Special Edition Podcast
Show Notes
The sequel to Batman Begins — The Dark Knight — is finally upon us and iFanboy is here with the least controversial special edition ever to talk about it.
Running Time: 00:36:36
A very strong case can be made that this is the most anticipated movie of the summer. If not purely on its merits and because of the popularity of Batman Begins, but also because of the untimely death of Heath Ledger. Whatever the reasons, put it all together and you’ve got theaters all across the United States that have been sold out for weeks now.
The hype on The Dark Knight has reached deafening levels and my only hope is that people don’t go into the theater expecting to see the greatest movie of all time. That’s the tricky thing about hype, too much can definitely be a bad thing.
Are we excited for The Dark Knight? You’re damn right we are. I don’t know the last time I was this excited to see a movie. You might have to go back to Batman Begins to find a movie I was this psyched to see.
Are you going to see it? Of course you are! So let’s talk about it!
If you haven’t seen the movie yet be forewarned — there be SPOILERS ahoy! So don’t scroll down any further if you are sensitive to that kind of thing.
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I thought this was one of the ballsiest movies in a long, long time. This is at the same time, action packed, humorous, terrifying, suspenseful, and just plain amazing. Every heap of praise that this movie is getting is deserved. My only complaint, and it’s a small one, is the very small screen time that a character from the other movie has. No big deal though, I didn’t expect them to be in it much anyway. Great stuff.
Fucking awesome. So great. Joker was so awesome. stuck to the character so good. just an amazing acting job by everyone. LOVED it so freakking much!! definately a must see. enjoyed every minute of it
and i did indeed dress up as batman. everyone in the theater loved it.
i loved when he made the penscil disappear.
This movie was the shit! It left me speechless, we can’t say enough about their performances, especially Heath Ledger’s. Can’t wait to go again.
Our movie crapped out with 1/2 hour to go. Then it started up again with no sound. I ended up walking out. It was a frustrating experience, especially since I liked so much of what I saw. Legder was really amazing. He made that role his own. Not knowing how the movie ends, I don’t know what they will do about the situation, but I don’t think they can touch the Joker again for awhile.
Bat sonar sucks. That said, um, EVERYTHING else was amazing. I’m in awe.
Fantastic. absolutley fantastic. i want to cry im so happy right now.
Just a heads up. No need to stay till after the credits ,there was nothing. Then again, who cares, the movie was so great. I don’t even know what they could have put in to make it better.
wow, this movie was INCREDIBLE. loved joker, but also really loved harvey dent – it’s so hard to pull off a good guy going bad like they did in thie film.
I’m throwing the gauntlet down. If nther film with this cast and crew was bever made. I’d be completley satisfied. How in the world do the filmakers top something that was absolutley awesome? Hoe do they even come close to achieving this again?
See you all in a week… The UK’s rubbish!
4 hours and then I get to see it…just. 4. hours.
what else could you want from a movie??
Exactly!
This movie was incredible. Easily the greatest comic adaptation of all time (and probably pretty high up there for best regular movie, too).
I cant watch it cause it’s all sold out today……*goes in fetal position*
10 out of 10 AMAZING! Saw it twice already. Going for #3 in an hour.
"Who wants to see a magic trick?"
Great movie, Two-Face was almost hard to look at, they pulled this one off big time!
Just for reference, did Two-Face look anything like this?
http://www.headstatic.com/whitenoise/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/2face.jpg
@ Tork-Yes. Almost hard to look at, it looked great when he was talking/looking around.
TwoFace was so badass. I loved the scene in the car w/the Italian mobster guy, and the coin flips. My only quibble with the movie was when did Harvey find a tailor to get a two toned suit made in the midst of an evacuation? Other than that, The Dark Knight was brilliant.
All i can say is WOW! I loved everything about this movie. For me it did not take a wrong turn and for 2 1/2 hours the movie is well paced. I thought Eckhart stole the show. Already saw it twice will see it sometime next week on IMAX.
@Ntpmcrtp-I think it was the suit from the fire.
Spectacular. Eckhart was fantastic as Harvey. I really don’t have the words for how good this movie is. Nolan was able to take the tone of a Batman comic, throw it up on to the screen, and make it not feel hokey more so than any comic book movie before it, including Batman Begins. This movie is a testment on how to adapt a comic property to a movie. Also if you are going to see this, see it on the IMAX. It is unbelievable on the IMAX.
God I can’t wait until 8:30!
@Ipitythefool-Thanks for the heads up, I was thinking about that last night.
My god, this was an amazing movie. That scene with Dent and Gordon in the hospital, my god, I was so tense I literally jumped and spilled popcorn when Dent screamed. I almost had zero problems with this film, which is crazy because I think I built it up way too much beforehand.
