The Dark Knight Thread

[rikiryou]

On a second viewing at IMAX, I found the soundtrack to be rather annoying. I couldn't hear the dialogue with the music blasting everywhere; it was fine at the theaters though. It didn't feel as awesome as it did on the first viewing, but we all know why that would be the case. Interestingly; the humungous IMAX screen even deterred what I felt would be a good viewing experience. It was just... too big. LOL.

While we're on the topic of Iron Man; it certainly did feel more solid and easier to watch. Probably also due to the fact that there weren't so many things slapped together. Dark Knight certainly suffered from irregular pacing - on top of that, a few things could have been given more focus. Bruce wasn't given enough time to emote or come to a renewed and hardened resolution with the outcome he was thrown with, nor did he even show enough angst about it at all. Oh well; slight pity on that. Would be neat if we get a director's cut later on or something to address that.

Edited July 18, 2008 by rikiryou

[wolfx]

Joker's "Just As Planned" non-plans was kinda lol.....but otherwise i enjoyed the show. Was the guy that batman caught in the beginning the scarecrow?

[David Hingtgen]

Too much to take in with just one viewing---plus it is hard to hear some dialogue. Did feel the pacing was off. Am I nuts for possibly liking the first one better overall? If the entire movie was the Joker, it'd be the best movie ever. But he's actually not in THAT many scenes.

[bandit29]

Great movie overall. Downtown Chicago never looked so good lol

Ya the dialogue was hard to hear/make out in some scenes

[myk]

Interestingly; the humungous IMAX screen even deterred what I felt would be a good viewing experience. It was just... too big. LOL.

I've never understood the "IMAX" experience and the buzz that follows it. All you're getting is that in-your-face giant screen and the volume pumped up so loud it hurts. I can like, do that in my apartment, so...

Also, the pacing was odd; generally I felt that the movie just dragged, the irony being that neither Bruce's or anyone else's "pain" was ever properly conveyed. Ah dunno, I guess we'll have to watch it again to absorb the rest of it...

[mikeszekely]

I haven't see the new one yet, but in anticipation of it I went looking for the Blu-ray of Batman Begins. $24.99 pretty much everywhere, except Best Buy. It was advertised at $24.99, it rings up $24.99, but every copy at my local one had them stickered for $18.00. And these were Best Buy stickers, too, that read "BD Batman Begin" and the BB sku of 8880044. No getting around it, they honored the $18 price, so if you guys were looking for Batman Begins on Blu-ray, there ya go.

[eugimon]

great movie. I thought heath's performance lived up to the hype. Some of the scenes with him were incredibly disturbing. Overall, I thought it was a much stronger movie than Begins. Better pacing and a tighter script and a serious acting upgrade by Maggie over Katie Holmes.

Can't wait for the next one.

[Sundown]

I also agree that Bruce didn't get to star as much as I wanted him to. He needed more obsessing, emo scenes. Instead, he was always doing something and coldly expedient with only moments to brood. I also think the movie needed to

show us his internal struggle-- why some part of him doesn't *want* to be Batman-- before it was sort of heaped on us as a plot point.

Batman's gravelly voice was also a bit over the top-- it kept reminding me that Batman was really a freak in a costume, rather than the real persona, with Bruce Wayne as the disguise. As a result, it was harder to take Batman's lines seriously opposite Joker's awesome performance. As good as the movie was, I think they underutilized Bale's acting chops and didn't give him enough screen time.

Edited July 18, 2008 by Sundown

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

I watched the movie last night with some friends at my local theatre here in Mexico City. (Most american summer blockbusters are premiered in that theatre BTW). Last night they were putting together a huge stage in the shape of a big bat with plasma screens and all. A moment ago me and my GF went to get tickets for tomorrow because she wanted to see the movie too, and we stumbled upon the original Batpod. Apparently it's on tour and it'll be here for the weekend.

Gotta go back tomorrow morning with a camera.

