The Bottom Line

The Dark Knight

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhardt, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.
Parental Notes: This is a pretty hard PG-13 -- I'd call it a borderline R. The makeup effects, psychotic characters, and thoroughly dark story make the film unsuitable for most youngsters.

"The Dark Knight" is the first Batman movie without "Batman" in the title, and it seems to be out to set new records for the franchise in other areas: most psychotic villain, grittiest movie about cartoonish characters, most likely to be awesome while watched but fall apart when examined closely. If you loved "Batman Begins," you will no doubt adore "The Dark Knight," which is everything the first film was, only turned up to eleven. If, however, you are looking for a standard comic book flick, a fun ride with a happy ending, go elsewhere.

The film begins not long after the first one ended. Batman has been working to fight crime so diligently that the mob is on the run and growing desperate. So desperate that when small-time crazy the Joker approaches them, they eventually sign on to his plan to kill Batman. Of course, things are far more complicated than that, and by the end of the film it's tricky to pull apart the various complex and interwoven schemes the various sides have each been playing out.

Batman and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) are as awesome as ever. The Caped Crusader has even more cool weapons and gadgets than in the last film. The titular hero is also still not mentally healthy -- one of the things I like about director Christopher Nolan's take on Batman is that he acknowledges the sort of insanity that's necessary to be the kind of crime fighter Batman is. Bruce Wayne the gazillionaire playboy makes fewer appearances but is as delightful as he was in the first film when he does, sleeping through vitally important business meetings and saying things that come off as fatuous and meaningless to other characters but resonate with dual meaning for the audience.

Of course, any good action movie needs a good villain, and "The Dark Knight" brings us one of the best villains to grace the screen in a long time. The late Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker is the sort which causes reviewers to clutch their pens and start crafting hyperbolic statements as soon as the credits roll. He gives us a villain who is unpredictable, casually murderous, and utterly anarchic -- a wonderful foil for the straight-laced, focused, and determined-to-do-right Batman. Indeed, this English major could pretty easily write a 12-page essay about the relationship between Batman and his archenemy, there's that much there to unpack. It's marvelous.

The secondary characters are rock solid: Michael Caine continues to be a fantastic Alfred, Wayne's conscience, adviser, and father-figure. The talented Maggie Gyllenhaal has thankfully replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, Wayne's childhood friend and love interest, and her intelligent performance saves the character from being a simplistic damsel-in-distress. Gary Oldman proves yet again that he can vanish into a role with the best of them as Jim Gordon, one of the few truly good men on Gotham City's police force. Then there's the always-interesting Aaron Eckhart as Gotham's new district attorney, Harvey Dent. His is an interesting and layered performance that I think will reward multiple viewings of the film.

Unfortunately, "The Dark Knight," like "Batman Begins," will probably not hold up well under multiple viewings. There are too many scenes with long, motionless shots intended to build suspense that will likely be irritating upon a second viewing when you know what's going to happen (they were already annoying to me upon first viewing). Worse, there's quite a bit of refrigerator logic: things that make perfect sense while you're watching them, but which fall apart upon later examination. Batman has always been so over-prepared that it stretched credulity, but the schemes he and the Joker put together over the course of the film require you to suspend your disbelief even further than normal. If you can let go and just hang on for the ride, the film will be thoroughly enjoyable, but even your humble reviewer started muttering, "but wait a second..." before even reaching her car.

Like many sequels, "The Dark Knight" ends on a dark note and is in at its heart a tragedy. It features self-sacrifice and painful choices, and as a result is hardly a feel-good film. It also features some incredibly gruesome makeup effects and a couple of thoroughly cringe-inducing moments of violence -- to the point that its PG-13 rating is rather unjustified. Sure, it has no sex and almost no swearing, but its tone is pure R-rated material. This is a long way from the "pow!" days of the Adam West Batman. But for those at whom it is aimed, "The Dark Knight" hits it out of the park.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, Jeffrey Tambor
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Parental Notes: The violence is pretty much all comic-book stuff, and if your youngsters aren't too scared of monsters, they should be fine seeing this. But there are some freaky-looking creatures here, so little kids who find monsters terrifying should definitely stay home.

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" has all the necessary components of a fun summer flick: action, rich visuals, and a solid villain. It's not perfect -- its pacing could use some work, and too much time is spent on the romantic subplots to suit this reviewer -- but if you're looking for a fun action-fantasy movie or enjoyed 2004's "Hellboy" and want to spend more time with the characters, "Hellboy II" is worth seeing.

