The Dark Knight

The Motion Picture Academy has once again proven that they are total snobs who cannot bring themselves to respect any film released before November. I have not yet seen any of the best picture/director nominees, but to not even honor a film as powerful and well-crafted as The Dark Knight is ridiculous. The only major nomination it received was for Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, which is deserved, but also was a foregone conclusion to most 6 months ago. This was one of the finest crafted films I have ever seen. In fact, it was almost more of an experience than just a film.

Not only was The Dark Knight an enjoyable and engaging action movie, but it also addressed some very interesting ideas and issues. Of course it had the theme of good vs. evil, but most importantly, it tried to find the line between the two. The Joker is constantly trying to push Batman to break his one rule. Through that conflict we also see some ideas about integrity, and the seduction of the darker side of humanity. There are also themes of sacrifice, justice, loss, and so many more elements of the human story.

What most fascinated me, though, was the central idea of the film that is given in the title itself. In the end Batman embraces the persona of the dark knight, the one who lives in shadows and confronts evil on its own terms. He realizes that in a broken world, sometimes society needs people to do its dirty work, only to be reviled by the very people they are protecting. I find this especially fascinating given the timing of the film. Given the vehement dislike of the president who just left office over issues like the war on terrorism, torture, infringement of personal privacy, and other issues, this film was terribly ironic in its popularity. At the same time that people were reviling our president for allowing water boarding of suspected terrorists, they were applauding as Batman beat the Joker to a pulp while in police custody. The top grossing film of the year (and second-most all-time) was validating every controversial move of the Bush administration, yet most people never even noticed.

And that right there is the beauty of this film. It grappled with deep and powerful issues that most people totally missed because they were having too much fun. It hid valuable truths and insightful questions deep inside an entertaining and beautiful story. Isn't that the point of any artistic medium?