Also I thought the changing Joker origins were a great touch, and were exactly what the joker would do.
Harvey Dent was awesome. I’m glad he was Dent and not Two Face for most the movie. I think to much of that would not have worked. They did it perfect. Joker was Sweet. i loved when the hospital bomb did’nt go all the way off and he played with the switch and looked around.
The Dark Knight was amazing it has to be the best comic book movie ever made
Not seeing it until Wednesday! I’m in agony!! 🙁
Amazing! All of the hype, watching the trailer over and over, and I am still blown away! Chris Nolan is amazing. I’m speechless.
Heath Ledger’s performance was so amazing. The little things he did, like the flick of the tongue every now and then was just brilliant. I can’t wait to go see it again tonight.
in many other movies they just show the villans bust in a bank and get out. as soon as you saw the planning that it took for that bank job in the beginning and all the backstabbing, you knew you were in for a great film
I loved this movie. I’m thinking I"m going again tomorrow to catch another screening. Also, how haunting was Joker’s theme in the movie? I’m seriously considering buying the soundtrack.
This movie was so epic! That’s all I can say.
I’m off to see it again!
Just saw it and it was, by and large, the most enjoyable movie I’ve seen in maybe ever.
I just bought the soundtrack off of iTunes. It’s fucking phenomenal.
It was almost like Heath Ledger gave a different performance for the Joker in every scene, which is just awesome.
Jesus christ this movie was amazing.
I’m still picking my jaw up off the floor, was that really 2 1/2 hours?
That movie just redefined the superhero movie genre it was so good.
If you guys want, I went to an advance screening of the film a couple weeks ago with a Q and A with Nolan and some of the cast. I recapped the Q and A and a review of the film if any of you are interested here is the link…
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=104690&blogID=411320993
i just heard a rumor that the imax version is 20 minutes longer. any truth to that?
HOLY CRAP!!!! This has got to be my favorite movie of the year. I was never bored, and wanted it to keep going and going. My only disappointment is that I’ll have to wait 2 or 3 years for another sequel, that hopefully will be half as good as The Dark Knight.
Basically, it is like this:
Dark Knight just did for the superhero film genre what the Watchmen did for comics.
I have to see it again… immediately.
@projeck… agreed on the Bat Sonar. Really dumb and forced. Everything else… incredible. Heath was amazing and Chicago should be nominated for best supporting actor. Chicago is Gotham.
That movie was beyond belief. it’s almost like they packed two movies into one. Unbelievable. Heath ledger didn’t play a man, he played a force of nature. The Joker was just CHAOS in human form. Eckhart was fantastic as Harvey Dent an Two-Face. Christian Bale should not be forgotten as he was the perfect Batman and Bruce Wayne. I love Michael Caine as Alfred. perfect, perfect casting. Morgan freeman is his usual awesome self. Maggie Gylenhall didn’t have a whole lot to do, but was good for what she had. The acting was flawless, the direction amazing, the stunts unbelievable, the screenplay fantastic. The score was tremendous. this really is a perfect movie.
I had the weirdest sensation watching this movie, simultaneously aware of how long it was and afraid it was about to end. "We’re running out of time! It can’t end here, can it? Whew, no, still going… but for how much longer?? Don’t leave me hanging, Batman!" Because movies like this so often end with a blatant sequel set-up, I spent some moments thinking it was about to end right after Harvey’s little accident.
I think it’s a good sign when you mistake the middle of the movie for the climax. (Assuming an actual climax arrives later.)
A surprisingly political movie, much to my delight.
I can’t think of a thing I’d change.
@Jimski
That bit about the climax of the movie was EXACTLY my take on it. After what seems like the climax, it just keeps building and continues to impress. Astounding.
Wow…..wow. Just got back from the theater….wow……wow…..
This movie worked on so many levels! If you’re an action buff: done!
If dramatic acting is your thing and you like the pathos and duality of good/evil and what does it mean to be a hero/villian: done.
Special effects buff? Ditto.
Music…costumes…..really this was a perfect movie that just happened to be about super heroes.
All the more poignant that Ledger is no longer of this world. I really think he deserves an Oscar Win for this role…and Ledger should get a nod nomination for best supporting actor, this movie was THAT good.
For all the attention Marvel movies are getting and Iron Man was Fantastic, hands down the best comic book movie yet…
BTW: I don’t think Harvey had a two-tone suit…it was just burnt from the fire…the entire side was gassed just like his face….at least that was my impression…
Did i mention WOW?
..drat I meant Eckhart should get a nod for Best Supporting Actor. (We ever gonna get an EDIT function here?)
