Requiem for The Dark Knight pt. 2

(SORT OF SPOILER ALERT)

It’s not enough that The Joker is caught; The Joker himself even says that in the final exchange with Batman. Gotham’s reckoning begins and ends with Harvey Dent. He has gone off the rails and seeks revenge on everyone who led to his disfigurement and the death of Rachel Dawes. Even with The Joker’s capture, his “piece de resistance” is Harvey Dent’s turn to the dark side, his complete descent into madness – the birth of “Harvey Two-Face.”

As Harvey goes, so does Gotham City – as well as its hopes and its need for a better tomorrow. This is why his murdering spree can’t be brought to light, so Batman takes the rap and goes on the lam. This isn’t a new story: it’s as old as Jesus dying on the cross (and no, I’m not comparing Batman to Jesus, I’m just making a point). The Dark Knight hinges on the need for hope in society (sound familiar?); in this case, hope trumps even justice and truth.

Why is this confusing? How is this cold?! Maybe after two hours and the absence of Heath Ledger some people lost interest and stopped paying attention. Some people think that a “comic book” movie should solely be entertaining, so for them the third act – and possibly the entire film – would be a turn off. Frankly, those are not the limitations of the film. Those are THEIR limitations! This film set out to tell multilayered, compelling stories, and it succeeded. This film set out to be entertaining and visually spectacular – check. Christopher Nolan, his cast and crew didn’t settle to make a run-of-the-mill “superhero action flick” that would be a cash cow for Warners (which they could have done – they got paid either way). Their mission was to elevate a popcorn movie into a timely and timeless work of art – CHECKMATE. And as its reward, The Dark Knight made even MORE money than expected! To quote a line from another popular film: if you build it, they will come.

I write this sentence in all seriousness: The Dark Knight is the Citizen Kane of the 21st century. For those of you who didn’t get it – especially all of the AMPAS voters that couldn’t place it on your Best Picture ballots – YOU SIMPLY WEREN’T READY.

**me throwing down mic and walking off the stage**