The Dark Knight What makes TDK so special?

[batman1]

I'm glad to know you agree with yourself.

I'm crazy like the Joker

 

[Just_Human]

Above all, its startlingly topical and relatable themes that hit America like a wildstorm. I don't think it is an accident that TDK made so much more domestically than overseas (while Rises' broader struggles of clearer good and evil appealed to the international moviegoers). The film came out in 2008, seven years removed from the most harrowing, paradigm changing event in America, the September 11 terrorist attacks on NY. This single event can be traced back to for every major social, and diplomatic changes, & moral and existential musings in America since.

2001 A Space Odyssey, captured the optimism and curiosity of Americans in the 60's; Star Wars captured the 70's need for feel good escapism after Vietnam. Yet where was the populist film that would espouse this violent, confused zeitgeist? Spielberg's War of the Worlds came close, but its flowery ending and alien invasion premise undercut whatever post 9/11 anxiety it was attempting to challenge. Replace Aliens with the ironic glasgow smile of a violent terrorist, caked in all white make up, whose very gaze is like a razor cutting your skin deep, and you begin to feel the gradual unseating of all that you hold dear.

The Joker is nothing like the religious terrorists that conspired 9/11. His concerns are far more abstract, understandable only in the vocabulary of comic book diabolics. But where he mirrors those real life villains is his absolute conviction to not commit atrocities in the name of material gain. The Joker doesn't care about money. It is but a means to an end. He wants something more sacred. He wants your very soul. He wants you to smile like he does, an eternal smile, as he makes you realize that the morality you hold dear is nothing but a nimble stack of cards. All it takes is a little push and it will all come crashing down. And that should make you very afraid indeed.

The film is able to brilliantly mirror this fear with the fear that the entire nation of America felt as the towers went down. The film instills the same sense of anxiety the Bin Laden's post attack videos that saturated American media did when the Joker fashioned his own little videos. The film instilled the same sense of pervading paranoia you felt when you went outside, and looked at the man that went to the mosque every day and for the first time, wonder if he was more than he let on. The forces of good went to the brink and beyond their moral fiber to battle this demon. Some crossed over to the other side, never to return. Batman's elaborate construction to catch the Joker was not dissimilar to Bush's Patriot Act, where people were tasked to surrender their freedom for security.

It was only a few months into the film's theatrical run that the 2008 stock market crash happened. One wonders how much that boosted the film's lifespan as people were even more willing to wallow in darkness and cynicism and TDK provided a big medium, indeed the biggest medium to do so. The Dark Knight was the best film about America's place post 9/11, and it was a comic book, summer blockbuster movie.

What the **** did I just read

 

[DACrowe]

Above all, its startlingly topical and relatable themes that hit America like a wildstorm. I don't think it is an accident that TDK made so much more domestically than overseas (while Rises' broader struggles of clearer good and evil appealed to the international moviegoers). The film came out in 2008, seven years removed from the most harrowing, paradigm changing event in America, the September 11 terrorist attacks on NY. This single event can be traced back to for every major social, and diplomatic changes, & moral and existential musings in America since.

2001 A Space Odyssey, captured the optimism and curiosity of Americans in the 60's; Star Wars captured the 70's need for feel good escapism after Vietnam. Yet where was the populist film that would espouse this violent, confused zeitgeist? Spielberg's War of the Worlds came close, but its flowery ending and alien invasion premise undercut whatever post 9/11 anxiety it was attempting to challenge. Replace Aliens with the ironic glasgow smile of a violent terrorist, caked in all white make up, whose very gaze is like a razor cutting your skin deep, and you begin to feel the gradual unseating of all that you hold dear.

The Joker is nothing like the religious terrorists that conspired 9/11. His concerns are far more abstract, understandable only in the vocabulary of comic book diabolics. But where he mirrors those real life villains is his absolute conviction to not commit atrocities in the name of material gain. The Joker doesn't care about money. It is but a means to an end. He wants something more sacred. He wants your very soul. He wants you to smile like he does, an eternal smile, as he makes you realize that the morality you hold dear is nothing but a nimble stack of cards. All it takes is a little push and it will all come crashing down. And that should make you very afraid indeed.

The film is able to brilliantly mirror this fear with the fear that the entire nation of America felt as the towers went down. The film instills the same sense of anxiety the Bin Laden's post attack videos that saturated American media did when the Joker fashioned his own little videos. The film instilled the same sense of pervading paranoia you felt when you went outside, and looked at the man that went to the mosque every day and for the first time, wonder if he was more than he let on. The forces of good went to the brink and beyond their moral fiber to battle this demon. Some crossed over to the other side, never to return. Batman's elaborate construction to catch the Joker was not dissimilar to Bush's Patriot Act, where people were tasked to surrender their freedom for security.

