The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is a long and over-winded production with virtually no fresh ideas.

Director Christopher Nolan (who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother, Jonathan) fails to invoke any tension, and the fight sequences are embarrassingly wooden and clumsy. Even the plodding underground car chase sequence lacks panache, with no more excitement than bumper cars at a fairground. Further, endless footage is wasted on sweeping panoramic shots that bring the film to a needless 2.5 hours, made all the more tiresome by the film’s uninvolving score. The screenplay spends far too much time on secondary storylines involving the mob and courtroom proceedings, seemingly forgetting that audiences paid to see Batman and the Joker. The few attempts at humour are amateur at best and, like all contemporary films, a series of impossible stunts have been thrown in to wow audiences who no longer have any concept of reality.

As Bruce Wayne, the slimy Christian Bale is unable to project any motivation for his character; as Batman, he delivers every line with a ridiculous rasp to his voice that comes off as a poor impression of Jack Palance. As the vicious and remorseless Joker, the overrated Heath Ledger is just another in a long list of cinematic kooks, and it is impossible to believe a character so wildly manic could plan and execute such elaborate schemes of robbery and kidnapping. It is a shame his recent death will define the movie, with ticket-buyers morbidly lining up to see his last role.

The goofy-looking Maggie Gyllenhaal is extremely weak as love interest Rachel Dawes -- she is so unappealing, one can only hope her character gets killed. Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of D.A. Harvey Dent is passable, but since every Batfan knows his character will become Two-Face, the inevitable transformation comes as no surprise. Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, as the billionaire’s business manager and Alfred the Butler respectively, prove why they are pros, clearly showing the limited range of the others.

A “summer blockbuster” based on fantasy and escapism, The Dark Knight invites audiences to observe from a distance, but its attitude of superiority never allows them to become part of the story. Rating: 3 out of 10.