The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Fan Review Thread

[believe_batman]

Exactly.

"Lie to people, son. It's easier than preparing them for the truth".

I understand where you are coming from here, but, for me, an important point is Harvey Dent's mental state. If it had turned out that Harvey was always a corrupt official, who had been slaughtering criminals on the side, Gordon and Batman would have no excuse for covering for him. However, since he lost his mind, it's not as if "Harvey" was responsible for the murders. "Two-Face" was. To explain this to the public is nearly impossible and serves no purpose: they deserve better. So, fix the blame on Batman, because he was known to be present at Harvey's death. It's not like it might not be proven that he didn't do it someday... and, in the meantime, it provides not only a benefit for Gotham's spirit, but also an unexpected benefit for Batman, as criminals may believe now that he is willing to break his "one rule."

Batman sacrifices his reputation to protect Harvey Dent, who unfairly ruined it after losing his mind after one bad day.

Also, Ramirez is not going to want to go public about what she did, and consequently, what Harvey did. And no one will believe the Joker from his padded cell, so Harvey/Two-Face will not be ratted out.

 

[WorthyStevens]

No, I expressed my own opinion, using skills I learnt with the BFI among other places.

RT seems to be your absolute, whilst is does draw from a multitude of sources, you then have to look at what the multitude of sources are, most sources are aimed at the majority, who are not necessarily fans of cinema etc, but like things that are relatviely simple, sometimes with a few more intriguing aspects. TDK is exactly this, as is BB.

Again, just because you prefer indie/foreign movies to the more mainstream ones, doesn't mean you know cinema more than everyone else. Get off your smug high horse already.

 

[Sarg92]

Got back from watching the film for the first time today with a bunch of friends. We all enjoyed the film very much and all though Heath Ledger was brilliant as The Joker. I think that The Joker held the entire film, without him the film wouldn't be too great, Ledger's performance has made the film what it is but still it is a very good film.

After the film a couple of the friends I went with said that Johnny Depp should play The Joker if a third film is made and includes The Joker.

Personally I think they should just have a new villian but The Joker is too iconic for Batman to be dropped after one film, bring him back I say and Depp would be an ideal replacement for Ledger.

 

[Superhobo]

Actually knowing the films he enjoys makes it all the more hilarious - La Jetee is a twenty-eight minute black and white short comprised entirely from still photos - the inspiration for Gilliam's "Twelve Monkeys." While it's not a bad film, it is certainly 'pretentious *****ebag' fodder - of this, there is no doubt.

Frankly, I'm surprised he didn't have Un Chien Andalou listed.

 

[El Payaso]

I would have your back 100% if they cut Gordon's speech out of the ending. But he's talking to his kid and the kid is obviously supposed to represent the audience. So they treat us like children and justify what is, to me, an abhorrent action. That bothers me a lot.

Exactly.

"Lie to people, son. It's easier than preparing them for the truth".

I agree with you both. That doesn't ruin the movie for me one bit, but yes, I find reprehensible to hide the truth to the public no matter what your reasons are. If you ask me, both Batman and Gordon were wrong in that decision but I'm sure they'll suffer the consequences of their actions.

Gordon's son, as we do, has learnt from James Gordon that lie is admissible if you have a strong argument for it. Terrorist, therefore, are now justified to lie under the very Gotham incorruptible authorities criterion.

I understand where you are coming from here, but, for me, an important point is Harvey Dent's mental state. If it had turned out that Harvey was always a corrupt official, who had been slaughtering criminals on the side, Gordon and Batman would have no excuse for covering for him. However, since he lost his mind, it's not as if "Harvey" was responsible for the murders. "Two-Face" was. To explain this to the public is nearly impossible and serves no purpose: they deserve better.

The very purpose is to stand for truth. You cannot stand for truth only when truth is cool and nice. You either stand for it or you don't. Batman and Gordon decided not to.

The public deserves better: they deserve the truth.

So, fix the blame on Batman, because he was known to be present at Harvey's death. It's not like it might not be proven that he didn't do it someday... and, in the meantime, it provides not only a benefit for Gotham's spirit, but also an unexpected benefit for Batman, as criminals may believe now that he is willing to break his "one rule."

If Two-Face survived they'll have now to kep the lie forever, and even after their deaths the truth might come up ruining the memory of both Gordon and Batman.

I understand their reasons but they were plain wrong in their decision.

Batman sacrifices his reputation to protect Harvey Dent, who unfairly ruined it after losing his mind after one bad day.

Some terrorists sacrifice their very lives to keep their cause alive. That doesn't justify their actions.

Life might be not fair, truth is.

Also, Ramirez is not going to want to go public about what she did, and consequently, what Harvey did. And no one will believe the Joker from his padded cell, so Harvey/Two-Face will not be ratted out.

The lie can therefore keep safe since everybody who knows the truth is eiother unwilling to reveal it or unable to do it.

Batman and Gordon made the lie a little stronger and the truth a little weaker with their decision.

Which makes me think Joker was right: if you set the right scenario, noble people will betray their values and principles.

 

[Merkel]

And maybe that was the whole point all along.

 

[The Navigator]

Everyone else has mentioned the good stuff, so--

A little too much in the exposition area, and I wish they had dealt with the two main subplots differently (the Batman copycats' enhanced, since it has more to do with the point, and the elimination of Reese's, which is just there to pass time and is not the least bit convincing), but for the most part entertaining.

Bruce's reaction to the Joker's initial threats (capturing/killing of--some of? all of?--the copycats) left me cold, as he didn't try a shred of detective work or similar crimefighting reactions, other than beating up Maroni. If it had only appeared to be a surrender to Rachel, when really it was an organized trap by Gordon, Dent, and Batman, it would have been more satisfying.

Another thing: if Batman and Gordon were really set on covering for Harvey and unable/unwilling to explore other alternatives, why not blame the Joker? He has a precedent for killing cops AND mobsters, as well as a chaotic, omnipresent pattern. Batman is now never going to be a symbol of hope as long as he holds onto this pretense, which was his original intent: "I'm gonna show the people of Gotham their city doesn't belong to the criminals and the corrupt...People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne, as a man I'm flesh and blood I can be ignored I can be destroyed but as a symbol, as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting." But a symbol cannot be "whatever Gotham needs [it] to be" to be effective or enduring.

 

[sasquatchs]

I agree about the copycats, I was hoping that was going to play a larger role with them popping up throughout. "I don't wear hockey pads" was a pretty flippant way to brush off that aspect of things. They could've amped up the battle for mindshare which the Joker mentions at the end by delving more into the Joker's followers and Batman's copycats, a competition between 2 symbols. That aspect was really interesting. Also thought we'd get more commentary and debate from the GCN station, if they want to use weighty exposition to get ideas across it seems like the most natural way to do it.

The Joker's recruitment drive moments were very clever I thought, I was hoping that question would be answered. A scrappy improvised mix of ambitious, clueless goons, mental patients and remaining elements of the mob coerced into it. The goons in the bank were a little silly though.

They pretty much touched on everything I was hoping for, just not always to the degree I would've liked. Begins stretched its ideas very thinly whereas TDK stuffs in enough ideas for a trilogy. I like its ambition though

 

[FireFlys Enigma]

The copy cats of The Dark Knight reminded me of "The Many Deaths of Batman". I was hoping to see more fake Batmans found dead but alas it was not so. Just imagine if the Joker went on a rampage and killed all the fakes, not just one, to prove a point.

 

[laudanum09]

So, your problem is, basically, that it was a morally reprehensible action?

Lame.

yeah, as if its easy to judge given the context. let a city descend into chaos in the name of truth or martyr yourself to give it one more iota of order. Easy to say "man...batman is teh lier...thats SOOOO not like him to ever LIE or do ANYTHING morally questionable...sooooo out of character!" on the internet but if we're going to read into it this deeply then you should realize that its not that clear cut. Lying=bad, Truth=good are not stable equivalents and thats what the entire film was about, hence the ending.

 

[vasteelsfr]

I'm belgium , there is my opinion about this " amazing movie " in french :

Vu en Belgique à Bruxelles :Mais quel film !
C'est grave comme TDK incite à le revoir tellement le scénario est complexe et riche ...On ne ressort pas de la salle totalement sain, c'est certain !

