My review of THE DARK KNIGHT used words like “masterpiece” quite liberally. Subsequent viewings only strengthened my support for this rare and brilliant summer blockbuster.
While HEATH LEDGER has received most of the attention, the film fires on all cylinders. It’s structurally and philosophically dense, with layered performances to match director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S brooding and meditative composition. In one stroke, it raised the bar for summer action films and changed the rules future comic book adaptations will follow.
For some reason, recent chatter about Best Picture nominees have unjustly ignored this year’s highest grossing film as a potential honoree. To these, I submit that THE DARK KNIGHT is at least as dense and as powerful as THE DEPARTED, which unfairly won Best Picture two years ago. In the past, films like STAR WARS and E.T. have vied for an Oscar, yet neither one of those films attempts the type of adult drama that KNIGHT manages easily. It would be a grievous mistake to overlook this film’s merits simply because it features a dude running around in a cape and cowl.
To amplify this, Warner Brothers has turned up the heat with a series of promos to persuade Academy voters. Revisit some of this summer’s best moments right here:
You are exactly right about its brilliance.
However, I would not be suprised at all if it does garner a Best Picture nod. When it is all that is said and done, I think voters will see that this was certainly one of the five best films of the year.
This film is a game changer, it forces not just comic book movies but “blockbusters” of all types to rethink what they are doing. It is possible to combine the dazzeling special effects and huge explosions with intellegence. Hollywood has to recognize that.
I agree, Chris. But so far it has been surprising how many Hollywood insiders have left the film off of their top contenders list.