been telling me ever since “The Dark Knight” opened that I absolutely had to see it, so I was about to find out if I had been set up for disappointment.
The film differed from “Batman Begins” in a few fundamental ways. First of all, Batman is not the central character of “The Dark Knight”. Instead, you find that there are several chief characters who are equally important to the storyline and share the screen. Namely, Aaron Ekhart’s brilliantly schizophrenic performance as Gotham’s good guy DA Harvey Dent; maniacal burn victim “Two Face”; Gary Oldman’s role as Commissioner Gordon (his part was much more intricate and important to the story in the sequel which only makes sense as Oldman has been dazzling audiences for years, see “The Professional”); Morgan Freeman’s turn as Lucius Fox was key; and of course we can’t forget Christian Bale as Batman. The inclusion of so many in-depth characters (and the appearance of one of my favorites, Eric Roberts, as crime boss Salvatore Marroni) makes each new scene exciting and the two and a half hour running time passes in a blink.
This brings us to Heath Ledger. If all of these actors turned in brilliant performances, they were as one eclipsed by Heath Ledger as “The Joker”. Not only was Ledger brilliantly psychotic, but he managed to do something which I thought would be downright impossible. He managed to make me forget that Jack Nicholson (who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal as “The Joker” in Tim Burton’s classic 1989 film) had ever existed. This is not to minimize Nicholson’s performance, which remains one of the most amazing character portrayals to this day, but it is due rather to Ledger’s completely original characterization. Ledger was so good, in fact, that I found myself at times impatiently waiting for the Joker’s next scene.
This movie was extremely well made, while at times leaning toward being a bit visually convoluted and dark. The fact that I was only put in mind of the original once (in a scene in which Ledger patiently waits in the middle of a street while Batman bears down on him on his motorcycle, which was strikingly similar to the scene in which Nicholson stands firm while Michael Keaton bears down on him in the Bat-plane) speaks volumes of Chris Nolan’s originality and vision.
So, can a movie live up to so much hype? In the normal course of events I would say ‘no’, but all of these elements combined to make “The Dark Knight” hold up admirably well. My answer, in that all-time great geek argument, hasn’t changed though; I’m still partial to the original.
Grade: A
Troy Haines, 28, of Mapleton, graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a degree in outdoor leadership and natural resource protection. He also has a farm in Garfield Plantation where he grows "beyond organic" produce, guides mountain and rock climbing and runs a butchering business. The writer loves living and recreating in northern Maine, and is a huge fan of movies, music and books. He can be reached online at gyre1976@yahoo.com.
