The Dark Knight
Summary
The Dark Knightis widely considered the beneficial entry in Christopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy as well as one of the best superhero movies ever made , and it does n’t count that it is n’t really about Batman . The Caped Crusader ’s film story has been full of ups and down , and after hitting a low degree with Joel Schumacher’sBatman & Robinin 1997 , Batman was given a new chance in Nolan’sBatman Begins(2005 ) . This was the beginning of a trilogy that present a more grounded version of Batman ( played by Christian Bale ) , and the 2nd installing fetch one of the best variant of the Dark Knight ’s most renowned enemy : the Joker ( Heath Ledger ) .
The Dark Knightwas a critical and commercial success , with Ledger ’s functioning receiving the most kudos and clear many posthumous awards , include the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . As refer above , The Dark Knightis wide regarded as one of the best movies and superhero films ever made , and is also debate a blueprint for modern superhero movies . The Dark Knightleft aside the distinctive comic book picture style and is more a crime film with comic book characters – and most notably , even though Batman is the hero , the moving-picture show is n’t really about him , but about the Joker .
Related:10 thing You Never Knew About Heath Ledger ’s Joker
The Dark Knight Is About Joker, Not Batman
The Joker ’s presence was teased at the close ofBatman Begins , when Jim Gordon ( Gary Oldman ) told Batman about a criminal that had been leave behind Joker play cards . The Dark Knightis set around six calendar month after the events ofBatman Begins , allowing the film to pay off the Joker vamper without get to search his backstory and reaching in Gotham in detail . By the time the audience met Ledger ’s Joker inThe Dark Knight , he was already a criminal Einstein , and though he seemed to not have a clear plan , his goal was to create pandemonium across Gotham City , and he definitely succeeded at it . Meanwhile , Harvey Dent ( Aaron Eckhart ) , Batman , and Gordon made an alliance to eradicate offence in Gotham , which have more complicated with the Joker ’s arrival .
Although Batman continued with his role as Gotham ’s vigilante and even portion out with a personal tragedy with the last of Rachel Dawes , The Dark Knightis more the Joker ’s movie than Batman ’s . Batman and the Joker were both at the core ofThe Dark Knight ’s story , record two unlike sides of Gotham and its reprehensible underworld , with one trying to stop it and the other make pandemonium in it to watch over Gotham crumble even harder from the interior . The Dark Knighteven spend some clip teasing the Joker ’s supposedly tragic backstory , but given that the Clown Prince of Crime prevent changing his ancestry chronicle depending on who he was tell it to , this became one of the big enigma of the movie . This was a vindicated display of the Joker ’s manipulative skills and psychopathy , which continued to show in other moment throughoutThe Dark Knight .
Related : How Did The Joker Actually Get His Scars ?
Of naturally , there ’s also the dynamic between Batman and the Joker , which has been a subject of argument among viewers sinceThe Dark Knightcame out . In the renowned query scene , Batman asked why the Joker wanted to kill him , to which the latter laughed and explained that they actually had a bunch in common , and he did n’t want to kill him as he line up him entertaining and he “ discharge ” him . The Joker exposed the uncomfortable true statement about Gotham and its Justice Department system to Batman , as well as how he was a darker and more disorderly mirror of him , but Batman refused to see it . The Joker was the moving force ofThe Dark Knight , and while Batman was the hero to root for , the Joker was the most important element of the story and the one who made Batman and the interview question who was right and who was incorrect .
It’s Okay That Batman Movies Aren’t ALWAYS About Batman
Although Batman will always be the main character in every moving-picture show based on his comic book storylines , the movies do n’t of necessity have to always be about him . Through Batman , other popular DC characters have been introduced ( heroes , allies , and villains ) , as is the Joker ’s case inThe Dark Knight , and Bruce Wayne is n’t the only Gotham resident with an interesting report . Batman ’s rogues gallery is full of characters with rich narrative that are worth exploring on the big screen , taking the spot away from Batman for a variety .
Batman film being about other character is beneficial to Batman ’s report , as other characters need to be properly explored so their account with Batman can work ( and this also allows the geographic expedition of other side of the Caped Crusader ) , otherwise they chance being one - dimensional and thus add to the movies being failures . Ultimately , a Libra the Scales between Batman being the center of the story and other character taking the spot is what allow for a deep look at both , as there ’s a lot more to Batman than being a millionaire vigilante and also more to his antagonists , who are often layer character with a lot to provide .
The Dark Knight’s Joker Focus Doesn’t Weaken Batman’s Trilogy Arc
The Dark Knightbeing about the Joker rather than Batman is n’t detrimental to Batman ’s arc in Nolan ’s trilogy , and as refer above , it actually benefit the Caped Crusader . The Joker brought out a side of Batman that only the Clown Prince of Crime could have see and bring to light source , and the shock of the Joker and his natural action are what led Batman to sequestrate himself betweenThe Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight Rises . Batman was n’t the same in the first two pic and inThe Dark Knight Rises , and the Joker was key in taking his history in a different , darker , and more personal direction , thus elevate his arc .
The Dark Knight Risesexplored another , more personal side of Batman as he was grieving and had give up , which intelligibly would n’t have been possible without the Joker taking over the previous movie . The Dark Knightcontinues to be an model of what a successful , high - quality , and engage superhero picture show can be without fall into the clichés of superhero films , proving that making the story about the villain rather than the hero can not only be more interesting but also help push the hero ’s story frontward .
