The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Fan Review Thread

[Dangerous]

The cash burning I think..

 

[Fanticon]

So, I Finally saw TDK.
A film which two years ago, I was frothing at the mouth for.

When the release finally came- 25/7 over here in UK, the f**ker was sold out in Imax every day. So we booked some tix for today, got the day off work, and I just got back from the noon screening.

Awesome film, but it did not blow me away like BB did.
I did not go in carrying any of the hype, just my own personal expectations.

The film seemed to be an action/superhero/thriller hybrid and I think this fusion sat really well, the plot was quite dense and I need repeat viewings for it to sink in properly. Overall, the film did not blow me away which is what I wanted and was expecting. There was no X factor for me like there was for Begins. There were some great scenes, most of the Joker stuff, but none that I thought were amazing, such as the docks fight with the thugs in the first film or the fear gas illusions.

Ledger's performance was awesome and he totally got the character, but the rest of the film was not quite up to that level.

I need to watch the film more but overall I’m going to rate it at 8.5/10 right now. Here’s some of my other posts about the film..

Make-up Joker
I was one of the guys against the make-up, but in the film Ledger was so good that it did not matter to me. There was the issue of consistency regarding the paint however.

During the interrogation scene, in one shot Joker has a smeared patchy face, then it cuts to being fully whited up, and then back again. You could clearly see where they had cut and resumed filming.

So re: the issues of consistency and accuracy to the source, I would have preferred the bleached skin, but Ledger’s Joker was so good that it did not effect my enjoyment of the performance.

Fight Scenes
I thought the fight scenes were pretty good in this film. Just like how in Begins I thought the unsteady camera worked well to convey the unpredictability and chaos of combat.

There was nothing as amazing as the docks scene in Begins, but the first fight in the car park with Scarecrow was nice, you could clearly witness Bats' Kensei fighting style at that point. The nightclub scene and some of the fisticuffs with Joker were nice too. Not perfect, but a hell of a lot better than Micheal Keaton pretending to fight.

I loved TDK, but it did not knock my socks off like BB did, so I rate it below Begins. Joker was right on the money tho, he made the film. Apart from the overall lack of being amazed, here are some of my disappointments-

-early death for Batmobile
-that it was not referred to as Batmobile
-No Fear gas in Scarecrow scene
-The Begins suit not lasting past Bats first 2-3 scenes
-No Batcave!
-You could tell Two Face was CGI, make up would have worked better
-....and that Battersea Power station was indistinguishable as well, Battersea Power station.
Such a great idea for a location shoot, but we did not even get an establishing shot to show this.

picky...but your opinion so i respect that.

 

[DavidTyler]

I'm still too enraptured by this film to really give it a review. It was easily a 10 out of 10 for me.

If they didn't kill Harvey, like my amp, it would have gone to eleven.

 

[fu manchu]

I watched The Dark Knight a few days back and I finally have some time to put my thoughts about the film. It was an excellent film for sure; although I did have some minor complaints about it (see spoiler). The plot, the tone of the film, the action, the acting was superb, especially Heath as Joker – he should get an Oscar nod. It definitely deserves all the praise it is getting. It’s an awesome film, I’ll rate it a 9.6/10.

Spoiler

Here are my complaints on the film.
1. I thought the Scarecrow scene seemed too short, although I love his line at the end. I would like to see how he actually got caught. Batman crushing on a van shouldn’t have stopped him from escaping?
2. Sonar. I thought it was visually too much for me. It felt dizzy.
3. I wish they had saved Two-face for the third film. I was disappointed on how he died.

*If I get flamed, well, so be it.

 

[aturner]

-early death for Batmobile
-that it was not referred to as Batmobile
-No Fear gas in Scarecrow scene
-The Begins suit not lasting past Bats first 2-3 scenes
-No Batcave!
-You could tell Two Face was CGI, make up would have worked better

I can get where you're coming from with how you viewed the film, and certainly I agree with a few of your points to an extent. Having said that, these last few surprise me.

Regarding the Batmobile, I was fine with both. With it destroyed now one of the main pieces of evidence linking Batman to Wayne Enterprises is gone. Clearly he will build something new, and I imagine it will be the "Batmobile" both in name and look. As a number of others have pointed out, perhaps the Lamborghini flying through the streets of Gotham was a portent of things to come and a new Batmobile in the next film will be more sleeker and traditional, while still maintaining Nolan's real-world design perspective. If this occurs, then in all likelihood it will have the Batmobile name attached to it, just like the Bat-Pod did.

