'Dark Knight' Watch: Raves from the Trades

A bunch of bloggers and Peter Travers have already weighed in with glowing early reviews of The Dark Knight, but you were justified if you reserved judgment. The bloggers who were fortunate enough to get a look at the film were pretty squarely in the geek demographic -- which is not any sort of indictment, but just an indicator that they had a very specific perspective on the film. And Peter Travers is... Well, he's Peter Travers. Now, though, come some reviews you shouldn't so readily ignore -- and they're gushy, (almost) unqualified raves.

This from Kirk Honeycutt in the Hollywood Reporter: "[Nolan] builds movies around ideas and characters, and "Dark Knight" is no exception. The ideas here are not new to the movie world of cops and criminal[s], but in the context of a comic book movie, they ring out with startling clarity. In other words, you expect moralistic underpinnings in a Martin Scorsese movie; in a Batman movie, they hit home with renewed vigor . . . . With the film's race-car pace, noise levels, throbbing music and density of stratagems, no one will follow all the plot points at first glance. Not that the story with its double crosses and ingenious plans isn't clear, but to enjoy the full glory of these urban battlefield strategies, multiple viewings are required."

Whoo! And then this from Justin Chang in Variety:
"An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some . . . . Using five strongly developed characters to anchor a drama with life-or-death implications for the entire metropolis, the Nolans have taken Bob Kane's comicbook template and crafted an anguished, eloquent meditation on ideas of justice and power, corruption and anarchy, and, of course, the need for heroes like Batman -- a question never in doubt for the viewer, but one posed rather often by the citizens of Gotham."

That about settles it then, wouldn't you say? Honeycutt and Chang aren't exactly on my list of the most trustworthy reviewers out there, but the picture they both paint -- that of a deep, ambitious action film with something to say -- is pretty darn exciting. And both have nothing but praise for Heath Ledger and Christian Bale (although Honeycutt has a bit of a go at Aaron Eckhart).

Of course, most of us have long suspected this would be the case. But it's nice to have it confirmed by a couple of venerable sources.