Edit: I'll post the pic tomorrow

Edited July 18, 2008 by Lonely Soldier Boy

[Ladic]

amazing, this is Heat but with batman in it.

[Golden Arms]

Yes it is

Scarecrow (Cilian Murphy) in the beginning.

I really loved the acting that Nolan was able to get from a Number of the actors, even the ones with small parts. William Fitchner made a pretty good mobster for his short scene. Michael Cain just steals scenes. None of his dialogue is wasted, and what couldn't be said about Ledger's performance. He is/was the best Joker ever. He made Nicholson's depiction seem like junior high.

[Chewie]

Best movie of the summer so far and one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

[eriku]

I thought it was mostly enjoyable throughout, although I have to be honest and say Heath Ledger/The Joker made up for about 90% of my enjoyment.

I was very let down by the ending. Either I missed something or it seemed like everyone just forgot about the Joker after he was left hanging on that cable.

I was also disappointed with the quick end of Harvey Dent. I've never thought Two-Face was one of the better Batman villains, but I would have like to see him carry over into the next film for a little more character development. It was like they introduced him and killed him off in the same breath.

But all in all I really did enjoy the film. I have to say I enjoyed Iron Man, Hulk and Hellboy more and had a better feeling walking out of the theater after those, but then again Heath Ledger's performance smoked pretty much everyone else in any of those films. God damn he will be missed.

[Arthurius]

very very very dark movie, not for kids.... I remember before seing the movie, i was always afraid the second one might not be dark, and ruin the first one (which was my favorate superhuro movie), but man, it sure did not disapoint on the dark side, it was even too much for me... That said, i have to recommend this movie, and will go see again.... Gets your mind really thinking of things... Did i say this movie is dark... very dark... very very very dark

[SuperHobo]

very very very dark movie, not for kids.... I remember before seing the movie, i was always afraid the second one might not be dark, and ruin the first one (which was my favorate superhuro movie), but man, it sure did not disapoint on the dark side, it was even too much for me... That said, i have to recommend this movie, and will go see again.... Gets your mind really thinking of things... Did i say this movie is dark... very dark... very very very dark

I frankly enjoyed the intensity of the film and the well crafted scenes to give an extremely believable and convincing scenes of brutality. Truly this film might need to be watched a second time to adsorb everything that is looked upon in the film. The awkward pacing and Batman's over the top voice can be a little distracting, but I'm nitpicking its an excellent film. Well worth my $8.75 for the ticket and real movie experience.

[chowyunskinny]

Loved DK.

DK is my favorite drama of the summer that happens to be based on a comic book.

Iron Man is my favorite comic book movie of the summer.

I think the two are apples and oranges, one serious, the other fun, but I love em both.

One thing I think DK has over Iron Man is the Ensemble cast. Everyone is a heavy hitter. Bale, Caine, Freeman, Oldman, Eckhart and especially Ledger, my hats off to them all.

I'm so glad I stayed spoiler free before seeing it.

Gordon getting offed, Rachel getting offed, Gordon returning, and the Batpod being a part of the tumbler were all total surprises for me. I mean I've seen the upcoming toys of the tumbler and the bat pod, but I just figured the Bat Pod was just a new toy given to Wayne from the R&D dept care of Lucius. I know, I know, batpod, escape pod, Duh!

My friend said as we were leaving he'd be happy if it ended here and they didn't make a third one and I couldn't agree more. Retire at the top of the game.

oh yeah, seeing Deebo took me out of the movie for a minute. I had to laugh.

Edited July 19, 2008 by chowyunskinny

[Shmitty]

I don't understand those of you who have said Iron Man was better than The Dark Knight. Now, I loved Iron Man, and I've seen it three times since it was released, went to the midnight and everything. That said, it was a cheesy, masturbatory fanwank- right down to the tease after the credits. It was awesome, and everything about it was perfectly Iron Man, but it wasn't a lasting piece of cinema. Just good fun, plain and simple.

