Okay, a lot of people in the press have been going on and on about how good this movie is. CNN.com, EOnline, your local newspaper… everyone is gushing over this movie.
… so one more gush won’t hurt, right?
DAMN! This movie was GOOD! I always thought that, of the recent series of super-hero movies kicked off by Bryan Singer with "X-Men",
"Batman Begins" was the best written. That film gave us a very literary treatment of the theme of Fear: what it does to people, how it can be used, how to deal with it. Well, it’s time for BB to move over and welcome its successor. This film is about order versus chaos, and
Michael Moorcock couldn’t have done it better. The plot of this movie is actually quite intricate weaving together the stories of the Joker,
Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, Rachel Dawes, Lucius Fox, and an overly inquisitive accounting consultant for Wayne Industries while still keeping the struggle of Bruce Wayne in the center.
The performances are exquisite as well. I can’t single out a single one. Look at it this way, when Maggie Gyllenhal, Aaron Eckhardt,
Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, and Christian
Bale all give their all, it’s amazing. There isn’t an actor in that cast who hasn’t distinguished themselves in multiple performances before this film, in my humble opinion. Ask me for a list some time and I’ll give it to you. A warning: like Donkey from the Schrek movies, the real trick is shutting me up about it.
All of that gushing aside, let me flesh out a few details for those of you wondering whether or not you should take your kids too see this particular work of art…
Sex: none.
Violence: lots
This is something you should think about. This isn’t quite a
Michael Bay film, but there are quite a lot of explosions and people getting shot. In terms of total gallons of blood, you’re looking at less than one. The real issue with the violence of this film is
Nolan’s very powerful suggestions of blood and blood-letting. Nolan really invites our imaginations in as equal contributors. More on that in the Horror section where it belongs.
Horror:
Ledger’s Joker is really something to see. That said, it might not be for all of us to see. This Joker has a penchant for telling various stories at knife-point which many young viewers might find too disturbing. My own Pup and spouse had noticeable difficulty with a few scenes involving the Joker and his numerous hostages. If you have kids who have issues with blades or needles, you should keep them away from this film.
Values:
This film actually has a lot to say about our society. It isn’t political, or trendy. The story just has a lot to say about society and its rules, and the importance of adhering to those rules.
Ultimately, this is what I liked about this film the most. It doesn’t give us lots of answers, or suggests that it knows something that we don’t. It just asks really good questions.
The Pup’s Response:
"Awesome!" Not so coincidentally, this was a similar reaction from myself and Mrs. Geek.
