Your comics

2nd OPINION: The Dark Knight

“It’s a masterpiece”, “a thing of genius”, “a work of art” - these are just a few of the, it has to be said, less hyperbolic statements that have been bandied about lately in regard to Nolan’s latest Bat-flick. Dare to broach the subject of Ledger’s performance and critics and fanboys alike swoon and gasp and mutter breathily of  (surely) the first acting Oscar to come the way of a comic-book movie.

So are they right? Is this the defining moment in 21st century cinema? Is it really that good? Er… no.

Don’t get me wrong, it is very, very accomplished. Without a doubt, it’s the finest crime drama (which is what it is, this is no comic-book movie, despite the central characters’ origins) we’ve seen since Heat, but it’s not the finest film of this year, let alone the decade/century/all time/whatever.

Let me explain why. Nolan tied his hands with Batman Begins, which is a brilliantly executed, emminently watchable comic-book movie. One of the finest comic-book adaptations (if not the finest) we’ve seen up until now. However, he nailed his colours firmly to the mast with a declaration that ‘if it wasn’t believable, it wasn’t in the film’. The dedication to make everything as solid, as believable, as rooted in reality as possible, was hugely commendable; and, for the most part (we’ll ignore the “backup” moment), was a success. It was always a danger that in treading the path that must be trod with sequels (Bigger! Louder! Faster! More intense!) the film would get caught between two camps - neither a rooted-in-reality crime thriller no an out-and-out comic-book caper. Unfortunately, this is what has happened.

Read more...