The Dark Knight Official Critics Reviews of TDK

[BaleISBatman4ev]

This thing will end up at 96 - 98, with an 8.7 . WOOOOWWWW

 

[Voyeur]

I'm sorry if ya'll have seen this before...but I gotta post the whole thing:

Dark Knight, The (2008)
Why so serious?

Bill Clark
July 17, 2008
Grade: A+ (Fresh)

The Dark Knight is an unbridled masterpiece; a dark and gloomy commentary on the state of our country today. Filmed in blacks and dark blues, there are only occasional rays of hope as Batman takes on Gotham’s latest batch of evil. Yet there is a feeling of giddiness as you exit the theater and realize that you’ve just viewed a remarkable piece of cinema. This is the kind of movie going experience that people tell their grand kids about. The expectations were through the roof, but director Christopher Nolan and his team have delivered a challenging, haunting, and unforgettable film.

The stakes have been raised in Gotham City. Picking up where Batman Begins left off, the citizens of Gotham City have embraced Batman (Bale) in mixed fashion. Some see him as a savior while others view him as a criminal getting away with his crimes. Batman, along with Lt. James Gordon (Oldman) and newly-elected district attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) have been putting away Gotham’s unsavory characters. That is, until The Joker (Ledger) arrives on the scene. The mysterious man, dressed in a custom purple suit and donning messy clown makeup, wreaks havoc at will in Gotham, thus challenging Batman on a personal level and to his very core.

A common complaint with cinema in general is that too often a film tries to do too much. The Dark Knight is that rare movie that actually accomplishes the feat of being multiple genres for multiple people. It works as action, drama, suspense, and even as a romance. Screenwriters Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have crafted the best screenplay so far this year. It is balanced, effortlessly challenging, and generously developmental towards its characters. We are rarely provoked morally as effectively as we are in The Dark Knight. In terms of action, Nolan shows us things we’ve never seen before. Any filmgoer knew he was a special talent back in 2000 with Memento, but he shows incredibly maturity in his direction of The Dark Knight’s slate of action sequences. They’re gritty, gripping, and stunningly executed without any musical cues or frivolity.

Nolan also has the best cast to date in this genre to work with. Christian Bale continues to shine as the new Bruce Wayne / Batman. He hits all the right notes, whether they are witty or deadly serious. His character is explored even deeper in the film, and there’s no doubt that Bale recognizes this as the role of his life. Gary Oldman is the perfect protagonist alongside Batman, as he brings out the human emotions of a man in danger and who is really just scared. The additions of Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes from Batman Begins) are also strokes of casting genius, as each develops their characters to perfection. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman not only add veteran acting credentials to the cat, but they are both having a whole lot of fun. As tough as it is to stand out with this caliber of cast, Heath Ledger owns this movie. In his final and all-too-premature gift to us, Ledger is nothing short of astonishing as the demented Joker. With his crusty makeup and constant nervous tics, Ledger has simply transformed before our very eyes. You may find yourself forgetting it’s even him at times. The menace and intimidation he creates is palpable and will rattle you. He is one of the all-time great villains in film history, and this work will never be forgotten.

Rarely do I dish out the A+ rating, but then again rarely does a film this perfect come down the line. Somehow Nolan and company have met the seemingly unrealistic expectations thrust upon them by the success and audience reaction to Batman Begins. Nolan has turned this into not only the premiere superhero cinematic series, but the premiere franchise in all of current film. The themes and challenges of this story reach across all genres and will hit home with anybody. To make a film this complex and gripping and still have that happen; well, that’s an act of a genius. And it won’t soon be forgotten.

http://www.fromthebalcony.com/reviews.php?id=304

 

[Caladbolg]

I found a quote here quite interesting...

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700243918,00.html

"The Dark Knight" is rated PG-13 for strong scenes of violent action (shootings and gunplay, brawling, knife violence, fisticuffs, explosive and vehicular mayhem, and violence against animals and women), sequences depicting torture and interrogation, drug content (various toxins, poisons and the like), scattered profanity, some brief gore, derogatory slurs and language, and some crude slang. Running time: 152 minutes.

Pg-13... is that you?

 

[Voyeur]

BTW...92% for TDK among "Top Critics"!

 

[Hobgoblin]

Meanwhile all the Chicago critics have loved it. Obviously Nolan bribed us all over here in the Chicagoland area with free TDK t-shirts.

I didnt get mine.

But yeah, the local paper gave it four stars and the guy on WGN gave it an A+. Good to see.

 

[Caladbolg]

At least the main NY papers liked the film. Were not all bad you see

 

[Voyeur]

It's to the point where I don't know what the heck we've posted already but there are a lot of new AICN reviews in the last couple of days (ALL incredibly positive), this one, from Capone, most recent:

Clearly, I don't need to sell you on how good The Dark Knight is. By now, you've probably read dozens of such reviews. What's important to distinguish is that director and co-writer Christopher Nolan's epic telling of the Batman vs. Joker saga is more than just the greatest superhero movie ever made (and that it certainly is), but it's the year's finest crime drama, greatest character study, and greatest acting performance.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37506

 

[Fanticon]

Nice one from my side of townt: Hope that wasn't posted yet but I don't think it was.

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/knight_time_is_the_right_time/7106/

 

[Caladbolg]

http://www.filmblather.com/review.php?n=darkknight

Pre-release buzz pegged The Dark Knight as a "crime saga," and the description was accurate: the film tells the story of a city terrorized not by... a league of ninjas, but by gangsters and terrorists in a turf war.

I said it before, ninjas vs gangsters is one of the main realism factors some have with begins. Its merely a storyline convenience now imo.

Should batman have been trained by gangsters then? lol

 

[Die Laughing]

A nice review from my town's newspaper:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/ae/story/414389.html

Rating: PG-13; violence, madness

LoL

- Ahahahahaha!

 

[tastetheatrical]

Again, not a review... but..

Look at TDK's IMDB score...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/

 

[Anita18]

Again, not a review... but..

Look at TDK's IMDB score...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/

There's a reason why they rented 24 IMAX theaters for the hardcore fans to see it early.

 

[Caladbolg]

There's a reason why they rented 24 IMAX theaters for the hardcore fans to see it early.

Good, now I can watch this masterpiece in quiet this weekend

 

[laudanum09]

Wow its at 9.7/10. great! I hope in the end the ratios of good to bad reviews will tip the scales and keep this film in the 90s. And its not a matter of wanting this film to succeed as a fanboy, but hoping that it actually inspires more films to be made of this caliber, which would require both great reviews and box office sales.

 

[laudanum09]

Good, now I can watch this masterpiece in quiet this weekend

hmm was it particularly loud for your showing?

 

[Caladbolg]

Nah I just tend to pay attention to the film more when the audience is less "vocally enthused".

 

[Voyeur]

Couple more raves:

http://www.blackflix.com/reviews/dark.knight.html

...gives it 4-stars!


http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid:46014

...loves it though they didn't quite love Batman Begins

 

[Caladbolg]

Couple more raves:

http://www.blackflix.com/reviews/dark.knight.html

...gives it 4-stars!

there are three other villains from the Caped Crusader’s roughs gallery who make an appearance in the film.

The return of Mr Zasz? t:

 

[Anita18]

Good, now I can watch this masterpiece in quiet this weekend

HAH! We'll be back.

You can't escape.

Although I suspect the morning crowd will be more manageable than the evening crowd.

 

[lordofthenerds]

Joe Morgenstern...destroyer of dreams:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121632327909562803.html


Metacritic gives it a 60, so it'll probably be rotten.

 

[General Vulcun]

A 60, as described on RT, means fresh.

 

[Boom]

New negative up.

 

[Conebone69]

I think TDK will end up at 93% at RT

 

[General Vulcun]

Just another critic who thinks this movie takes itself too seriously. When will they learn...

 

[rashad]

I think it'll finish somewhere in the 93-96% range.