Reviewing The Dark Knight in 2021 is passé . Not unlike T2 or Aliens (with regards to the action sci-fi genre), TDK is the comic book movie by which all top tier comic book movies are measured. Anyone reading this has surely enjoyed multiple viewings as well as YouTube video essays breaking down evidence Ledger’s Joker was ex-military and suffering from the very real-life condition of PTSD (for the record, I think it checks out). One would be be hard-pressed to make a convincing case that the film falls outside of the top five comic book movies of all time. It could be the very best. There are no adjectives left to express how perfectly Ledger inhabits the Joker. His anarchist take is unquestionably a seminal moment in cinema history and for many represents the definitive Joker characterization. We would feel that way even without the posthumous Oscar win. Ledger took the endlessly analyzed and some would say overused Joker character and created a timeless performance that stands high above all other depictions. Ledger and Nolan accomplished something special in legitimizing the comic book movie for general audiences. Nolan may not have created the grounded-in-reality comic book movie sub-genre but he most certainly refined it. It’s wonderful when a capital A Artist such as Nolan gets to wrap their creative mind around a comic book property to create something that transcends genre. The Dark Knight is a gift to those who enjoy the finer aspects of filmmaking and understand that comic book movies can take themselves seriously and still be seriously entertaining and fun. Progress. It’s a beautiful thing. Sometimes all it takes is a little push. I am willing to say it and potentially regret it later: no one will ever exceed Ledger’s Joker. Rest in Power.
The Quick Critic
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