The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Fan Review Thread

[The Battousai]

actually, my dad didn't use the "F" word. he used the "P" word!

I didn't mean to offend anyone when I posted that.

^ That's what I thought

Yes, his dad said anyone who doesn't like it is probably a "f-----", well that didn't stop me from enjoying it.

I understand NOW what you were getting at, but since I read it differently (which is, incidentally, the way the other poster intended), I didn't draw that conclusion.

Since his dad was saying "p****", your reply to it confused the hell out of me

 

[Schlosser85]

Ok, I made the wrong assumption. I can now ask myself "why so serious"

 

[javi1024]

did anyone else get the sense that because they didn't use the quick camera cuts during the fights that they felt slower in this movie? especially in the parking garage.

 

[Eggyman]

Just seen it

Spoiler

I'll write my review as soon as my mind has returned.

 

[comicman]

I just got back from an advanced preview showing of this movie here in the UK. Before I start rambling, I will say this: I deliberately starved myself of spoilers for this film. One thing I've always regretted is that I pretty much knew everything about Batman Begins before I went to see the movie, and while I thought it was brilliant, I couldn't help but wonder if my experience had been tainted with my knowledge of events. Well, this time round I tried to rectify that by avoiding as much as I could. And the result? Possibly one of the best movie experiences I have ever had.

This film was incredible. It was a complete joy to behold from beginning to end. At no time during the film did I find myself bored, or dissapointed. It was worth the wait. There are so many things I loved about this film, its difficult for me to pick out any one thing. But if I had to pick one thing about this film I loved the most, it would have to be Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Heath's performance was brilliant. Jack Nicholsons portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime was decent, don't get me wrong, but this was a master class of villany. This was the Joker as he was meant to be: the embodiement of chaos. I don't think all this talk of giving Heath Ledger a post-humous oscar is over hyped in the slightest, because from what I saw, he bloody well deserves it.

To me now, Christian Bale is the definetive on screen Batman, just as Christopher Reeve was the definiteve on screen Superman. His performance was also brilliant in this film.

Thank you Chris Nolan. You've done justice to my favourite comic character. I can't wait to see what you have lined up for the final part of your Bat Trilogy!

10/10

 

[Superhobo]

Well, I finally saw it - on a drive out of town. I'm still attempting to marshall my thoughts on it, but I can say that none of the buzz has been undeserved. This is a balls-out masterpiece of a film, and along with "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Happy Feet," has currently earned a place in my top five - I'm still kind of giddy.

Along with some edits and changes to the current reviews on my blog, I'll try to have a complete review up soon.

 

[JackBauer24]

I hate to say it - but Kermode's review pretty much summed up the way I felt about the movie . I really liked it. I just didn't love it the way I loved Begins the first time I saw it.

I'll need to see it again, obviously - but it just felt as though something was missing this time around, and I can't put my finger on what it was. I think it'll have to come down to the screenplay - call me a heretic, but Begins' script, I thought, was better.

 

[Toxin72]

Yeah. I did. And what's really sad is peoples unconditional blind love for everything Nolan. Supposedly the Joker was putting on makeup to showcase how incredibly insane he is. If that's the case, at least appeal to me enough to have him paint his whole body white, and at least have his hair green. They could have easily done that. BUt they didn't, because they wanted to make sure people understood that this was "their vision". They had to show flesh tone because they had to make sure people knew. And that is a slap in the face. There were points in the story where he looked so ridiculous it became like is he supposed to be scary or not? If batman doesn't have his ears, or his cape, but everything else about him is in tact, especially his character, guess what, he still ain't Batman. People keep saying this is the best Joker ever, and he was so perfect. No. His character was perfect, but his look was ********. Nolan decided that the Joker from the comics was ridiculous and improbable. Then he took it a step further and decided that everyone else was gonna like it as well. There had to have been a moment where someone was like, "well gee, don't you think your Joker might piss people off a little". So he decided that even if it did, he didn't care. He didn't care that he was differentiating one of the most important parts of the character. And I'll be damned, people went along with it. There's things I can move past. This **** just really pisses me off. And no one on this earth can justify why I'm wrong in this way of thinking. I appreciate what we got here in TDK. But theres **** like this and my other problem that piss me off to the point where it's hard to fully support the movie like I wanted to. And to the other guy - yes, his looks are a HUGE ****in deal! I just don't understand why they couldn't make it at least LOOK like in the ****in comic.

Get over it you act like it's this huge deal when it's only a small detail. If your going to let something like that have an effect on how much you liked the movie then I feel bad for you and I'm glad I'm not you.

 

["V"]

I can fully relate to what you are saying. I too loved Begins and greatly anticipated TDK. When the credits rolled after the film, I just sat there, not sure how I felt. I wasn't so much disappointed as I was indifferent. Upon further reflection I concluded that the movie just flat out depressed and exhausted me. "Why so serious?" has taken on new meaning for me. It was a good movie as far as movies go; exciting, intriguing and generally entertaining, but not what I was looking for as the sequel to Begins, (which I believe to be better film). So, all in all, TDK is fine film-making to be sure, but for me not the best Batman film, nor the best superhero film ever. I will be watching it again soon so I can evaluate and analyze it more completely. I WANT to like it more than I do right now and maybe after a second viewing, I will. For now, I can say that I loved Batman Begins but merely liked TDK.

I, too, feel the same. I loved Begins the moment I left the cinema, but I just saw TDK at an advanced screening here in England and I'm not sure what I felt. I think that I loved the first two acts, but it fell apart a bit in the third act for me. I'm so disappointed... I really wanted to love it, but I may only like it. I'll have to let it sink in and reassess it. But I still can't believe Two Face got killed off!!!

 

[Motown Marvel]

Let's face facts guys, without letting my fanboy side bias my overall love of film in general...TDK stacks up much like this:

The love triangle from Casablanca + a tight story to rival Citizen Kane + explosive action a la (insert Michael Bay flick) + a frightening yet comedic genius that harkens to Freddy Krueger + more corruptness than the Departed - not so funny one-liners as seen in BB =

The single greatest 2 1/2 hours of viewing goodness, more commonly known as TDK

this takes the cake on the most ridiculous praise i've read for TDK.

 

[Superhobo]

While I said before that this film was a balls-out masterpiece, and I stand by that, even masterpieces aren't perfect - no film is. Aside from the two things I've personally had a problem with (the suit, and the lack of bleached skin, although not so much the last one, because they handled it well), this film has its sparse flubs of dialogue and stuff like that - I wasn't a fan of Crane's "that's not my diagnosis" at the beginning, among a few others. But these are very minute things, things that don't really matter - and by far, even the worst lines of dialogue were eons better than anything Goyer eked out - the lines pass by, and you move on.

 

[JackBauer24]

While I said before that this film was a balls-out masterpiece, and I stand by that, even masterpieces aren't perfect - no film is. Aside from the two things I've personally had a problem with (the suit, and the lack of bleached skin, although not so much the last one, because they handled it well), this film has its sparse flubs of dialogue and stuff like that - I wasn't a fan of Crane's "that's not my diagnosis" at the beginning, among a few others. But these are very minute things, things that don't really matter - and by far, even the worst lines of dialogue were eons better than anything Goyer eked out - the lines pass by, and you move on.

But the thing about masterpieces (or the ones you consider to be so) is that you never take the time to point out all the flaws, because you're so in love with the movie. It would be like going to see Michelangelo's David and saying 'well, you know the proportions of his head to his body really aren't perfectly accurate'. No. You don't do that - you just bask in the awesomeness. If you come out of a movie and say 'it was a masterpiece, BUT' then it's not a masterpiece.

And don't be so quick to criticize Goyer's screenplay. Begins had a wonderful script. On first impressions, I think it may be the superior of the two - screenwriting isn't all about the dialogue you know. Structurally I believe Begins to be the far superior movie.

I guess I'm destined to have controversial opinions on film franchises. I'm not saying I've definitely decided that BB>TDK yet - but it's certainly my initial reaction.

Some of my other unpopular opinions:

Godfather>Godfather II

Aliens>Alien

Terminator>T2

FOTR>TTT>>>>>ROTK

ESB>ANH>TPM>ROTJ>AOTC>ROTS

And so on...

 

[Superhobo]

But the thing about masterpieces (or the ones you consider to be so) is that you never take the time to point out all the flaws, because you're so in love with the movie. It would be like going to see Michelangelo's David and saying 'well, you know the proportions of his head to his body really aren't perfectly accurate'. No. You don't do that - you just bask in the awesomeness. If you come out of a movie and say 'it was a masterpiece, BUT' then it's not a masterpiece.

That's not really true - in the case of certain film reviewers, they go home directly from seeing a film they'll later deem a masterpiece and begin pounding out a review that very night. I had an entire drive home along - mostly - empty country roads to think about the film, as well as the two and a half hours since I got home. I mean, I'm always partly analyzing any film I watch. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy it, and a lot of my enjoyment is taken from this dissection.

As I said before, the only real bumps I've actually found in the film, from my first impressions, are the things I've had a problem with from the start, and those extremely sparse clunkers. And these aren't large elements of the film, at all. Far, far from it.

And don't be so quick to criticize Goyer's screenplay. Begins had a wonderful script. On first impressions, I think it may be the superior of the two - screenwriting isn't all about the dialogue you know. Structurally I believe Begins to be the far superior movie.

I disagree. Most of the dialogue, throughout the film (and dialogue - or lack thereof - is still a component of screenwriting, and pretty important, especially in "Begins") is typical summer popcorn dialogue that it feels like the rest of the cast and crew is doing its best to work around.

Structurally, it's a sound screenplay, but much of the information is relayed through said dialogue - there's gobs and gobs of exposition (sometimes to the point of ridiculousness) about various important elements, and a lot of the time these lines come off as stilted. TDK doesn't have this problem, and with Nolan's brother in the writer's seat, it's far improved.

ESB>ANH>TPM>ROTJ>AOTC>ROTS

That's not really that unique.

 

[Grievous]

I don't know everything about this movie so I need to know somthing

Spoiler

was the scarecrow at the start of the movie the real scarecrow or just a guy with his mask?

I did not know were else to post.

 

[The Joker]

I don't know everything about this movie so I need to know somthing

Spoiler

was the scarecrow at the start of the movie the real scarecrow or just a guy with his mask?

I did not know were else to post.

It was the real one.

Spoiler

We see Cillian Murphy unmasked when he is captured.

 

[Dark Knight]

I just got back from an advanced preview showing of this movie here in the UK. Before I start rambling, I will say this: I deliberately starved myself of spoilers for this film. One thing I've always regretted is that I pretty much knew everything about Batman Begins before I went to see the movie, and while I thought it was brilliant, I couldn't help but wonder if my experience had been tainted with my knowledge of events. Well, this time round I tried to rectify that by avoiding as much as I could. And the result? Possibly one of the best movie experiences I have ever had.

This film was incredible. It was a complete joy to behold from beginning to end. At no time during the film did I find myself bored, or dissapointed. It was worth the wait. There are so many things I loved about this film, its difficult for me to pick out any one thing. But if I had to pick one thing about this film I loved the most, it would have to be Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Heath's performance was brilliant. Jack Nicholsons portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime was decent, don't get me wrong, but this was a master class of villany. This was the Joker as he was meant to be: the embodiement of chaos. I don't think all this talk of giving Heath Ledger a post-humous oscar is over hyped in the slightest, because from what I saw, he bloody well deserves it.

To me now, Christian Bale is the definetive on screen Batman, just as Christopher Reeve was the definiteve on screen Superman. His performance was also brilliant in this film.

Thank you Chris Nolan. You've done justice to my favourite comic character. I can't wait to see what you have lined up for the final part of your Bat Trilogy!

10/10

Yeah I felt the same way! It was a classic....Ledger was amazing! The definitive Joker....and Bale is the definitive Batman!

 

[Motown Marvel]

But the thing about masterpieces (or the ones you consider to be so) is that you never take the time to point out all the flaws, because you're so in love with the movie. It would be like going to see Michelangelo's David and saying 'well, you know the proportions of his head to his body really aren't perfectly accurate'. No. You don't do that - you just bask in the awesomeness. If you come out of a movie and say 'it was a masterpiece, BUT' then it's not a masterpiece.

And don't be so quick to criticize Goyer's screenplay. Begins had a wonderful script. On first impressions, I think it may be the superior of the two - screenwriting isn't all about the dialogue you know. Structurally I believe Begins to be the far superior movie.

I guess I'm destined to have controversial opinions on film franchises. I'm not saying I've definitely decided that BB>TDK yet - but it's certainly my initial reaction.

Some of my other unpopular opinions:

Godfather>Godfather II

Aliens>Alien

Terminator>T2

FOTR>TTT>>>>>ROTK

ESB>ANH>TPM>ROTJ>AOTC>ROTS

And so on...

when comparing BB an TDK, they both have their pros and cons. there were clearly moments in TDK that blow away anything in BB. but BB was a much tighter film, and its focus was far more pure. and obviously the joker in TDK was far more entertaining than ra's in BB. but batman was a MUCH stronger character in BB, but fell to the wayside in TDK, felt like his character was considered as an after thought and was generally on auto pilot.

 

[JackBauer24]

That's not really that unique.

Really? Most people I speak to always say TPM was the worst SW film.

We're clearly not going to agree on Begins' screenplay, but TDK had me rolling my eyes more than Begins did. A lot of the dialogue seemed very unnatural - usually when a character (usually Batman) was pontificating about white knights and symbols of hope and things. It just rang a little false. BB's dialogue (even though it had one-liners) seemed more natural. Die Hard was packed full of one liners but it still felt natural.

 

[Superhobo]

Really? Most people I speak to always say TPM was the worst SW film.

We're clearly not going to agree on Begins' screenplay, but TDK had me rolling my eyes more than Begins did. A lot of the dialogue seemed very unnatural - usually when a character (usually Batman) was pontificating about white knights and symbols of hope and things. It just rang a little false. BB's dialogue (even though it had one-liners) seemed more natural. Die Hard was packed full of one liners but it still felt natural.

Probably not - even so, I can't really remember any scene where Batman was "pontificating about white knights and symbols of hope and things" that didn't feel appropriate.

 

[JackBauer24]

Probably not - even so, I can't really remember any scene where Batman was "pontificating about white knights and symbols of hope and things" that didn't feel appropriate.

I can't quote them chapter and verse but the ones I'm thinking of are when he confronts Dent in the alleyway while he's interrogating Joker's goon, and at the end with the Joker when he says something like 'You are wrong, Joker! Gotham has just showed you that it chooses good over evil..' or something like that. Yes, I know that's not exactly what it said but it sounded that corny to me when I heard it.

 

[Superhobo]

I can't quote them chapter and verse but the ones I'm thinking of are when he confronts Dent in the alleyway while he's interrogating Joker's goon, and at the end with the Joker when he says something like 'You are wrong, Joker! Gotham has just showed you that it chooses good over evil..' or something like that. Yes, I know that's not exactly what it said but it sounded that corny to me when I heard it.

Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[Motown Marvel]

I can't quote them chapter and verse but the ones I'm thinking of are when he confronts Dent in the alleyway while he's interrogating Joker's goon, and at the end with the Joker when he says something like 'You are wrong, Joker! Gotham has just showed you that it chooses good over evil..' or something like that. Yes, I know that's not exactly what it said but it sounded that corny to me when I heard it.

the movie had LOTS of corny ham fisted speeches. i think everyone in the film had one to recite at some point or another.

 

[Ancracks]

You know, to everyone who's like, "I hate that I only liked the movie" or "I liked Begins more", It's okay to feel that way. I mean, it's just a movie. I liked Begins more too and I only liked the movie, but I still feel that TDK was a good sequel with its share of moments as well as Ledger and Eckhart's excellent performances.

Besides, we all know what the best batman film is..."Batman: Dead End"

LOL, I'm just kidding, it's the second best (IMO of course when dealing with a thread like this! But come on!! It had aliens, and predators, and the joker too!!!!), the best (IMO, again!!!) is Batman Returns.

 

[Dark Knight]

But the thing about masterpieces (or the ones you consider to be so) is that you never take the time to point out all the flaws, because you're so in love with the movie. It would be like going to see Michelangelo's David and saying 'well, you know the proportions of his head to his body really aren't perfectly accurate'. No. You don't do that - you just bask in the awesomeness. If you come out of a movie and say 'it was a masterpiece, BUT' then it's not a masterpiece.

And don't be so quick to criticize Goyer's screenplay. Begins had a wonderful script. On first impressions, I think it may be the superior of the two - screenwriting isn't all about the dialogue you know. Structurally I believe Begins to be the far superior movie.

I guess I'm destined to have controversial opinions on film franchises. I'm not saying I've definitely decided that BB>TDK yet - but it's certainly my initial reaction.

Some of my other unpopular opinions:

Godfather>Godfather II

Aliens>Alien

Terminator>T2

FOTR>TTT>>>>>ROTK

ESB>ANH>TPM>ROTJ>AOTC>ROTS

And so on...

This film definitely ranks right up there among the greatest sequels of all time with Empire Strikes Back, T2, Aliens and even the Godfather 2. When it's all said and done thats how TDK will be looked at in the future. Write it down haters and realize it.

If some of you people can't see that, then you must be blind or in denial....take your pick.

 

[Dark Knight]

when comparing BB an TDK, they both have their pros and cons. there were clearly moments in TDK that blow away anything in BB. but BB was a much tighter film, and its focus was far more pure. and obviously the joker in TDK was far more entertaining than ra's in BB. but batman was a MUCH stronger character in BB, but fell to the wayside in TDK, felt like his character was considered as an after thought and was generally on auto pilot.

LOL...Motown your so coooool and such a rebel.

Your like one of those guys who likes going against the grain to just make yourself seem so cooooooool ya know?