[Spoiler Warning]

I’ve seen “The Dark Knight” three times now. And each time I’m amazed at how this movie never loses my interest. And, what’s even more surprising, is that it is two and a half hours long!

I have loved this current retelling of the Batman character. Batman, in my mind, was always meant to be a darker hero. One who wrestles with inner turmoil. One who was born out of horrific pain and suffering. One who is truly and utterly alone. A dark, lonely and tragic hero.

“Batman Begins” really started to explore the Batman character in this fashion. “Dark Knight” excels in its exploration of this darker version of Batman.

Not only is Batman now placed in a darker, grittier reality, but the villains are also more realistic. Joker actually wears make up. He has scars on his face. And we never learn why. He is truly, completely, absolutely, deranged. And it’s incredibly powerful.

Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker was by far the best version of the Joker I have seen yet. He presents a brilliant mind that is completely twisted. He isn’t necessarily evil. As he himself describes, he is “an engine of chaos”. He really truly is chaos in the form of a person. And that is why he is creepy on an entirely different level.

Dichotomy is a deep undercurrent in this movie. The contrast (and similarities) between Batman and Joker are stunning. Both are, in a sense, lonely characters. No one really understand the Joker, and Batman can’t let anyone get too close to him. They are, as Joker would have you believe, two halves that make a whole. And, in a lot of ways, that is true.

But the really powerful comparison comes in between Harvey Dent (Two-Face) and Batman. Harvey is constantly referred to as the “white knight” of Gotham. He embodies the hope for a brighter Gotham. Joker understands this, and seeks to tear down the white knight. Ultimately, Harvey falls from the position of the beloved hero to the horrific Two-Face. His fall was masterfully done in my opinion. It didn’t feel as if they were quickly shifting a shining knight into a fallen hero quickly. The conversion was slow. Piece by piece, Joker undid the white knight.

Batman, however, was the dark knight. He wasn’t the true public hero of Gotham like Harvey Dent. He broke the rules. He, like Harvey, sought the good for Gotham, but he was not restrained by any rules (save his own: not to take a life).

There were several points in the movie that were simply chilling. The part where the two ferries were stopped and the people were given a choice: blow up the other boat, or let Joker blow both of them up. Joker anticipated that at least one boat would pull the trigger. However, after much struggle, neither boat pulled the trigger. But Joker still had one last trick up his sleeve. While he may have been wrong initially, he knew that if they lost their hope (i.e. Harvey Dent), then the city would ultimately plummet into chaos. And he had already done just that: transformed Harvey Dent into Two-Face.

Perhaps the most powerful part at the end was the final discussion between Gordon and Batman. To preserve Gotham’s hope, Batman told Gordon to let the city know that he had killed the people that Harvey Dent had killed. That way Harvey would remain “the hero that Gotham deserves, not the hero it needs”. And Batman could be “the hero that Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now”. Incredibly powerful.

Gordon’s son struggled with this. He said “but he didn’t do anything wrong”. And Gordon responded, “No, but he can take it. And so we’ll hunt him, because he can take it”. And so Batman becomes even more of a dark, lonely and tragic hero. Hunted by the very city that he seeks to save for a crime that he did not commit, but one that he had to take the fall for to save the soul of Gotham.

One final phrase that was burned into my memory. Batman notes that “sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded. Sometimes the truth isn’t good enough”. And I agree. Sometimes the truth simply isn’t good enough.

It doesn’t feel like I was watching a comic book movie. I was watching an exploration into the depth of the human condition. An exploration into the human psyche. An exploration into a dark and lonely hero. An exploration into the mind of a mad man. A journey from a white knight into a fallen hero.

Dark, tragic, lonely, brilliant. This movies earns a 10 / 10 from Cyrus.

This movie was, quite simply one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. Brilliant, romantic, funny and beautiful. These only begin to scratch the surface of what Wall-E is all about.

The actual film itself was gorgeous. There were some scenes that were nothing short of stunning - when Wall-E is rocketed into space and sees what the stars look like from a distance. I was left in quiet admiration for how absolutely beautiful the movie was.

There was so little dialog. But the silence only accentuated the power of the subtle movements that Wall-E and EVE made. The metallic sounds of “Walllllllll-Eeeeeeee” or “Eeeevaaaa” were placed with intentional brilliance.

The movie also humored my geek side, as it humored me with lots of technological gadgets. EVE was particularly fun to watch as I sat and thought about how the different components might interface (yep, I’m a geek).

Several messages were certainly evident: pollution is bad, we need to live a sustainable lifestyle, and we need to be careful to never become fully reliant on technology. But over all, this was nothing short of a romantic tale. Watching the interaction between Wall-E and EVE really moved me.

There was a genuine level of innocence between the two robots. Wall-E simply yearned for a companion, and EVE came to discover how wonderful that Wall-E really was. It was, in a way, a story of a peasant and a princess as well. Wall-E was an old, old model (exceedingly outdated), but who he was on the inside was something unlike EVE had ever experienced.

I was pulled in almost immediately by the movie. It was enchanting, to be sure. I left with a great feeling inside and a smile on my face. This is definitely a movie that I would love to see again. I’m also going to buy it when it comes out on video as well.

If you haven’t seen this movie, you need to. Pixar has certainly outdone themselves again, and you don’t want to miss it.

Cyrus gives this a 10 / 10.