It was only a few months into the film's theatrical run that the 2008 stock market crash happened. One wonders how much that boosted the film's lifespan as people were even more willing to wallow in darkness and cynicism and TDK provided a big medium, indeed the biggest medium to do so. The Dark Knight was the best film about America's place post 9/11, and it was a comic book, summer blockbuster movie.

Wow. Just...

I think you win for articulating this better than I have ever seen anyone do so.

Anyway, I would just meagerly add after reading that that I rewatched the movie for the first time in a few years this weekend, and it stunned me even more. It is the first time I have watched The Dark Knight and that it no longer feels "modern." I mean that in a sense that even in 2012 or 2013, the shadow of the Bush Years, 9/11, that how anxiety was still persistent on some level in the culture.

I feel like we are finally moving far enough way that the emotions and feelings that you so well articulated here are still as present as ever and, along with the top notch filmmaking and performances, make it my favorite movie in the genre by miles. But now, it has a very historic quality in the same way something like American Beauty or Fight Club did at capturing the anxieties of that late '90s, Generation X, Post-Cold War complacency of the late 1990s (which ironically looked pretty great two years later).

Now that I feel more removed from the world of The Dark Knight than I ever have in the past, it makes me appreciate its lightning in a bottle quality even more.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Thanks man.

But now, it has a very historic quality in the same way something like American Beauty or Fight Club did at capturing the anxieties of that late '90s, Generation X, Post-Cold War complacency of the late 1990s

Don't forget the Matrix.

 

[The Joker]

What the **** did I just read

A high quality post.

 

[shauner111]

What the **** did I just read

Are you confused?

A high quality post.

i second this.

 

[batman1]

Watched TDK the other day on tv. It's so awesomely paced and shot! It's really a perfect movie for any genre.

 

[mr.roulette]

Ledger's performance.

 

[DarthDorranceBane]

Says the newbie.

 

[shauner111]

Your signature is fantastic.

I can't tell if he gave his age away with his grammar, or because he said Joker was the only good thing OR the fact that he didn't pay attention enough to know that Batman didn't retire because of a girl dying!

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Watched TDK the other day on tv. It's so awesomely paced and shot! It's really a perfect movie for any genre.

That includes romantic comedies.
Don't let anyone say you're wrong.

 

[batman1]

Oh I won't!!

 

[batman1]

Does Christian Bale portayal of Bruce Wayne impress anyone?

 

[JackWhite]

Does Christian Bale portayal of Bruce Wayne impress anyone?

A resounding yes.

 

[shauner111]

In this movie or in general? Overall it's the only live-action portrayal that has "impressed" me.

 

[Slade W]

Above all, its startlingly topical and relatable themes that hit America like a wildstorm. I don't think it is an accident that TDK made so much more domestically than overseas (while Rises' broader struggles of clearer good and evil appealed to the international moviegoers). The film came out in 2008, seven years removed from the most harrowing, paradigm changing event in America, the September 11 terrorist attacks on NY. This single event can be traced back to for every major social, and diplomatic changes, & moral and existential musings in America since.

2001 A Space Odyssey, captured the optimism and curiosity of Americans in the 60's; Star Wars captured the 70's need for feel good escapism after Vietnam. Yet where was the populist film that would espouse this violent, confused zeitgeist? Spielberg's War of the Worlds came close, but its flowery ending and alien invasion premise undercut whatever post 9/11 anxiety it was attempting to challenge. Replace Aliens with the ironic glasgow smile of a violent terrorist, caked in all white make up, whose very gaze is like a razor cutting your skin deep, and you begin to feel the gradual unseating of all that you hold dear.

The Joker is nothing like the religious terrorists that conspired 9/11. His concerns are far more abstract, understandable only in the vocabulary of comic book diabolics. But where he mirrors those real life villains is his absolute conviction to not commit atrocities in the name of material gain. The Joker doesn't care about money. It is but a means to an end. He wants something more sacred. He wants your very soul. He wants you to smile like he does, an eternal smile, as he makes you realize that the morality you hold dear is nothing but a nimble stack of cards. All it takes is a little push and it will all come crashing down. And that should make you very afraid indeed.

The film is able to brilliantly mirror this fear with the fear that the entire nation of America felt as the towers went down. The film instills the same sense of anxiety the Bin Laden's post attack videos that saturated American media did when the Joker fashioned his own little videos. The film instilled the same sense of pervading paranoia you felt when you went outside, and looked at the man that went to the mosque every day and for the first time, wonder if he was more than he let on. The forces of good went to the brink and beyond their moral fiber to battle this demon. Some crossed over to the other side, never to return. Batman's elaborate construction to catch the Joker was not dissimilar to Bush's Patriot Act, where people were tasked to surrender their freedom for security.

