The Dark Knight Review

Right. Thats it. I now officially have nothing left to live for. All the highlights of my summer; Glastonbury, the return of some long gone friends, Latitude, Radiohead in Barcelona, Wall-E and now the new 'The Batman' film (I love it when they call him The Batman) are all done and dusted. Waking up in the morning seems pointless now. But, Owen, I hear you cry, Stop pissing around with the melancholy shit and tell us, after months of waiting and an internet campaign thats lasted since the internet began, tell us please does it cut the mustard. Consider the mustard well and truly diced.

Picking up soon after Batman Begins, Brucie Wayne (Christian Bale once more) is living in a penthouse apartment since Ral burnt Wayne Manor to the ground. Spending his nights donning the mask and tights, his days are spent checking out the new White Knight of Gotham, District Attorney Harvery Dent, who seems to be boffing his childhood sweetheart Rachel (Maggie 'Thank the lord its not Kat' Gyllenhaal). Things seem to be looking up for Gotham until that is, the true arrival of a certain Joker in the pack.

Needless to say you've met someone who has seen it now and they've chewed your ear off to how great The Joker character is. Well they are 100% right because forget absolutely everything about the tragic events around the film and just take Heaths performance as the picture perfect example of mayhem personified. The closest thing to this character is one of the pyschopaths from Funny Games. It really is that petrifying. He spends most of the movie justifying his batshit crazyness and the rest screaming into handheld cameras. Its testament to the rest of the cast that you don't end up rooting for him to just burn the whole city down.

As for the rest of the movie, yes it has tiny flaws in places (sonar mobiles seem to futuristic in this almost 'real' world and Batmans growl gets irritating), but I'm still going to shoot my batspunk in your general direction. Nolan has created a film, nay a world, of the sort you rarely see in movies let alone the biggest release of the summer. Every performance (while clouded slightly by the one just discussed) is spot on. Bale in the three roles of Good Bruce, Bad Bruce and The Batman will soon be the definitive Dark Knight if he isn't already. Whether or not the director and his lead will hang about for another is still questionable but if I can just get a copy of 'The Trial' from Batman:The Animated Series into Christopher Nolans hands well that would be something to look forward to. Until then I suppose I'll just have to watch settle for watching The Dark Knight, over and over and over and over again.