Top 30 Movies: #30. The Dark Knight

30. The Dark Knight (2008). 

Rotten Tomatoes Rating 94% out of 100%

So to kick off the list of my Top 30 movies of all time. I thought i'd divert my attention to the new summer blockbuster hit, The Dark Knight. I had to fight off hundreds of other movies so that this film could take this spot. With every movie (with few exceptions) there will be reasons why a certain film made the top 30 list and why it could have been rated higher. Please keep in mind that these are my favorite movies of all time. Your opinions may vary. Comments are always welcome of what you think of a particular movie. So without further adieu, let us begin with the Dark Knight...

Why the Film is on the List

1. Special Effects used with the "Made for Imax" Camera Angles.

One thing that I always like to mention as a movie critic and an avid movie goer, is that I believe that most action scenes are vastly overrated. However, in "The Dark Knights" defense, I saw this movie in Imax, which was an experience. The camera angles ranged from scene-to-scene. Dialogue shots were done in a wide screen to increase the peripheral view. While the action and landscape shots were done in Super Ultra Mega Imax Fullscreen. Literally, there are times that i felt sick to my stomach of the way the camera was spinning around Batman. Although, that doesn't exactly sound intriguing, it sure made the movie fun. The action scenes were elaborate and creative. The creators kept the audience guessing of what was going to occur next and it made it exciting to watch each and every "badass" fight scene. Will it be the same once it hits DVD? Can't say, I may have been spoiled, but I am sure interested to find out.

2. The Joker

Something needs to be said about the late Heath Ledger. Now, I have never been a fan of Mr. Ledger in the prior films that he has done. However, he was nothing short of brilliant in this film. His overwhelmingly eerie demeanor sent shivers down my spine with each scene. The amazing thing about the Joker in this movie was his great balance of being demonic and humorous at the exact same time (which in turn is why he is called the "Joker"). The dialogue seemed very well written with the Joker. Each line gave you some indication of who he was, and why he did such horrible acts. My colleague, Mr. Evan Serge noted that he may be the best comic book villain in movie history. To be honest, i cannot disagree with that statement. One aspect that the filmmakers did best with this character was the audience was wondering what the Joker was doing, while the other characters were on the screen. It was something that I had never seen in an antagonist, and it was brilliant. Heath, that was one hell of a goodbye, we are going to miss you...

3. The Introduction of Two-Face

Now correct me if I am wrong, but the movie did not follow the comic book for this story line. In the original, Harvey Dent (Two-face, and DA of Gotham City) was prosecuting a criminal when some acid was thrown on his face, and somehow it was Batman's fault. I am not sure, but the new sequence where Harvey Dent becomes Two Face is very fitting. The creators of this film did an excellent job of showing how his face became deformed, the symbolism of the coin (It's a bit cheesy, but it fits), and the reason he is so mad at Batman. To which, I have to say, I watched the movie, saying to myself, "Damn, I'd be pretty pissed too if that happened to me". Either way, this is one of the few times where I said the movie was actually a bit better than the book. Great Work!

Why the Movie is not Rated Higher.

1. Two Face: Now you see him, now you don't

One the same level of how I loved how the movie introduced "Two-Face", I was very disappointed of how they took him out of the movie. See, to me, Two-Face was one of the primary villains in the Batman series. In the movie, however, you see him for a grand total of an hour. He comes in, he's pissed off, he kills a bunch of people (most were personal reasons, which was a nice touch). Then the movie just kills him off. Well, dammit! I was enjoying his presence of just being flat out pissed off the entire time, now he's dead. Well, Dark Knight, I suppose we can't win them all...

2. "The Patriot" Phenomena 

This needs a bit of explaining. I base a concept of movie strategies off of the movie the Patriot. (Which in turn has Heath Ledger). In this movie, there is way too much tension. One scene of near death after another re-occurs throughout the movie. Which is fine, but after a while, enough is enough! I need a few breaks from tension scenes, and the Dark Knight offered none near the end. In addition, there are 2 separate instances where Lieutenant James Gordon is either "dead" or had serious threat of death. After a while, I needed a break, which the Dark Knight did not provide. This may not be a gripe for some people, but it was just too much for me.

3. The "DMX" Batman Voice

This is a minor gripe, but Batman's voice got on my last damn nerve. When the Dark Knight opened his mouth, I felt like I was watching a DMX video. I only halfway expected for Batman to say something like, "Listen Mo' Fo', Where be the Joker!? And where my dogs at?! rawrggg!!! arf! arf! Ruff Rider fo' Life, Bitch!" Give me a break, Couldn't Morgan Freeman install a new voice-box in that Batman suit? You can disguise his voice without sounding like an aggressive John Madden.

Overall Assessment:

I have some gripes with the movie. However, I did not take away from how thrilling it was from start to finish. Yes some scenes got repetitive and old. However, there were some fantastic plot twists and made the movie an experience to watch. I may have been spoiled by watching on Imax, but i felt like I had just gotten out of a roller-coaster after the film finished. So for that, Dark Knight, I salute you...