Batman: The Dark Knight

[Donovan A.]

I recently saw a late showing of the film. I have been a general fan of the Batman movies and cartoons since my teens. I found this film to be philosophically simple and it's message morally depraved. The movie's underling essential premise is that there is a "higher good," the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. A true hero according to The Dark Knight should be: willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. The message of this film is not justice. To create drama, the movie was focused on a typical philosophical paradox: What to do in the face of a prisoners dilemma? I find this to be a rather boring and uninteresting issue to wrestle with. Another repeating sub-premise of the film and of its villains was to offer an incentive to Batman or the general population to be evil to avoid mass death, a greater catastrophe, or a higher evil. The villains attempt to demonstrate that everyone is morally corrupt. Batman as a character was unclear in his moral self-assessment and he consistently offered mercy to evil as an ethical message of nobility.

[Mike11]

The Joker was an amazing villain. As was the other major villain in the film.

The only regret I had with the film was Bale, I don't think he's changed his facial expression since Swing Kids.

[Chris Grieb]

I like Christian Bale. I even liked him in Newsies.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I just saw this movie and I loved it. I will be writing my own review later.

For now, I only want to say that I don't recall seeing the issue of volition treated on such a metaphysical level in an action movie as this one, nor within a context of so much supercharged valuing. The commitment of each of the characters to his and her respective values reminds me a great deal of Victor Hugo's characters.

More later elsewhere.

Michael

[Kat]

This movie was awesome. It was one of the most amazing films I have ever seen... the characters, the story, the action were incredible. There was a lot going on, yet it was easy enough to follow and purely entertaining. And, yes, Heath Ledger as the Joker outshines just about any villain, with his portrayal as a truly evil man with nothing to lose who just wants to watch the world burn because he thinks chaos is fun. A man beyond the reach of reason.

The Dark Knight was filmed in Chicago so, at least for me, there was cool a hometown familiarity to it. I did miss seeing the cool L trains they had in Batman Begins. Last summer Chicago turned into Gotham City late at night for the filming and I would get street closure notices in my inbox at work. Chicago has great architecture which is a mix of old and new, underground streets, the lake and the river. I definitely recognized many of the places such as LaSalle Street, Lower Wacker, Navy Pier, the river, the old post office as the bank, etc. The effects were real for the most part, with little reliance on CGI. They actually blew up an old Brachs candy factory on Cicero Ave. for the hospital scene. Anyway, if you have not seen this movie, go see it on the biggest screen possible.

I can't wait to see it again at the IMAX.

Kat the Bat

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I was delighted to come across a review that reflects what I saw in the movie, at least the part about volition. Krause even stated it explicitly.

The Dark Knight: Evil as It Should Be

by Ryan Krause

The Atlasphere

Ayn Rand wrote in The Romantic Manifesto that “Romanticism is a category of art based on the recognition of the principle that man possesses the faculty of volition.” The Dark Knight not only recognizes this principle, it incorporates it into its theme and characterization.

Despite Krause not covering much the passionate valuing I perceived in the movie, this is one hell of a good review for those familiar with Objectivism. Now I will not have to write as much as I was going to. All I have to do for most of it is point to this review.

Michael

[studiodekadent]

I loved The Dark Knight. Brilliant work. The Joker was an excellent villain and Heath Ledger put on an amazing performance (however, I think he got a little too much 'he-died credit' from the press, still his performance was excellent). There was one performance I was utterly amazed by: Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart (who I LOVED in "Thank You For Smoking")).

However I disagree with the Atlasphere's categorization of Dent as a villain for the most part. For most of his time (after THE PLOT TWIST), he is a twisted vigilante. He only really does something villainous when he does you know what at the very end of the film. Dent is quite tragic in his 'fall' and to instantly cast him into the pit of irredeemable evil is far too hasty a character judgement.

Also the Atlasphere's review, by equating the Joker to the "philosophy student that keeps inventing lifeboat scenarios to disprove any and all ethical principles" is REALLY overstating the evil of most philosophy students and understating that of the Joker. It lacks any sense of proportion in regard to that moral judgement.

[Chris Grieb]

Student; I always thought philosophy professors were the evil ones. I thought the students could be redeemed.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

This reminds me of some forum discussions.

Michael

[Peter]

On 8/2/2008 at 12:46 PM, Kat said:

This movie was awesome. It was one of the most amazing films I have ever seen... the characters, the story, the action were incredible. There was a lot going on, yet it was easy enough to follow and purely entertaining. And, yes, Heath Ledger as the Joker outshines just about any villain, with his portrayal as a truly evil man with nothing to lose who just wants to watch the world burn because he thinks chaos is fun. A man beyond the reach of reason.

The Dark Knight was filmed in Chicago so, at least for me, there was cool a hometown familiarity to it. I did miss seeing the cool L trains they had in Batman Begins. Last summer Chicago turned into Gotham City late at night for the filming and I would get street closure notices in my inbox at work. Chicago has great architecture which is a mix of old and new, underground streets, the lake and the river. I definitely recognized many of the places such as LaSalle Street, Lower Wacker, Navy Pier, the river, the old post office as the bank, etc. The effects were real for the most part, with little reliance on CGI. They actually blew up an old Brachs candy factory on Cicero Ave. for the hospital scene. Anyway, if you have not seen this movie, go see it on the biggest screen possible.

I can't wait to see it again at the IMAX.

Kat the Bat

For all you kids out there! “I’m Batman.”

Michael Keaton Is in Talks to Return as Batman in The Flash Movie. Michael Keaton, who starred as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's Batman films, is in talks to reprise the character for Warner Bro.'s DC movie, The Flash, E! News has learned. By Pamela Avila JUN 22, 2020 4:32 PMTAGS

[Peter]

IMDb Val (2021) Aug 06, 2021 · Storyline Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood's most mercurial actors, has been documenting his life and craft through film. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster films like Top Gun and Batman. NY Post, Jul 23, 2021 · In the intimate and revealing new documentary “Val” — now streaming on Amazon Prime — we meet Kilmer, 61, after he’s survived throat cancer. Although he denied being sick in 2016, the actor now...

No he wasn’t as good as Michael Keaton who also played “Batman.”  We watched “Val” tonight and because of a LOT OF home filming which contributes greatly to the documentary it was very interesting to watch. What a shame throat cancer destroyed his voice and his career. He can talk (like Popeye) but it does get annoying and much of it is better when a pre cancer Val is narrating or a voiceover actor does the job. So much private film! You feel like you get to know him after a while. His wife Joanne Whalley seemed like a fine person too and she has appeared in movies and TV. It is definitely worth watching. He is now 61 and his ex wife is 60. Peter