The Dark Knight

[Gagneaux]

It...was...awesome!!!

[masterofsparks]

I enjoyed it, but I agree that the people talking in the theater thing is annoying. The theater where I saw it sells beer and food, so the alcohol may've had something to do with the chatter and cheering and talking. There was a group of frattish FWDs behind me that were whooping and cheering at all of the most sadistic parts. I was seriously surprised when these mutants didn't cheer at the part where the little boy had a gun to his head.

[jamesp]

I had a friend who went to a midnight screening (and at a theater with no alcohol sales) where the crowd was mainly men ages 16 to 30. She complained that the people that went out of their ways to see it late at night, who were presumably eager fans, were all talking throughout the movie.

I can understand hooting and hollering, but it depends on the type of movie. If you're watching District B-13 or some action movie with crazy sequences, I get it. I also understand the laughing at overly gruesome stuff (but when it's for shock value -- like Saw or something). I think it's just annoying though for a movie like the Dark Knight that wasn't exactly full of amazing action and had an emphasis on the story.

With fans talking and shouting during the movie, along with being unable to understand Christian Bale's Batman voice, it makes me wish for subtitles.


What are everybody's thoughts on where this ranks with other sequels (Empire Strikes Back) and other comic book/super hero movies? After only one viewing, I think there are some aspects of the movie that could've made this even better (SPOILER ALERT -- one example being that Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face occurred so incredibly quickly -- END SPOILER) but I still really enjoyed it.

[Chris L]

SPOILERS - I liked it, but Batman kinda ends up being the weak link of the movie.  Bale's Dirty Harry montone is so ridiculous and hard to understand (although a lot of the dialogue sounded murky on the theater's sound system) that I finally had to snicker during the final confrontation with Dent.  Plus, Nolan strives to create a relatively realistic atmosphere but occasionally frames Batman in ways that make him seem silly and anachronistic in his own movie, like early on when he suddenly and awkwardly appears in the bank vault, or when he's hanging back while Dent and Gordon are bickering.  At those times it seemed more like a goofy guy in a batsuit wandering into a Michael Mann-style film to me, rather than a Batman movie.   The tractor flip and the motorcycle 180 were awesome enough to make up for a lot though.

I can't complain about much else.  There were other moments I loved, most of them Joker-related.  I was surprised they killed off Maggie (if it had been Katie Holmes the midnight screening crowd would have cheered their baseball hats/makeshift cowls off).  I guess they'll need to bring in Catwoman next to make for it, although I'll wonder if they'll place the same priority on acting chops when searching for an actress who looks good in skintight fetishwear.

[kray]

angelina jolie as catwoman in the next movie?

[Gagneaux]

angelina jolie as catwoman in the next movie?

Geez, I sure hope not. I can't ever take her seriously as an action actress. I always think that her 2 inch thick wrists/ankles  are about to snap in two when she's punching and kicking.

[AaronC]

Loved it!  Perfect summer action flick.

[Gilly]

I really liked it but I think the hype for Ledger's performance is a tad overblown. He was good but it wasn't anything oscar worthy. You guys were totally right about the growl on Batman though. That's pretty bad. I like that it's different than Bruce Wayne but man, that's going a little too far. Also, I know everybody agrees that the MPAA is corrupt but there is no way that movie should have been PG-13. That is probably the most R rated PG-13 movie I've ever seen.


****SPOILER ALERT: I was really shocked that they only used the Two Face character for about 20-30 minutes. I thought he'd be the villain of the next one. Turns out it's going to be Batman (and probably somebody else too) and I think that will be an aggravating 3 hours. Also, did Scarecrow really need to be in the movie? That was a little strange.

[jamesp]

I really liked it but I think the hype for Ledger's performance is a tad overblown. He was good but it wasn't anything oscar worthy. You guys were totally right about the growl on Batman though. That's pretty bad. I like that it's different than Bruce Wayne but man, that's going a little too far. Also, I know everybody agrees that the MPAA is corrupt but there is no way that movie should have been PG-13. That is probably the most R rated PG-13 movie I've ever seen.


****SPOILER ALERT: I was really shocked that they only used the Two Face character for about 20-30 minutes. I thought he'd be the villain of the next one. Turns out it's going to be Batman (and probably somebody else too) and I think that will be an aggravating 3 hours. Also, did Scarecrow really need to be in the movie? That was a little strange.

SPOILER ALERT: It was a poorly scripted cameo from the Scarecrow that was just kinda confusing and dumb. Looking back, they should've cut the scene where Batman  goes to Hong Kong and allowed more time for the Maggie G/Christian Bale relationship (their relationship doesn't look genuine) or allowed more time for Two-Face's development (and maybe not kill him off).

I wasn't impressed with Maggie Gyllenhaal. She doesn't fit the role well (I can't see her as the middle of a love triangle between Dent/Wayne).

[Gilly]

MINOR SPOILER ALERT: Not really a spoiler but The Joker is still alive- Heath Ledger isn't. How sweet would it be to see Daniel Day Lewis take the role?

[Forrest]

MINOR SPOILER ALERT: Not really a spoiler but The Joker is still alive- Heath Ledger isn't. How sweet would it be to see Daniel Day Lewis take the role?

I would probably pay the insane craigslist prices for that.

[Chris L]

I really liked it but I think the hype for Ledger's performance is a tad overblown. He was good but it wasn't anything oscar worthy. You guys were totally right about the growl on Batman though. That's pretty bad. I like that it's different than Bruce Wayne but man, that's going a little too far. Also, I know everybody agrees that the MPAA is corrupt but there is no way that movie should have been PG-13. That is probably the most R rated PG-13 movie I've ever seen.


****SPOILER ALERT: I was really shocked that they only used the Two Face character for about 20-30 minutes. I thought he'd be the villain of the next one. Turns out it's going to be Batman (and probably somebody else too) and I think that will be an aggravating 3 hours. Also, did Scarecrow really need to be in the movie? That was a little strange.

SPOILER ALERT: It was a poorly scripted cameo from the Scarecrow that was just kinda confusing and dumb. Looking back, they should've cut the scene where Batman  goes to Hong Kong and allowed more time for the Maggie G/Christian Bale relationship (their relationship doesn't look genuine) or allowed more time for Two-Face's development (and maybe not kill him off).

I wasn't impressed with Maggie Gyllenhaal. She doesn't fit the role well (I can't see her as the middle of a love triangle between Dent/Wayne).

Out of fairness to Maggie (and I guess Katie Holmes) that character was pretty much an underwritten dud in the end.   I don't even remember or care what she was saying when she got blown up.  Something about having offbeat good looks, I think (unless I'm thinking of Meryl Streep on Farm Film Blowup). They could've saved Two-Face for the next movie, as he's one of the few usable villains in this interpretation of the story, but obviously they had no inkling what was going to happen w/ Ledger (SUPERFULOUS EDIT: Or did they?).   

[Vambo]

During the half-hour First Look pre-preview deal they advertised the movie, The Dark Knight.  I crap you not.

[masterofsparks]

I'm thinking they should do some sort of Ricola product placement/tie-in for Batman in the next movie so I can understand what the F he's saying.

[buffcoat]

SPOILER ALERT: It was a poorly scripted cameo from the Scarecrow that was just kinda confusing and dumb. Looking back, they should've cut the scene where Batman  goes to Hong Kong and allowed more time for the Maggie G/Christian Bale relationship (their relationship doesn't look genuine) or allowed more time for Two-Face's development (and maybe not kill him off).

I wasn't impressed with Maggie Gyllenhaal. She doesn't fit the role well (I can't see her as the middle of a love triangle between Dent/Wayne).

I thought the Scarecrow cameo was a great idea that was extraordinarily poorly, as you say, scripted.  I THINK it was meant to show how far he'd fallen, and that he'd sort of become one of the loser bad guys that Batman was always defeating in the first few pages of the comic book when he'd hear about the real bad guy he'd have to fight.  I like that idea - but the way it was written was just lousy.

I liked the movie a lot, although like all action films nowadays it was at least 20 minutes too long.