The Hero That We Need-
My loving husband surprised me Friday night. He had been gone most of the evening taking care of a friend in need, but when he came home, he got straight on the computer (no surprises so far) and looked up available tickets for The Dark Knight.
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Wait, you need a bit more background information. I love Batman. Seriously, I LOVE Batman. I really don’t remember a time when he wasn’t my favorite “standard” super hero. Yeah, I love Sailor Moon. Yes, I love Green Lantern… well, I love Kyle Rayner. I love Kitty Pride-she’s my favorite of all of the X-Men. But the best superhero of all time… number one in my heart… Batman. His logo is on my debit card. I used to watch crap-tastic Scooby-Doo just in the odd chance it was the Scooby movie with the Dynamic Duo. I watched just about every episode of 1992 Batman animated series- most of them enough times that just from the title, I can tell you the plot. I even watched the newer ones where they changed the animation style to give him blue eyes. I watched Batman Beyond, Justice League, all but one of the animated movies, and even some of that new The Batman show. Kevin Conroy is the voice of Batman for me… probably for the rest of my life.
It even inspired my love of Dick Grayson. I’ve got a bunch of Robin novelties- a shot glass, a sucker-spinner with Robin’s face, a plush Robin …I’ve seen every episode of Teen Titans and LITERALLY SQUEELED when it was revealed that Robin was Dick Grayson and not Tim… or a non-descript amalgamation of Robins.
I’ve even seen all but one (Batman Returns) of the live-action Batman movies… the good, the bad… and the even worse. *ahemBatmanandRobindieSchwarzeneggerdieahem*. And all but one of those- Batman Begins- I saw in the theater. And the only reason I didn’t see that particular one… the one with Christian Bale- one of my most favorite actors of all time- playing Batman- my favorite superhero- for the first time in the theater… is because on the one day we were free to see a movie, my husband-at the time just my boyfriend- decided to take a nap instead. And since I was in an unfamiliar city, I was stuck, and Batman Begins left theaters before I could get to see it.
I may anger a lot of people with my opinion because there seems to be a hard core Michael Keaton following out there, but although I think that Michael Keaton made a good Batman, I think Christian Bale captures both personas beautifully. I’m not fond of the director’s choice to over-synthesize Bale’s voice, that’s really the only criticism I have for either Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. However, I could be biased because honestly, I don’t think Christian Bale can do much wrong. He brings an honest passion and a brilliant believability to every role I’ve seen him play. I think he’ll even be great as John Connor, even if the movie itself stinks.
But I digress… and will probably do so again…
I used to be a huge moviegoer. I treat them as pseudo-religious experiences- the Aristotelian communal catharsis, etc. However, for many reasons, I’ve stopped my avid film-watching. Part of it is that there haven’t been a lot of movies I’ve felt were worth watching, part of it is because I’ve been apathetic about actually getting out of the house to the theater, but the biggest reason is that so many people don’t feel the same way I do about watching a movie. The best films make you a better person for watching it. It provides catharsis (like mentioned before.) It encourages thinking, and challenges our beliefs and our conceptions of reality. Great movies are able to take us through time and space- and suspend our reason. But even the best performances of art (and movies are art) find it difficult to enact its magic when inconsiderate patrons forget to turn off their cell phones, talk to their companions, or bring their children to inappropriate films.
The last time I went to the movies, it was to see 300, and some ignorant, irresponsible parents brought with them 3 children under the age of 10… when Meet the Robinsons was playing two theaters over. Seriously parents, get a babysitter. I know you can find one relatively cheap. Call your friends, family, neighbors, church fellowship, whatever… don’t bring your babies to the movies if it isn’t a children’s film. Not just because it ruins the film for others, but because most of the time, children don’t need to see explicit films. They’re young and impressionable and should be allowed to keep their innocence for as long as they possibly can in this crazy effed up world.
So, we go to see The Dark Knight, the 11pm showing, managed to get really decent seats, and right behind us- parents who brought their two sons approximately 3 and 5 years old. They talked throughout the first half of the film. In a way, it was cute because obviously these kids loved Batman as much as I did. On the other hand, I was completely exasperated to the point of actually getting up in the middle of a film (which I HATE to do… ask my sister about how peeved I was to have to take her to the bathroom during The Prisoner of Azkaban just as Sirius was about to save Harry from a morphing Lupin… and she’s my sister) to find a manager and get our money back. We did get free passes for our trouble.
Obstacles aside, the film was wonderful- many of the things a film should be- thought-provoking, challenging perceptions and conventions. It presents deeply profound questions- What makes a hero? Would you be able to be a hero? Would you stand for justice and right, or succumb to fear and anarchy? This last question has been prevalent in a lot of stories lately- most noticeably, the previous week’s Doctor Who- “Midnight.”
Overall, the performances from the cast were solid. Heath Ledger has left a legacy few could even dream to match. His Joker is compelling yet repulsive- Joyce (Stephen Dedalus and his stasis aesthetic theory) would be proud. Ledger’s finally able to achieve what I think is Joker’s purpose-psychotic, sardonic, anarchic, and unexpected. Nicholson was scary, but not quite there. Hamil was hysterical, and towards the end of the series, the writers finally gave him a touch of the crazy… but Ledger has it all. It’s a shame he’ll never be able to show us more.
I left the film with a new respect for Aaron Eckhart- his performance as Harvey Dent was wonderful. I have found the story of Harvey tragic in the past; Eckhart’s Harvey not only delivered but surpassed any expectations from previous versions and went into actual tragedy status. My heart nearly broke for him.
Gary Oldman just keeps getting better and better with every film he does. One would think he would have hit his pinnacle already. How could any performance be better than his dirty cop in The Professional (if you haven’t seen it… stop whatever you’re doing and watch it… now.) but he is a spot-on Gordon. He even looks like Gordon from Year One (a great installment in the Batman cannon, in my opinion).
But Christian Bale….what can I say about Bale that I haven’t already gushed? Just as I expected, his performance was powerful, vulnerable, and accessible. He made the switch between personas seamless and graceful. He always seems completely present and submerged in his character and almost guides the audience even deeper into the film and the internal workings of his character. I actually cried a little at the end of the movie… I blame it on Bale (and Oldman.)
The only problem I had with his performance at all was the already mentioned a-little-too-gravelly-over-synthesized-voiced Batman and that is actually more of the director’s choice-not the actor’s. Never once during the entirety of the film did I ever stop and think, “Gee, Christian Bale is a pretty good actor.” Bale had me convinced the whole time that he was both Bruce Wayne and Batman. And that, to me, is the mark of a brilliant actor- the ability to force the suspension of (or rather, the recognition of) reality for the duration of the magic.
All in all, the latest Batman film is worthy of Batman’s legacy.