The Dark Knight, on the other hand, manages to not only perfectly encapsulate everything that makes Batman himself interesting, but also takes the themes of the Joker and Two-Face and brings them, successfully, into a realistic (however fantastic a masked vigilante might be) setting. Bale's Batman is spectacular, if only for the facts that his suit evolves with the changing criminal climate of Gotham City, and his growling voice that so many complain about. The costume is about intimidation first and foremost, you want a voice to go with that, something almost animal, second it's about concealing his identity. He needs to change the way he talks, and trying to alter your speech patterns seems like the sort of thing that could easily be messed up.

Eckhart's Dent/Two-Face is fantastic in its own right. I won't spoil anything, but his transition is tragic and you really feel for him throughout the finale. The levels of corruption that you can see taking place are really fascinating. There's a lot to be said about human nature from his ordeal. Also- every scene involving his coin is a great time.

Finally, Ledger's Joker is the end-all-be-all of Jokers. Everything about him is perfect. Many will complain or make note of the fact that he doesn't do as many zany jokes, and there are very few things he does that might be considered silly, but in everything he does there is a hint of humor and chaos. The ironic and dark jokes he makes through killing and destruction are what really make this Joker so much more than anything that has been seen outside the comics. Sure, he might not be chemically altered, but his disfigured visage really grounds him in reality, while the makeup still brings him to the fantastic and terrifying. The fact that he can make a death a funny situation is standing evidence to the character's portrayal in this film.

Now, the characters and their interactions alone are enough for me to call this one a masterpiece, but apparently, the pacing seemed off to some- I also don't understand this complaint. It starts off with a bang, and then switches back and forth from lull to action for a short time before the Joker really starts to take hold of the story's direction. After things begin to fall into place, the pace of the film never really slows down, just builds and builds, faster and faster until the climax. Which, I feel is a good parallel to how tiring and hectic it would be to try and keep up with a loon like the Joker, and the plans he sets into motion.

tl;dr- TDK somehow manages to not be overhyped, and brings more to the table than Iron Man.

PS- the theater being too loud is not a legitimate complaint. If your music was too loud to hear the dialog, perhaps you should speak with the manager. I could hear everything perfectly fine.

PPS- I suppose if I had to make a complaint, it would be that our long-eared buddy still doesn't do much actual detectiveing. There's a little bit, but I wouldn't call him the world's greatest by any stretch of the imagination.

Edited July 19, 2008 by Shmitty

[kanedaestes]

Thought the film was amazing, complete masterpiece.

Too bad Heath passed cause they left it open for so much more, plus Dent, and Scarecrow. I like the fact that they aren't killing anyone anymore. For clarification Dent is not dead, he is just knocked out for if he did die then that means Batman actually killed someone which he doesn't do.

[EXO]

I don't know if that's clarification or more like an opinion...

seems like they pretty much said he was dead and even had a service at the end...

I enjoyed the movie though.

[kanedaestes]

I hope not, but anyway there will be repeated viewing oh yes there will be repeated viewing. If i didn't have to work today i would be gettin another ticket right now.

[eugimon]

I don't know if that's clarification or more like an opinion...

seems like they pretty much said he was dead and even had a service at the end...

I enjoyed the movie though.

I think they left it ambiguous, Bats and Gordon talked about protecting the image of Dent as the city's white knight so they could have faked his death. I hope two-face isn't dead. While Joker is the anti-batman, Two face is the anti-bruce wayne and the way Nolan's Batman is setup, that makes two-face a much more compelling villain/contrast for batman than Joker or any of his other classic rogues like penguin or the myriad superthugs like croc and clayface.

[Golden Arms]

I hope Nolan and co. aren't finished with these films. Could you guys imagine what he would do with Catwoman. I agree about the description of this film, it was a masterpiece.

