The dark hype
Sure is dark in here, I kept thinking as I watched the latest adventures of Batman. Of course, dark is what it’s all about. Dark is Batman’s signature. It’s there in the title, “The Dark Knight.” It’s what your high school English teacher would call the theme of the whole thing. It’s always night in Gotham City — at least it feels that way. And it’s always dark in the tortured souls of villain and hero alike in this week’s record-setting box office winner. One thing about dark, though: it makes it hard to see. Director-co-writer Christopher Nolan is superb at orchestrating stunts — we’re talking Batmobile chases, Bat-cycle wheelies, flipping 18-wheelers, repelling down high-rises, crashing helicopters, setting vicious dogs loose — but they’re hard to make out in the dark. Add quick cuts and shifting points of view and you can’t quite tell what’s going on. That’s assuming you have a clue what’s going on in the first place. Where I was sitting in the theater didn’t help. Real close to
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