This is going to have Spoilers throughout, not to be a jerk, but because I really want to talk about this film and I can’t censor myself.

“The Dark Knight” is as close to perfect a film as I’ve seen in a very long time. For a superhero movie, maybe it is perfect. Because it doesn’t just get the characters right, or the tone and mood right, but it gets the themes right. This film is about crime. Plain and simple, it’s about crime and it’s place in civilization. Everyone is a criminal, from the gangsters, to the joker, to the police, even Batman. In the very opening scene of this film (which you may have seen already in IMAX last year before the film “I am Legend”) we establish that no one can be trusted, as one after one of Joker’s thugs offs each other in anticipation of a bigger cut of the loot. Even the civilian at the bank who charges the thugs with a shotgun reveals himself to be connected to the mob. From this opening scene on, we the audience feel we can’t trust anyone. Even when we think certain good-guys have died, they come back to save the day for us, just a little white lie by the filmmakers to entertain us. But there in lies another theme. What’s the difference between a little white lie to protect the good of all, and a deception to fool people? What’s the difference between a man in make up robbing banks and a vigilante running around taking the law into his own hands? Is it just a matter of degree, is the Joker bad because he wants to hurt and is Batman good because he wants to help? I have no answer to this, neither really does the film, and that’s okay, this film isn’t meant to answer anything, it’s meant to raise questions. Like the better Batman comics it raises questions of morality and justice and asks us the reader (in this case the moviegoer) to answer for ourselves, what is right and wrong.

I saw this film last night, and I cannot stop thinking about it. But not in a fun way, it simply won’t leave me alone. It’s images, themes, and dark tone won’t leave me. If I can take a moment to be a traditional reviewer and dispense advice on who should or shouldn’t see this movie, let me say this is not a good film for children. For one thing it’s two and a half hours, and not a lot of action early on, so kids will squirm in their seats. Also the Joker is scary, like really, he scared me. It seems like since we first got a glimpse of Heath Ledger as the Joker the world has been waiting to see just what he did with the roll, where does he go that others haven’t? The first thing that struck me about the Joker in this film is that straight off he doesn’t seem that crazy, early on he’s robbing banks, making plans with the mob and asking for half all their money. He seems like a normal criminal, but as the film moves on we see that money means nothing to the Joker, it’s chaos he wants. As the Joker hangs upside down in the last scene we see him in, the camera slowly rotates, and turns on its head, framing joker right side up. This shot really symbolizes what the Joker wants to do to Gotham. Completely turn it on its head. The entire film is about events the Joker sets up to destroy the structure of city, both morally and physically (he blows a lot of stuff up). There is a scene where the Joker is talking philosophy with a newly disfigured Harvey Dent and gleefully states “I just do things…” meaning he has no plan, he just wants to reek havoc. The truth though is that Joker does have a plan. Every step of this film is part of Joker’s plan. He sets up scenarios knowing what each outcome will be. He may not always know exactly how the chips may fall when things end, but he knows the effect he wants. To discourage, to despair. In a lot of ways the Joker in this film reminded me of the demon in “The Exorcist”, a wisecracking, monstrous looking, agent of chaos, who’s only real goal is to get people to give into their darkest instincts. The Joker is the anti-superhero. A superheroe’s goal is not only to serve and protect, but also to inspire good in the people. The Joker not only wants to commit crimes, but he wants to discourage people. Let them feel unsafe, uncared for, fill them with so much fear and anger that they’d do anything to get by. “Let’s see how loyal starving dogs are.” In the end it’s not really Batman who defeats the Joker it’s the good of the people. The Joker sets up a scenario where he pits two different classes of citizen against each other and waits for them to self destruct, but the destruction never comes. Good wins out. Interestingly enough, this film not only goes well with its predecessor “Batman Begins” but also seems to sister Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns”, both films deal with the same theme of inspiring heroism in people. Which is course is what a superhero is all about.

Check out Vin Forte's "Bat Nipples and Joker Toys"