The Dark Knight

Saturday night I rounded up some friends and headed down to the brand new theaters at Southcenter to view the much awaited Dark Knight. Things started out inauspiciously as the escalators running up to the theater were down, meaning that we would have to wait in line to be crammed into an elevator that smelled like an armpit to get our tickets. Tickets in hand, we wandered off to grab a bite to eat before the show (tickets were purchased a few hours in advance). Then the tragic occurred: we were a little late getting back to the theater, I was tasked with finding some seats while one friend got on the phone and tried to locate the 2 members of the party who had yet to show up. Being the fat tub that I am, I was unable to pass up the free small popcorn that they were offering to every ticket holder and headed straight to the concession stand despite being full from just finishing dinner (I am virtually powerless to the lure of fresh popped popcorn, the only thing saving me from its clutches typically being exorbitant prices).

Needless to say, by the time I got into the theater, there were only scattered single seats thanks to people who are unwilling to sit next to someone else knowing full well that it's a sold out show and sooner or later they are going to have to, and a few seats together in the front few rows. So we grabbed a few seats here and a couple there and began discussing exchanging our tickets for a later showing. Right about then, the idiot (I suspect drunk idiot) in front of me who was wearing a Batman mask stood up and began shouting things like, "it's my friends birthday today, let's all sing happy birthday to him." That was enough to push us over the edge and the theater was kind enough to exchange our tickets. As we walked out of that theater, 2 theater security personnel walked in, presumably to shut up the dork in the mask. I like to think that they pummeled him mercilessly with their night sticks (theater security has those, right?).

Theater #2 was smaller, but more to our liking as it was still empty enough to accommodate us. There were 2 empty seats to my right and on 2 occasions, a couple sat down for a few minutes, and then got up and moved, giving me a complex. I'm still not sure if I smelled or something, but the third couple finally stuck around. The next issue was that there was a group of about 6 junior high age goofballs directly in front of me who wouldn't stop giggling and playing with their phones. I feared that before the end of the show, I would be forced to take a life. Luckily for me, the entire group got up and walked out of the theater for reasons unknown to me, and probably them as well. In the approximately 2 minutes that they were gone, and opportunistic man immediately swooped in and sat right in the middle of all the now empty seats. The kids came back shortly and froze in horror, jaws on the floor, to find that they had just lost their seats. The man, to his credit, felt no remorse and sat motionless as the kids looked on in sorrow and that man made a new friend in me. Sadly, there were far too many underage patrons there who had no respect for anyone else there and throughout the duration, I kept hearing the new text message noise, and I kept seeing phones turn on, which in a darkened theater is very distracting. They might as well turn on a flashlight. Irritating! That being said, I'm not sure I can stomach going to another movie that is not rated R because I don't think I can stomach being around so many inconsiderate asses.

And now after that extended preamble, on to the movie! Batman Begins was not an uplifting movie by any stretch of the imagination, but the Dark Knight was still a lot darker and more depressing movie. It really hammered home the point that mankind at it's core is wicked, corrupt, and self serving (and too damned inconsiderate to turn off their phones and not disrupt the viewing pleasure of others - sorry, I can't seem to let that go). The Joker is not the fun loving prankster from the previous movie or tv show, he is someone whom Bruce Wayne has trouble understanding because he has no motivation other than to create chaos and anarchy. As Alfred (Michael Caine) put it, "some people just want to watch the world burn." The Joker truly is terrifying, he seeks nothing but to hurt others. Unfortunately, I do think that Heath Ledger played it too over the top though. He really hammed it up, which at times elicited eye rolling from me rather than fear. That being said, he still managed to pull off a respectable performance all in all.

Aaron Eckhart really stole the show as Harvey Dent though. The idealistic district attorney on a mission to clean up the city was the one ray of hope in a Gotham City filled with despair. His charisma even managed to win over Bruce Wayne despite some personal issues between them to the point that Bruce is willing to let himself, as Batman, be seen by the public as an unsympathetic villain so that the citizens can still maintain hope in their 'white knight', even after his downfall and transformation into Two Face. And this in my opinion is the real crux of the story - is it more heroic to continually swoop in and save the day, or take misfortune upon yourself for the good of others. Batman really shoulders the burdens of the city and allows others to revel in the glory for the greater good of the city. But it did really leave me wanting to see more of the Harvey Dent/Two Face story.

The Dark Knight is not for everyone. It's violent and depressing, but if you can stomach that, it's really an intriguing examination of morality, as characters are repeatedly faced with dilemmas of how much they are willing to compromise their beliefs in order to achieve their objectives. Some are able to resist the lure of the easy way, and some are corrupted by it. Christopher Nolan really is a masterful story teller, and is in my opinion making a name for himself as one of the greatest directors of his generation. Despite it's brutality, this is a great film, and I get the feeling that this Batman saga is following the same story arc set forth by Star Wars - the first installment is hopeful, the second dark and depressing since the night is always darkest just before the dawn, and the third about redemption and resolution. I think we will see one more Batman movie that leaves on a happier note. I just hope there are no Ewoks.

**Update**
After spending a little more time thinking about it, I think one of the most appealing aspects of Batman is that he is the antithesis of the modern man. In a society where everyone is occupied with looking out for their own best interests, often at the expense of others, Bruce Wayne is a man who has everything you could ever want according to society's standards: nearly limitless wealth, youth, good looks, attractive women hanging on his arm if he so desires - and yet he is willing to risk everything for the good of others. He is one of the more selfless and altruistic characters you will find in cinema today.

One other interesting aspect I saw while reading the review on Cinemagogue: Bruce Wayne has changed in this movie. No longer is he a vigilante motivated by fear and vengeance. He has transformed and is now motivated by love. The love of a city so corrupt that most of the world has written it off as unsalvagable. And yet he still sees something virtuous in this city that is worth fighting and risking everything for.