No Fear Gas: There was. Apart from the entire scene actually being about Scarecrow selling it to the mob to on-sell as drugs, Scarecrow uses it against one of the wannabe Batmans when getting into his van.

Begins Suit: I was OK with the length of time it appeared. After seeing the TDK suit on screen in the later scenes it clearly shows just how bulky the Begins suit was and so it made perfect sense for me. It appeared in two films, which is more than any other suit has so far.

No Batcave: Well, his moving into an apartment has it's basis in the comics and it would take time for Wayne Manor to be rebuilt. Considering that the Joker establishes that it's only been a year since Batman first appeared it's reasonable to assume that Wayne Manor wouldn't be totally rebuilt yet. As such, I think like a new Batmobile, we will see a new Batcave in the next film and it will also trend towards a little more of the traditional look (eg more tech down there etc)

I thought the Two-Face CGI was very well done. A lot of people seem to have some issues with it, but I found it to be rendered very well and blended seamlessly in there. A great improvement over the TLJ Two Face look.

 

[Superman-Prime]

Spoiler

3. I wish they had saved Two-face for the third film. I was disappointed on how he died.

*If I get flamed, well, so be it.

You'll never know.

 

[Wedge A.]

At the end of Batman Begins, a lot of people knew things would be getting more intense in the sequel, and the stakes would be raised. However, not a lot of people expected this one to completely blow its predecessor out of the water, as it did. The Dark Knight is not only an improvement over that film, but every Batman film that has ever been made, including fan-favorite Mask Of The Phantasm. This is the movie I've been anticipating for a few years, and I couldn't be happier, as my incredibly high expectations were passed with flying colors.

In The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime following the events in Batman Begins. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker.

The Dark Knight succeeds on so many levels beyond being just another superhero movie, and more of a fascinating crime epic. The triumvirate of Batman, Gordon, and Dent is wonderfully executed, of three men doing their best to rid a city of crime, all in their own way. Bale and Eckhart are great in their respective roles, but Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon is where the true soul of the film is. Batman and Dent are men we aspire to be, and sometimes doubt, but Gordon is really the one we know will always be righteous. He's the most personal character in the film, and Oldman plays the character with great sincerity, and delivers one of his finest performances. However, it falls short to Heath Ledger's chaotic Joker, which in turn is one of the greatest performances of the past ten years. This Joker is a slimy and sadistic anarchist, who rips through the film with as much menace, terror and perfection as the shark in Jaws.

Recently, films based on comic books have been pretty mundane and by the numbers. The Dark Knight completely changes things, and set a new standard for the genre. It's actually relevant to the time and world we live in, and poses questions about the thin line between heroism and villainy: Is murder be justifiable to even the most horrible of men, or is the law still something to uphold? Should laws be broken to commit a greater deed for society? And should the public be lied to in order to defend them from the grim truth? Jonah Nolan delivered a terrific screenplay, which stays true to Batman's world. While bringing in a great story, characters, and themes with the screenplay, the film also has incredible action sequences, makeup, and cinematography. The score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is nothing short of excellent, along with everything else in the picture.

As I earlier stated, The Dark Knight passed my expectations with flying colors. What I failed to mention was that I was expecting The Empire Strikes Back of this decade, and at the moment, that's what we recieved. This became my favorite film very shortly after my initial viewing, and I don't regret the decision at all, despite the potential panning. I'm a huge fan of the Batman character and his stories, which makes it the perfect film for me. It challenges the minds of it's audiences, while delivering some great fun at the same time. In recent years, blockbusters have been disappointing for the most part, but this is the one that breaks the trend. Christopher Nolan, the cast, and crew of The Dark Knight have finally given me and millions of others their perfect Batman film, which went above and beyond the call of duty.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Fu manchu;
He's already been in one third film. And do we really need spoiler tags in a review thread?
I think the thing that was most messed up for me was the destruction of the Brach's candy factory from my old neighborhood. (The "hospital" that Joker blew up.) I miss that old place.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I am literally taking a deep breath as i type this b/c I'm not sure where to start or exactly what i want to say, usually when i come back from a film i find it easy to write a review, mainly b/c i have a good idea what to expect going in and a film has touchstones that i am hoping for, they either deliver or they don't, not saying i write the review before hand but i think we all go into movies with a certain expectation whatever that may be, TDK took my usually approach and threw it away, much in the way it throws away the conventional structure of a movie in this genre.