C'est du cinéma que j'aimerais voir le plus souvent, y a des plans de folie, y a surtout de la maestria dans beaucoup de scènes qui se dégagent, Nolan est le meilleur réalisateur en ce moment, ahhhh si il y avait que des Nolan, ça serait tellement bien, mais bon il y a plus de tâcherons que de génies à Hoolywood, c'est la réalité !Revenons au vif du sujet !

C'est avant tout un Batman ultime, un film jouissif comme pas possible, c'est du 7° art, et j'adore ça ! ( mention spéciale en grande partie au frère Jonathan Nolan, qui se révèle encore plus être un génie dans l'écriture scénaristique )Et puis ça va tellement vite, voir trop, que Nolan et son frère nous offre un scénario sans failles et surtout sens temps mort, malgré que dans certaines scènes, elles méritaient d'être un poil plus longues, mais bon ça ne fausse en rien à la qualité du film, rassurez-vous, c'est juste un caprice de fan ...
Il y a une tension permanente, une menace qui peut surgir n'importe quand, imprévisible et terrifiante, telle l'alégorie qu'est le personnage du Joker, interprété par un HEATH LEDGER PARFAIT -> L'oscar sans hésité !Et puis ça nous change des autres productions et superproductions actuelles, la tournure des évènements est vraiment différente, intelligente et riche dans sa narration.

C'est très noir, c'est adulte, c'est du Batman, la mythologie est respectée, la mise en scène est brillante, subtile, enfin un film qui mérite son succès, c'est mérité à 100 %, merci à toute l'équipe. RIP Heath Ledger9,5/10 ( peut-être 10 quand je l'aurais vu une deuxième fois car ça trottine beaucoup encore dans ma tête, c'est flou on va dire tellement qu'il y a de choses dans TDK, et le rythme est fluide, c'est la première fois que je vois un film passé trop vite )



Rate : 9,5/10


I believe in Christopher Nolan

 

[phantomstranger]

I've been a Batman fan and collector for about 40 years now (yep. I'm one of the old guy fans) I've seen the character go from the silliness of the Adam West TV series to the grim seriousness of Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" and everything in between, So it was with much anticipation(and maybe a little worry)that I went and saw "The Dark Knight". "Batman Begins" was a fine movie and I wondered if they could possibly top it. Well, I need not have worried. "The Dark Knight"was flat out brilliant. Superb acting, action, FX and story all combined to make the best movie of the year (so far) and probably the best comic book movie ever. I can't recommend this movie enough. Go see it, It's great.

 

[thedeadite]

While I'm not a huge Batman fan when it comes to comics (I'll admit there's few I actually like), I have enjoyed most of the movie adaptations. I went to see TDK last night and thought it was really good. Definitely a step up from Batman Begins in my opinion. There were a few things I remember not liking (the "batman" growl/voice and a few scenes near the beginning of the film) but nothing that ruined the complete experience of the movie. While I wouldn't classify it as a "masterpiece" or even the best comic book movie ever made, I did find it rather enjoyable and will definitely be wanting to own it on dvd.

(I must say though, that my personal highlight of the entire thing was the Watchmen trailer before the film....)

 

[laudanum09]

I agree about the copycats, I was hoping that was going to play a larger role with them popping up throughout. "I don't wear hockey pads" was a pretty flippant way to brush off that aspect of things. They could've amped up the battle for mindshare which the Joker mentions at the end by delving more into the Joker's followers and Batman's copycats, a competition between 2 symbols. That aspect was really interesting. Also thought we'd get more commentary and debate from the GCN station, if they want to use weighty exposition to get ideas across it seems like the most natural way to do it.

The Joker's recruitment drive moments were very clever I thought, I was hoping that question would be answered. A scrappy improvised mix of ambitious, clueless goons, mental patients and remaining elements of the mob coerced into it. The goons in the bank were a little silly though.

They pretty much touched on everything I was hoping for, just not always to the degree I would've liked. Begins stretched its ideas very thinly whereas TDK stuffs in enough ideas for a trilogy. I like its ambition though

absolutely agree. The 'scrappy improvised mix' is so reminiscent of the man who laughs. Wouldn't it have been great to see Joker break into Arkham and throw a bag of guns at the inmates saying "playtime"....well got something like that in BB with scarecrow, but you know, with a bit more theatricality.

loved how we got so many little tastes...I prefer something huge, sprawling and bursting at the seams as opposed to something focused for this stuff. This was a story about Gotham and if we had to pay the price of seeing less stuff played out or extrapolated later on then so be it. If I wanted more of something I'd just have to say 'everything' especially the thematic anchors like escalation (fake batmen, joker's crazies) but there is room for this in the third.

