Add me to the list. I felt that way as well.
The Dark Knight - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Agent Richard07
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There should be a fucking excellent option!!!!!!!! Best comic book movie ever! Heath Ledger was brilliant as the Joker. Such a shame he died. People clapped and whooped when his name came up during the credits. He made Jack's Joker look like Ceasar Romero's Joker.
That's a good point though I didn't catch that watching. Another one is why Joker was suddenly free after making his phone call.
I saw it but am unsure if Dent survived the fall in the film's final moments. Can someone help?
Joker: I just want my phone call.
*police officer with gun looks puzzled*
*police officer with gun looks puzzled*
Another thing this movie did well was setting up the Joker as Batman's arch-nemesis eventhough he's only appearing in the second movie, after Ra's, Crane and Falcone had their shot at him. How they would pull that off, or even if they'd be able to do it has been on my mind for a while now.
It's left pretty "clear" from the movie's point of view that Harvey had died but we're not told, conifrmatively either way.
It's entirely possible the Mayor and Gordon set up the public vigil to continue a ruse that Dent had died and they really have Two-Faced locked up in Arkham or some other secret location.
I loved the moments with Joker hanging upside down monologuing to Bats, it was a great speech especially with "I think we're destined to do this for a long time." Another great moment.
As of this posting, the IMDb has The Dark Knight as the #3 best movie of all time after The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption.
Below average. Loved Harvey Dent, his looks and all his characterization and development (other than him dieing) but otherwise
-As in the first film, Gotham looked too nice and here there were too many daylight scenes.
-Bruce Wayne was definitely lost amidst the ensemble (I thought Oldman was pretty bland in both films, although he was OK when he was threatened at the end), the line "But Rachel" sounded really bad.
-Scarecrow was good but I was real disappointed that he didn't appear later on.
-Too loud and explosive.
-Ledger's voice reminded me too much of Nicholson+Palance+Jones; "I'm a man of my word" and a few other lines (his story about his wife, this city needs better villains) were OK but otherwise too little humor (a joke as he was firing his guns at Dent's car would have made the character more unpredictable and all the noises less intolerable) or presence and too one-note.
-Why'd Joker leave the fundraiser/Batman not go back up after he fell? Him telling Bats the locations after he bragged he wouldn't was also weak, it was inconsistent and just needed for there to be the dilemma. Why couldn't Bats go to one place and the police to another (or some police to one place and some to the other)?
-Gyllenhaal was an OK imitation, but the character direction (maybe it was me trying to play writer, but it seemed like a lot of missed opportunities) and her acting was too annoying.
-The vigilante debate at the dinner reminded me of the 60s series and BF, kiddy & old-fashioned
-Alfred/Caine was so condescending when he explained to Rachel
-The criminal being mean & brave enough to do the Right Thing was cheesy; the guy on the other ferry asking to and then not being able to was presented badly.
-It was so ham-fisted, repetitive in its themes of cop corruption and the Joker being a contrarian.
-Having the villain captured midway through, esp. in this lackluster way, increased the TV feel.
-As in the first film, Gotham looked too nice and here there were too many daylight scenes.
-Bruce Wayne was definitely lost amidst the ensemble (I thought Oldman was pretty bland in both films, although he was OK when he was threatened at the end), the line "But Rachel" sounded really bad.
-Scarecrow was good but I was real disappointed that he didn't appear later on.
-Too loud and explosive.
-Ledger's voice reminded me too much of Nicholson+Palance+Jones; "I'm a man of my word" and a few other lines (his story about his wife, this city needs better villains) were OK but otherwise too little humor (a joke as he was firing his guns at Dent's car would have made the character more unpredictable and all the noises less intolerable) or presence and too one-note.
-Why'd Joker leave the fundraiser/Batman not go back up after he fell? Him telling Bats the locations after he bragged he wouldn't was also weak, it was inconsistent and just needed for there to be the dilemma. Why couldn't Bats go to one place and the police to another (or some police to one place and some to the other)?
-Gyllenhaal was an OK imitation, but the character direction (maybe it was me trying to play writer, but it seemed like a lot of missed opportunities) and her acting was too annoying.
-The vigilante debate at the dinner reminded me of the 60s series and BF, kiddy & old-fashioned
-Alfred/Caine was so condescending when he explained to Rachel
-The criminal being mean & brave enough to do the Right Thing was cheesy; the guy on the other ferry asking to and then not being able to was presented badly.