A Hero...what is a hero ? not trying to sound profound, just asking the question that i think the movie asks loudest, sure it asks moral questions about choice and about order, The Joker preaching none conformity but learning that for most, no matter how they live their life and what choices they have made, they need some sort of order, they need "a plan", with no guidelines and no limits we would have anarchy, and as a cool as some rock stars who wear pants made for their girlfriends may think, anarchy is not cool, living with a moral code is not conformism, it's choice and sacrifice, sometimes following a line of thought that you have some issues with but you do it for the bigger picture, it's about not putting yourself first, and that plays into heroism, sacrifice is heroism, real life firefighters are the best recent example of this. Then we have choice, the choice to do what in the long term is the right thing, but by doing this you lose a piece of yourself and have to sacrifice something you care about.....No one pays that price greater than Batman in this movie.

So about the movie lol..... Well it just blew me away, for the reasons above and also for the story that these moral questions are tied to, a beautifully layered crime thriller crossed with a twisted Saw/Seven like horror that plays with your mind and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The action in this movie is much improved from BB, with more imaginative sequences and shot selections, the big chase scene with the Joker in his semi is the big spectacle highlight and delivers, the way Batman takes the truck down is fantastic and the scene is cut together from the 3 perspectives of The Joker, Batman and the SWAT truck perfectly, i watched T2 the other week and while it's clear from the sequences in that, that Nolan still hasn't learned the language of action to the level a master like Cameron understands it, he is much improved in this area.

Also want to mention the fantastic sequence in China and the thrilling finale sequence, the fighting was fine to me, I never wanted Batman to be Neo, I just wanted to be able to see what he was doing, and this time i could.

The acting across the board was first rate, Oldman got a lot more to work with this time and relished it, Eckhart's Dent was an interesting portrayal, noble and fearless, yet always an undercurrent of something darker. Bale is by turns charismatic and empathetic as Bruce Wayne and ferocious and driven as Batman, although it could be argued the growling voice is overdone at times, the dual nature it creates is worth it. Maggie creates enough goodness and life in Rachel in her scenes that i really did feel sad when she died, that whole sequence was an emotional rollercoaster.

At this point I'll mention the only 2 things that i had an issue with, how did Two Face survive and Maroni didn't when he shot the driver ? and of course the "how did Batman get to Dent when Gordon failed to get to Rachel ? " obviously Batman had the faster more manoeuvrable vehicle and had a head start, but The Joker certainly left that to chance, still mere minor quibbles.

Nolan has indeed made a masterpiece in my view, managing a multi stranded storyline, getting great performances out of his actors, and using the camera to create scope and energy in pivotal scenes by making the right choices.

Oh I almost forgot.....The Joker....or more precisely Ledger as The Joker....well i think it was Ledger, his name is credited but he's nowhere to be seen in this film, their is only this freakish, hunched, malevolent, sociopathic, a terrifying monster who evokes not one ounce of sympathy and is a brilliant planner of his sick games who masquerades as unpredictable, that is his mask, he says he is an "agent of chaos" but to be that agent he needs to follow "a plan". I am not on the "Give him the Oscar" bandwagon b/c as a film fan that would be ignorant until we see what else is on offer in the second half of the year, but i will say this, if he doesn't get a nom i will be shocked as i cannot see there being FIVE better performances than his.

Overall the best experience Ive had at the cinema since The Two Towers and only the second movie Ive ever given top marks to on this board, magnificent.

10/10

 

[The Joker]

Yay! The boss finally saw the movie

Top notch review! Delighted you enjoyed it, Hunter.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Yay! The boss finally saw the movie

Top notch review! Delighted you enjoyed it, Hunter.

It was well worth the wait.

 

[dark_b]

can someone tell me the music when the batpod transforms? on the soundtrack

 

[Eggyman]

Great review, Hunter. I didn't know you hadn't seen it

Did you see it in IMAX?

