The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Fan Review Thread

[Majin Mebs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CXoCDgQ7js

 

[Figs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CXoCDgQ7js

I liked this review a lot, was pretty funny but had good points.

 

[Dark Knight]

Concluding

Send this review to the Academy/Oscar commitee so they are reminded of how much of a masterpiece TDK really is.

 

[04nbod]

quick notes
I give it 8/10

Spoiler

-great performance from Heath but Oscar worthy? I'm not sure
- Bale's Batman voice is irritating and I'm upset we didn't see more Bruce Wayne. The movie centred around the Joker's plans meaning Joker was the focus I wish it had been turned so the focus was on Batman working out what the Joker would do next. Not to say we didn't see that but we saw more of the Joker's havok.
- Batman's mask needs a redesign, I like the white eyes but would have liked them more if they didn't glow
- The plot was good but got a little boring in the 2nd quarter of the movie. I felt they shouldn't have focused on Gordon's boy at the end but rather Barbara jr. as an only child. Make us fans believe that she has a reason for her future career even if we don't see it.
- When the Joker was beating batman I couldn't quite see it, it may have been piping it may have been a crow bar either way I just thought of Jason Todd.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

Iron Man was a very good popcorn flick. I don't think it would have been near the movie it was without Downey Jr. But comparing Iron Man to The Dark Knight? There is no comparison. TDK isn't a simpleton summer blockbuster.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

I don't think you emphasize the duality of Dent's situation. Dent fought alongside with these guys trying to stop corruption. He doesn't want to hurt a child. But in his deranged state of mind he believes it to be a just action. ("Its not about what I want, its about whats fair"") Half of him wants to to show mercy because he knows he just as guilty as they are. The other half needs justice. He needs order but the Joker has convinced him that the only order is chaos, an impossiblity. And all this without a split personality disorder, though one might result from this. Does he feel remorse? Half does.

Totally. This is what I can't stress enough. Nolan re-worked this "villain", really more of anti-hero, and made him way more intelligent, with added layers of depth never seen. No longer a corny, cliched bad guy who flips a coin on whether or not to rob a bank. He doesn't talk to himself through split personalities in an obvious way showing his duality. He's Two Face in that the duality is one side of him wants justice, the otherside wants order. The fact that he doesn't want to live past these circumstances is a great realistic psychological profile as well.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

Also, Chris and Jonah Nolan were both born in London, and a good number of Chris's regular crew is also British.

Chris was born in London, and his family moved to Chicago. Chris is a duel citizen of the US and Britain. After the move, Jonah was born. Jonah is 100% American born and raised.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

God all mighty is this review terrible. Did we watch the same film? Did you even understand it?

1. Cut the bat-pod flip up the wall. Yes, this is a minor nit-pick, but it took me out of the moment just a little. It was such a great action sequence - it felt entirely REAL- until the bat-pod turn up the wall.

That scene got many ovation where I was. And it climaxed with that. Given the way the bike operates, that wasn't unrealistic in the slightest.

2. Left Two-Face a mystery. Harvey Dent was great, and I found it a little ridiculous that suddenly Dent would turn psychotic. He needed to disappear, and reemerge in the next film as Two-Face.

Dent didn't turn "psychotic" ... Dent's story arc was the point of the movie. Bruce and Dent were the focus of the story. Not the Joker.

3. The film should have ended with the Joker. The joker is the most personal and dangerous villain to Batman. The ending of the film should have symbolized that dynamic. It should have been INTIMATE, PERSONAL, and extremely DANGEROUS. The whole ferry scene should have been CUT. The whole Batman in the building using sonar should have been CUT. "When the chips are down these civillized people will eat each other." This should have been a more intimate and personal attack. I would have loved to have seen the Joker go after Gordon in the end and Batman save the day. Maybe at Gordon's house and/or a shut down amusement park in the rain. It would have been an awesome end. Gordon almost broken from the Joker killing a family member in front of him - Batman comes in, saves the day - The Joker is just laughing as the cops arrive. Gordon is sobbing. Dent is missing. Some how the death is connected to Batman. He flees. THE END.

Would have been cool if Nolan ditched the cliche that the third act has to be the biggest and boldest, and just settled for an intimate end...without all the cgi, etc.

Uhh TDK's ending was by far the most non cliched comic book movie ending of all ...

And the showdown with Dent / Gordon / Gordon's Family and Batman. THAT was personal. The showdown with Joker? That was of epic proportions. There were large themes at work in Batman v.s. the Joker. With Batman / Dent / Gordon, it was much more personal and concise.