It was only a few months into the film's theatrical run that the 2008 stock market crash happened. One wonders how much that boosted the film's lifespan as people were even more willing to wallow in darkness and cynicism and TDK provided a big medium, indeed the biggest medium to do so. The Dark Knight was the best film about America's place post 9/11, and it was a comic book, summer blockbuster movie.

I am very late but I just saw this. Excellent post.

 

[batman1]

Great. Awesome.

 

[Batmannerism]

Just watched TDK again (haven't seen it for a few months, been too busy).

I've seen it literally hundreds of times, but it's still spectacular. I mean the action isn't end of the world-apocalyptic explosions etc. but it's still completely enthralling.

No matter what folks say about Bale's Batman, Affleck has a very tough act to follow.

This film is about as close as it gets to a 10/10 !

 

[BH/HHH]

Does Christian Bale portayal of Bruce Wayne impress anyone?

His Bruce Wayne is perfect. His Batman though not a patch on Keaton's IMO.

 

[4thWallBreaker]

The Joker. The end. Lol.

 

[BH/HHH]

The Joker. The end. Lol.

Can't argue there

 

[Rodrigo90]

It's true.

Strip the Joker away and what film would you have? Batman fighting the mob and succeeding with Lau's arrest in HK - paving way to a typical ending

 

[The Joker]

Does Christian Bale portayal of Bruce Wayne impress anyone?

Perfect Bruce Wayne, and despite some issues with the voice, he's still the best movie Batman yet. Bar none.

Just watched TDK again (haven't seen it for a few months, been too busy).

I've seen it literally hundreds of times, but it's still spectacular. I mean the action isn't end of the world-apocalyptic explosions etc. but it's still completely enthralling.

No matter what folks say about Bale's Batman, Affleck has a very tough act to follow.

This film is about as close as it gets to a 10/10 !

It's true.

Strip the Joker away and what film would you have? Batman fighting the mob and succeeding with Lau's arrest in HK - paving way to a typical ending

It's true for nearly every comic book movie, or any movie with a primary antagonist. I never understood stupid arguments like that because if you take out the key main villain the movie falls apart. Can you imagine Star Wars 4-6 without Vader, The Silence of the Lambs without Hannibal, Die Hard without Hans Gruber etc being as good or even working without them? Of course not.

Look at the other Batman movie with the Joker; Batman '89. Take the Joker out and what do you have, Batman stops two muggers.....and nothing. Actually scratch that, you wouldn't even have Batman since Joker made him Take Loki out of The Avengers and you have no story etc etc.

So why certain people act like this is just true for TDK is beyond me.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Take Ultron out of AOU, and the Avengers take out the hydra bases remaining and go their merry ways. 20 minute movie.

 

[Rodrigo90]

It's true for nearly every comic book movie, or any movie with a primary antagonist. I never understood stupid arguments like that because if you take out the key main villain the movie falls apart. Can you imagine Star Wars 4-6 without Vader, The Silence of the Lambs without Hannibal, Die Hard without Hans Gruber etc being as good or even working without them? Of course not.

Look at the other Batman movie with the Joker; Batman '89. Take the Joker out and what do you have, Batman stops two muggers.....and nothing. Actually scratch that, you wouldn't even have Batman since Joker made him Take Loki out of The Avengers and you have no story etc etc.

So why certain people act like this is just true for TDK is beyond me.

Batman Returns: No Penguin. Bruce sits alone in darkness, as the citizens of Gotham City enjoy Christmas Festivities...Shreck pushes Selina out of the window, but since we're excluding comic book alter-egos, she dies. Shreck never manages to get his power plant built and Batman has no good reason to return. Cue credits

Being more direct on exclusion.

Batman Forever: Two-Face never robs the bank or kills Dick Grayson's family, meaning Chase Meridian is never called for...Bruce inspects Wayne Enterprises and never pisses off Edaward for him to become The Riddler, since he doesn't exist...Cue credits.

Batman & Robin: Mr. Freeze never robs the museum, which means never leading to all the cat and mouse games between himself and the Dynamic Duo. The scenes that take place in South America never occur because Jason Woodrue, Pamela Isley and Antonio Diego don't exist. Alfred dies because Fries never existed to create the cure to save him...cue credits

Batman Begins: Since Joe Chill doesn't exist, Bruce and his family live a long and happy life. Ra's doesn't exist, so he never brought Gotham to economic ruin. Without Ra's even Scarecrow wouldn't be around.

The Dark Knight: Without Batman due to the reasons above, the man who would be Joker would not exist. Harvey Dent would never be Two-Face because of that.

The Dark Knight Rises: No Ra's = no Talia. No Bane to help her.