 

[Hunter Rider]

Great review, Hunter. I didn't know you hadn't seen it

Did you see it in IMAX?

Thanks Eggy. t:

Sadly no, there are no IMAX theaters where i live.

 

[The Caped Knight]

I am literally taking a deep breath as i type this b/c I'm not sure where to start or exactly what i want to say, usually when i come back from a film i find it easy to write a review, mainly b/c i have a good idea what to expect going in and a film has touchstones that i am hoping for, they either deliver or they don't, not saying i write the review before hand but i think we all go into movies with a certain expectation whatever that may be, TDK took my usually approach and threw it away, much in the way it throws away the conventional structure of a movie in this genre.

A Hero...what is a hero ? not trying to sound profound, just asking the question that i think the movie asks loudest, sure it asks moral questions about choice and about order, The Joker preaching none conformity but learning that for most, no matter how they live their life and what choices they have made, they need some sort of order, they need "a plan", with no guidelines and no limits we would have anarchy, and as a cool as some rock stars who wear pants made for their girlfriends may think, anarchy is not cool, living with a moral code is not conformism, it's choice and sacrifice, sometimes following a line of thought that you have some issues with but you do it for the bigger picture, it's about not putting yourself first, and that plays into heroism, sacrifice is heroism, real life firefighters are the best recent example of this. Then we have choice, the choice to do what in the long term is the right thing, but by doing this you lose a piece of yourself and have to sacrifice something you care about.....No one pays that price greater than Batman in this movie.

So about the movie lol..... Well it just blew me away, for the reasons above and also for the story that these moral questions are tied to, a beautifully layered crime thriller crossed with a twisted Saw/Seven like horror that plays with your mind and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The action in this movie is much improved from BB, with more imaginative sequences and shot selections, the big chase scene with the Joker in his semi is the big spectacle highlight and delivers, the way Batman takes the truck down is fantastic and the scene is cut together from the 3 perspectives of The Joker, Batman and the SWAT truck perfectly, i watched T2 the other week and while it's clear from the sequences in that, that Nolan still hasn't learned the language of action to the level a master like Cameron understands it, he is much improved in this area.

Also want to mention the fantastic sequence in China and the thrilling finale sequence, the fighting was fine to me, I never wanted Batman to be Neo, I just wanted to be able to see what he was doing, and this time i could.

The acting across the board was first rate, Oldman got a lot more to work with this time and relished it, Eckhart's Dent was an interesting portrayal, noble and fearless, yet always an undercurrent of something darker. Bale is by turns charismatic and empathetic as Bruce Wayne and ferocious and driven as Batman, although it could be argued the growling voice is overdone at times, the dual nature it creates is worth it. Maggie creates enough goodness and life in Rachel in her scenes that i really did feel sad when she died, that whole sequence was an emotional rollercoaster.

At this point I'll mention the only 2 things that i had an issue with, how did Two Face survive and Maroni didn't when he shot the driver ? and of course the "how did Batman get to Dent when Gordon failed to get to Rachel ? " obviously Batman had the faster more manoeuvrable vehicle and had a head start, but The Joker certainly left that to chance, still mere minor quibbles.

Nolan has indeed made a masterpiece in my view, managing a multi stranded storyline, getting great performances out of his actors, and using the camera to create scope and energy in pivotal scenes by making the right choices.

Oh I almost forgot.....The Joker....or more precisely Ledger as The Joker....well i think it was Ledger, his name is credited but he's nowhere to be seen in this film, their is only this freakish, hunched, malevolent, sociopathic, a terrifying monster who evokes not one ounce of sympathy and is a brilliant planner of his sick games who masquerades as unpredictable, that is his mask, he says he is an "agent of chaos" but to be that agent he needs to follow "a plan". I am not on the "Give him the Oscar" bandwagon b/c as a film fan that would be ignorant until we see what else is on offer in the second half of the year, but i will say this, if he doesn't get a nom i will be shocked as i cannot see there being FIVE better performances than his.

Overall the best experience Ive had at the cinema since The Two Towers and only the second movie Ive ever given top marks to on this board, magnificent.

10/10

I'm glad you loved it Hunter . Awesome review

 

[Eggyman]

Thanks Eggy. t:

Sadly no, there are no IMAX theaters where i live.

