The Dark Knight Thread

[David Hingtgen]

I was going to say if anything, Chow Yun Fat's a Ken Watanabe look-alike.

Ken Watanabe=awesome.

[chowyunskinny]

I think both are great actors, but Chow Yun Fat was kicking ass and taking names back in 89 in "The Killer" and in 92 with "Hard Boiled." This was back when John Woo films were actually decent and not played out. Ken Watanabe wasn't even on the radar in the U.S. until the Last Samurai in 03. Sides he took a backseat to a gaijin scientologist in that one. Chow Yun Fat brought a level of acting to Crouching Tiger that would have been lost if they had gone with Jet Li like they planned. And for not being a martial artist he made Li Mu Bai look pretty badass.

Fat > Wat of course, i'm slightly biased as you can see by my forum name

You know what would be great is a movie with both of them about the Triad vs. the Yakuza

It'd be the asian equivalent of De Niro vs. Pacino in Heat

I'm sure some folks would be so confused by who's who

Edited August 9, 2008 by chowyunskinny

[ruskiiVFaussie]

hah, i didn't know that about Jet was originally going to be in crouching tiger/h/dragon. heh! Glad they chose Fat.

haven't seen enough of Watanbe, and L/Samurai was the first time i noticed him...

[eugimon]

hah, i didn't know that about Jet was originally going to be in crouching tiger/h/dragon. heh! Glad they chose Fat.

haven't seen enough of Watanbe, and L/Samurai was the first time i noticed him...

he's pretty good in Letters From Iwo Jima, if you haven't seen it already.

and fat and watanbe don't look anything alike.

Edited August 9, 2008 by eugimon

[jenius]

I'm with CYS and CYF on this one. Hard Boiled and The Killer are full of win.

[VF-19]

Saw The Dark Knight again last night. Only this time in IMAX. Wow, just wow. I'm liking the movie the second time around even more. Plus they amped up the bass during the whole SWAT chase. You couldn't just feel it in your gut, you felt it in your BONES!!!

[areaseven]

The Dark Knight keeps raking in the profits. As of today, it is ranked #3 on the all-time domestic box office with $441,541,000 (already nudging its way ahead of Shrek 2). By next week, it might eclipse Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope's record of $460,998,007.

[Black Valkyrie]

Hard to tell if it will pass up Star Wars - A New Hope but I really want it to take down titanic. One best movies in a long time, you always wanna watch it many times.

[MangledMess]

Watched TDK two days ago. Yeah, better late than never.

All I can say is... I'll never look at Batman, the Joker(Especially the Joker!!!), Harvey Dent, and the rest of the cast of the Batman mythos the same way ever again.

And I meant that in a good way.

It was that awesome. My God, the Joker sends shivers down my spine.

Hell, I'll never look at even the Batmobile AKA Tumbler the same way as well. I mean, it knocked a garbage truck twice its size off the road, head on, and survived as if nothing happened. I hope they'll use the other Tumbler again for a possible third movie(in Batman Begins, Lucius Fox mentioned that two were built. Is that correct?). I cannot imagine a sports-car Batmobile in a Nolan Batman movie, at all. Tumbler's more road-warrior worthy.

I don't know how the heck are they gonna top this. Seriously, the story is God-damn fantastic.

[Black Valkyrie]

A truly Joker Movie.

[eriku]

Hard to tell if it will pass up Star Wars - A New Hope but I really want it to take down titanic. One best movies in a long time, you always wanna watch it many times.

Only the Bat man can sink the Titanic.

[Black Valkyrie]

Lets hope so.

[Fort Max]

Hell, I'll never look at even the Batmobile AKA Tumbler the same way as well. I mean, it knocked a garbage truck twice its size off the road, head on, and survived as if nothing happened. I hope they'll use the other Tumbler again for a possible third movie(in Batman Begins, Lucius Fox mentioned that two were built. Is that correct?). I cannot imagine a sports-car Batmobile in a Nolan Batman movie, at all. Tumbler's more road-warrior worthy.

Sort of, Fox said that the plan for the bridging mechanism involved two tumblers leaping a river and dragging the tow cables over with them. He never said anything about there actually being two tumblers, though since he also said they couldn't get the bridge to work it wouldn't make sense for there to only be one prototype.

That said, there is a teaser of a new sleek looking Batride in the gotham knights dvd shorts and I think it would be pretty cheap to bring the Tumbler back after such a big sendoff with Fox saying, "You broke her already, just be more careful with her sister"

Btw, fans of the Batman can now (hopefully) get a good videogame at last

From NeoGaf

Here's what I have so far. I have about 6 pages to read through though

Batman: Arkham Asylum

1 Player Action Game, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Publisher: Eidos

Developer: Rocksteady Sudios

Release: 2009

- Clever choice of location moves the game away from an open world Spider-Man clone and more into the dark and gritty realm of The Chronicles of Riddick.

