The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Fan Review Thread

[Mike53421]

Watched it earlier in the week for an 8th time, still have it from Blockbuster but am getting it for Christmas so may rewatch it soon.

Pretty good flick. Prit-tay... prit-tay... prit-tay... good.

 

[Denizdeniz]

I think it's a nice written review: Simpel but good. Everbody should watch the way you did...

 

[BigCityBoy]

My mom finally got around to watching TDK. She liked BB a whole lot but she didn't like TDK. The reason why is because she felt like the last half of the movie wasn't consistent with the first half of the movie. She called TDK a mess because she said you couldn't hardly follow the movie unlike BB where the story and plot was easy to understand. I told her imho that TDK was a far more superior movie to BB. Don't get me wrong, I liked BB when it first came out (and I still do) but to me TDK rectified some of the minor problems that BB had.

 

[StylishHokie21]

I watched it again and still love it. I kind of jumped on the bandwagon the first time, so it gets a 9 from me. I consider it to be up there with Batman 89, so feel free to disagree and flame me.

 

[byte19]

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[TLH]

Anyone else wish they could go back to the beginning, unknowing and unaware of the TDK's sheer awesomeness before they saw it for the first time? How awesome would it be to watch it again for the first time; I remember watching the whole thing with my jaw on the floor, with a continual "...this is owning the hell out of all my expectations" look on my face.

But I still get close to that every time I watch it.

 

[Anita18]

Anyone else wish they could go back to the beginning, unknowing and unaware of the TDK's sheer awesomeness before they saw it for the first time? How awesome would it be to watch it again for the first time; I remember watching the whole thing with my jaw on the floor, with a continual "...this is owning the hell out of all my expectations" look on my face.

But I still get close to that every time I watch it.

Oh, but we all knew of TDK's sheer awesomeness when we went in, thanks to the glowing reviews and great footage we got to see.

And my first viewing was full of really random thoughts. Like, "Aaaaaaah Joker, just kill Gambol already and get it over with!" "Hmm, this part is rather wordy." "Hey, it's Senator Leahy!" "WHITE LENSES! " "Woh, this sonar thing is pretty trippy."

So I liked my second viewing better, when I already had an idea of what to expect and just enjoyed the experience of watching it again.

I saw TDK in its entirety for the first time since it left theaters, and I'm still astounded by how tight the story is. One element directly leads to another, so it never feels like a movie, although it certainly isn't real life either. Plus my parents got to see it for the first time, with me adding excited commentary from time to time. For instance, they remembered hearing about Edison Chen's sex scandal and I rewinded to point out his blurry 5-second part. They both thought it was really good, so at least they have an idea of what I've been spending so much of my time and energy on.

 

[Travesty]

After seeing it over 15-20 times I'm kind of at ends with TDK. I mean, its a great movie, with great villains, and the actors that portrayed the characters did a great job. But, at the end of the day, I have a weird taste in my mouth with it. I was enjoying the "realistic" tone that Nolan was going for in Begins, but there was something that felt to confined about the scope of this movie.

Gotham felt very small, and when they went to Hong Kong, it still felt very small to the overal feel that was established in Begins. Sure, you saw skyscrappers, but it just felt tiny. Scenes go by so fast, which is why I think everything feels so small. You go from one scene, to the other, to the other, to the other, without letting up until the credits roll. You barely have any time to look around, and take it all in. Although, there are some great tings about TDK.

You see Wayne do a lot of detective work, which I thought was amazing. We see the Tumbler have a pretty kickass scene. The Joker was just the way I wanted him, even before Begins came out, I wanted a scary Joker, with a cut smile like that of Bermejo's original drawing. Two-Face looked GREAT, and even looks better then The Joker, IMO. Again, all the actor did an amazing job of portraying the characters that was written for the story, but there were also things that felt off.

I didn't like how Batman would just roam around during, or close to, the daytime. I didn't like how he would just walk into jail and be buddy-buddy with the cops. Gordan? Sure, but I always liked how Batman would have to sneak into visit Gordon. I thought the movie was WAYYYY to bright. Begins was a pretty dark, and overall different atmosphere to what I imagine Gotham to be. I don't see Batman walking around in lights, or during the day, PERIOD. And like a mentioned earlier, every scene went by way to fast for my liking. I genuinely feel that, for how good the story is, it was to much for what they wanted the running time to be. Either make the movie 3+ hours, or make it into 2 different movies. You can have an AMAZING, air-tight story, but whats the point when its just scene, scene, scene. HURRY, we only have a certain time for this puppy!

