Holy shit, Batman!

I've always been a fan of superhero movies, going all the way back to Richard Donner's Superman. And as much as I've loved them, there's always been an element of realistic logic missing from them. Until now, filmmakers have just assumed that the suspension of disbelief needed for an audience to buy that a man can fly instantly meant that all real world consequences went out the window as well. They never showed Superman or Spiderman buying new clothes to replace the outfit they left in those phone booths. Heroes and villains alike could purchase parts for custom jet planes and doomsday machines without raising the slightest bit of suspicion from government agencies. It's always bugged me.

Now, the filmmakers are wising up. F-16's are chasing a bogey that turns out to be Iron Man. Satellite photos uncovered where the X-Men hide their plane. And now, warrants have been issued for the arrest of Batman.

I like to imagine that after the cinematic abomination that was Batman And Robin, Hollywood finally started listening to writers and directors that actually knew a thing or two about character development, psychology and human emotion. These huge mythologies created in the comics provided an outline, but logic drove the vision onto the big screen. X-Men started this trend by by forgoing the yellow spandex for more sensible black uniforms, giving all their characters a reason for being there and actually utilizing the full capacity of the characters powers. When Batman Begins came around, they actually explained how Bruce Wayne received his training and got all those wonderful toys, going so far as to explain how he covered his tracks in purchasing all of the parts he needed to become Batman.

Now, we have The Dark Knight. Starting out roughly a year after Batman Begins, and Gotham City is indeed a different place. The cops and lawyers have the bad guys on the run, and the bad guys are having to take bigger and bolder steps to hold on to their part of the city. In a lot of ways, Batman has made a difference, but he's still as busy as ever and the citizens are still unsure what to think of him. Most people seem to privately praise his efforts while publicly calling for his head. For Gotham City, it's a duality that they can live with, until the Joker comes along.

Heath Ledger is now the definitive Joker, and as much as I loved Jack Nicholson's take on the character, Ledger makes Jack's Joker look like a pussy. This Joker is the new standard for bad guys and a stunning legacy for an actor lost to this world way too soon. That being said, as hard as I tried, I couldn't shake the same feeling I had seeing Brandon Lee in The Crow. I worry that I loved the performance so much because i knew that this was the last time we'd see something like this. I also came to realize another similarity: This is twice now that we've lost an actor after they portrayed a character whose main disguise is white grease paint. Not that I suspect a curse, but on the other hand, I wonder if another actor would have the balls to do a character in white-face again.

The Joker, as a character has always been a tough nut to cracked, and in TDK, he certainly cracked. He's a fully realized character with no rules, his back story changes each time he tells it, and his motivation is clear: total chaos. His grudge with Batman is one of hatred as well as admiration. The Joker is a master manipulator, giving everyone he targets a choice; he'll give anyone what they want, but it usually means that they must sacrifice the ideals that made their motivations worthwhile in the first place. The same holds true for the audience, at times, you don't know whether to love or hate the guy. Some of his demented antics left me laughing my ass off or mumbling "Ooooh, well played!" under my breath. Case in point, the disappearing pencil trick and "I'd like my one phone call, now."

Batman this time around really doesn't have that much screen time, but the time he does have is gold. He actually does detective work, escalates his arsenal to better serve his needs in taking down more sophisticated bad guys. Nothing he has on his utility belt is a clever plot convenience. There's no shark repellent spray just in case he needs it. He actually adapts his methods based on what needs to be adapted.

Bruce Wayne has become a really great character in my opinion. He uses his wealth and power to serve two purposes simultaneously: to find information that will help Batman and to ensure that no one would ever suspect that he is Batman.

Harvey Dent was very well done and fit neatly into the story, but unfortunately didn't have much time to shine because of the Joker. The story sets up Two-Face very well, and went in direction I wasn't expecting at all. Maggie Gyllenhal taking over for Katie Holmes was certainly an upgrade. The setup for Commissioner Gordon was a testament to the genius that is Gary Oldman. His role in Batman Begins kinda disappointed me, but now I view it as a great setup for a great performance in this film.

All in all, this is the best film I've seen this year, and the only one I'm dying to see again on the big screen. I loved Iron Man and Wall-E (tied for second best), Incredible Hulk, Hellboy II, and everything else I've seen this year, but I believe I can wait for DVD on all those. With TDK, I still need to catch it at the IMAX, where I'm certain I'll be blown away all over again.