Just as Writer/Director Christopher Nolan redefined the summer movie two years ago with The Dark Knight, he does so again with his newest film Inception. Far from a mindless popcorn movie, it’s the very example of a film that needs to be viewed multiple times in order to fully understand the complex ideas and visions that are being presented.
Although the ideas and plot points are complicated it in no way diminishes one’s ability to enjoy this amazing film. It’s without a doubt one of the best movies of the year. A solid script and wonderful directing, combined with strong performances and masterful editing, it is a much needed life raft in this summer’s sea of mediocre to lackluster movies.
The movie follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man who specializes in entering people’s dreams and stealing ideas they have hidden within their subconscious minds. He has been living abroad for an undisclosed amount of time after an incident involving his former wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) forced him to flee America. He is approached by a shady businessman named Saito (Ken Watanabe) who offers him a deal. If he can subconsciously convince the son of a former business rival (Cillian Murphy) to dissolve his father’s company Saito will make arrangements for Cobb to return home. Cobb is reluctant to take the job since “inception”, the creation of an ideal within one’s mind, is almost impossible to replicate by an outside influence. But he takes the job in order to go home and see his children again. He assembles a team, which includes trusted point man Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and prodigy dream building architect Ariadne (Ellen Page), and together they work to accomplish the mission.
The film deals with the many different aspects of dreams we often wonder about and ask ourselves, including how long time lasts in a dream, at what point do we begin to remember our dreams, and what can cause us to wake up from a dream. But the film goes even further in the nature of our dreams and subconscious and addresses even more unlikely scenarios, such as how the mind would react if it realized an outside aspect was altering its reality. The concept of the movie I found most intriguing was the different levels of dreams, in which one can dive deeper within someone’s subconscious and enter dreams within a dream. The deeper one goes within the layers of dreams the harder it is to distinguish if one is in the real world or the dream world. It is this aspect that changes the difficulty of the mission in ways the team couldn’t imagine was possible.
This intelligent thriller will certainly be high on many people’s lists of must see movies for 2010. It is a jolting thrill ride that will have people talking for days to come. So forget the movies about angsty vampires and element bending children. For a truly satisfying cinema experience, see Inception.
Showing posts with label The Dark Knight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Dark Knight. Show all posts
Friday, July 16, 2010
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The Dark Knight: Hype that Delivers
As the end credits came up upon my viewing of The Dark Knight, something happened that I had not witnessed in a long time. That something was applause. The entire theater was clapping and yelling cries of joy. I can’t remember the last time I witnessed such a phenomenon. This phenomenon, and the fact that I was participating in it, should give an idea on just how good this movie is.
The Dark Knight is one of those few sequels that lives up to, and in many ways surpasses, its predecessor. Masterfully directed by returning director Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan, David S. Goyer, and Jonathon Nolan, The Dark Knight remains true to the comics while at the same time brings the franchise into new territory.
The movie opens roughly a year after the events of Batman Begins, with Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) successfully bringing down the criminals within Gotham. The two men begin to work with newly appointed DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) in an effort to eradicate the mob from Gotham City. Unlike Batman, who is still regarded with mistrust and fear by the public, Dent is seen as a shining beacon of hope. He is so well revered that Bruce begins contemplating saying goodbye to Batman and allowing Harvey to become “The White Knight” Gotham needs. It is also his hope that if he does this he can finally be with childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is now involved with Dent. However everyone’s plans are thrown into chaos with the arrival of The Joker (Heath Ledger).
After a successful bank robbery, in which he kills both civilians and his own men, The Joker arrives at a meeting of the remaining mobsters and offers them a proposal; he will kill Batman in exchange for half of the mob’s entire money supply. He begins by having numerous members of the police and justice force killed and then proclaims that if Batman does not reveal his secret identity people will continue to die every day. As the film goes on it becomes clear that The Joker’s real plan is simply to create as much chaos and apathy as possible. As Bruce Wayne’s trusty butler Alfred (Michael Caine) explains, “Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
Each actor in the movie is brilliant and brings much to their roles. Christian Bale brings a complex depth of struggle to the character as Batman questions what his limits should and can be. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman (as Bruce Wayne’s equipment designer Lucius Fox) all act as stable forces in Batman’s fight for justice, with each actor bringing different emotions and reactions to their roles as the lines of morality are continually redrawn during the fight. Maggie Gyllenhaal adds a lot of emotion to her role and brings both strength and vulnerability to her performance. But of everyone in the cast, the two standouts would have to be Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart.
As I mentioned in my review of the film Waitress, I was determined to review Heath Ledger’s performance as if he were alive and not offer praise simply because of his death. After seeing the movie I can safely say that all the praise people have said about his work is well earned. His performance is nothing short of phenomenal. He brings such a degree of raw intensity to the role that it’s staggering. His version of The Joker is both revolutionary and extremely true to the character. He becomes so engrossed in the character that it’s very easy to forget who the actor behind the make-up is. I’ll admit that I had my doubts when I first heard he was cast as The Joker, since his name wasn’t the first that came to mind when I envisioned actors for the role. But after seeing the movie I can definably say he was the right choice for the part.