I really do like this movie, but I can't watch it that much. I feel like I need to be on speed to enjoy it. It has some amazing elements to which I love Batman, but then it has some that I'm ultimately disgusted over as well. This movie makes me think of someone you love who is on drugs. When you look at them, you see and remember the person you know and love, but its just not them deep down. That is how TDK is for me as a Batman film. I LOVED Begins, and it truly felt epic, and had a very "Batman" feel to it. TDK? Good, not great.

I hope you don't chew me a new one, I just had to get that out there.

 

[Figs]

Travesty, while I love TDK I will agree that it was missing the atmosphere and presence from BB.

I've also watched it a number of times and although I love it(for numerous reasons) I really miss BB at times. If Nolan does a third I really hope he goes back to making it feel more like Gotham than Chicago. All TDK needed was a couple less day shots and a scene or two with the narrows and it would have felt consistent.

Surprisingly enough I know more than a few people(not hardcore Batman fans either) that flat out liked BB way better than TDK. I was shocked that my older sister and brother in law didn't care for TDK but loved BB.

Since TDK left us with Batman on the run I hope Nolan(if he comes back *fingers crossed*)will use that to his advantage and put Batman back in the darkness and shadows again.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Yea Travesty you make some great points, I agree with a lot of them. I still think it is a brilliant film and it's my favourite comic book adaptation. But I don't get the enjoyment out of watching it as I used to. Maybe I have just watched it too many times!

 

[Figs]

Yea Travesty you make some great points, I agree with a lot of them. I still think it is a brilliant film and it's my favourite comic book adaptation. But I don't get the enjoyment out of watching it as I used to. Maybe I have just watched it too many times!

I think that's my problem as well.

Saw it 10x in the theatre, twice on DVD and last night was second time on Blu Ray...I think I need to not watch it for a lengthy amount of time.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

haha yea you know that.

 

[BigCityBoy]

Travesty, while I love TDK I will agree that it was missing the atmosphere and presence from BB.

I've also watched it a number of times and although I love it(for numerous reasons) I really miss BB at times. If Nolan does a third I really hope he goes back to making it feel more like Gotham than Chicago. All TDK needed was a couple less day shots and a scene or two with the narrows and it would have felt consistent.

Surprisingly enough I know more than a few people(not hardcore Batman fans either) that flat out liked BB way better than TDK. I was shocked that my older sister and brother in law didn't care for TDK but loved BB.

Since TDK left us with Batman on the run I hope Nolan(if he comes back *fingers crossed*)will use that to his advantage and put Batman back in the darkness and shadows again.

I know, thats how my mother was. She absolutely loved BB but couldn't stand TDK, but her reason for not liking TDK was she felt there wasn't a straight, consistent, easy-to-understand story.

Me personally, I love TDK better than BB (don't get me wrong, I still like BB). But at the same time, and I said this back when TDK was still in theaters, the only thing I didn't like about TDK was ,for the most part, it didn't have that spooky, "Blade Runner" look and feel to it. I know Nolan said the movie "Heat" was the inspiration for TDK but I too felt that the Gotham in TDK looked too much like a ordinary city;it didn't have the same characteristics that the BB Gotham had. Maybe by the time the third movie is made Nolan will get back to the basics so to speak.

 

[Anita18]

Gotham felt very small, and when they went to Hong Kong, it still felt very small to the overal feel that was established in Begins. Sure, you saw skyscrappers, but it just felt tiny. Scenes go by so fast, which is why I think everything feels so small. You go from one scene, to the other, to the other, to the other, without letting up until the credits roll. You barely have any time to look around, and take it all in. Although, there are some great tings about TDK.

It's weird how perception differs between people, doesn't it? The first thing my mom noted when she saw TDK, was how BIG the space was. She pointed it out during the prologue when the goons broke into the bank, and I explained that it was a pointed choice in art direction. I'm not sure if Gotham the city necessarily felt small (they did shoot extensively around the same 4 blocks, haha), but certainly the interiors we were shown were decidedly expansive. Scenes do go by fast, but they did make an effort to shoot a lot wider than they did in BB.

I also thought that TDK felt bigger than BB because of the extent of minor characters the story involved. The mob, the police, the mayor, Dent, Mike Engel and his show, and don't forget the people on the ferries; all of them added to the expanse.

And even though TDK doesn't follow the typical three-act structure, I actually liked that a lot. You couldn't really tell when things were winding down, nor could you really predict where things could go next. Even Joker's ending monologue to Batman wasn't typical - it was more akin to the "I did it 35 minutes ago" speech by Adrian Veidt in Watchmen than the "I always wanted to kill you and now I'll do it" speech that's more typical of the genre. (It was the one thing that disappointed me in Iron Man, anyway.)

 

[Voyeur]

I just wanted to mention my mom's reaction to TDK. When the film was released, I mentioned my dad didn't seem too impressed. He doesn't seem to like Bale in the role and he seems to have fonder memories of the 1989 film...although I don't ever remember my dad liking the Michael Keaton film when it came out.

Anyway, my mom has always been fairly interested in my Batman comics and used to watch the animated series with me. Heck, she saw right through the Ra's twist because she knew Liam looked more like the character.

When I called her on the phone a couple of weeks before Christmas to see if she wanted me to give her a copy of TDK, she said she had already bought it and saw it the night before. She LOVED it, thought it was genius. She said, "You know how I usually lay back on the couch when I watch a movie? Well I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the ENTIRE movie!"

 

[bane]

Well my parents were both blown away by TDK, they both liked BB though.They were so shocked by the end of the movie with Batman taking the blame, they said "There has to be another one, it can't end like this, Batman's the real hero!"They had such disappoitment and amazement in their eyes.
When my father watches movies with Bale, he always asks "What was his name again, he looks manly?" and i'm like "WTF?!"My mother was irritated with Maggie Gyllenhaal throughout the whole movie she kept saying "Couldn't they cast someone better looking than her, or atleast bring back Katie Holmes?".And because they are both fans of Indy i said to them "See I told you it's miles better than that abomination with aliens!"
and they were "Yeah that was a kiddy movie".

 

[Spider-Bat]

I was just thinking back to the midnight premiere. The place was packed ofcourse, and my girlfriend was worried they were going to be loud, I said, don't worry there are 2 guys dressed as the Joker and a ton of people wearing Joker and Batman shirts, these are fans they'll be good and quiet.

They weren't that loud anyway but there was the usual chatter since it was well before the movie started then they showed a trailer for The Dark Knight after some ads and everyone cheered for it.

Then the lights went off and everyone was quiet, I said to my GF, see I told you these are my people, they want to hear the movie as much as us.

It was such a great night.

 

[dasam12]

I am watching TDK on dvd for the 2nd time and the 3rd time over all and I have to say how great this movie is. It focuses on a fantastic storyline rather than the superhero. I was such on the edge of my seat that I forget it is a superhero movie.

Its hard to believe they actually created the original movies.
The first Batman was good but if you look at the villains in all those movies, other than the Joker, they all were awful.

Plus Joker & 2Face in this movie were soooo much better than them all.

The interrogation scene with Batman & the Joker is just awesome.

 

[Spider-Bat]

I am still in awe of this film, and am so proud that it is the greatest Comic Book Movie ever made and that it is about my favorite SuperHero.

And, Congratulations to Mr. Heath Ledger on all his nominations and wins. God Bless Him and, Rest His Soul.
I'm sure he's looking down from Heaven with a big Smile on his face.

I'm sure even if he was still with us he'd still get all this recognition for the amazing job he has done as The Joker, the greatest Comic Book Villian of all time.

It still amazes me how faithful to the book this movie was and just how seriously it was taken.
This goes for Batman Begins aswell. It is so nice to see a Comic Book Film taken so seriously, 'cause it is not just a great Comic Book movie but a wonderful film aswell, and it darn well deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 2008, because it most surely is the BEST FILM of 2008.

Ofcourse the Oscars are a bunch of boring snobs that still see it as a comic book movie, but that shouldn't matter, if it is a great movie then that is what should matter. but, all they know how to pick are boring moronic movies about people with diseases or garbage about some guy winning a game show in India, big fricking deal.

This is something unique. But, and Oscar, just like a Movie Critic is just another's opinion and doesn't count.

So, who cares about the snobs, we know what is the best of 2008, and it is THE DARK KNIGHT.

If they can nominate an actor for the film they should also be able to nominate the film and it's director also.
And that was another travesty, Mr. Nolan should have been F'ing nominated for darn sure.

So, screw the Oscars.

And, I am sure Heath/The Joker will win.


God Bless Heath, Bale, Nolan, and the movie itself, and Bless all of you fans. You all rock aswell.

 

[Godman]

I am still in awe of this film, and am so proud that it is the greatest Comic Book Movie ever made and that it is about my favorite SuperHero.

And, Congratulations to Mr. Heath Ledger on all his nominations and wins. God Bless Him and, Rest His Soul.
I'm sure he's looking down from Heaven with a big Smile on his face.

I'm sure even if he was still with us he'd still get all this recognition for the amazing job he has done as The Joker, the greatest Comic Book Villian of all time.

It still amazes me how faithful to the book this movie was and just how seriously it was taken.
This goes for Batman Begins aswell. It is so nice to see a Comic Book Film taken so seriously, 'cause it is not just a great Comic Book movie but a wonderful film aswell, and it darn well deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 2008, because it most surely is the BEST FILM of 2008.

Ofcourse the Oscars are a bunch of boring snobs that still see it as a comic book movie, but that shouldn't matter, if it is a great movie then that is what should matter. but, all they know how to pick are boring moronic movies about people with diseases or garbage about some guy winning a game show in India, big fricking deal.

This is something unique. But, and Oscar, just like a Movie Critic is just another's opinion and doesn't count.

So, who cares about the snobs, we know what is the best of 2008, and it is THE DARK KNIGHT.

If they can nominate an actor for the film they should also be able to nominate the film and it's director also.
And that was another travesty, Mr. Nolan should have been F'ing nominated for darn sure.

So, screw the Oscars.

And, I am sure Heath/The Joker will win.


God Bless Heath, Bale, Nolan, and the movie itself, and Bless all of you fans. You all rock aswell.

**** the Oscars for missing the Dark Knight

 

[Two-Face]

I am still in awe of this film, and am so proud that it is the greatest Comic Book Movie ever made and that it is about my favorite SuperHero.

And, Congratulations to Mr. Heath Ledger on all his nominations and wins. God Bless Him and, Rest His Soul.
I'm sure he's looking down from Heaven with a big Smile on his face.

I'm sure even if he was still with us he'd still get all this recognition for the amazing job he has done as The Joker, the greatest Comic Book Villian of all time.

It still amazes me how faithful to the book this movie was and just how seriously it was taken.
This goes for Batman Begins aswell. It is so nice to see a Comic Book Film taken so seriously, 'cause it is not just a great Comic Book movie but a wonderful film aswell, and it darn well deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 2008, because it most surely is the BEST FILM of 2008.

Ofcourse the Oscars are a bunch of boring snobs that still see it as a comic book movie, but that shouldn't matter, if it is a great movie then that is what should matter. but, all they know how to pick are boring moronic movies about people with diseases or garbage about some guy winning a game show in India, big fricking deal.

This is something unique. But, and Oscar, just like a Movie Critic is just another's opinion and doesn't count.

So, who cares about the snobs, we know what is the best of 2008, and it is THE DARK KNIGHT.

If they can nominate an actor for the film they should also be able to nominate the film and it's director also.
And that was another travesty, Mr. Nolan should have been F'ing nominated for darn sure.

So, screw the Oscars.

And, I am sure Heath/The Joker will win.


God Bless Heath, Bale, Nolan, and the movie itself, and Bless all of you fans. You all rock aswell.

Great post, agreed!

 

[copywrite]

You know, you're only proving his point by responding so immaturely.

I'm going to have to side with Cyrusbales on this one. The movie entertained, and did it exceptionally well. But it is a film and as an art, I just can't find many other great qualities about it other than Heath Ledger.


edit-Seems he deleted his post. Oh well.

I am still in awe of this film, and am so proud that it is the greatest Comic Book Movie ever made and that it is about my favorite SuperHero.

And, Congratulations to Mr. Heath Ledger on all his nominations and wins. God Bless Him and, Rest His Soul.
I'm sure he's looking down from Heaven with a big Smile on his face.

I'm sure even if he was still with us he'd still get all this recognition for the amazing job he has done as The Joker, the greatest Comic Book Villian of all time.

It still amazes me how faithful to the book this movie was and just how seriously it was taken.
This goes for Batman Begins aswell. It is so nice to see a Comic Book Film taken so seriously, 'cause it is not just a great Comic Book movie but a wonderful film aswell, and it darn well deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 2008, because it most surely is the BEST FILM of 2008.

Ofcourse the Oscars are a bunch of boring snobs that still see it as a comic book movie, but that shouldn't matter, if it is a great movie then that is what should matter. but, all they know how to pick are boring moronic movies about people with diseases or garbage about some guy winning a game show in India, big fricking deal.

This is something unique. But, and Oscar, just like a Movie Critic is just another's opinion and doesn't count.

So, who cares about the snobs, we know what is the best of 2008, and it is THE DARK KNIGHT.

If they can nominate an actor for the film they should also be able to nominate the film and it's director also.
And that was another travesty, Mr. Nolan should have been F'ing nominated for darn sure.

So, screw the Oscars.

And, I am sure Heath/The Joker will win.


God Bless Heath, Bale, Nolan, and the movie itself, and Bless all of you fans. You all rock aswell.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

Fact is, these 'snobs' know a little more about film making than you do and them not nominating it for major awards has little to do with it being a superhero movie. The acting nomination proves that.

 

[MattP]

I find that the film has endured very well over the years. That's not to say it's flawless but when I initially saw it I was somewhat underwhelmed. I liked it a lot and saw it three times in the cinema but I had my gripes. Firstly I didn't like how they lost the Batman creature mythos and had him interacting with several characters where as in Begins he only interacted with trusted individuals in private. The other was how much focus was taken from Bruce and Batman after so much build up in Begins.

For the last ten years I have maintained that Begins is my favourite of the trilogy but I was recently re watching The Dark Knight on blu ray and suddenly I found that its held up very well. For a movie that's ten yeas old it feels very fresh as if it was released this year. The praise for Heath Ledger's performance was not hyperbole. I get goosebumps watching him now as I did the first time. I also began appreciating things that I had never paid much much attention such as the cinematography and the scope/scale and the score. The result of which has forced me to re evaluate my position and I realised my original gripes were unbounded. Firstly, Batman interacts with many characters in the comics, graphic novels, tv series and other films. Second, the switch in focus to other characters is an essential part of a sequel. The point is escalation, the stakes become higher and therefore more characters become involved. Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart are great in their roles and offer heart and tragedy.

It does what I want from a second instalment. It takes things to the next level. It shows the positives and the negatives of Batman's stance against crime and raises the stakes by introducing a threat which forces the protagonists into some questionable moral decisions.

I love how back and forth the film goes between the protagonists having the upper hand to the villains and back again.

The end result is that after many years my decision is reversed. The Dark Knight is my favourite and has entered my top five movies. So when people ask me how can you watch the same movie more than once the answer is because sometimes your first opinion or even the first few hundred isn't always right. Some things need time and multiple viewings to really grow. You can't see and appreciate everything from one viewing.

 

[shauner111]

Nice review. To the people who find it weird that a person would watch a movie more than once...those people are psychopaths lol. Do we hear a record or song for the first time, dig it, then never bother to listen to it again? Who would do that? Nobody.

 

[Herofan]

It does what I want from a second instalment. It takes things to the next level. It shows the positives and the negatives of Batman's stance against crime

While it showed some or much of the public to be ungrateful, I think it didn't actually really suggest that there were negatives. The film didn't really go with the idea that Batman inspired or motivated the Joker and although the mob did out of desperation turn to the Joker that was a pretty small part of the character and story. It did have Batman displeased that he inspired imitators but that was just two scenes.