Yeah. Mmhmmm. Definitely awesome. This was a great movie. The Joker was probably my favorite in this movie. He was nasty, scary, funny, smart, all the things i had come to hope for with all of the hype leading up to today.
There was one thing that took me out of the movie. During the whole action car chase scene after Harvey gives himself up as Batman and he is in the armored car. Where was the music?? You get so used to hearing heartpounding music during intense car chase scenes like that. It didn’t really make the whole car chase bad, but I thought it was really strange.
Other than that, it was fantastic and I’ll be going again.
KICK-ASS!
Ledger was REMARKABLE. He lost himself in the role and actually became the Joker. The voice! The tongue! The ominous soundtrack! The camera movement! The story about his dad! The story about his wife! The pencil! SLAUGHTER! Ha ha ha.
I think Eckhart was amazing in his role. In a lot of ways this was a Harvey Dent/Two-Face movie. Of course Bats got the most screen time but Dent represented the hope with a capitol H in Gotham. You are exposed to chinks in his armor about mid-movie and then you watch everything fall apart when his mind is poisoned. Its easy to acknowledge Heath’s Joker because of the stark amoral natural of the character, but Harvey is a real character that has a tragic turn of character development. Given what Bats is forced to become at the end of the movie speaks to the power Harvey had.
Tension, tension, tension. From the opening scene the score would build and build and build. Amazing. Just saw the IMAX version, think I might hit a late morning screening tomorrow. I’m floored.
I saw a midnight showing. There was more then a 45 minute delay at least for more then 8 screenings. They gave away refunds and such to those who wanted it. This movie was so great that I completely forgot my frustration prior to the start. I absolutely loved this film. I saw it twice today the midnight and then about 12 hours after I got out. The actors, story and pretty much everything were as perfect as it could be.
My biggest problem was Gotham this time. I’m from Chicago and I got distracted at everything Chicago this time. The buildings didn’t feel like Gotham like it did in Begins. I recognized addresses, buildings, and IL plates. Other then that, loved it.
This is pretty much the best movie I’ve ever seen. What’s almost more unbelievable than Heath Ledger’s Joker is the fact that the rest of the movie managed to keep up with him. I hope the dvd is loaded with extra Joker scenes.
@Gleep: Nolan stated that he cut only ten minutes from the film. He’s very methodical and tends not to shoot something he won’t use.
I loved the movie! It was great. Hearing this praised as a movie not "good, for a comic book movie", keeps me hoping that at least some people will shed their misconception of comics.
Yes!!!!!!! Is all I can say…………
Let’s talk about the geek stuff. Anyone else pick on the reference to catwoman?
I loved the tense violin music with the Joker compared to those heavy drums for Batman. It added a lot of tension to those Joker scenes.
There is one word that perfectly describes this movie…
MASTERPIECE
’nuff said…
‘Dark Knight’ sets box office record with $66.4M
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Warner Bros. executive says the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" has set a single-day box office record by taking in $66.4 million on opening day.
The movie’s Friday haul surpasses the previous record of $59.8 million set last year by "Spider-Man 3." "The Dark Knight" also might break the opening weekend record of $151.1 million that also was posted by "Spider-Man 3."
Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman says the death of co-star Heath Ledger and the buzz about his frenzied performance as the Batman villain Joker was a big part of the movie’s allure.
When I left the theatre Friday afternoon, a bit of a panic set in. Like a feeling of slight terror, it suddenly dawned on me that I had no idea when I was going to watch this movie again. I must see it now! Me wannnttttsss it!
It has been 24 hours since I first saw it. Since then, my eyes have grown almost double in size. The daylight is beginning to hurt them. I think I have lost near 30 pounds. My hair is beginning to fall out. I have always loved to eat sushi, but hot damn! I crave raw fish badly. What the hell is going on with me!
this things even better the second time.
It was brilliant. I thought no one could displace Mark Hamil as the joker, but Heath IS/WAS (sadly) the perfect incarnation. I admit after seeing Gotham Knight I was concerned it would be too grim, but the film manages to keep enough light that it remains a thrilling and even joyful experience.
The scene that stays with me (that doesn’t involve the Joker) is the one with Tiny Lister. I know that I shoyldn’t have been surprised. However I was. And I was moved as well.
I hated Batman Begins at first, and while it has grown on me some… I’m still not a fan.
That being said, The Dark Knight almost lived up to the hype. It got close enough. It’s still not the best comic movie made in my opinion, it definitely created a comic book world to be envied by any other film maker. Without the silly nuances of the origins of Batman and the Joker to contend with, we were able to go on a pretty wild ride. