The Dark Knight (2008)

It was amazing! Best dressed cast I've seen in a while, even the Joker had a three-piece. I liked this one more than the last.

Holy cats, that was dark.

And I loved every minute of it!

Ledger's Joker has truly raised the bar for movie villainy. I won't go into any spoilers here, but believe the buzz -- he created a most unforgettable character.

The film really earned its PG-13 rating, though, so leave the little ones at home. Instead, pop in the animated series for them.

Doh! said:

Ledger's Joker has truly raised the bar for movie villainy. I won't go into any spoilers here, but believe the buzz -- he created a most unforgettable character.

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I still get a chill thinking about the first time the Joker explains how he got his scars.

ooo! i can't wait to see it!

I just got back from the theatre today Ladies and Gentleman, and wow.

I was completely floored. The suits worn by Christopher Bale, Morgan Freeman and Heath Ledger are tasteful and at times gorgeous. It was an extra pleasure spotting the double-breasted and three piece suits that show up in the film.

As a long follower of comic books and of Batman in particular, I can safely say that this is the most chaotic and frightening that I've seen the Joker. If you follow the comics you'll notice that much of the plot is borrowed from issues of Batman throughout the years.

It is a beautifully told film, and a wonderful movie. I would advise anyone with a passing interest in the Dark Knight to attend a showing.

This is the motion picture that audiences, whether they be fans of the DC comic book or viewers who still believe superhero movies are for kids, have been waiting for. In a year that has seen few great movies released, "The Dark Knight" is a near-masterpiece, imparting style with thought-provoking substance in a thrilling blend that redefines the limits of the superhero film.

As everyone who sees "The Dark Knight" will testify to, the overwhelming standout of the picture is Heath Ledger. Ledger is brilliance personified as the villainous Joker, so fearless and gripping and horrifying and unforgettable that he single-handedly puts to shame Jack Nicholson's acclaimed take on the character in Tim Burton's original "Batman." Ledger is a force of nature every time he is on the screen, delving into the diseased mind of an out-of-control sociopath with not a wink in sight. The highest compliment to be given to this talented actor taken far too early is that he disappears so vividly into the character that the viewer instantly forgets it is Ledger he or she is watching.

Prairie Dog said:

...he disappears so vividly into the character that the viewer instantly forgets it is Ledger he or she is watching.

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Exactly! Very well put. It's tough to find fault with too many things in the movie, but The Joker is the reason I'll see it in theatres again. And the picture you provided gives an excellent view of his suit. I wonder if Mr. Magnoli plans a recreation. :whistling

Good movie. A little better than the first one. The only thing Batman Begins did better was show the Bruce Wayne/Batman double life... which The Dark Knight completely ignores.

However, someone is going to have to tell Christopher Nolan to ZOOM OUT every once in awhile. Geewhiz. Sometimes it is hard to see action and acting when all the camera shows is the corner of a face or the wheel of a car. In a three hour movie... I think you see Joker from head to toe once and Batman twice.

KeyGrip said:

And the picture you provided gives an excellent view of his suit. I wonder if Mr. Magnoli plans a recreation. :whistling

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I'd like to have a quality reproduction of Joker's suit! Though the honeycomb pattern shirt would take some getting used to. And it would need plenty of pockets for knives and toys.

Purple is the new black! How about it Mr. Magnoli?

I saw it yesterday, and was impressed, but I didn't love it. I'm still processing my reaction, and I intend to see it again with my kids next week, but here's how I feel as of now:

Ledger's performance as the Joker - and equally importantly, the screenplay's conception and dialog - is indeed something special. A riveting Joker, quite different from all other interpretations. I also liked the handling of Harvey Dent, both as scripted and acted. And there were plenty of jaw-drop moments, both in terms of the stunts and the story. But...

It was a good 20 minutes too long. It tried to squeeze in too much story, and it threw off the pacing (a complaint I also had with Spider-Man 3, which was far worse in this regard). While I hate to criticize a film for being overly ambitious, I could have lived without the fall of Gordon (which I didn't buy for a second), the two-ferryboat "human delimma", the distracting (and preposterous) Bat-sonar, etc. And ten minutes could easily have been trimmed from the various chases with no loss to the film. And - as is typical in Batman adaptations - there was too much focus on the gadgets, and not enough of the detective work.

As in the first film, the Batman fighting action (not the large-scale stuntwork) was still shot too close and cut too fast. Is it too much to ask for a nice sequence of Batman taking down multiple opponents where you can actually see what he's doing?!? There's no question that Bale trained hard and they did outstanding fight choreography - why won't they let us see it clearly?!?

