The General Story:
Picking up just a couple of years after The Batman made his presence known in
Gotham City, a new criminal emerges from the shadows. As the mob corner
themselves into hiding, knowing The Batman and new District Attorney Harvey
Dent are closing in on them, The Joker steps into the limelight with a plan;
Kill The Batman. Letting the clown out of the box, the mob pay The Joker to
handle the problem. And even with The Batman’s advanced skill and weaponry, he’s
no match for the Jokers skill at playing psychological games, that taunt and torture
the Batman, revealing the human underneath the superhero suit.
What influenced the
movie: After Batman returned to fine form with 2005’s “Batman Begins”, a
new era for the caped crusader was well underway. Under the assured hands of
director Christopher Nolan, a strong cast and bold visual style, “The Dark
Knight” was going to be a sure fired hit. With a long history in movies, TV and
comic books, Batman appealed to generations of audiences just as much as his counterpart
Superman. With a back catalogue of villains to work with, this time it was
decided the Joker would be portrayed again, the first time since 1989’s “Batman”
with Jack Nicholson in the titular role. The surprise casting in Heath Ledger
raised some eyebrows, but as the first promotional posters and teaser trailers
surfaced, the hint at his performance put any worries to rest. Then, just months
out from the release of the film and what looked to be another career defining performance
from Ledger, tragedy struck…
How the movie
influenced the 00's: Anytime an actor dies suddenly and tragically, and
especially at the height of their popularity and acting skills, the world turns
out in droves to experience their last performance. Such was the case with Heath
Ledger, after he died at the young age of 28 from an accidental overdose of
prescription drugs and sleeping pills. The Dark Knight was surely going to be a
hit, but his death brought the film and his pivotal performance to centre
stage, and we all showed up to watch it on screen. And he didn’t disappoint,
like his predecessor Nicholson stealing the show with his performance as the
crazy clown, Ledger’s Joker stole the show from a well-rounded cast of
experienced and older actors, who were like mere shadows to his presence in the
film. The calibre of his acting, and the strength of the film on its own, cemented
The Dark Knight as one of the greatest comic book movies ever made, following 2004’s
“Spider-Man 2”.
What makes it stand
out as a film of the 00's: Even though the first Iron Man film was also released
the same year as The Dark Knight in 2008, it would take a few more years for
Marvel’s staying power to really take over. DC Comics weren’t exactly a huge
player in the movies yet, as 2006’s “Superman Returns” kind of flopped, and the Justice League was years away. It
was all about Batman in the 00’s, and The Dark Knight was so good and
influential on other superhero movies to follow, it still firmly holds the
place as the pre-eminent comic book / crime movie of our time.
Impact of the movie
still felt today: Heath Ledger’s last full performance will go down in
history as one of the greats, and he was deservingly honoured with a post-humous
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Dark Knight portrayal of Batman
was rounded off with 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises”, finishing the directors
trilogy in style and closing the book on Batman. As Marvel took over, DC wanted
another piece of the pie, and it would only be three years later when the part of
Batman was cast again, this time with Ben Affleck. A huge uproar was
experienced about that, but he ended up doing a great job in my opinion. And as
unsure as DC’s plans for the expanded universe of characters and films looks,
with Marvel clearly leading the way, we can always come back to the combination
of director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale, for giving us a Batman that
was dark, psychological, grounded in reality and superbly made. A testament
most notably to the second film in the trilogy, The Dark Knight, which will
always be regarded as the best Batman film ever made.
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