Bummer. It made me feel sick at some parts though - 'specially the part at the beginning where the two clowns slide down the rope and the camera follows then out of the window and then looks down. My stomach turned at that bit - about 30 seconds in - and I nearly lost my lunch

I got used to it though

 

[Hunter Rider]

I'm glad you loved it Hunter . Awesome review

Thanks Kal

Bummer. It made me feel sick at some parts though - 'specially the part at the beginning where the two clowns slide down the rope and the camera follows then out of the window and then looks down. My stomach turned at that bit - about 30 seconds in - and I nearly lost my lunch

I got used to it though

Haha, I'd love to try that but with a safety net. still you troopered on Eggy.

 

[dark_b]

when it came about the nurse costuem i was the number one complainer. i hated the idea with a passion. joker with nurse clothes just didnt sound right. i didnt like the idea. i thougth that it would not fit.
after the movie i think it was one of the best joker scenes. so i here admit my mistake.

this is an amazing joker scene. heath acted amazing. how he walked was extreme funny and scary. the guy was nuts

 

[Lightning257]

At this point I'll mention the only 2 things that i had an issue with, how did Two Face survive and Maroni didn't when he shot the driver ?

One word - seatbelt.

and of course the "how did Batman get to Dent when Gordon failed to get to Rachel ? " obviously Batman had the faster more manoeuvrable vehicle and had a head start, but The Joker certainly left that to chance, still mere minor quibbles.
10/10

But DID he leave it to chance? Considering how psychopathic the Joker was, he could have simply put Rachel in a warehouse that was farther away from the MCU lockup than Dent. Since he observed how Batman went for Rachel, and he was obviously "playing" with Batman's head by giving him the wrong address intentionally, it would be simple for him to put her farther away so that Gordon wouldn't have time to get to her.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Hunter i really liked your thoughts about Heroes. I agree that the one thing that marks a true hero out is sacrifice.

 

[I Am The Knight]

when it came about the nurse costuem i was the number one complainer. i hated the idea with a passion. joker with nurse clothes just didnt sound right. i didnt like the idea. i thougth that it would not fit.
after the movie i think it was one of the best joker scenes. so i here admit my mistake.

this is an amazing joker scene. heath acted amazing. how he walked was extreme funny and scary. the guy was nuts

I agree! Nursey Joker walking out of the exploding hospital FTW! One of the funniest things I've seen in a while.

 

[Harrygucha]

what scene was battersea power station used in?

The warehouse that blows up with Rachel in it.

 

[Hunter Rider]

One word - seatbelt.

Heh, several have pointed that out to me.

But DID he leave it to chance? Considering how psychopathic the Joker was, he could have simply put Rachel in a warehouse that was farther away from the MCU lockup than Dent. Since he observed how Batman went for Rachel, and he was obviously "playing" with Batman's head by giving him the wrong address intentionally, it would be simple for him to put her farther away so that Gordon wouldn't have time to get to her.

That's a fair point and i was wondering about the part where Batman said he was going for Rachel and then ended up at the location where Dent was, it made me wonder if i'd misheard and he was telling Gordon go for Rachel b/c Batman didn't react shocked when he got there and saw Dent instead of Rachel.

Hunter i really liked your thoughts about Heroes. I agree that the one thing that marks a true hero out is sacrifice.

And in TDK that is really showcased with Bruce/Batman's journey.

 

[Fanticon]

At this point I'll mention the only 2 things that i had an issue with, how did Two Face survive and Maroni didn't when he shot the driver ? and of course the "how did Batman get to Dent when Gordon failed to get to Rachel ? " obviously Batman had the faster more manoeuvrable vehicle and had a head start, but The Joker certainly left that to chance, still mere minor quibbles.

I think i got so lost in the story and how amazing the movie in front of me was playing out that I didn't question those things. Maroni could have still survived...but also at this point Two-Face had a death wish and symbolically...his luck was like his flipping the coin of chance...a simple theme and maybe not realistic but its the type of thing that worked for the character, even if it doesn't seem plausible, it was still evil and pretty bad ass.

 

[Superman4ever]

Overall the best experience Ive had at the cinema since The Two Towers and only the second movie Ive ever given top marks to on this board, magnificent.

10/10

Wow. Glad you liked it Hunter. I wasn't aware that you hadn't seen it yet.