As with the previous film (and many superhero movies), the "big finale where all hell breaks loose" in the third act nearly stopped the human drama in its tracks. And seeing Batman being the aggressor against police SWAT guys - no matter if there was a semi-good reason - was just wrong!

I will say, there were some definitely shocking surprises in the final disposition of several characters. Things did not turn out as I expected...

So anyway, I definitely liked it, but found it somewhat overdone and unbalanced. I give it credit for its high seriousness, outstanding ensemble acting, beautiful design and photography - but I don't think I liked it better than Batman Begins.

Let's see how I feel after a second viewing...

Doctor Strange said:

It was a good 20 minutes too long. It tried to squeeze in too much story, and it threw off the pacing (a complaint I also had with Spider-Man 3, which was far worse in this regard). While I hate to criticize a film for being overly ambitious, I could have lived without the fall of Gordon (which I didn't buy for a second), the two-ferryboat "human delimma", the distracting (and preposterous) Bat-sonar, etc. And ten minutes could easily have been trimmed from the various chases with no loss to the film. And - as is typical in Batman adaptations - there was too much focus on the gadgets, and not enough of the detective work.

As in the first film, the Batman fighting action (not the large-scale stuntwork) was still shot too close and cut too fast. Is it too much to ask for a nice sequence of Batman taking down multiple opponents where you can actually see what he's doing?!? There's no question that Bale trained hard and they did outstanding fight choreography - why won't they let us see it clearly?!?

As with the previous film (and many superhero movies), the "big finale where all hell breaks loose" in the third act nearly stopped the human drama in its tracks. And seeing Batman being the aggressor against police SWAT guys - no matter if there was a semi-good reason - was just wrong!

So anyway, I definitely liked it, but found it somewhat overdone and unbalanced. I give it credit for its high seriousness, outstanding ensemble acting, beautiful design and photography - but I don't think I liked it better than Batman Begins.

Let's see how I feel after a second viewing...

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WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!







I'll have to respectfully disagree with you in a few items, Dr. Strange. The film did seem to jump around a bit and yes, it felt too long. However, I'd rather have more Bat-action (Baction?) than less.

The Dark Knight is a rush, but I was having trouble sitting still through all of it. I did feel that a few items could be trimmed down. Namely, the end scene with Gordon and Two-Face. It just didn't seem reasonable for Two-Face to blame Gordon for his sweetheart's death. Then again, he did justify it with that coin of his. [huh]

However, I thought that the ferry sequence was fascinating, although I knew that Gordon was going to be back, I enjoyed tricking myself into believing that he really had fallen.

True, the film is full of Bat-gadets, but that has always been an essential part of the Bat-man. The Gadetry also acts as a tool, showing that one man can indeed go too far and become too Big Brother-esque, this is seen when Lucius Fox leaves at the end.

I also agree that the fighting sequences with Batman take some getting used too, but the reason for the way they are filmed instead of a more 'traditional' format was to put the audience in a simulation of an actual fight. I rather like it for breaking the mould, to be honest with you.

But your disagreement with Batman being the aggressor against SWAT personel is where I have to draw the line.

Batman has always been an outsider, he isn't a Superman, he is a dark avenger. The main difference being that Superman is a genuinely nice guy, while the Batman isn't. The Police have hunted and shot at the Dark Knight before, if you have read Frank Miller while he covered Batman, then you know what I'm talking about. So that sequence was completely in character with the most current incarnation of the Batman.

A minor quibble being that Christopher Bale seems to try too hard with the voice. In my own opinion Michael Keaton did a much better job.

See, I like The Dark Knight Returns, but that's a what-if future story, so it can push Batman into all kinds of extreme situations. In this Batman story, where he's been working hand-in-glove with Gordon and DA Dent, his fighting the cops struck me as wrong... though it does allow them to take the "Batman as public enemy" approach that they seem to be setting up for the next film.

And yes, I understand that they want the fights to look as they do to Batman's opponents - just quick flashes as Batman strikes. But I'm sorry: I still want to see it shot from an objective POV for once... I just want to see the Bat-moves clearly.

And the ferry scene was indeed fascinating - but it belongs in a different movie. The focus should have remained on Batman and the core ensemble. In this film, introducing the moral dilemma of the people on the boats was really an unnecessary plot diversion masquerading as social commentary...

(I feel exactly the same way about the big-brotheresque bugging of the phone lines. Not only was it an unnecessary plot point in story terms, but setting up Batman as so Machiavellian a character that Lucius Fox has to act as his conscience really bothered me. Once again, it's pushing Batman beyond what he - and the film's writers - knows are his limits.)