 

[Anita18]

Chris was born in London, and his family moved to Chicago. Chris is a duel citizen of the US and Britain. After the move, Jonah was born. Jonah is 100% American born and raised.

Then why does his IMDB page claim he was born in London?

Chris grew up in the British secondary school system, Jonah grew up in the American secondary school system. (He's mentioned that they aren't competitive since Chris had the A-levels, while Jonah had the SATs so you can't compare.) Since they are 6 years apart, I can see that happening if the move to the US occurred when Jonah was young.

That scene got many ovation where I was. And it climaxed with that. Given the way the bike operates, that wasn't unrealistic in the slightest.

I just saw an AICN talkback where they offered "flipped the batpod" as a new catch-all phrase to describe something awesome, like the opposite had been christened "nuked the fridge" thanks to Indy4. Like, the truck flip was so cool it flipped the batpod!

The great thing about that bit is that nobody saw it coming. The truck flip happens, and we all anticipated it because of the trailers. And then OMGWTFBBQ the batpod does something awesome. t:

Uhh TDK's ending was by far the most non cliched comic book movie ending of all ...

And the showdown with Dent / Gordon / Gordon's Family and Batman. THAT was personal. The showdown with Joker? That was of epic proportions. There were large themes at work in Batman v.s. the Joker. With Batman / Dent / Gordon, it was much more personal and concise.

To go further for screenwriting buffs, the film's ending answers one proposed Central Dramatic Question (CDQ): Can Gotham stop the Joker?

Not just Batman, since Dent and Gordon are deeply involved in the CDQ as well, and the film portrays them making their own decisions regarding that issue. That's why the people on the ferries are involved - they don't even consider that Batman will come and save them. They stop the Joker's plan from realization on their own.

Even after Batman apprehends the Joker, Harvey is basically acting as an extension of the Joker at that point. The film truly ends when Batman and Gordon make the decision to stop the Joker's rampage once and for all - by placing Batman as the perpetrators of the murders that Dent committed.

I've heard suggestions that the film should have ended with the hospital blast, but that doesn't even come close to answering the CDQ. There would have to be some serious, serious re-writes to make that work.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

while i agree with you Anita, i find it hard to believe that when the clock struck 12 and they didn't blow up no one on them ferries would think "oh batman has stopped joker, hes saved the day again!!" i mean why not? people in Gotham might not like Batman but i think they should know that the only person who can stop Joker is Batman. thats my only nit pick about the ending aswell. yea Batman has taken the blame for Dents crimes, but if i was a citizen of Gotham i wouldn't hate Batman, because i would know deep down that he stopped Joker.

 

[Anita18]

while i agree with you Anita, i find it hard to believe that when the clock struck 12 and they didn't blow up no one on them ferries would think "oh batman has stopped joker, hes saved the day again!!" i mean why not? people in Gotham might not like Batman but i think they should know that the only person who can stop Joker is Batman. thats my only nit pick about the ending aswell. yea Batman has taken the blame for Dents crimes, but if i was a citizen of Gotham i wouldn't hate Batman, because i would know deep down that he stopped Joker.

You know how it is with the media - do good and nobody blinks. But if you misstep, it's all over.

We're also not sure how they spun that. If those 5 people were publicized as collateral damage it wouldn't be so bad, but would still undoubtedly bring the watchdogs out of the woodwork to call for Batman's head. He only got away with what he did because he never killed anyone.

I wonder how Engel will act toward the idea of Batman on his show from here on out though.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

yea i agree with that, the media do love to put their own spin on things!! and Engel clearly doesn't like Batman anyway. But if i was a citizen of Gotham i would still believe in Batman, i would know deep down that Batman stopped Joker and i wouldn't be too bothered if Batman killed a couple of corrupt cops and some mobsters anyway.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

Then why does his IMDB page claim he was born in London?

IDK ... it's like Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, but was just born there. He was raised and is known as a North Carolina product. Jonah may have been born in London, but I think he's more a product of America. He was really raised in the Chicagoland area.

 

[Anita18]

IDK ... it's like Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, but was just born there. He was raised and is known as a North Carolina product. Jonah may have been born in London, but I think he's more a product of America. He was really raised in the Chicagoland area.

Yes, but my point is the Nolans aren't all "woohoo America rah-rah everyone else sucks" like what the previous poster was saying, because they both have a history in England.

 

[the GRIN Reaper]

Yes, but my point is the Nolans aren't all "woohoo America rah-rah everyone else sucks" like what the previous poster was saying, because they both have a history in England.

Right. Yet they're both American in spirit, and understand the mythos he's telling has a strong connection to the American mentality, etc. Shame Singer was emberassed to embolden the even more American mythology of Superman.

 

[Anita18]

Right. Yet they're both American in spirit, and understand the mythos he's telling has a strong connection to the American mentality, etc. Shame Singer was emberassed to embolden the even more American mythology of Superman.

I was glad they didn't stick a shot of Batman next to a proudly-waving American flag. (coughSpideycough) That's just too cheesy for words.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

yea fluttering American flags is Michael Bay terrortory, and no one wants to go there! do they?

 

[Visceral]

Send this review to the Academy/Oscar commitee so they are reminded of how much of a masterpiece TDK really is.

Thats as good a compliment as ever, so thank you. Though I wouldn't know the first place to send it,I also have more to say than I did back then so the review might be somewhat incomplete.

 

[Visceral]

Totally. This is what I can't stress enough. Nolan re-worked this "villain", really more of anti-hero, and made him way more intelligent, with added layers of depth never seen. No longer a corny, cliched bad guy who flips a coin on whether or not to rob a bank. He doesn't talk to himself through split personalities in an obvious way showing his duality. He's Two Face in that the duality is one side of him wants justice, the otherside wants order. The fact that he doesn't want to live past these circumstances is a great realistic psychological profile as well.

Yup. I rewatched the btas episodes of two face recently and the best episodes are not the ones where they exploit his multiple personalities. Rather I think its the ones where his duality is brought into conflict, that are awesome. The ones where he is concerned about justice, but the way in which he enacts it is a "contundrum" to that justice. These interest people more because they can relate.

One of my favorite parts, that might even top the interrogation scene and the hospital scene, is the part when Harvey wakes up and he really doesn't remember exactly what happened until he picks up the coin and flashes back to Rachel. Then he starts contorting in his bed and you feel like you are going insane with him, as opposed to watching him from the outside. Its Nolan's best work to date as he always has an interest in putting the viewer psychologically in the protagonists head. Its very psychological. Memento is a good example of this as the entire film is set up so that you feel like you are leo. Or look at the way they filmed the scarecrow or insomnia or the way Batman fights.

 

[Juha]

I just saw the movie a week ago so I know I'm late. I would just like to express how dissappointed I was with the movie. I haven't kept up with these boards lately but I guess the reception has been generally positive. I have no choice but to disagree.

In my opinion TDK lost almost everything that made Begins so awesome in the first place. The fight scenes, the dialogue, the relationships, the pacing...even the acting took a step down from the previous installation but I blame the script for that.

Ledger was good but when he licked his lips for sixth or seventh time, it just got annoying. There were moments when the movie felt rushed. It just bounced from one scene to another. There wasn't enough emotional character moments and when there was one, it felt like they weren't able to reach deep enough. They gave Dent some depth but not enough IMO. The entire Two-Face conflict should've been saved for the third movie. And by the way, the scarred half looked too Mummy-esque. It just felt off.

I wasn't happy with the way they presented Batman/Bruce Wayne. Bruce's inner turmoil was gone. They totally lost that point of view. I mean Batman was there...Bale got plenty of screen time. I just didn't feel like I was watching the character I know and love. There was just some guy in a cape and it wasn't interesting. Also I felt they failed to establish the iconic relationship between Batman and The Joker. The interrogation scene just wasn't enough and the whole thing felt weird...like something was missing.

I dunno...I'm just dissappointed. The movie felt like a montage of random scenes put together. The entire thing with the cell phones just wasn't cool. The love triangle didn't work. The tumbler was completely worthless this time around and the bat pod didn't deliver. The whole incident with Mr. Reese felt unnecessary. The dialogue was forced. Only The Joker had some good lines.


Oh man...I could go on and on. TDK wasn't bad per say...it was very ambitious but there was no subtlety whatsoever. They just threw everything at you. Batman Begins takes TDK to school any day. I can still throw Begins into my DVD player and I can have a blast with that movie. I can enjoy it for the 100th time with all my heart. I doubt TDK will ever be able to create something like that when it comes to me personally. Begins was and still is the definitive Batman movie for me. And I was surprised that TDK didn't even come close.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

how dare you say such things?!?! you are a dispicable person and you will rot in hell.




jokes nice review man, while i don't agree with it i'm not gonna bash you over it.

 

[Juha]

how dare you say such things?!?! you are a dispicable person and you will rot in hell.




jokes nice review man, while i don't agree with it i'm not gonna bash you over it.

Yeah I know...I can't understand it myself either. I mean this was suppose to be the movie of the decade for me. It was suppose to be like Batman Begins on steroids. But it was just...meh. There were even moments when TDK felt kinda bad actually.

But the ending was promising. I loved the beating that The Joker gave to Batman in the end. That was just brutal. Although all those sonar flashes were bad. I also loved the fact that Batman was ultimately established as a complete outlaw and a fugitive. That should prove to be a great starting point when it comes to the third movie. And when the time comes, I will be in the Batman 3 bandwagon! I guess I'm already there!

 

[Ace of Knaves]

You said you didn't really get Bruces turmoil, but i think Bale was brilliantly subtle. As playboy Bruce just the arrogant little comments and cheeky little grins were brilliant. Then when he was with those closest to him (Alfred, Rachel, Lucius) i felt he really had a good chemistry with them (especially Caine) and they all seemed to care for each other. When Rachel died i was glad to see he wasn't a blubbering mess like Peter Parker, but i could actually see he was straining to hold back the tears, i found that scene quite heart-breaking. Then at the end when Harvey said "but why was i the one who lost everything?!" his response of "you wasn't" by Batman was just perfect, you could really sense the pain in him, well i could anyway. And the way they portrayed Batman was spot on IMO. Just the way he appears and vanishes is spot on with the comics, and his struggle to stay in control in the interrogation was also believable.

 

[Juha]

Yeah Bale was good. And I agree those moments you mentioned were nice. It's just that Begins did it better IMO. I mean the best cocky Bruce moment ever was the speech he gave to his party guests just before Ra's burned the mansion down.

And I also felt that all those moments between Bruce and Alfred/Rachel/Dent were too brief. Like they were in a rush. Bruce and Alfred was the best "pair" of the bunch. There was some genuine warmth and humor between the two. But it felt even better in Begins.

I still wasn't feeling the relationship between Bruce and Rachel. It was a bit off already in Begins but at least there was something there. And besides, Holmes is more lovable than Gyllenhaal. I felt Maggie failed to create any real chemistry with her fellow actors. And when it comes to Eckhart/Dent...I dunno. His character arc felt weird. Death of Rachel completely destroyed him but like I said, the entire relationship between Harvey and Rachel felt superficial from the get-go. So when Rachel died and Harvey started to look all Mummy-esque and went berserk...I just didn't care anymore. Eckhart was pretty good but his character's interactions with others weren't deep enough. They felt rushed and they weren't well-written. Only average. And God knows that TDK was suppose to be more than average.

 

[Fanticon]

I just saw the movie a week ago so I know I'm late. I would just like to express how dissappointed I was with the movie. I haven't kept up with these boards lately but I guess the reception has been generally positive. I have no choice but to disagree.

In my opinion TDK lost almost everything that made Begins so awesome in the first place. The fight scenes, the dialogue, the relationships, the pacing...even the acting took a step down from the previous installation but I blame the script for that.

Ledger was good but when he licked his lips for sixth or seventh time, it just got annoying. There were moments when the movie felt rushed. It just bounced from one scene to another. There wasn't enough emotional character moments and when there was one, it felt like they weren't able to reach deep enough. They gave Dent some depth but not enough IMO. The entire Two-Face conflict should've been saved for the third movie. And by the way, the scarred half looked too Mummy-esque. It just felt off.

I wasn't happy with the way they presented Batman/Bruce Wayne. Bruce's inner turmoil was gone. They totally lost that point of view. I mean Batman was there...Bale got plenty of screen time. I just didn't feel like I was watching the character I know and love. There was just some guy in a cape and it wasn't interesting. Also I felt they failed to establish the iconic relationship between Batman and The Joker. The interrogation scene just wasn't enough and the whole thing felt weird...like something was missing.

I dunno...I'm just dissappointed. The movie felt like a montage of random scenes put together. The entire thing with the cell phones just wasn't cool. The love triangle didn't work. The tumbler was completely worthless this time around and the bat pod didn't deliver. The whole incident with Mr. Reese felt unnecessary. The dialogue was forced. Only The Joker had some good lines.


Oh man...I could go on and on. TDK wasn't bad per say...it was very ambitious but there was no subtlety whatsoever. They just threw everything at you. Batman Begins takes TDK to school any day. I can still throw Begins into my DVD player and I can have a blast with that movie. I can enjoy it for the 100th time with all my heart. I doubt TDK will ever be able to create something like that when it comes to me personally. Begins was and still is the definitive Batman movie for me. And I was surprised that TDK didn't even come close.

It was no ghostbusters 2...thats for sure!