Why so serious indeed pt. 2

So I finally made it to see the Dark Knight this past weekend with my sister and father and I think we pretty much all agree that we did not care for it. Yes, Heath Ledger turned a very interesting, complex and engaging performance but I can't think of the last time I went to a movie that depressed me that much. Of course, I generally avoid movies which will depress me and opt for movies I think I will actually enjoy. I was worried that the whole Heath Ledger thing would upset me which is why I put off going for so long. Turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

From my point of view (understanding that the huge majority seems to have loved the film), Nolan took the movie too seriously and dragged it from the comic book world into a world that seemed much too real. In Batman Begins, lots of different sets made up the nightmarish world of Gotham, a world that seemed somewhat real but not too real so that you could stay in the fantasy of the comic. Christopher Nolan specifically said in the Times Talk I attended that this time he wanted to film all the scenes on location because he thought that would be better than the artificial world created by the sets. Problem is, the Gotham of the Dark Knight is now clearly and obviously present day Chicago and this jarred me out of the world of comic books and thrust me disturbingly into reality. Heath Ledger's performance was very disturbing and not overly cartoonish and thus it came across to me as a much more plausible, real villain, one who could be haunting the citizens of Chicago and creating chaos in their otherwise calm city. It upset me without entertaining me - there were some scenes towards the end that I shall not ruin that very much made me think of a post-9/11, living on the edge New York and I could barely watch the screen. All of this might have made for an interesting film if Christopher Nolan had a specific message to impart about the world we live in but he just made the comic apply to a real, nightmarish world without any clear comment on that world (other than what makes a hero, how do heroes make choices, and other usual superhero movie blah blah). I left feeling depressed, upset and not remotely entertained (only the Hong Kong sequence had any pure entertainment value in it). At least I had a free pass so I didn't have to pay to be depressed.

With respect to Heath Ledger, I also have to note that while his performance in this movie was amazing and makes me wish he was still around so that we could see how much he was really capable of, my favorite Heath Ledger performances are the ones where he hardly speaks at all and yet grabs you with a single look. His performance in Brokeback Mountain is beautiful and devastating and he has hardly any lines. Likewise, in I'm Not There, he portrayed so much emotion by being quiet and understated. His Joker is a very noteworthy performance but let's hope that the larger than life role does not eclipse his wonderful, understated gems.

Finally, I have to say, does anyone know how hard it is for me to keep typing Heath over and over again without the -er? My fingers just don't know how to stop at the h.