-It was so ham-fisted, repetitive in its themes of cop corruption and the Joker being a contrarian.
-Having the villain captured midway through, esp. in this lackluster way, increased the TV feel.
Carbonell's eyes look like that in everything I've seen him in so I think it's natural.
Awesome movie. I thought that Batman Begins was the best superhero movie ever but I think that TDK just tops it.
Who saw it on IMAX? I went to an Imax showing and it was good. However I was a bit close (second row) so unfortunately I missed some stuff like the pencil going into the guy. I missed it since it was off to my side. I need to see it again!
Also what exactly did Gordon tell his son at the end? I only caught part of it since the dialog was a bit muffled because the sound level in the theater was too high and it distorted some of the dialoge at times.
The resolution to the ferry bombs was awesome. It brought a tear to my eye. Both actors played their parts well when they refused to blow the other ferry up. Good acting from some bit players.
I'm sure I'm in the minority but I liked Katie better than Maggie as Rachel though to be fair the role was the weakest written in both films.
I liked the guy who played Lau. What's his name? The Hong Kong stuff was really well done.
The biggest cheer moments for my audience was the semi flipping over and the Joker pen trick. Biggest applause moment was the Heath Ledger credit and the dedication to him. He was utterly fantastic and mesmerizing as the Joker. Such a shame he died so young. He deserved to have heard all the praise going to him for this.
edit I also don't want to forget about Aaron Eckhart's fantastic performance as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. The guy totally nailed it. Great stuff.
It will really be challenging for Nolan to top this.
Speaking of the fundraiser, looks like people forgot about Bruce kicking everyone out of his party. His antics didn't seem to burn any bridges or end too many relationships.
That's believable. He's the richest most powerful man in the city, possibly the nation. Everyone wants to suck-up to him because "he's Bruce."
Completely believable in the rich socialite universe. It may even be possible Bruce later explained his actions away by saying Rahs Ah Gul and his posse came in and threatened him.
But I do love how he plays the arrogant rich man like when he crashed the Lamborghni, stopping the death of the employee, and played it off as him just being out for a drive and showing up to the party/fundraiser in a helicopter flanked by a trio of beauties. He plays the arrogant playboy billionare well that's for sure.
I doubt that, I think the story is still that he went nuts and burned his house down like a spoiled bored trust fund kid. However, I can believe the rest about him being "Bruce Wayne" and everyone wanting to be in his orbit no matter what. It was just interesting to actually see and I thought I'd raise the issue to see what others thought about it.
I loved those moments too. Don't forget that he also got a show shut down because he took the showgirls out on his yacht.
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Maybe they wanted to see him get drunk again and burn down another one of his homes.
I missed the cave but I know Bruce in the comics lived in a penthouse
Part 3 already sounds exciting with the developments from "The dark knight"
New "car"?
New love interest?( for movie sake)
The cave and mansion with some improvements in the house and the south east wing
I did love in BB when he played the notes on the piano opening the secret door down to the cave. I hope we get to see that again in the next movie.
A few random thoughts:
I'm glad Rachel is dead. Her character just rubbed me the wrong way, and it didn't matter who portrayed her.
Call me late to the party, but is the title a pun of sorts? "the dark KNIGHT" vs "the dark NIGHT" ?
Nice to see Lucius smile ever so slightly when he saw the surveillance machine start to destroy itself.
Alfred's destroying Rachel's note - another example of how indispensable he was to Bruce's life.
The interplay between Joker and Batman was fascinating. You as the viewer are forced to consider - along with Batman himself - how similar the two of them are. So in one sense the Joker was successful, because he got into our heads as well.
As clichéd as it may have seemed, I loved the resolution to the ferry passengers hostage situation. The con who first tossed the detonator out of the window became instantly cool - up to a point I suppose, but still cool. The actor seemed familiar to me. Anyhow, I loved how each group ultimately couldn't do it. It served as an excellent counterpoint to the earlier mob scenes.
After seeing Gordon's experience with Harvey about to destroy HIS life... I just wanted to run home and hug my own kids. Another image that might seem a cliché - Gordon's son still looking after Batman saying , "but he didn't do anything wrong." Having that faith that few others in the public will have once it comes out.
I would have liked to have been more convinced of Harvey's goodness. To have seen more of what convinced Bruce to have such hope in him. Maybe trim short the whole China trip and expand more on Harvey, so that I could become just as convinced as Bruce.
