The Dark Knight - Grading & Discussion

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Agent Richard07, Jul 8, 2008.

?

Grade the movie...

  1. Excellent

    79.4%
  2. Above Average

    13.5%
  3. Average

    5.0%
  4. Below Average

    0.6%
  5. Poor

    1.5%
  1. Captain Craig

    Captain Craig Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The plates never say Illinois. I believe its the lamborgini(sp) chase that you can see the plates say "Gotham". Although the style is in the Illinois style that I last recall seeing them in so that may be part of the confusion.
     
  2. Neroon

    Neroon Mod of Balance Moderator

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    They may not say "Illinois", but since it was an Illinois style plate currently in use that's why I concluded what I did. The action was a mite too fast for me to tell for certain.
     
  3. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    I wasn't mentally checking off scenes from the trailers to "prove" to myself that Gordon didn't die. -Though I will sometimes do that in movies.

    I knew he didn't die because, well, it's GORDON!
     
  4. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    My focus is on empowering myself to not only do more, but to make the things that I do easier. I can't imagine refusing anything that will help me accomplish that. I don't want less of an ability to do something, I want more. To me it's a no-brainer. That's why I raised the issue about Lucious Fox's actions. Who wouldn't want their lives or even a certain task to be easier? Who wouldn't want the ability to do something?

    Now do I have enough self-control and self-discipline to handle "power"? All I can say is that I don't immediately jump to the conclusion that I can't and will go bad or abuse my position. I don't want to create problems, I just want to be empowered in life. That's all I can say for now. It's a complex issue that would require more thought on my part.

    Interesting. I picked up on a lot of that but didn't put it all together.
     
  5. davejames

    davejames Vice Admiral Admiral

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    So did anybody else think Two-Face's scarring was a little... over the top? Yeah it was a really shocking and powerful effect, but it seemed to belong to a totally different movie.

    I think it would have been more than enough simply to have the left side of the face severely burned-- not completely ripped away like something out of a zombie movie.
     
  6. John Picard

    John Picard Vice Admiral Admiral

    Nope. Looked similar to Two-Face from the animated series. It was a fantastic effect.
     
  7. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Yeah, "perhaps." That kind of severe damage isn't entirely possible for someone to suffer from and survive. Shock and pain would've killed him alone not the least of which would be infection.

    But it was just so damn GOOD and awesome, and "true" to the look of the character. Seeing his entire eyeball there and his teeth, and the inside of his mouth when he took a drinking (with some dribbling on his chin) and, pretty much just seeing his SKULL there was just... GREAT.

    Far better than what they did with TLJ in Forever.

    Over the top? A little.

    Greusome? Absolutely. Which is why I loved it.

    I also did a little geek-squeal the first time he flipped the coin in the court-room and later on when he used it when questioning "Rachel" and then especailly when he started doing it has Two-Face.

    Man. I've having a geek-gasm thinking about it right now!
     
  8. archeryguy1701

    archeryguy1701 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Whole left side. It was hard to see in a lot of those dark scenes, but his suit was pretty burnt too and the whole side of his body was doused in gasoline so it's unlikely that only his face caught on fire and not the whole body.

    The best comparision I can think of this was the SG1 season 4 episode "Absolute Power". The SG1 Good-doer, Daniel Jackson, gets the instructions for a sattelite super weapon. It was meant as a defence against the Goa'uld, but Daniel, again the SG1 Do-gooder, built in a personal over-ride. Eventually the access to that power overtook him and he started using it against innocents. And I don't think that's too far from the truth. You can not hold onto power like that for the long term and expect it not to be abused.

    I watched Batman Forever and Batman & Robin yesterday, and I now know for a fact why I like BB and TDK better: they really do take themselves more seriously. Not that BF and B&R were bad movies, but they were very comic-booky and, for a lack of a better word, "campy" than they newer ones. There was as much risk or realism in those movies as there was in the latest two.
     
  9. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    Is it power people fear or is it responsibility? I'd take as much power or should I say potential as I coud get, but there are large responibilities that I wouldn't want. For example, I wouldn't want to have to decide whether or not to drop a nuclear bomb on an enemy's city, but I'd have no problem whatsoever keeping a nuclear bomb in my basement (barring upkeep and radiation of course). I know won't take it downtown and set it off just for kicks.

    If there were some responsibility that Lucious Fox didn't want, then that's something I could understand.
     
  10. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Fox just knew it was wrong to spy on half the city at once without their permission.

    And it is.

    I've a couple other questions I just thought of.

    What was the point of firing the high-powered gun into the bricks? I get that Batman/Bruce took the brick out of the wall and "reassmnbled" the fragmented bullet to get the ballistics/fingerprint off of it but what did firing the test-shots do?

    And.

    When/How did Harvey get out of the hopsital? We see the Joker leave the room, sanitize his hands, walk down the hall and activate the bombs. How did Harvey get out?
     
  11. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ^ Maybe Harvey left first.
     
  12. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    I think they overdid it to make a point. I don't believe everyone would do what Daniel did. By the way, this is actually one of my favorite episodes of SG-1. I tought it was cool that Daniel was wealthy and had all that power. :p

    I saw the three Batman sequels last week. Returns and Forever were a lot campier than I remember. Boy, am I glad we've got Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Gotta say it again... It's nice to have movies that take the material seriously.
     
  13. Tyberius

    Tyberius Commander Red Shirt

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    Nolan's treatment of Batman is much more respectful of the comic books. Batman was always the darkest, most somber, on the edge character. Nolan captures that.

    In fact the only problem I have with Nolan's interpretation is that Batman should be a lot smarter (though maybe "Wayne" plays at being dumber than he is) and Batman doesn't wear armor. The only times he has worn armor is when he added a chest plate - to take a bullet from a sniper round, and when Azrael took the mantle of the bat.
     
  14. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    Eh... Fair enough.
     
  15. davejames

    davejames Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Perhaps a little TOO seriously. I'm still hoping that one of these days a director will find a good middle-ground between the Burton and Nolan extremes-- and create a Batman world that's dark and serious, yet still has room for giant Man-Bats, Clayfaces, and big green Killer Crocs. :D

    If BTAS could do it, surely a live action movie could.
     
  16. Tyberius

    Tyberius Commander Red Shirt

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    After the reveal, that Gordon was alive, I thought exactly that. Gordon had to be dead until the Joker was caught, or else his family would be killed.
     
  17. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    Something like Batman Dead End or a live-action Alex Ross Batman would fit the bill. I was pushing for stuff like that years ago even after Batman Begins came out, but now with The Dark Knight being so good, I'm not as enthusiastic about the idea.
     
  18. Tyberius

    Tyberius Commander Red Shirt

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    And Napoleon said (paraphrasing): Who do you think I am, George Washington?
     
  19. Captain Craig

    Captain Craig Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I asssumed Two-Face left first and that really after the coin decided his fate hell Joker helped Harvey get dressed. A thought I had on first viewing that I think I resolved for myself on the second viewing is Harvey's suit. I first thought why would Harvey logically have on a burned on one side suit?
    Answer, its the suit he was brought in with that night and therefore the only clothes available to him upon leaving the hospital.
     
  20. Tyberius

    Tyberius Commander Red Shirt

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    Batman did give himself the power, but left it to another to take the power away. This is where he differs from the Cesar; in that his power is not absolute.

    Surely he wishes the ability to do something, but given the corruptibility of the power, has the foresight to grant the removal of the power to another.

    Fox is Batman's failsafe.