It has already been claimed by fanboy film director, Kevin Smith, that “‘The Dark Knight’ is the ‘Godfather II’ of comic book films.” The sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins” has rapidly been selling out tickets to the coveted midnight showtimes, forcing some theaters to add 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. shows in response to the demand. Waiting in the wings to finally be released to the hungry eyes of the general public, “The Dark Knight” already has the entire world talking. But, what truly is it that surrounds the anticipation of this superhero film?
The easy answer is to state the obvious. On Jan. 22, 2008, the world was stunned when the young and thriving actor, Heath Ledger, left this world so tragically early. Having just wrapped up the production on “The Dark Knight” and finalizing his performance as Batman’s legendary nemesis, the Joker, Ledger’s final complete example of his legendary talent is set to culminate within the celluloid confines of this anticipated film. However, “The Dark Knight” was a film that was receiving a significant amount of buzz far before the tragic events of one of its star performers.
It all began with “Begins.” In 2005, it was almost 10 years ago that the last incarnation of the Batman character was relived as such an appalling effort known as “Batman and Robin.” It’s safe to say that the world wasn’t looking forward to another translation of one of the most diversely represented characters in comic book history. Played by countless actors with multiple revisions, the story and character of Batman was in dire need of a proper and finalizing face lift.
Noticing the untapped waters in the legendary superhero, director Christopher Nolan entered the inevitable project, “Batman Begins,” to reboot Batman with an extremely realistic, considerably less comical, and ultimately entertaining vision. By pivoting the film on a strong emphasis of characters and the moral struggles of the main character, “Batman Begins” gave a new respected acceptance to the typically throwaway superhero genre.
It hasn’t been since the original “Superman” film of 1978 that a superhero film prevailed with a quality story and cinematically memorable classic cast of characters. “Begins” was one of the only superhero films to borrow from the legendary classic. Now, with “Knight” following directly upon the heels of “Begins,” Christopher Nolan has composed an acclaimed cast of talent that surrounds the life of the title character played by Christian Bale. With big names like Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman all reprising their roles from “Begins,” the new faces of Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger sets “The Dark Knight” upon a monumental pedestal of showcase acting talent.
To push the boundaries of superhero films further among the respected atmosphere of Academy Award winning films, Christopher Nolan has used the Batman character to craft a story that doesn’t limit itself to the confines of the source material. What Nolan and company does effortlessly is seamlessly tie together a fantasy world of a comic book character with hauntingly similar representation of our own world. Since Nolan refuses to work with computer animation, he adds considerable flavor with three dimensional characters. By allowing the characters to intricately interact with the happenings of Gotham City, audiences can devour the excitement of the film through the believability of the world it depicts.
With such an admirable aim of quality and realism spawning from the team of Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight” is your chance to witness the collaboration of some of the most brilliant minds currently working in cinema.
COMING SOON: “The Dark Knight” opens in theaters this Friday, July 18.
