christopher nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

more than enough has been said about The Dark Knight's across-the-board successes and more specifically Heath Ledger's game-changing performance, but what stood out to me just as much (especially on a second viewing) is how genuinely accomplished the Nolan/Nolan/Goyer script is, and i hope they're not hidden in Ledger's shadow come awards season. costumes aside, The Dark Knight is as much a crime novel as a summer blockbuster, and walks a fine line between density and accessibility; what's more, though, the script is completely saturated with its challenging themes, and for every moment where it spreads its complex good vs evil, order vs chaos ideas on a little thick there are three or four where they've been woven almost imperceptibly into the narrative. my immediate reaction to The Dark Knight was that "the Godfather II of comic book films" is a pretty fair comparison, and the more i think on it the fairer it gets. i'm reaching back to write this all the way from September (a busy late summer put me a bit behind) but this is still the best "movie" AND the best film i've seen in 2008.

guillermo del toro's HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY (2008)

louis leterrier's THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008)

so now that it's all done with, was this really necessary? Iron Man's unqualified creative success tipped the scales on whether or not the Hulk reboot might be worth my time (i am, after all, a fan of both Norton and Leterrier), but i'm sad to say my initial reactions were correct: The Incredible Hulk is a waste of time, money, and talent, and does not one thing better than Ang Lee's version. the action sequences are bigger and more plentiful, sure, and the TV series' Banner-on-the-run premise is a superior frame for a good Hulk story, but the overwhelming emotional ineptitude makes much of the film very nearly boring. (few seem reluctant to label Lee's Hulk as a snoozer, but at least there was something going on upstairs.) on its own terms The Incredible Hulk is a B- comic book movie, but following a previous, just-fine version by a few years and a flawless, intertwined crowd-pleaser by mere weeks it's nothing less than a failure.

jon favreau's IRON MAN (2008)

guillermo del toro's HELLBOY (2004)

bruce timm's BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993)

i'm the first to put Batman: The Animated Series forth as the most faithful, accomplished superhero cartoon in memory (and up there with the best cartoons period) but its bigscreen foray doesn't completely live up to its legacy; Timm & co don't seem comfortable flexing their storytelling muscles at "feature" length, and even though the flashback structure provides passable padding, the story isn't sufficiently engaging (and, more critically, the action sequences aren't nearly numerous or spectacular enough) to make too much of an impression.

dave bullock's JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER (2008)

vincent paronnaud & marjane satrapi's PERSEPOLIS (2007)

“In this life you’ll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it’s their own stupidity that makes them act that way. That will keep you from responding to their meanness. There’s nothing worse in this world than bitterness and revenge.”

first published in France in 2001, Marjane Satrapi’s black and white graphic autobiography Persepolis has enjoyed a significant degree of crossover success throughout the world, and for good reason: her introspective, emotionally loaded memoir represents the best facets of what we talk about when we talk about comics as art (paving the way for similarly outstanding works like Craig Thompson’s Blankets and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home) while telling a lively, universal, and occasionally devastating tale of childhood.

what makes the book so significant, however, is its backdrop. Satrapi’s early adolescence was spent in the shadow of the Iranian Revolution, which in 1979 saw the country transition violently from monarchy to theocratic republic, and Persepolis is most valuable in its accessible survey of the complexities and contradictions of pre- and post-Revolution Iran, all seen through the eyes of a little girl to whom Islamic law and nationalistic fervor mean nothing compared to the safety and happiness of those she loves. it’s not the story of a hero, but of an observer forced to learn, endure, and eventually escape to the relative sanity of the outside world.

still, Satrapi remains reverent to her roots and her nation, and the result is illuminating for Westerners seeking insight and context into the generally alien Islamic world: we are shown, as we should be shown every day, that within these sad, prideful national constructs are millions of people with the same problems and aspirations as anyone else in the world.

now Persepolis has found its way to an even larger audience by way of Satrapi & Vincent Parranoud’s Oscar-nominated animated feature, a combined abridgement of Persepolis and its 2004 sequel. the film follows Satrapi’s tiny pen-and-ink doppelganger through these formative years, as she dreams of being the last prophet before the revolution shifts her country’s well-being from bad (the Shah) to worse (Khomeni) to worst (the bloody, protracted Iran-Iraq War.) eventually her parents decide to send her to school in Vienna, where her horizons are finally allowed full latitude, but her pride in and love for the people of her shattered nation eventually bring her back…for a time.

Satrapi & Parranoud’s film is gorgeously animated, refitting the book’s rough-around-the-edges illustrations with a slicker but no less evocative cartoony style, brought to life in an unobtrusive blend of hand-drawn animation and computer compositing. but where Persepolis’ whimsy and gravity jump to the screen with equal facility, its heart sadly seems lost in translation. given that Satrapi’s saga isn’t as well-suited to cinematic story structure as it would seem, she’d have done well to disregard it altogether by allowing the first half more breathing room; it is, after all, the sociopolitical context (and Marjane’s precocious reactions to it) that drives Persepolis, and glossing over strong material lamentably dulls its impact. so, too, does Satrapi seem to assume the emotional resonance automatically carries over from page to screen, and the overall result is a partially hollow adaptation, lacking the full spectrum of warmth and sharp insight that make the source material so essential.

still, it’s hard not to recommend Persepolis. it’s pleasing and instructive, and as worthy elucidation of ideas and cultural history as you’re likely to see onscreen this season. but behind its superb visuals there’s a gripping, intimate human drama insufficiently tapped, so unless you’re really in the mood for popcorn your twelve dollars may be better spent at the book store than the box office.

(from the KNOXVILLE VOICE)