Well, I'm late, but it's about time. I've reviewed The Dark Knight after a month (I think it's a month) since its release. At least I can say that I liked it a lot.
Anthony's Film Review - The Dark Knight (2008)
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7 comments:
Anthony,
Two questions regarding thoughts in your review:
1. In your review you chose to reveal that Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face. I decided not to in my review. It seems like giving away too much of a plot. If you know the comics then you already know who Harvey is and what will happen but I imagine that a significant number of people seeing The Dark Knight won't know.
2. I don't think the conflict in the film is about good and evil at all. It's about order and chaos. With Batman and the Joker being the personifications of each conflicting concept. Batman isn't good and the Joker isn't evil. That's what makes the film so interesting is that it isn't the good/evil superhero conflict that we're so used to.
Thoughts?
1. It's a good point. I often assume that a spoiler involving a character's second identity wouldn't be mentioned in IMDb's cast list where Aaron Eckhart is credited as Harvey/Two-Face. Of course, others would still leave it out and that's fine.
2. I could sort of see both conflicts come into play. The order vs. chaos one just didn't stick out as much as good vs. evil because there was just so much chaos to see any bit of order. And yes, the line dividing good from evil is so faded from the start that no distinction is necessary. I guess it's a matter of what you notice first.
Thanks for the comments. It sounds as if I can count on you to reply to my review with something to discuss. :-)
1. I wouldn't base what details to be revealed on the IMDB. Usually with my plot summaries I try and give just the bare necessities. Does the audience need to know that Harvey becomes Two-Face?
2. But Anthony I really don't think it's about good vs evil at all. Batman isn't "good" and the Joker isn't "evil." Batman isn't a force for "good" he's a force for "order" and "control." And the Joker is a force for anarchy and chaos. Batman does things that would result in people going to prison. He continually does very immoral things. He's not a "good guy" by any means. And it's hard to say that the Joker is really "evil" so much as criminally insane.
I acknowledge your points and do agree with what you say. :-)
I agree that most of the characters in Dark Knight are neither good nor evil, and that's what makes it interesting. From my review: "I couldn’t help but draw parallels to The Joker and the madmen terrorists who plague our world. As Chin Han said, he truly is a Joker for our times." He seems like a metaphor for the crazy times we live in.
Re the Harvey/Two-Face Spoiler, I had to go back and see if I included that. I didn't. I've gotten better about revealing too much in my reviews. Readers don't want to go away thinking they already know everything there is to know about the movie.
We caught some flack for that at TVSquad.com. People didn't like that we revealed spoilers before the jump. Now we make a big point of saying "Spoilers after the jump." That way, people have the option of reading them or not reading them. I do that with some of my posts at Film Gecko, too.
Dang it Anthony you're not supposed to agree with me! We're supposed to have a debate here! Just kidding. ;-) Thanks.
I should clarify that my mention of Harvey/Two-Face didn't just come from IMDb. I had heard of the appearance of that second character from sources here and there on the net before I saw the movie. I figure that if something from a movie is really a spoiler, it would either be frequently labeled as such or seldom mentioned publicly.
And David, the reason I seem agreeable is because I try to listen to other people, even if I and/or the other party is wrong. If there's one thing I hate, it's heated arguments. Besides, everyone's entitled to an opinion, even if it's totally senseless in the end. Better to listen to some crap to hear all the good stuff than to not listen but risk missing the valuable stuff. That's what free speech is about, right? :-)
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