linsenbardt.net

Arguably the most anticipated movie of 2008, “The Dark Knight” is the next installment in the Batman “re-boot” that started with 2005’s “Batman Begins.” After the last set of four movies descended into campy ridiculousness (Mr. Freeze, anyone?), “Begins” brought Batman back to his roots with an excellent origin story that brought some great actors, and a great story, back to the franchise.

This is a dark movie, much in the same vein as “Empire Strikes Back” or “Temple of Doom,” where we have the characters established, but the authors/producers feel like it’s time to hurt them a bit. Bruce Wayne is settling into his role at Wayne Enterprises, the criminals are on the run, due in part to efforts by Batman, but also because of Lieutenant Gordon and the new D.A. Harvey Dent. Wayne sees Dent as the “bright light” Gotham needs, as someone that can bring justice and order to the streets without resorting to vigilantism and the wearing of a mask. The entry of the Joker, however, changes things in that he seeks to bring as much chaos to this “new order” as possible. He views the Batman as his equal, as the only person that can fully compliment his destructive capabilities. The Joker even says “you complete me” to Batman during an exchange later on in the film.

I try not to use the word lightly, as it tends to be over-used in movie and video game reviews, but I would describe “The Dark Knight” as a “visceral” experience. I only say this because, unlike many other superhero movies out there, I think I felt the sheer terror of what the Joker represents, and the pain that the protagonist (and the other characters, for that matter) experienced as the movie goes on.

The movie is complete with its usual special effect goodness, is top-rate acting from its strong cast, and a very, very intricate plot-line that ties things up very nicely throughout. There are things that occur earlier in the film that lead on to surprises later on, allowing for a story that, while 155 min. long, keeps you engaged throughout as you want to see what finally happens in the end.

My analysis ends with “The Dark Knight’s” place in the annals of superhero movies. This year alone, another strong movie, “Iron Man,” came out and blew audiences and critics away. Certainly, there are two other franchises (“Spider-man” and “X-men“) where, by most accounts, the second movie in the franchise is where their respective trilogies peaked. I think, in my opinion, the jump in quality between “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” exceeds that which we saw in “X-men” or “Spider-man.” Both of those two series had much stronger stories than their previous outings, and the characters were established allowing for much more expansive themes to hit upon, but “The Dark Knight” succeeds where those two series didn’t by the “visceral” experience you feel while watching it. You really get the sense of pain that the main characters experience through the investment you have in them. There is genuine surprise in the events that unfold throughout the film, making you want more and more.

It could very well be the greatest superhero movie of all time. Not just because it’s Batman, and certainly not just because Heath Ledger provided his last, great performance. But because it’s just a damned fine movie.

For our anniversary last week, Brooke and I did the “dinner and a movie” thing and went to see “Get Smart.” Let me preface by saying that Mom and Dad didn’t let Kristen and me watch sitcoms back in the mid-90s…as “Seinfeld” and “Married…With Children” weren’t deemed “appropriate.” Thus, we watched a lot of Nick at Nite, back in the golden age when the shows included “Bewitched,” “Dragnet,” “I Dream of Jeannie” and, of course, “Get Smart.” So yeah, I’ve kinda got a fond place in my heart for the characters in that show and was hoping this movie would be handled with the care it deserves, as opposed to other old TV franchise reboots (I’m talking to you, “Dukes of Hazzard” and “Starsky and Hutch“).

So, despite my worst fears, I must say that it was a really fun movie. It’s more of an “origin story,” so we’re learning how Maxwell Smart becomes Agent 86, meets up with Agent 99, etc. Essentially, Smart is an analyst for Control, a secret government organization doing Cold War-style battle with the evil KAOS. Somehow, KAOS gets ahold of the list of undercover Control agents and starts knocking them off, leaving Smart as one of the few agents that can be called into service, as his records are unknown. We then follow 86 and 99 as they traverse the world trying to stop KAOS from getting ahold of nuclear weapons that they can distribute to other terrorist organizations, thus saving the world.

The story itself is relatively predictable, and many of the gags are only truly “funny” if you are familiar with the original show (one with Bill Murray in a cameo as Agent 13, hiding in a tree…), but it still has plenty of hilarious moments for those that don’t remember the show so well. There aren’t that many special effects, but when they’re in there, it isn’t too obvious (i.e. no obvious green screen shots or CGI explosions…). The acting was pretty good, of course, and there were plenty of people I’ve actually heard of playing in the main roles.

Overall, I think it was a pretty good movie. The story was simple, yet entertaining. The gags did not completely rely on knowledge of the old show (yes, the shoephone makes an appearance…), and I was certainly laughing out loud for most of the movie. I think, so far at least, this is the best comedy I’ve seen in 2008 and will have wide appeal for most people this summer.

Now, I was one of many (or few?) that saw 2003’s “Hulk” in the theater…and I was rather disappointed. We were just getting started with the “super-hero/comic book” craze in films and there were high hopes for this movie, especially because it had a high-profile director in Ang Lee directing it. It was, of course, an origin story where we see Bruce Banner test gamma radiation on himself, leading to his transformation into a large, green monster…but that’s just about all we got. We saw him transform into the Hulk a few times, and he fought some monster dogs…and the military…and, well, I personally got bored. The movie just wasn’t interesting. It had a decent plot to it, but it didn’t have much “movement,” as many would expect in an action film.

Apparently some execs agreed and made this new movie, “The Incredible Hulk,” a reboot of the franchise, with different actors, a different director, and a different direction. This one takes place a few years following the previous outing, where Banner (played by Edward Norton this time) is hiding out in Brazil trying to find a cure for his…”problem.” The US military finally tracks him down and sends a team to apprehend him, only to find out that they’re of little match for the Hulk. One of the military team, played by Tim Roth, decides to work with General Ross to bring down the Hulk once and for all by volunteering himself to take part in “super-soldier serum” research, making him as powerful and nimble as the Hulk is. Of course, as one can imagine, he decides to go a bit too far, goes a bit nuts, and the movie ends as expected…

This movie does everything right that the previous one didn’t. It has many more action scenes, with the Hulk fighting the military in Brazil, on a college campus back in the US and in NYC for the finale. Also, this iteration of the Hulk, an all-CGI effect, is much more convincing than the previous one, likely because of the 5+ years further advancement in CGI technology that movie makers now have to work with. While you could very easily tell that the CGI Hulk in the first movie was computer generated, this one was much more fluid and interacted with the surroundings in a much more convincing way (i.e. it didn’t look like Liv Tyler was standing in front of a green screen having everything else filled in around her…). Finally, the movie seems to have a stronger focus. Where the previous one seemed to focus more on Banner himself and his inner conflicts, this iteration splits between Banner and the Hulk, allowing for that “split personality” to be on the forefront…which is the whole reason people read the Hulk comics for so many years in the first place.

So yeah, it’s a good movie. Is it better than “Iron Man?” Probably not…but this movie does justice to the characters where the previous movie really didn’t…that, and it’s really sweet to see the Hulk throw tanks at helicopters… 😉