The film picks up not too long after the last one left off. Hellboy (Ron Perlman, "Outlander"), a demon raised by humans, and Liz (Selma Blair, "Feast of Love"), a fire-starter, are an item, and Liz has even moved into Hellboy's quarters at the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. All is not sunshine and roses, however, as Hellboy is a fairly terrible roommate and Liz has a bit of a temper. But they do their job, along with psychic fish-man Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, "Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer") and the human agents of the BPRD.

Liz and Hellboy's relationship issues are superseded by an attack on an auction house -- the work of a nasty elf, Prince Nuada (Luke Goss, "Blade II"). He has grown tired of the truce which prevents the elves from reclaiming the forests they used to inhabit, and decided to break it and take back what he sees as rightfully his. He is looking to assemble the pieces of a magical crown which controls a mechanical army -- the golden army of the film's title.

It's up to the BPRD to stop him -- with the help of his beautiful twin sister, the Princess Nuala (Anna Walton, "Vampire Diary") and new BPRD member Johann Kraus (played by a pair of puppeteers and the voice of Seth McFarlane), an incorporeal Germanic fellow who is a stickler for the rules. There are some good scenes where Kraus's by-the-book strictness and Hellboy's utter disregard for regulations clash, but Kraus is ultimately an oddly inconsistent character whose actions when the proverbial stuff hits the fan don't match his behavior early on. If there's a "Hellboy III," hopefully it'll smooth him out a bit.

Director Guillermo del Toro is known for his visual style, and "Hellboy II" does not disappoint on that front. Every shot is packed with details and visual creativity, from the richness of the Troll Market packed with strange creatures to Hellboy's cluttered living quarters. The makeup and creature effects are spectacular -- the look of the elves is thoroughly inhuman and creepily beautiful, like many of del Toro's monsters. If you like visual effects, be sure to catch this flick on the big screen so you can appreciate all the little details.

"Hellboy II" has its flaws, but they are fairly small. There are two romantic subplots, Hellboy and Liz and another I won't spoil by revealing, and both are rather oddly paced. They get too little screentime to develop and too much for a movie whose central plot is about mythological creatures fighting each other. I don't know about you, but I go to see "Hellboy" movies to watch Hellboy smash and shoot stuff. Him fighting with his girlfriend is a nice bit of character development, but it should be icing on the cake, not a whole layer.

If you're looking for a great action-fantasy superhero sort of movie, "Hellboy II" will likely hit the spot, especially if you're a fan of any of the major players involved.

Hancock

Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman
Rated: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.
Parental Notes: This film had to work hard to get its PG-13 rating rather than an R. This is pretty edgy stuff for its rating, and is likely not appropriate for youngsters. You've got hands being chopped off, gunfights, beatings -- all without too much in the way of spurting blood or disgusting sound effects, but still likely to be inappropriate for some kids.

Director Peter Berg helmed both the hilarious "The Rundown" and the epic "The Kingdom," and there are elements of both films tones in his newest flick, "Hancock." It starts off as an action comedy and about halfway through takes a sharp turn into action melodrama. The previews only offer a look at the first half, probably because the changeover is precipitated by a huge twist. It gives the movie a very uneven feel and if viewers don't hang on for the ride it will probably lose them.

The story begins as a straightforward tale of redemption. Hancock (Will Smith) is a reluctant superhero -- he lives in Los Angeles, spending a lot of his time in a drunken haze and fighting crime in a manner that seems to cause more damage than it prevents. Everyone hates him -- everyone except public relations agent and idealist Ray (Jason Bateman), who sees the potential in him for true heroism. When their paths cross (Hancock saves Ray from being crushed by a train, and derails the entire train in the process), Ray helps Hancock turn his life around, persuading him to do his time in jail for the damage he's caused and coaching him on how to behave like a real superhero when the city realizes how much it needs him and lets him out of jail to go back to fighting crime.

This whole section of the movie is packed with comedy. Hancock is depressed and angry while Ray is upbeat and idealistic, and they play off each other very well. There's plenty of action without too much gore, and lots of laughs. Then the twist comes, and everything changes. I'll be fair: "Hancock" gets credit from your humble reviewer for not having two separate plot elements that I did not see coming. But the startling change in tone and plot direction makes the film feel fractured, and it doesn't wrap up in a way that works with the lighthearted first half. There isn't even a proper supervillain for our superhero to fight.

"Hancock" has all the basic cinematic things that superhero movies require: decent special effects, solid acting, snappy dialog. What it doesn't have is an overall feel that really gels. It seems like somewhere in preproduction, two radically different drafts of the story got spliced together and the seam was never smoothed out. It's a fun movie for the first half, and it's an unusual superhero film, so if you're looking for something a little different from the common mold, check it out. If you just want a fun ride that lasts from lights down to closing credits, go see "Iron Man" again.