Although Heath Ledger has received much praise for his role, I thought that Aaron Eckhart’s performance was just as strong. He plays his character as similar to Batman, but in an entirely different way. Unmasked and visibly in the spotlight, he has a power over the people that Batman does not. He delivers his lines with such conviction that one begins to believe his vision in a brighter tomorrow. While playing him with passionate righteousness one also sees the rage that bubbles just under the surface. It’s the subtleness of his duel personas that bring the true realization of the character to life. His character’s journey is one of the most tragic aspects of the film. Even if you can see where his character will go, the ramifications and end results of the character’s journey is something no one could ever have seen coming.
The Dark Knight definitely lives up to the hype. Not only is it entertaining but it also challenges our views on humanity and morality. How far should those in power be allowed to go in our quest for piece? That question is one of the biggest aspects of the film, with cases made for both those who believe in suspending personal freedom for safety and those who believe in keeping civil liberties in light of terrorism. That’s not normally something one expects to find in a summer superhero blockbuster.
The Dark Knight is one of those few sequels that lives up to, and in many ways surpasses, its predecessor. Masterfully directed by returning director Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan, David S. Goyer, and Jonathon Nolan, The Dark Knight remains true to the comics while at the same time brings the franchise into new territory.
The movie opens roughly a year after the events of Batman Begins, with Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) successfully bringing down the criminals within Gotham. The two men begin to work with newly appointed DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) in an effort to eradicate the mob from Gotham City. Unlike Batman, who is still regarded with mistrust and fear by the public, Dent is seen as a shining beacon of hope. He is so well revered that Bruce begins contemplating saying goodbye to Batman and allowing Harvey to become “The White Knight” Gotham needs. It is also his hope that if he does this he can finally be with childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is now involved with Dent. However everyone’s plans are thrown into chaos with the arrival of The Joker (Heath Ledger).
After a successful bank robbery, in which he kills both civilians and his own men, The Joker arrives at a meeting of the remaining mobsters and offers them a proposal; he will kill Batman in exchange for half of the mob’s entire money supply. He begins by having numerous members of the police and justice force killed and then proclaims that if Batman does not reveal his secret identity people will continue to die every day. As the film goes on it becomes clear that The Joker’s real plan is simply to create as much chaos and apathy as possible. As Bruce Wayne’s trusty butler Alfred (Michael Caine) explains, “Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
Each actor in the movie is brilliant and brings much to their roles. Christian Bale brings a complex depth of struggle to the character as Batman questions what his limits should and can be. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman (as Bruce Wayne’s equipment designer Lucius Fox) all act as stable forces in Batman’s fight for justice, with each actor bringing different emotions and reactions to their roles as the lines of morality are continually redrawn during the fight. Maggie Gyllenhaal adds a lot of emotion to her role and brings both strength and vulnerability to her performance. But of everyone in the cast, the two standouts would have to be Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart.
As I mentioned in my review of the film Waitress, I was determined to review Heath Ledger’s performance as if he were alive and not offer praise simply because of his death. After seeing the movie I can safely say that all the praise people have said about his work is well earned. His performance is nothing short of phenomenal. He brings such a degree of raw intensity to the role that it’s staggering. His version of The Joker is both revolutionary and extremely true to the character. He becomes so engrossed in the character that it’s very easy to forget who the actor behind the make-up is. I’ll admit that I had my doubts when I first heard he was cast as The Joker, since his name wasn’t the first that came to mind when I envisioned actors for the role. But after seeing the movie I can definably say he was the right choice for the part.
Although Heath Ledger has received much praise for his role, I thought that Aaron Eckhart’s performance was just as strong. He plays his character as similar to Batman, but in an entirely different way. Unmasked and visibly in the spotlight, he has a power over the people that Batman does not. He delivers his lines with such conviction that one begins to believe his vision in a brighter tomorrow. While playing him with passionate righteousness one also sees the rage that bubbles just under the surface. It’s the subtleness of his duel personas that bring the true realization of the character to life. His character’s journey is one of the most tragic aspects of the film. Even if you can see where his character will go, the ramifications and end results of the character’s journey is something no one could ever have seen coming.
The Dark Knight definitely lives up to the hype. Not only is it entertaining but it also challenges our views on humanity and morality. How far should those in power be allowed to go in our quest for piece? That question is one of the biggest aspects of the film, with cases made for both those who believe in suspending personal freedom for safety and those who believe in keeping civil liberties in light of terrorism. That’s not normally something one expects to find in a summer superhero blockbuster.
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