At times, The Dark Knight is a philosophical movie. It touches on beliefs. Also, it gets into the purpose of moral codes in society. As well, it shows the downfalls of materialism. That being said, I’ll briefly discuss these ideas, which stood out to me in the movie.

When explaining his beliefs to the dying banker, the Joker doesn’t mention evolution or religion.

“I believe that whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you stranger,” said the Joker.

When making this statement to Batman, the Joker understood the artificiality of societies’ moral code: “To them you’re just a freak. Like me! They need you right now. When they don’t, they’ll cast you out. like a leper. You see their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke,” laughs the Joker. “Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you, when the chips are down these ‘civilized people,’ they’ll eat each other.”

The Joker wasn’t materialistic as the dialogue shows between Batman and Alfred:

Alfred: you don’t fully understand either. A long time ago, I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never met anyone who had traded with him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing the stones away.

Bruce Wayne: So why steal them?

Alfred: Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

I liked the movie. It had a lot of action. It gave you something to think about. Moreover, I have always been a fan of the Joker.