[Shmitty]

I don't know if that's clarification or more like an opinion...

seems like they pretty much said he was dead and even had a service at the end...

I enjoyed the movie though.

I feel too, like they left it ambiguous. It's not clear that he lived or died, and if he was killed, then it makes the whole thing that much more painful. See, Batman goes out of his way to do the 'impossible' and take the Joker down without killing him. He manages to bring in the biggest criminal the city had ever seen, alive. Joker mentions how all he was trying to do was make him break his rule. Then, the whole thing with Harvey goes down, and he has to decide whether a fall like that might kill a man, or if he wants to see Gordan's kid all over the floor. He makes the right choice, obviously, but if Dent died, then the Joker really did win. Not only did he corrupt Gotham's white knight, but he also forced Batman to break his only rule. Batman has to wonder after it happens, what the point of letting the Joker live is, if after all that work Dent is still killed, and thats what makes it really poignant. From a different perspective, Dent's death also works for the theme of "you either die a hero, or live to see yourself become a villain," clearly, he did live to see that, but Bats and Gordon make sure that in the public's eyes he was a martyr. The fact that he died really grounds his heroic status, while Batman can never be that hero. He must remain alive to protect the city, despite their efforts to get rid of him.

That's a big block of black, now isn't it?

[EXO]

Must be just me that thinks it was a clear death. But I don't really mind if he was still alive. Great character. I actually liked his character more than the joker. And to see how he devolves further into crime would be very interesting.

And that 2 face effect is just awesome.... Yeah I can't wait for Catwoman... Jessica Biel in the Bathouse!!!???!!!

[eugimon]

Must be just me that thinks it was a clear death. But I don't really mind if he was still alive. Great character. I actually liked his character more than the joker. And to see how he devolves further into crime would be very interesting.

And that 2 face effect is just awesome.... Yeah I can't wait for Catwoman... Jessica Biel in the Bathouse!!!???!!!

I don't think jessica has the chops to hang with rest of the cast. Katie Holmes stuck out badly for the same reason.

[the white drew carey]

Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that Dent is dead. Considering that, regardless of how their "story" pans out, Gordon was there when Dent took the plunge, he'd be hard-pressed to explain himself if Two-Face comes back.

[bandit29]

Almost 67 million on opening day... a record

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080719/ap_on_...QWHYPFnUOys0NUE

So in the next one.. I wonder what villain they will use...another Joker? Or will they wanna endure the wrath of the Heath Ledger fanboys lol.

While Ledger was great in the film..I don't think it was Oscar worthy.

About the apparent death of two-face...I thought he was dead...which seems like a waste of a good villain.

Edited July 19, 2008 by dejr8bud

[azrael]

Almost 67 million on opening day... a record

Already did $18.5 million on midnight showings alone.

About the apparent death of two-face...I thought he was dead...which seems like a waste of a good villain.

Agreed.

That was a waste of Two-Face potential

.

Ledger was really good. Not Oscar worthy but definitely got a good "laugh". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

I didn't find anything wrong with the soundtrack getting in the way. I'd pay to watch it again.

[Sumdumgai]

Awesome movie.

I loved the Joker's Magic Pencil trick.

Heath Ledger's Joker was awesome. His performance definitely outshined Jack Nicholson's for me. I couldn't help but laugh with some of his scenes at the hospital. In particular his entry and his exit.

I was left wondering about Dent at the end, if he died from the fall or not. If they do a third movie, I guess we'll find out.

I think that Johnny Depp could attempt to play the Joker. Although the performance would be compared far too often to Jack Sparrow.

The twists in this movie were quite refreshing. I wasn't expecting The Scarecrow to make an appearance in the film with all the apparent focus on Dent and Joker. Wasn't expecting him to be doing what he was doing either.

[chowyunskinny]

I thought it was funny and awesome that they got the guy who played Batmanuel from the Tick as the Mayor of Gotham.

Him and Deebo were my crack up moments of the flick.

