The Dark Knight The Non-Spoiler Critic Review Thread

10 reviews on RT now, still 100%.
 
Magenta666 said:
humors quote from someone who gave it a 0
Click to expand...

im suprised no one saw the joke in the so called review he posted :P

no matter how bad taste he has, i bet he can't help but ROFL when writing that Batman & Robin was an excelllent movie with excellent perfomances :oldrazz:
 
I like this part a lot:

Dark Horizons said:
The Dark Knight" has no such schizophrenic mood swings. Right from the start the film establishes itself as a sprawling epic - a gritty crime saga the likes of which Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese would be proud to call their own - and keeps things consistently at that high level despite numerous dark twists and turns. Densely layered and with fully fleshed-out characters that not only embody intricate concepts but are often placed in legitimate peril, the film makes no apologies for being too brutal and elaborate for not just kids but many adults as well. Even without graphic on-screen blood-letting and a PG-13 rating, the film manages to portray menace and tension with far more power and effectiveness than many an R-rated horror film.
Click to expand...
 
abcdefz said:
Densely layered and with fully fleshed-out characters that not only embody intricate concepts but are often placed in legitimate peril, the film makes no apologies for being too brutal and elaborate for not just kids but many adults as well. Even without graphic on-screen blood-letting and a PG-13 rating, the film manages to portray menace and tension with far more power and effectiveness than many an R-rated horror film.
Click to expand...

I just got a tidly-bit more pumped from reading that.
 
Non-spoiler summation:

Dark Horizons said:
Those looking for the kid-safe thrills of the Marvel films need to look elsewhere, 'Knight' takes the more serious minded tone of the early scenes of "Batman Begins" and runs with it into dark and complex territory rarely seen these days in cinema let alone in Summer blockbusters. It demands intelligence, maturity and attention, but as a reward delivers a film that will justifably sit high on many Top Ten lists at the end of the year. Certainly as major studio releases go it rarely gets better in quality than this.
Click to expand...
 
Has this one from ComingSoon.net been posted already? Excellent review, and it rates a 9/10. For those squeamish about any slight whiff of spoiler or have been living in a cave the past few months, there's a copy and paste job below in a spoiler tag where I blacked out the possible spoilers.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/reviewsnews.php?id=46667


The Dark Knight
Reviewed by: Edward Douglas
Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary:
Daring and uncompromisingly different from previous incarnations of Batman--both the movies and the comics--Christopher Nolan and his amazing cast haven't redefined the superhero genre as much as created an unforgettable piece of crime fiction within the context of that realm.

Story:
Under the increased presence of Batman, Gotham City is a different place with the city's criminal element fearfully avoiding him whenever possible, creating a void that's filled by the new menace called The Joker (Heath Ledger) who targets both the gangsters and the city's law officials alike. [blackout]When the Joker challenges Batman, threatening to kill a person a day unless he unmasks and gives himself up,[/blackout] the caped crusader and Gotham's new D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) must find a way to deal with this violent new form of killer each in their own way. At the same time, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) must contend with Dent's interest in his childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and his own feelings for her.

Analysis:
Clearly, one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, "The Dark Knight" is certainly nothing like the superhero movies we've seen so far, which means it might take some time for fans of Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" to get their head around his decision to make a completely different movie rather than making a direct sequel that rehashes what worked in the first movie.

"Batman Begins" created a clear-cut origin for the comic book character based within the real world, and "The Dark Knight" takes that one step further, venturing further into the world of true crime dramas with a film that owes more to "The Departed" and Michael Mann's "Heat"--admittedly an influence on Nolan--then any previous comic books or movies. With the origin out of the way, Nolan could have easily gotten right into the action, but instead, he revisits earlier ground explored in "Insomnia" to tell the story of three very different men--Batman, Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Gotham D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart)--and the diverging ways they try to achieve the same goal by cleaning up the city's crime, something that often puts them at odds. Much of the movie is spent intensifying the dynamics between these three men and building up to what will ultimately set them on different paths.

The most fascinating new ingredient to "The Dark Knight" is the reintroduction of The Joker, a disarmingly different take by the late Heath Ledger. This Joker doesn't boogie to a Prince soundtrack and crack jokes about toys; this is an evil and horrifying villain, clearly insane and unpredictable as he wantonly maims and kills anyone who crosses his path. Partially influenced by the visionary spin from the likes of Miller, Moore and Morrison, Heath Ledger takes this classic Bat-villain one step further, giving the madman a cinematic flair that makes him one of the most memorable film "villains" since Tyler Durden with an M.O. not unlike the horror villain Jigsaw, only on a much grander scale. It doesn't matter where this Joker came from or how he came to be, but the fact he's around and can show up anywhere makes this a far more violent and scary world where anyone can die at any moment. And yet, there's something gleefully delightful whenever he's on screen, one that puts a tragic and bittersweet sheen over the entire film.

The brilliance of Ledger's performance doesn't take anything away from the rest of the excellent cast, and Aaron Eckhart brings his A-Game and fires on all cylinders as Harvey Dent, Gotham's brave defender who wants to use lawful methods to take down Gotham's criminal element. Both Batman and Bruce Wayne readily accept Dent as the hero the city really needs, but someone else plays the pivotal role in Dent's transformation into the grotesque scarred madman Two-Face, a murderer as horrifying and violent as the Joker.

Those going into the movie unaware of what Nolan was trying to achieve may be frustrated by the way the first 80 minutes drags as it sets up a cleverly intricate plot with lots of dialogue and only scattered and fleeting appearances by the Joker to shake things up. The film relies heavily on the intelligent script by Nolan and his brother Jonathan that omits the usual comic book quips that have held the genre back for so long to create a tense and dramatic film that uses the many different elements to confirm Nolan's thesis about what makes a man who he is. Certainly, Nolan could have gotten to the confrontation between the Batman and Joker quicker, but the movie never feels long once we're into the thick of things and it's well worth the wait with money shots coming at us in quick succession.

What might be harder to adjust to and accept is that this is no longer the Batman from the comics, even as it further explores the idea of Batman as high-tech detective, keeping that concept firmly grounded in the reality created by the first movie. There's no real "Batcave" this time, just an empty floor in a building with a few computer monitors and diagnostic equipment, but that doesn't mean that all the cool gadgets have been put to the rest. Batman's "Tumbler" is replaced by an even wilder two-wheeled "Batpod" and the costume is retrofitted with an inventive sonar system ("Batvision"?) that plays an interesting role in the climactic finale. Bruce's butler Alfred (Michael Caine) and corporate frontman Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) are still the crimefighter's go-to guys, each actor being given strong scenes that play an active role in influencing the decisions made by both Batman and Bruce Wayne.

The most noticeable departure is that Gotham is no longer the dark neo-futuristic city we've seen so many times. Now, it looks more like... well, Chicago, as we spend far more time in the daylight than in previous Batman movies. Nolan isn't trying to show off with the visually stylish fireworks of past films, setting aside the large-scale set and models to capture realistic cityscapes in their full glory. Those who see the movie in IMAX will know when Nolan is ready to play as the image extends vertically in both directions whenever he's ready to kick off one of the movie's "holy *****" moments, whether it's a car chase that's even more intense than the first movie [blackout]or scenes of Batman literally flying through the night sky in Hong Kong[/blackout]. These scenes more than make-up for all the expository build-up as Nolan uses the full scope of the IMAX lens to capture every nuance.

We've learned far too well that anyone can put on a mask and pretend to be Batman, but Christian Bale brings an imposing gravitas to the role with a voice modulator that allows him to deliver every line in a deep baritone. It's the slightly more limited on-screen time of his alter ego Bruce Wayne that makes Bale so right for the job, giving Robert Downey's Tony Stark competition as the playboy millionaire we love to watch. While Katie Holmes' Rachel Dawes may have been the first movie's weak link, Maggie Gyllenhaal is far more spirited as the character, creating a complicated love triangle between Wayne and Dent that makes her a key cog in the story, rather than just another interchangeable damsel in distress.

Nolan has veered far from the safety zone of mainstream superhero movies with the decision to create a violent environment where anyone can die at any moment, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat, never knowing how far he may choose to take it. It's a daring approach to filmmaking that you have to appreciate in a world where it's easier to copy something that works than to try and tread new ground. Compared to other light-hearted superhero fare, "The Dark Knight" is such an intense experience one might not be able to imagine reliving it, but it should be worthy of repeat viewings to study and analyze what Nolan has achieved. It also guarantees this summer will forever be remembered as the one where the superhero movie genre was elevated beyond the quips and spandex.

The Bottom Line:
Nolan's "The Dark Knight" is another unforgettable offering from the visionary that defies all expectations by creating a serious "superhero" movie for grown-ups, one so grounded in a brutal reality you're left in a cold sweat by its stalwart refusal to cater to escapist fantasies. While one might hesitate to throw around overused words like "masterpiece," it's refreshing that "The Dark Knight" is not a movie that can be viewed and easily discarded like so much other summer fare.
 
Sorry for the delay, folks, first page is now updated with all the new reviews. Except Latino Review, which doesn't count.
 
Terrific review from comingsoon...although it did have a spoiler I hadn't quite heard yet.
 
Here is a new review from Black Film an African American newspaper printed fort-monthly.

Walter E. Harlond

The Dark Knight (2008)
153 min. Warner Brothers. Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Christian Bale.

The film that will put the nail in the coffin of Warner's "Batman Franchise, Mark I" gives new meaning to Hollywood bloat. More, more, more is the order of the day, once again. In Christopher Nolan's first Batman sequel, Batman Begins, he incorporated two super-villains and added heroic sidekick Lucius Fox. The Dark Knight uses up two more super-villains—The Joker (the late Heath Ledger) and Harvey Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart)—and brings Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes) on board. Not content, returning screenwriter David S. Goyer further insults fans of the DC Comics by casting the villain Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) as a brainless suicidal thug.

Lucius Fox is still played by Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale made a mistake he's still good-naturedly living down: donning the cape and cowl for Nolan. In fact, Bale is nearly ideal as millionaire Bruce Wayne, but Goyer only gives Wayne and his crime-fighting alter ego platitudes and punchlines. As for Nolan, he's still intent on dragging Batman further back into Darkness. In the film's first scene, [BLACKOUT]he reprises his Batbutt shot (coupled with a Alfred butt shot)[/BLACKOUT], then turns the duo into a Bale-and-Gracie double act.

It's difficult to tell if The Dark Knight has too much plot or too little, but it all has something to do with Jokers customary desire to restore chaos diseased Gotham to hell, via a crime spree, and Two-Faces warped electro-terrorism; [BLACKOUT]the two converge to rid themselves of their heroic nemeses.[/BLACKOUT] The machinations of the script allow for extreme-stunt action sequences.

In fact, phallic imagery is a staple of The Dark Knight, in which Nolan fearlessly brings his gay sensibility even further to the fore. There's something subversive and therefore laudable about taking millions of dollars of studio money to produce a gay superhero fantasia, but Nolan picked the wrong superhero to mess with! Despite the academic assertion of Fredric Wertham in his absurd 1954 comic-book expose The Seduction of the Innocent that The Dark Knight conducted an implicit "daddy-boy" gay relationship, Batman has never been gay (sorry, GLAAD).

Ignoring this, Nolan slathers the film with penis imagery and ribald jokes. The Joker leers, [BLACKOUT]"And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule... "[/BLACKOUT] Beside the prodigious Joker-puns, the villain's [BLACKOUT]truck also features a prominent smiley face appendage.[/BLACKOUT] In a different fetish category, [BLACKOUT]Two-Face enters one scene by shedding his skin and walking on the surface of a raging inferno.[/BLACKOUT] I'm not sure what Nolan had in mind here, but I'm pretty sure it's illegal in several states.

The deepest irony is that The Dark Knight makes a pretty good kids' movie. Most adults run screaming from this movie, but on the campy level of the early 90's animated TV series, The Dark Knight does the job—noisily and senselessly—of a dark, serious action-adventure. Touchy parents can take comfort in the fact that the double entendres will soar over kids' heads. In counterpoint to the gay subtext, Two-Face's coin makes Batman squabble out of jealous, vigilantly envy, and Bale's Bruce dutifully dates many Super Models ([BLACKOUT]even as he tenderly cares for Rachel Dawes, on her deathbed due to a maiming by the Joker's games[/BLACKOUT]).

Ultimately, The Dark Knight is a "family values" movie. Alfred, played for the second time by Michael Caine, schools Bruce about life: [BLACKOUT]"Endure. You can be the outcast. You can make the choice that no one else will face - the right choice. Gotham needs you".[/BLACKOUT]

As The Joker, Ledger rarely gets to play it straight, though Goyer at least pays lip service to the character's now-traditional youth grief. Mostly, Ledger is forced to let fly with enough bad clown puns to accomodate several movies--nineteen, for the record. Perhaps a drinking game could make the tiresome pattern (increasingly) bearable for adult viewers ("Let's put a smile on that face!"). Remarkably, a life time of years spent in the business have done nothing to improve the Australian Dingo's marble-mouthed diction. He's an awesome sight in his purple tux and crow makeup, but he's also a walking joke.

Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Two-Face cuts a sharp and accurate figure in his basic stance (though [BLACKOUT]his later double-suit is an unfortunate sight gag[/BLACKOUT]). Harvey's origin story is fairly represented. While Eckhart is suited to the role, the comic tone leads him to adopt an odd dialect. At times, he sounds British (Madonna-style); at other times, he does a full-bore Mae West impression, another huge miscalculation.

The cringe-worthy style choices pile up like junk mail: [BLACKOUT]a Eric Roberts cameo, a KKK themed street gang, a random visit to Hong Kong, a Bat-pod (Tumbler transforms), Gay innuendo shared between Bruce and Alfred,[/BLACKOUT] and the requisite garish finale. "[BLACKOUT]You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain![/BLACKOUT]" [BLACKOUT]the hero frets, then takes the time to change into a new Knight teamed Bat-suit.[/BLACKOUT] Right about then, comic-book fans had to breathe into paper bags or put their heads between their knees.

Nolan shot his inspirational wad on Batman Begins, leaving The Dark Knight to creative exhaustion. Some cool fight stunts make the best of the dark approach, but the inclusion of [BLACKOUT]random deaths[/BLACKOUT] are buzz-killers. Goyer includes a dark theme throughout, a setting already explored by Tim Burton in Batman Returns, and whips up more overt psychoanalysis for Batman. Alfred posits, "[BLACKOUT]Will you be taking the Batpod, then, sir[/BLACKOUT]?" Okay, fine, but we get this and dick jokes?

4/10
 
Darth-IronMan said:
Here is a new review...

The Dark Knight (2008)
153 min. Warner Brothers. Director: Christopher Nolan. Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Christian Bale.

The film that will put the nail in the coffin of Warner's "Batman Franchise, Mark I" gives new meaning to Hollywood bloat. More, more, more is the order of the day, once again. In Christopher Nolan's first Batman sequel, Batman Begins, he incorporated two super-villains and added heroic sidekick Lucius Fox. The Dark Knight uses up two more super-villains—The Joker (the late Heath Ledger) and Harvey Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart)—and brings Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes) on board. Not content, returning screenwriter David S. Goyer further insults fans of the DC Comics by casting the villain Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) as a brainless suicidal thug.

Lucius Fox is still played by Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale made a mistake he's still good-naturedly living down: donning the cape and cowl for Nolan. In fact, Bale is nearly ideal as millionaire Bruce Wayne, but Goyer only gives Wayne and his crime-fighting alter ego platitudes and punchlines. As for Nolan, he's still intent on dragging Batman further back into Darkness. In the film's first scene, he reprises his Batbutt shot (coupled with a Alfred butt shot), then turns the duo into a Bale-and-Gracie double act.

It's difficult to tell if The Dark Knight has too much plot or too little, but it all has something to do with Jokers customary desire to restore chaos diseased Gotham to hell, via a crime spree, and Two-Faces warped electro-terrorism; the two converge to rid themselves of their heroic nemeses. The machinations of the script allow for extreme-stunt action sequences.

In fact, phallic imagery is a staple of The Dark Knight, in which Nolan fearlessly brings his gay sensibility even further to the fore. There's something subversive and therefore laudable about taking millions of dollars of studio money to produce a gay superhero fantasia, but Nolan picked the wrong superhero to mess with! Despite the academic assertion of Fredric Wertham in his absurd 1954 comic-book expose The Seduction of the Innocent that The Dark Knight conducted an implicit "daddy-boy" gay relationship, Batman has never been gay (sorry, GLAAD).

Ignoring this, Nolan slathers the film with penis imagery and ribald jokes. The Joker leers, "And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule... " Beside the prodigious Joker-puns, the villain's truck also features a prominent smiley face appendage. In a different fetish category, Two-Face enters one scene by shedding his skin and walking on the surface of a raging inferno. I'm not sure what Nolan had in mind here, but I'm pretty sure it's illegal in several states.

The deepest irony is that The Dark Knight makes a pretty good kids' movie. Most adults run screaming from this movie, but on the campy level of the early 90's animated TV series, The Dark Knight does the job—noisily and senselessly—of a dark, serious action-adventure. Touchy parents can take comfort in the fact that the double entendres will soar over kids' heads. In counterpoint to the gay subtext, Two-Face's coin makes Batman squabble out of jealous, vigilantly envy, and Bale's Bruce dutifully dates many Super Models (even as he tenderly cares for Rachel Dawes, on her deathbed due to a maiming by the Joker's games).

Ultimately, The Dark Knight is a "family values" movie. Alfred, played for the second time by Michael Caine, schools Bruce about life: "Endure. You can be the outcast. You can make the choice that no one else will face - the right choice. Gotham needs you".

As The Joker, Ledger rarely gets to play it straight, though Goyer at least pays lip service to the character's now-traditional youth grief. Mostly, Ledger is forced to let fly with enough bad clown puns to accomodate several movies--nineteen, for the record. Perhaps a drinking game could make the tiresome pattern (increasingly) bearable for adult viewers ("Let's put a smile on that face!"). Remarkably, a life time of years spent in the business have done nothing to improve the Australian Dingo's marble-mouthed diction. He's an awesome sight in his purple tux and crow makeup, but he's also a walking joke.

Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Two-Face cuts a sharp and accurate figure in his basic stance (though his later double-suit is an unfortunate sight gag). Harvey's origin story is fairly represented. While Eckhart is suited to the role, the comic tone leads him to adopt an odd dialect. At times, he sounds British (Madonna-style); at other times, he does a full-bore Mae West impression, another huge miscalculation.

The cringe-worthy style choices pile up like junk mail: a Eric Roberts cameo, a KKK themed street gang, a random visit to Hong Kong, a Bat-pod (Tumbler transforms), Gay innuendo shared between Bruce and Alfred, and the requisite garish finale. "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!" the hero frets, then takes the time to change into a new Knight teamed Bat-suit. Right about then, comic-book fans had to breathe into paper bags or put their heads between their knees.

Nolan shot his inspirational wad on Batman Begins, leaving The Dark Knight to creative exhaustion. Some cool fight stunts make the best of the dark approach, but the inclusion of random deaths are buzz-killers. Goyer includes a dark theme throughout, a setting already explored by Tim Burton in Batman Returns, and whips up more overt psychoanalysis for Batman. Alfred posits, "Will you be taking the Batpod, then, sir?" Okay, fine, but we get this and dick jokes?

4/10
Click to expand...

I wonder why some people actually take their time to write this. Proof that some people really have no life. Gotta hand it to you though. Could have given it a 0/10 but you still gave it a 4.
 
Not only is that review horrible and idiotic, but it includes SPOILERS and is posted on the NON-SPOILERS BOARD. And no link to boot.

Horrible all around.
 
IIIHicksIII and paec_djinn

So a real critic gives the movie a bad review and you have to lambast him?
 
Darth-IronMan said:
IIIHicksIII and paec_djinn

So a real critic gives the movie a bad review and you have to lambast him?
Click to expand...

You can criticize a movie without resorting to homophobic paranoia and, well, being an idiot to boot. He makes it sound like this is Batman & Robin Part II. It's ridiculous.

Oh, and you still pasted an article with no link, and much worse, SPOILERS on the non-spoilers board. That's not cool.
 
Darth-IronMan said:
IIIHicksIII and paec_djinn

So a real critic gives the movie a bad review and you have to lambast him?
Click to expand...


Real critic??

From what I saw, you never gave the name of this so called critic or a link.

Nice try. Maybe you can come up with a better looking negative review in the next week or so.:oldrazz:
 
I blacked out the spoilers... it was the other dude who re posted it un blacked out.
 
Ummm...there's something seriously wrong with that review.
 
Darth-IronMan said:
I blacked out the spoilers... it was the other dude who re posted it un blacked out.
Click to expand...

What I quoted from you was what you posted BEFORE you edited. Hence no black outs, and most importantly, no critic name. And a quick google search will show that no critic by that name.

I'm sure it's obvious to most of you already, but just ignore that guy's post. You can tell his intentions just by his name.

Dude, we weren't born yesterday.

IIIHicksIII and paec_djinn

So a real critic gives the movie a bad review and you have to lambast him?
Click to expand...

http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=15226286&postcount=107

Why would you post a critic review in the User Review thread? Must have been a small mistake eh?
 
Darth-IronMan is what I would call a JOKE.
And not a very funny one, at that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
The Dark Knight Game Theory In the Dark Knight
Replies
17
Views
4K
Crook
Crook
Vengeance of Bane
The Dark Knight Ebert and Roeper - Review 'The Dark Knight'
Replies
10
Views
3K
FCEEVIPER
FCEEVIPER
Keyser Soze
The Dark Knight The Dark Knight: An In-Depth Review
Replies
5
Views
1K
Squaremaster316
S
Keyser Soze
The Dark Knight Rises The Dark Knight Rises Critic Review Thread
2 3 4
Replies
83
Views
7K
Keyser Soze
Keyser Soze
Ë
The official "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" review thread. First review inside!
7 8 9
Replies
215
Views
23K
Panophobia
Panophobia

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Staff online

Members online

Total: 2,630 (members: 23, guests: 2,607)

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
202,268
Messages
22,077,067
Members
45,876
Latest member
Crazygamer3011

Share this page

Back
Top
monitoring_string = "afb8e5d7348ab9e99f73cba908f10802"