- Packed with Batman's most dangerous archenemies Arkham Asylum boasts a brand new story reminiscent of the depth and twists of Bioshock

- Story is written by Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Detective Comics)

- Wildstorm is crafting the authentic yet distinct new look for all the key characters

- Gameplay places just as much focus on Batman's role as a detective as his combat prowess.

- Game isn't being rushed to tie in with any TV/Film marketing cycles.

- Game runs on Unreal Engine 3

- Most of the game is played through an over-the-shoulder perspective

- You're going to see and get to fight against all the big super villains. Seen so far. Joker, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Zsasz, Penguin, Riddler, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and others the magazine doesn't want to spoil.

- Allies revealed so far are Commissioner Gordon who plays a big role and Barbara Gordon (aka Oracle) who is your radio contact in the game.

- Game opens with the Joker surrendering himself and subsequently taking over Arkham because of some secret the facility holds

- Magazine teases that this game will be the ultimate Batman experience so the voice cast will reflect that (Think Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill).

- Arkham was chosen as a location because of its limitations including the fact that it's an island prison. It's a persistent location so you can visit any location at anytime including Batman's secret on site Bat Cave etc. Don't think that just because this is an island prison there will only be small hallways. The developers have taken into account all the construction/destruction of the facility over the years so locals will vary.

- Eidos' Batman license includes all 70 years of comic book fiction so they're pulling from all of that.

COMBAT

- Boss Battles won't necessarily be a series of straight pugilistic fights. Each enemy represents a different side of Batman and not all of them can match his wide skill set. Some battles are focused on combat others will focus on gadgets some are similar to giant Zelda style bosses.

- Combat description in the magazine talks about Batman perched on a high ledge in a wide open room as he watches some of the Joker's thugs rifle through drawers. Batman switches to investigation mode using a blue tinted visor that among other things lets Batman see his enemies through walls and identifies things like guns and knives. One thug is carrying a machine gun so Batman jumps of the ledge, spreads his cape and kicks him in the face. He then swipes his cape in a large arc to stun his other enemies and then goes to work on them with a stylish blend of punches, kicks, a knee to the face here a behind the back elbow there. Combat has a gymnastic flourish and is accomplished using only three buttons. Attack, Stun and Throw.

- Combat is only one element of the game so the developers didn't want a bunch of button combos that you'd forget because you'll be doing other things besides fighting.

- During battle a combo multiplier at the top of the screen will increase with every strike. Once the combo expires a colony of bats will swirl around Batman and then contribute to an experience bar on the left side of the screen. In an RPG like skill tree system players will be able to distribute points where they prefer. Think Combat moves, faster takedowns, or gadget upgrades like the ability to throw multiple batarangs at the same time.

- Gadgets are revealed by collecting items in secret rooms. You'll need gadgets to survive as there are very tough enemies in the game that you can't just go head to head with (Think Killer Croc, he's 10 feet tall in the game and super tough)

- There are sections that involve sneaking but the developers call them Predatory gameplay sections as stealth tends to imply weakness, they prefer to think of it as picking off the weak people or people you wouldn't last too long in direct fight with from strong positions. The example they give in the article is Batman creating distractions with bodies and victim's yells and then stalking the guards as they go to inspect.

DETECTIVE

- Developers have come up with a very "sexy" CSI style for forensic puzzles because Batman will always have the very latest gadgets.

- Investigative mode is the centerpiece in Batman's arsenal. The visor can highlight points of interest and much like the Metroid Prime games will scan items into your database.

- They also mention another forensic gadget, a fingerprint tracker that allow Batman to follow trails of fingerprints.

OTHER

- Magazine hints at the ability to play as the villains in the game. Not sure if this is inserted directly into the game or available as a second playthrough option.

- Magazine lists a few suggested reading items. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Batman: The Last Arkham, and Arkham Asylum: Living Hell.

GRAPHICS

- Game is very gritty looking. The screens in the mag are all inside Arkham and show case a few hallways, The Riddler's cell, A sewer etc. Lots of great lighting going on.

- Character redesigns are pretty good for the most part. Joker looks like classic Joker only with Heath Ledger style make up (long drawn on red lipstick etc.) he still has a the bright purple suit and bright green hair. Definitely more sinister looking than say the TAS Joker. Killer Croc is huge and looks more like Jim Lee's Hush redesign as opposed to some of the more human renditions of him.

- Batman is in the Black and Grey costume. It looks more like armor however his gauntlets in particular look like the ones from TDK. Overall it looks very awesome.

- They show screens of fights and predator segments and all look very interesting and very Batman in scope. Lots of classic poses etc.

- You can control Batarangs from first person mode.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Fort Max

[grss1982]

Didn't watch it yet. May be I'll watch it this weekend.

Oh yeah for those who watched already something I found while surfing the intenetz......

[ruskiiVFaussie]

alllright! best gif ever.

[Necron_99]

^^ awesome

[gerwalk25]

[EXO]

They should put them all on an island and each week one gets voted off.

[Alpha OTS]

now that was funny!

If only they could get shopping for TP and milk Batman in there somehow.....