[GobotFool]

Awesome movie.

I think that Johnny Depp could attempt to play the Joker. Although the performance would be compared far too often to Jack Sparrow.

Hrm, interesting, I think that might actually work.

Considering that they didn't kill the joker off at the end, it seems like they wanted the conflict between the two to be ongoing. While I know people will compare Depp played Joker to captain jack, Depp is one of those rare actors who really isn't the same character in a different setting with a different name in all of his movies. Compare his performance in "Finding Neverland" to "Sweeney Todd" to see what I mean. While Heath Ledger did a brilliant job as the joker, I think another truly great actor could take the ground work established by Ledger. Of course the operative words here are "great actor". Still, I don't think the 3rd batman will use the Joker as a main villain.

I heard rumors they might be considering the Riddler as the villain for the 3rd movie.

I don't know if that's clarification or more like an opinion...

seems like they pretty much said he was dead and even had a service at the end...

I enjoyed the movie though.

The only thing I can think of is that maybe Gordan and Co faked dent's death and tossed him in a deep dark Arkham cell to keep his insanity hidden from the public. It would be a great and tragic twist if Two-face escaped, his madness coming to light along with the fact he committed the murders that have been pinned on batman. Also if it was discovered Gorden was involved in the cover up it would cast major suspicion upon him and maybe even force him to resign. While this would get bats off the hook, it would also result in all the criminals he and dent put away getting released, with all their good work completely undone, Gotham is plunged back into being a hellhole. With the top straight cop now out off power, perhaps a hand picked mafia controlled commisioner is placed in charge of the Gotham PD. l can see this driving Dent even madder, forcing him even deeper into his Two-Face Persona. In order to try and fix things he hunts down all the released criminals and kills them all, not just the murderers and rapists, but the petty criminals as well, I can see it getting so bad with him that he decides that in an ordered society that not citizen breaks the rules and he might even start wacking people he sees making minor traffic violations.

Just my two cents on how they could bring Dent back as a major villain. as the memorial service made it pretty clear to me he was dead in all official capacities at the very least.

Edited July 19, 2008 by GobotFool

[EXO]

Batman: You're the worst psychotic killer clown I've heard of...

Joker-Sparrow: Ah, but you HAVE heard of me...

I don't know... Jessica Biel looked so good in that catsuit in that gay Adam Sandler movie.

[Alpha OTS]

Fantastic. This *is* the quintessential Batman movie. They nailed the character and the mythos. Things that bugged me at the beginning of the movie were cleverly rectified by the end. The pacing was a little off in the beginning as they were setting up the dominos, but once they started falling...YEOW! I was giggling like a school girl until the end of the movie, and I had a big ol' smile on my face for quite some time after leaving the theater. The ending was simply perfect.

I was not expecting Two-Face to be such a big part of the movie. The movie really was about Harvey Dent and the White Knight vs. the Dark Knight theme. At best, I expected Two-Face to show up at the end so he'd be in the sequel. The character was handled perfectly, imo, and Joker pushing his buttons was one of my favorite scenes. I know you guys are debating it, but I really think Two-Face was dead at the end. It was clear that was a eulogy Gordon was giving, and really, that's just too big of a secret to hide otherwise.

The thing that bugged me about the movie at first was that Batman was often working so openly with the cops, and it's like the writers said "Hey, we have a problem with that too, so sit back and watch us fix it!" And boy howdy they did. Everything's set up perfectly for a sequel now. Gotham's almost a character of its own, and you can feel that things really are getting better because Batman took the fall. He is what the city needs him to be.

[rikiryou]

Funny that Depp was mentioned as possible replacement; I had the exact same thoughts after the movie, lol. For some reason Ledger's Joker reminded me of Jack Sparrow quite a bit.

[chowyunskinny]

shoot, if it was 13 or 14 years ago I think Gary Oldman would've made an awesome Joker, going by his performances in True Romance and The Professional