Very nice way that the director tricks the audience into being convinced Batman was going to rescue Rachel and send Gordon to get Harvey. I like nice little changeups like that.
I'm glad Rachel is dead. Her character just rubbed me the wrong way, and it didn't matter who portrayed her.
Call me late to the party, but is the title a pun of sorts? "the dark KNIGHT" vs "the dark NIGHT" ?
Nice to see Lucius smile ever so slightly when he saw the surveillance machine start to destroy itself.
Alfred's destroying Rachel's note - another example of how indispensable he was to Bruce's life.
The interplay between Joker and Batman was fascinating. You as the viewer are forced to consider - along with Batman himself - how similar the two of them are. So in one sense the Joker was successful, because he got into our heads as well.
As clichéd as it may have seemed, I loved the resolution to the ferry passengers hostage situation. The con who first tossed the detonator out of the window became instantly cool - up to a point I suppose, but still cool. The actor seemed familiar to me. Anyhow, I loved how each group ultimately couldn't do it. It served as an excellent counterpoint to the earlier mob scenes.
After seeing Gordon's experience with Harvey about to destroy HIS life... I just wanted to run home and hug my own kids. Another image that might seem a cliché - Gordon's son still looking after Batman saying , "but he didn't do anything wrong." Having that faith that few others in the public will have once it comes out.
I would have liked to have been more convinced of Harvey's goodness. To have seen more of what convinced Bruce to have such hope in him. Maybe trim short the whole China trip and expand more on Harvey, so that I could become just as convinced as Bruce.
Very nice way that the director tricks the audience into being convinced Batman was going to rescue Rachel and send Gordon to get Harvey. I like nice little changeups like that.
"The Dark Knight" is a pretty common term referring to Batman. Because he's a knight (a crime fighter, if you will) but he's "dark" in that he's a little morally ambiguous and dark in nature. So he is a Dark Knight, as opposed to a White Knight.
And, of course, it's a play on words as you pointed out be phonetically similar to "the dark night."
Then you'll be happy to know that this wasn't Ledger's final role.
Excellent. A++
The best movie I've seen all year. The definitive comic book film. As good as Iron Man was, it doesn't hold a candle to The Dark Knight.
Ledger was terrific as the Joker, coming across as menacing and with dark humor. But Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent I found more interesting. He really had the most compelling storyline throughout the film and Eckhart did a brilliant job portraying a complex personality. The CGI was amazing and Two-Face is rescued for the abortion of Batman or Forever or whatever the hell it's called. Bale is still the best Batman and everyone in the cast did a terrific job. Even those in small roles, like the big convict on the prison boat, did good work.
The movie was long but it totally worked because it gave the movie an even more epic feeling. Another thing that helped was you could actually see most of the fighting. Batman Begins fight scenes happened too damn fast.
Amazing film...it's going to be very difficult for the third Batman movie to top this.
The best movie I've seen all year. The definitive comic book film. As good as Iron Man was, it doesn't hold a candle to The Dark Knight.
Ledger was terrific as the Joker, coming across as menacing and with dark humor. But Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent I found more interesting. He really had the most compelling storyline throughout the film and Eckhart did a brilliant job portraying a complex personality. The CGI was amazing and Two-Face is rescued for the abortion of Batman or Forever or whatever the hell it's called. Bale is still the best Batman and everyone in the cast did a terrific job. Even those in small roles, like the big convict on the prison boat, did good work.
The movie was long but it totally worked because it gave the movie an even more epic feeling. Another thing that helped was you could actually see most of the fighting. Batman Begins fight scenes happened too damn fast.
Amazing film...it's going to be very difficult for the third Batman movie to top this.
The movie's alluding to a darkness lurking within Harvey is in reference to a very famous, and very good, comic story that goes into Harvey's childhood. In the movie he calls the coin "My father's lucky coin." In the story you learn that Harvey's father offered him a chance each night to escape a beating - if the coin he flipped came up tails. Harvey later learns that it was a trick coin all along. The injustice of this both fuels his career as a driven DA, and his insistence on playing strictly by the coin's rules after he loses his mind. I often think backstory can undermine a good villain, but this was one that really enhanced the character, and I loved TDK's subtle references to it.
And you're right that it demonstrates what is seeming to get overlooked by many viewers of the film - the essential nature of Batman's heroism in the face of loss.