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| Yes | 61% | 153 votes | Total: 249 votes | |
| No | 39% | 96 votes |
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Add to FavoritesChristopher Nolan, the brilliant mind behind Memento, has fashioned the ultimate modern superhero tale of good and evil with The Dark Knight.
Heath Ledger's performance of the Joker in the film is exceptional, and the film as a story, as a visual feast, as action, drama, romance, and total chaos all rolled into one, would have been the monster of a blockbuster that it was regardless of whether or not Heath Ledger had lived.
This film had all the elements of a great crime noir, and more than that, a great story with great characters.
Whether it be Bale's understated Batman, who is somewhat methodical and has gotten into a routine as Batman, or the Joker, who throws Batman's life into a dramatic tailspin by representing the darkest parts of the human soul, or just the sheer scope of events, all subsequently more and more chaotic, the Dark Knight is what they call an instant classic.
Characters evolve and mutate, grow and suffer, all the while engaging the audience in a story with great camera shots, great action, and very interesting characters in an interesting setting.
The familiar becomes new, as the Joker is reinvented and the Batman evolves. The hero's burden in life is never focused on more clearly than it is in this film, and the villain is the penultimate representation of modern evil.
The movie also highlights human psychology, and illustrates how people fall prey to weakness and fear, and how only a few are the main catalysts to action in the tale, while the teeming masses simply watch, helplessly and with contempt from the sidelines.
The Dark Knight is a classic, and it has taken comic book content and comic book characters out of the perennial kiddie room and into the room with all the adults.
Sure, American audiences go to see comic book films in droves, but they are never taken seriously, and though their ticket sales far outreach their meager target audience, the actors and films themselves are rarely taken seriously.
The way the Dark Knight is shot, the consistency of the performances and of the directing, the deep and complex story and how it unfolds, and the mesmerizing film, this tour de force as an exploration of good and evil, is enough of a winner that the unfortunate death of a wonderful young actor would not increase or decrease the success of the film, whether it be by ticket sales or popular culture influence.
The Dark Knight is great art, and is an amazing film, beyond its comic book origins, beyond the public scrutiny, even beyond expectations. People went back to see it again and again because, even for a blockbuster film, it exceeded expectations.
This is the reason for its success, and the passing of Mr. Ledger did not increase or decrease that success in any way, but his brilliant and unparalleled performance as the Joker elevated it into a great film.
Learn more about this author, Thaxton Lewis.
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No
On April 5, 1994 vocalist and guitarist for the band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, killed himself. Instantly record sales for the band's three studio albums shot up and in November of that year, MTV released "Nirvana Unplugged in New York". In no time at all it sold 6.8 million copies, far surpassing that of "In Utero", their previously highest selling album. Kurt Cobain had become a marketing genius, and all he had to do was die. In a culture that immortalizes its young, dead celebrities, it's hard to imagine how much less money "The Dark Knight" would have made had Heath Ledger not tragically died.
"The Dark Knights" is a terrific film. It features incredible action set pieces combined with truly impressive character development and dark themes that rival that of the best stories from the Batman comic book. Leaning heavily on ideas expressed by writer Frank Miller in his Batman run, Christopher Nolan has shaped a Batman mythology that rivals any other. The performances in the film are stellar as well - Christian Bale reprises his role as the Dark Knight himself while Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes (thankfully) in the role of Bruce Wayne's sometime-love interest, Rachel Dawes. And Aaron Eckhart takes on another Batman staple, Harvey Dent, and plays the character to most fanboys' adoration. And this leads us to the elephant in the room - Heath Ledger, as The Joker.
Heath Ledger's Joker is dark, vile and insane. He is a pure anarchist and cares nothing for the damage inflicted by his hand. And even more terrifying, The Joker seems to not care at all for the risk he places on his own life; his only goal to create as much chaos as possible. Ledger gave himself entirely over to his basest instincts to play this role. And, if he had not become the centerpiece for all conversation about this film, he would have become completely unrecognizable - his makeup and mannerisms completely obscuring the actor within.
After Ledger's death on January 22nd of 2008, all anyone could talk about was his upcoming performance in his final complete film, "The Dark Knight" (Ledger was working on "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" when he died) and if his Joker would hold up in Batman lore. There was no longer any discussion on any other aspect of the film, even a huge casting change (Gyllenhaal for Holmes) was barely discussed. People wondered if Ledger's method-style of acting in this film had driven the actor to kill himself or if it was truly an accident.
The success of a Hollywood film is directly related to word-of-mouth, grassroots marketing. We now live in a culture inundated and bombarded hourly by an influx of advertising and are becoming increasingly desensitized to it. So now, the most effective form of advertising is telling your friend to go see the movie you just saw and liked. The way "Titanic" made so much money (it only did so-so its opening weekend) was based on word-of-mouth and repeat viewings. So instead of following the path "Titanic" took, "The Dark Knight" had people talking about it CONSTANTLY months before it was to be released!
Warner Bros. claimed that they would not alter their ad campaign at all, in light of Ledger's death. However, it seemed that instantly, the first posters being released were Joker-centric. That can be easily explained, though, since The Joker is definitely Batman's most famous and most popular villain.
Ultimately, though, we are a culture that thrives on the downfall of our heroes. When we see a celebrity do something terrible or something terrible happen TO them, we can't help but stare. So when Heath Ledger, a promising young actor with a lot of talent, tragically falls, it is only natural for people to be curious about the state of his last full film. In line, waiting to see the movie on opening night, that was pretty much all anyone was talking about. Would this film have been successful if Heath Ledger had lived to see its release? Of course. But would it have gone on to shatter multiple records, including single day box office gross and opening weekend gross? Probably not. People needed to see this film immediately since it was the quickest and easiest way to view the tragedy from up close.
Learn more about this author, Jon Price.
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