The Dark Knight DVD Review
By: CJ

"Welcome to a world without rules"

The biggest movie of the summer is now on DVD. I purchased the 2-Disc edition of the movie last Winter. (I was going to write an interview about it then, but haven't gotten around to it until now.) This review contains spoilers, so be warned. (But who in the world HASN'T seen this movie by now? It made $1 Billion in the box-office!)

The movie begins with a bank robbery. Several men dressed in clown masks storm a bank, all talking with each other about the mysterious criminal who has been lurking about Gotham known only as The Joker. Things go awry when, one by one, they all begin killing each other, until only two clowns are left. One of them is wise to the Joker's plan and points a gun at the other clown. His comrade pauses for a moment, saying that he was only ordered to kill the bus driver. Confused, the other clown asks "What bus driv--" Before he can finish, a bus slams into the building, We then learn that the last clown standing is actually The Joker himself. Taking the spoils, Joker gets into the bus, where he blends in with several other school buses.


Batman and Luitenant Gordon arrive at the scene later on. Batman has been trying to track down the Joker since the end of the previous Batman film, Batman Begins, but has since been unable to find him. Batman is more worried about the increasing mob presence in Gotham. When Gordon tries to convince Batman to catch him, Batman responds: "One man or the entire mob? He can wait." Batman will quickly learn that was a very BIG mistake, as The Joker will soon send Gotham into utter chaos and push Batman to his breaking point.

The movie features some great cinematography, and an amazing performance by the late Heath Ledger who gives us what might possibly be the greatest villain to appear in cinema. The Joker isn't some villain who simply wants to rob banks. He wants to prove a point. The Joker believes that deep down, all people can be corrupted, and he wants to bring out the worst in people. He plays mindgames with his victims, instead of simply murdering them. (Well, actually, he does a little of both) The Joker is evil, but at the same time, charming. You hate him, but at the same time, you love him.


One of the best scenes in the movie was in the interrogation room of the Gotham Police Department, *SPOILERS* After being apprehended, Batman is brought in to talk with the Joker, trying to find out where he has hidden District Attorney Harvey Dent. Batman seems to have the upper-hand in the scene, as The Joker is now in Police Custody, and forced to talk to Batman or suffer some brutal punishment. The scene quickly changes when Batman learns that The Joker also has Rachel Dawes, Batman/Bruce Wayne's childhood friend and the woman he loves, also captured and ready to be blown to bits at any second. Batman locks the door and begins beating the living hell out of the Joker, who simply laughs it off. "Killing is making a choice. Choose between one life or the other, your friend the District Attorney, or his blushing bride-to-be!" By saving one, Batman will also be leaving the other to die, effectly aiding Joker in his murder. Batman goes after Rachel, but learns the Joker mixed the addresses, finding Harvey Dent instead. Batman has no choice but to rescue him as he hears Rachel get killed over a speaker. Harvey Dent's face is badly scarred as the two flee the explosion. Meanwhile, back in jail, The Joker has escaped, hanging his head out of a stolen police car like a dog. (Dogs seem to be a big theme in the movie.)

Batman realizes the Joker is unlike any criminal he has ever faced, and goes to any length to catch him, including spying on the people of Gotham. Lucius Fox, Batman/Bruce Wayne's friend, and the creator of all his gadgets, asks at what cost will he go to find the Joker.


The Dark Knight raises the bar of comic-book movies. The movie does have it flaws, though. There several snooze-inducing moments with Bruce, Rachel and Harvey chatting with one another, and the Hong Kong sequence was pretty dull as well. While Christian Bale definitely LOOKS like Bruce Wayne, he gives a somewhat dull performance.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, the actress who recasts the role of Rachel Dawes, (previously played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins) also gives us a very boring performance which lacks any charm or personality. I also thought they went a bit too far with some of the darkness in the film as The Joker videotapes himself killing a terrified man dressed as Batman, giggling the entire time. We also see the fake-Batman's dead body hanging by a rope outside the Gotham Police Department.


Later in the film, Harvey Dent is horrifically scarred. While that was always part of Two-Face's origin in the comics, director Christopher Nolan took it to a tasteless level. Harvey Dent isn't really deformed as he was in the comics, instead, it looks like someone just ripped half the skin off of his face. The movie ends on a very hopeless note, and none of the characters truly learn anything from the chaos The Joker has spread. Batman ends up killing in order to save someone's life (breaking his "one rule" as mentioned earlier in the film) and resorts to preserving a lie in what he thinks will be protecting the people of Gotham.

I remember leaving the theater when I first saw the film last July, and while I did like the movie, w I wondered what acts of heroism did Batman actually DO in this movie? He failed to save Rachel, and so many other innocent people from the Joker. While he did save a child at the end, he had to murder in order to do it. Even when he captured the Joker at the end, The Joker simply laughed it off, revealing he had one last trick up his sleeve.

Movie aside, let's talk about the DVD. The special features are pretty disappointing. You'd think that a movie which made $1 Billion in the box-office would have a DVD loaded with special features. Well, you'd be wrong. They didn't even need to make
this a 2-Disc edition. All of the Special Features could've easily fit onto one disc.

The Special Features include 7 scenes shot in their original IMAX Aspect Ratio, (why this was a considered special feature and not simply part of the movie itself is a mystery.) There is also a featurette on The Joker's theme music, a short 'making of' documentary, 3 trailers for the film, a poster gallery, and some 'Gotham Tonight' news segments, (previously seen online.)

There are no commentaries, no featurettes on The Joker's history in comics and how they re-created him for the movie, no interviews with the cast, no deleted scenes, no 'Jokerized' trailer (I believe you can find it on the Blu-Ray edition as an easter egg.) and no featurette
on Two-Face's comic-book origins.

The menus themselves aren't much either. (Though I thought The Joker saying 'here.. we... go..' when you hit play was a cute touch.) The scene selection screen isn't even animated. It's just a bunch of stills. The Blu-Ray has a few more features, but nothing special. Just a few TV spots and a special that aired on The History Channel.

The biggest blockbuster since Titanic and this is the DVD they give us? come on, Warner Bros, i've seen more impressive, feature-loaded DVDs back in 2002!

Pros:
-Great film, with some amazing performances

Cons:
-Movie has some dull moments
-The violence gets somewhat tasteless later on
-Menus are unimpressive
-Lackluster special features
-Maggie and Bale's performances.

Movie Rating: 9/10
DVD Rating 4/10