[Max Jenius]

It was pretty awesome. New Rachel looks fugly compared to Katie Holmes. Ledger was awesome as the Joker, though I still would have preferred a more traditional Joker. He did a damn good job, but I am not in the "he deserves post-humous oscar" crowd....

[VF-19]

It's most definatley a fake, but click the link: clicky!

Would be pretty neat if it's true.

[eugimon]

Yeah, that's a pretty awesome fanmade poster. I like the vicki vale byline

[Duke Togo]

Only the Bat man can sink the Titanic.

Adjust for inflation, its really not that close. Hell, Titanic doesn't even make the top 5.

[eugimon]

Adjust for inflation, its really not that close. Hell, Titanic doesn't even make the top 5.

for a movie about a ship that sank so quickly, the movie had amazing staying power. It may not have made the most money (adjust for inflation) but 15 weeks as the number 1 movie is really something.

I hate that movie, I hope TDK knocks it off.

[EXO]

Finally saw it on IMAX! Oh man... it was so worth it!

[Sumdumgai]

I went to Titanic to watch the boat sink. For TDK, I'd go back to watch Joker's magic trick.

[Max Jenius]

It's most definatley a fake, but click the link: clicky!

Would be pretty neat if it's true.

A well done Riddler would be neat. Honestly though... I'd like to see some of the villains that haven't been tapped as much. Though... Catwoman could make a nice showing as a secondary villain... though feminist groups would poo themselves.

[flabortast]

I beleive Dent survived. Yea, yeah the scrips says he broke his neck, but not everything from the script is brought over to the movie. The scene was plenty ambiguous. There was no confirmation of Dent's death from either Batman or Gordon. Gordon could have easily said "Harvey's prosecution died with HIM", but instead e said "Harvey's prosecution dies wit HIS REPUTATION".

They made a point in the movie to show how someone falling from that small height can survive. If they wanted to confirm he was dead, they should've used a higher place. Maroni landed on his feet and broke his ankles. Dent, we don't know how he fell.

Gordon could have faked his death, he faked his death in the very same film. A memorial service in the same movie for Loeb was held and you can see his casket. In Harvey's memorial, we only get a picture, no casket. His fate was purposefully left ambiguous so they could easily bring him back if needed. Nolan also said that he didn't like killing off villains and the original plan was to have Two Face as the villain in the third.

Also, it would be perfect sense for Two-Face to be both "died as a hero" and "lived long enough to become the villain". He is not one but both. They could have very well stuffed him in Arkham in hopes of rehabilitating him.

[Fort Max]

That's a great poster, I like how they copied over the clever use of the bat symbol from the dark knight posters in particular.

[bandit29]

Finally saw it on IMAX! Oh man... it was so worth it!

Ya I saw it yesterday on IMAX...wow fartin intense..unlike when I saw it in a normal theater the dialog was clear and was not drowned out by the sfx.

the theater was sold out and the next showing had about 100 people waiting to get in..impressive

[Necron_99]

Finally saw it on IMAX! Oh man... it was so worth it!

The closest IMAX theater to me is about 160 miles away

I might have to take a road trip to see this properly

[EXO]

It's amazing all the cityscape shots are shot in IMAX and the screen goes into a bigger format. I was sitting towards the front half, center, so it totally filled my eyes. They're gonna stop showing it this week. But I bet they'll bring it back soon since each show was constantly sold out. You had to buy the tickets 2 days in advance... that's for the weekday showings. Weekends you had to get it a week in advance.

[Duke Togo]

I beleive Dent survived. Yea, yeah the scrips says he broke his neck, but not everything from the script is brought over to the movie. The scene was plenty ambiguous. There was no confirmation of Dent's death from either Batman or Gordon. Gordon could have easily said "Harvey's prosecution died with HIM", but instead e said "Harvey's prosecution dies wit HIS REPUTATION".

They made a point in the movie to show how someone falling from that small height can survive. If they wanted to confirm he was dead, they should've used a higher place. Maroni landed on his feet and broke his ankles. Dent, we don't know how he fell.

Gordon could have faked his death, he faked his death in the very same film. A memorial service in the same movie for Loeb was held and you can see his casket. In Harvey's memorial, we only get a picture, no casket. His fate was purposefully left ambiguous so they could easily bring him back if needed. Nolan also said that he didn't like killing off villains and the original plan was to have Two Face as the villain in the third.

Also, it would be perfect sense for Two-Face to be both "died as a hero" and "lived long enough to become the villain". He is not one but both. They could have very well stuffed him in Arkham in hopes of rehabilitating him.

Again, in the end, it doesn't really matter, as we'll likely not see the character again in the current Batman movie franchise.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I prefer to think of him as dead. Unless they bring back Ra's Al Ghul who throws him in the Lazarus pit so they can both team up to kill batman.

Edited August 18, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[bandit29]

The Dark Knight on Blu-ray/DVD in December.. Also some bonus stuff..

http://www.joblo.com/excl-the-tdk-dvds