And I have to respectfully disagree on the gadgets - Batman's incredible brain, physical stamina, and awesome dedication to overcoming any difficulty should always trump the gadgetry... The gadgets are just gimmicks: the real story must flow from the characters, and the gadgets should serve the story, rather than take up big chunks of time. (Would a few minutes less of the Batpod chase have really made it less cool?)

Anyway, I don't really want to come off as so negative: I'm more reacting to the overenthusiastic reviews. The film is very good... but it's just not the "perfect adult superhero" movie that it's being annointed as. It's a good, serious film that gets a lot of stuff right, but I think that it has a few misteps too - like most movies.

Doctor Strange said:

And the ferry scene was indeed fascinating - but it belongs in a different movie.

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It actually seemed like it belonged in a Spiderman movie!

Doctor Strange said:

(I feel exactly the same way about the big-brotheresque bugging of the phone lines. Not only was it an unnecessary plot point in story terms, but setting up Batman as so Machiavellian a character that Lucius Fox has to act as his conscience really bothered me. Once again, it's pushing Batman beyond what he - and the film's writers - knows are his limits.)

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Not necessarily. . . Batman is a control freak. While Superman sees himself as re-establishing order when an otherwise peaceful world is threatened, Batman sees himself as trying to introduce order into a world of chaos. In the DC universe he has a fail proof plan to take out any member of the justice league if they proved to be a threat to him, and these are his "friends!" The phone bugging bit felt like a nod to the whole OMAC-brother eye scenario from the last crisis inspired crossover.

Just got back from a midnight showing of the movie. I have to agree with everyone that it is truly a must see Batman even if you've never been a fan. Ledgers's Joker was the most compelling villain I've ever seen in a comic-based film, and this was in most respects probably the best Batman film so far, by far. I say this as a huge Tim Burton fan who thought there'd never be one better than Batman Returns, so for me that's really saying something.

That said, still for me, the ultimate Batman film is yet to be made. It would be one set in the same gritty, late 30's/early 40's noir world that The Bat Man first appeared in print. The character would be truer to his detective roots and more dependent on wits than fantastic gadgets to get the job done. Costume-wise, I'd like to see him back in a much simpler, basic black and gray outfit reminiscent of the very earliest film incarnations. To that end, the short fan-film Batman: Dead End (mentioned previously in this thread) nailed that look almost perfectly - much better than I ever thought possible.

That's the Batman I'm still waiting for.

Saw TDK. Thought it was excellent.

Matt Crunk said:

To that end, the short fan-film Batman: Dead End (mentioned previously in this thread) nailed that look almost perfectly - much better than I ever thought possible.

That's the Batman I'm still waiting for.

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Same here. Great short film.

Hey, I'd LOVE to see Batman done in a cloth costume! I've never been a fan of the body armor - I vastly prefer the blue/gray fabric costume used in Batman: The Animated Series. (Which remains my favorite adaptation of Batman, even given the high quality of the Bale/Nolan live action films.)

(Mild Spoiler Ahead)

I agree that a golden era depiction of Batman would be cool, what we got was the modern Batman in a modern film. I really enjoyed it! I'm surprised at the reaction to the ferry scene. I thought it was pretty powerful, and it could have went a dozen different ways. I personally thought that it would end up with each ferry having their own detonators. The outcome really surprised me, and was crucial in Batman's dealing with the Joker.

I also really like the gadgets! For me, the outfit, the gadgets, the batmobile, they're all characters just as important as Alfred or Wayne himself. As Doctor Strange said, the gadgets ARE gimmicks, yes, but they're Batman's gimmick! His ability to come up with and obtain these tools is part of what gives him the edge. I like seeing the development of his toys, and the half plausible explanations of how they work. However, the "Bat Sonar" WAS unnecessary and distracting, and I think that's my only real complaint about the film. As previous posters have said, the outfits and suits are great.

Ledger was perfect as The Joker. There were a handful of scenes were I would cringe wondering what he would do next. Some of the scenes in this film were on the level with the Saw movies in my opinion as far as "thrill" factor. This is definitely not one for small children.

Just wonderful - wonderful wonderful. I had such fun.

The only small criticisms I have are 1. it could have been a bit tighter length / pace wise and 2. Maggie Gyllenhaal - she was a vast improvement over Katie Holmes, but I felt like she fell into the trap so many characters in action movies fall into. Namely, the regular person who never really seems to get too scared. I hate it when "regular" people in stories such as this do not get properly horrified by what is happening around them. Even if you're trying to play courage or bravado, I feel that an acknowledgment of the scary (hello - Ledger as the Joker = terrifying!) is a must. I usually really like her, too.