LOOKING BACK: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is the second in the film trilogy, directed and produced by Christopher Nolan. It was released in New York City on 14 July 2008 and four days later in North America on 18 July 2008. The UK saw its release on 24 July 2008.

Grossing more than $1 billion in revenue across the globe, this movie turned out to be the 19th highest grosser of all times. This movie series is based on a well-known character from the DC comics, Batman. If you love DC comics, you must have definitely heard of Batman and his trusted counterpart, Robin.

Well, Nolan was more inspired by a graphic novel, The Killing Joke that was released in 1988 and a 1996 series called The Long Halloween. The Dark Knight was filmed mainly in Chicago and many other parts of the US, the UK as well as Hong Kong.

The Dark Knight Rises was the last of the trilogy releasing on 20 July 2012.

Popular Characters Reprised from the DC Comics in the movie, The Dark Knight

You will see Christian Bale playing the character of Bruce Wayne aka Batman, alongside accomplished actors of Hollywood such as Michael Caine who plays Alfred Pennyworth and Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox.
One of the greatest characters from the Batman comics, Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart, is definitely someone to watch out for.

Also, one of the most notorious villains that DC comics have ever produced, The Joker, was played by the late veteran actor, Heath Ledger.

Other characters taken from the DC comics include James Gordon played by Gary Oldman and Rachel Dawes who is Bruce’s childhood friend in the comics played by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Hype in the Media

Months before the film hit the theatres, tragedy struck in the Ledger household in January 2008. Heath Ledger, who portrayed the infamous character of The Joker, passed away from an accidental toxicity of prescription drugs.
Without doubt, this led to increased attention from media and other publicists. Warner Bros., the distributer of the movie also initiated a marketing campaign for the movie, which included various websites showcasing trailers of Joker and the hype translated its way into all manner of forms online.

For his incredible portrayal of the character, Joker, Heath Ledger received several accolades posthumously including Best Supporting Actor by the Academy Award.

The Plot

Gotham city sees a new district attorney in the name of Harvey Dent, who has only one mission, which is to eradicate Gotham’s underworld criminals with his own hands.

The motto takes a stall when the self-acclaimed vigilante called Batman and a new criminal and mastermind who likes to call himself ‘The Joker’ intervene. While Batman’s intentions are good, the Joker has one and only motto-to take down Gotham city.

The Joker plans and robs a bank, along with some other goons of the city. The money robbed is utilised by him to plan another horrible attack against Gotham city and its residents.

He holds a personal grudge against both Batman and Harvey Dent and wants them to fail miserably in their attempt to save Gotham city against his attacks.

Joker walks around the streets of Gotham city with an intention of causing panic among people. Batman realises that he may have found a loophole, which can lead him to the Joker through a Chinese banker who deals with Wayne Enterprise.

Hence, Batman and Alfred travel to Hong Kong. The Joker does not believe in rules and regulations, whereas Batman is a follower of just one rule, which the Joker wants him to break.

The question remains, who will be the last man standing. Will it be Gotham city’s vigilante, Batman or will it be the notorious Joker? The plot also has a twist in the form of Harvey Dent.

Reception of The Dark Knight

The movie is a treat for all Batman fans out there worldwide, as it finally gives them what they demand that no other Batman movie has succeeded in giving them. Not only does it bring the comic characters alive, but also each character portrays their roles brilliantly.

In the movie, like every other time, the bat mobile has a lot of importance, and looks quite spectacular, particularly in The Dark Knight. The Joker’s character is horrifying and manages to jolt everyone effortlessly in a lot of scenes.

All in all, The Dark Knight is an unforgettable, complex and dark movie that can scare the daylight out of everyone. Picking up eight nominations at the Academy Award, in addition to the Best Supporting Actor, it also won an award for Best Sound Editing.