[Movie Review] The Dark Knight

Great entertaining movie!

Lots of quotable quotes. Lots of philosophy behind it. In fact, it's the differences in philosophy between Batman, Harvey Dent (Two Face), and Joker that makes the plot revolve here. If you will read this other review of this movie, you will see what I'm talking about - just what sort of stuff you can get from this; what sort of questions and discussions you can make out of it.

A radio show here in the Philippines ("Good Times with Mo" on Magic 89.9) even played a game on their show called "Batman or (President) GMA?" The quotes from The Dark Knight could be mistaken as part of The President's SONA (State of the Nation Address) speech. And vice versa.

Another blog review I found says the same thing, that Batman and Joker epitomize two philosophies, one of Hope and the other of destruction. True. But this blog concludes that man by nature is good. Let's dissect that: I think we were born with desire for worldly things just as at our very core we are like animals born with instinct, but ultimately it is our God-given minds and free will, developed (or otherwise) through our social environments when we grow up, which decide which way to go. Because I think if we were naturally good, can you imagine what this world will be like? God would want us to choose the right, but he gives us that choice. I think then that we are born amoral, and it is very important for our parents and whoever brings us up in this world to teach us, to lead us to the "good way." But when we are born, we can't choose our parents/guardians nor what they will teach us; we can only choose what we teach the newborns and young ones - when we are the parents and guardians. Wow, this is so off-topic. We are talking about The Dark Knight and now we are talking about parenthood. This is what The Dark Knight does - it poses lots of questions, it creates discussions, it is Hollywood entertainment of a different kind. The kind that I think The Matrix (and sequels), and Minority Report poses. Well if you're not so dense about it. But yeah, on the surface, this is an enjoyable, entertaining movie. You can leave it at that.

[Spoiler alert on the next paragraph!]

Overall, I liked it. The Joker has been played well by the actor. Some funny lines in there actually. Funniest line must be that one in the end. "You complete me."

Some comments though.

It is a little bit of a funny thing that Batman's voice becomes hoarse when he is Batman, and it's normal when he is Bruce Wayne. The weirdest. And those motorcycle tires are huge. I can't imagine how that thing can go fast, lift itself up on walls, or maneuver itself like it did. Weird!

And if you will visit that same blog I was talking about above, you'll find a comment there from a Christian standpoint. My view on that is this: you watch any movie with newly sharpened Christian hearts, eyes, and ears. Or else you will get the wrong message. In this movie, there are good things and there are bad things. You pick the good things, and recognize the bad things so that you may avoid having to have them in your own lives. The good and the bad may come from one character. For example, given a character who does all that is good, except he uses the Lord's name in vain - you know from a religious standpoint that doing that (using the Lord's name in vain) is not right, so you don't do that. But for what other good he does, you take note of that. Get it?

But this is definitely a must-watch movie (four out of four stars), but bring your newly sharpened Christian hearts, eyes, and ears to the movie house. Because there is a lot of philosophy in there; a lot of thought-provoking bits. You have to put yourself in one of them. You have to make a stand. You have to be someone.

P.S. I thought this line originally by Edmund Burke, an English philosopher, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing," came out in The Dark Knight. I am not so sure now. Maybe in Batman Begins? Anyway, when you do a search for this quote on Google, you will get a lot of Batman/Dark Knight reviews. I'm getting somewhere.