 

[flash13]

I'm belgium , there is my opinion about this " amazing movie " in french :

Vu en Belgique à Bruxelles :Mais quel film !
C'est grave comme TDK incite à le revoir tellement le scénario est complexe et riche ...On ne ressort pas de la salle totalement sain, c'est certain !

C'est du cinéma que j'aimerais voir le plus souvent, y a des plans de folie, y a surtout de la maestria dans beaucoup de scènes qui se dégagent, Nolan est le meilleur réalisateur en ce moment, ahhhh si il y avait que des Nolan, ça serait tellement bien, mais bon il y a plus de tâcherons que de génies à Hoolywood, c'est la réalité !Revenons au vif du sujet !

C'est avant tout un Batman ultime, un film jouissif comme pas possible, c'est du 7° art, et j'adore ça ! ( mention spéciale en grande partie au frère Jonathan Nolan, qui se révèle encore plus être un génie dans l'écriture scénaristique )Et puis ça va tellement vite, voir trop, que Nolan et son frère nous offre un scénario sans failles et surtout sens temps mort, malgré que dans certaines scènes, elles méritaient d'être un poil plus longues, mais bon ça ne fausse en rien à la qualité du film, rassurez-vous, c'est juste un caprice de fan ...
Il y a une tension permanente, une menace qui peut surgir n'importe quand, imprévisible et terrifiante, telle l'alégorie qu'est le personnage du Joker, interprété par un HEATH LEDGER PARFAIT -> L'oscar sans hésité !Et puis ça nous change des autres productions et superproductions actuelles, la tournure des évènements est vraiment différente, intelligente et riche dans sa narration.

C'est très noir, c'est adulte, c'est du Batman, la mythologie est respectée, la mise en scène est brillante, subtile, enfin un film qui mérite son succès, c'est mérité à 100 %, merci à toute l'équipe. RIP Heath Ledger9,5/10 ( peut-être 10 quand je l'aurais vu une deuxième fois car ça trottine beaucoup encore dans ma tête, c'est flou on va dire tellement qu'il y a de choses dans TDK, et le rythme est fluide, c'est la première fois que je vois un film passé trop vite )



Rate : 9,5/10


I believe in Christopher Nolan

my brother who takes french in college read your review to me glad you liked it

 

[Quinzel]

I've been a Batman fan and collector for about 40 years now (yep. I'm one of the old guy fans) I've seen the character go from the silliness of the Adam West TV series to the grim seriousness of Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" and everything in between, So it was with much anticipation(and maybe a little worry)that I went and saw "The Dark Knight". "Batman Begins" was a fine movie and I wondered if they could possibly top it. Well, I need not have worried. "The Dark Knight"was flat out brilliant. Superb acting, action, FX and story all combined to make the best movie of the year (so far) and probably the best comic book movie ever. I can't recommend this movie enough. Go see it, It's great.

YAY! "OLD GUY FANS!!" LOL.
That just makes me respect you even more.

 

[kytrigger]

Well I finally saw TDK. I'm unable to see it in a theater, so I had to settle for a bootleg that had semi-bad resolution. The best thing I can say about this movie is that the only real nitpicks i had with it weren't from a stroy or visual standpoint, but from the crappy quality i had to watch it on. While I am glaf I finally saw it and don't hav to wait for it to come out on dvd, seeing ti like this only makes me want to see it more in a theater, the way it's supposed to be experienced.

9/10

 

[Dark Knight]

Well, the past two weeks I have been hearing NOTHING but high level praise for TDK. From my co workers and colleagues, to my friends who saw it, to my 9 cousins who live locally from me who saw this ranging in age from 12-21. Two of uncles and aunts have seen it also and they all said it was very good. True story, I went to eat at restaurant/bar this past friday with my wife and this group of 4 people that were sitting next to us started talking about TDK. One guy started off and said he never wanted it to end. His friend then followed up and said yeah he felt that way as well....and then the guy who started the conversation said that he never has felt that way about any movie before, in which he just didn't want the movie to end. One of the girls that was in that group said she loved the film and the story and the whole cast was amazing. I wanted to jump in, but I looked at the wife and she gave me that look as if don't jump in or I'll never stop. The guys at the comic shop are raving about the film as well.


Between BB and now TDK....it makes me very proud to be a Batman fan. Us Batfans I have finally got the movies we have been wanting to see for a long time. Thanks again to the Nolan brothers, Goyer, the actors and the rest of the producers and crew for a job VERY well done! Can't wait for the teams 3rd act!

 

[nathaniel]

What got to me most is that this was almost a completely new film not the second part of Nolans take batman is no longer a elemental force and a mythical spook thugs whisper about, he is a cop in a bat outfit all the theatricality and momentum built up in the first movie seemed oddly missing from TDK.

Im not a massive BB fan but i think in the great sheme of things it will be regarded as the better movie over TDK.

 

[aturner]

What got to me most is that this was almost a completely new film not the second part of Nolans take batman is no longer a elemental force and a mythical spook thugs whisper about, he is a cop in a bat outfit all the theatricality and momentum built up in the first movie seemed oddly missing from TDK.

Im not a massive BB fan but i think in the great sheme of things it will be regarded as the better movie over TDK.

Are you serious? Missing theatricality? I guess jumping off a skyscraper and flying into another building to snatch a criminal before being pulled out by another plane is pretty dull. How about launching your car through a garbage truck? Riding your bike through a shopping centre? Popping in and out of places when people least expect it? Falling out of a building and catching a woman before she splatters all over a car?

Definitely no theatricality, none at all.

As for thinking that Begins will end up being the better regarded film as time goes on, I'm not sure how you've come to that conclusion. Begins is by no means poorly regarded at present, but TDK is almost universally believed to be better than Begins and a great film period. I highly doubt TDK will be considered the lesser of the two by the majority of people in the future. There's a reason why it's doing so well commercially and critically.

 

[Superhobo]

David Goyer wrote "Batman Begins."

 

[Ace of Knaves]

the thing that really illustrates that it was more than "POPCORN" flick is how it made me feel afterwards. when i see ironman i came out of the cinema and i was like "damn that movie was the mutts nuts!" but when i came out of the cinema after seeing TDK i didnt really know what to feel, me and my mate didnt say a word to each other untill we got to the car which was some walk away! and then when i did say something all i could say was "was that really heath ledger?". i found it just really got into my brain and i just couldn't find the words to describe it for a day or so. it sorta left me on a weird downer feeling, like i was coming down of pills or summin!! but at the same time a sense of elation knowing that i'd seen one the most intelligent, action-packed films we will see in a long time.

 

[Omega Wizard]

Meh.

7/10

 

[Bads316]

So finally - a summer blockbuster with brains, an action film with richness, depth, characters, consequences and unanswered questions. This was what Ive always wanted -it didnt even have to be a Batman film - but the fact that it is makes it all the more sweeter.

Even at two and a half hours long the film somehow feels lean and mean (to think this film is as long as There Will Be Blood -which I loved but felt like a year in comparison to TDK) Every scene is a step forward, more momentum, more suspense. Repeat viewing is essential, Nolan doesnt give you answers easily - you have to work hard to keep up - missed something? You'll have to see it again.

Don't feel the need to comment much on Ledger. Greatest film villain of all time? Well for me his Joker will go down as one of the greats. Up there with Lector, Darth Vader and Belloque. Couldnt take my eyes off him.

Everyone one else in the film was fantastic. Esp Bale, Oldman and Eckhart - the unholy alliance.

It feels like a much different film to Batman Begins, but I think given time, the parallels and poetry of what Nolan has created across five hours of film will become more and more apparent. Cant wait to watch them back to back.

So yes its great (phew) how great? Only time and many many viewings will tell. All Godfather 2 and Empire Strikes Back comparisons are a little off the mark for my money, yes ok its a film that expands and improves uopn the original, but jeez give it some time to breathe. The third one will be done and dusted before any sort of comparison to those is justified. I for one am just glad that there are now two Batman films out there that I love, and that we can be proud of. Bring on part 3.

10/10

 

[The Battousai]

Meh.

7/10

7 is a "meh"? Pretty damn good "meh", if you ask me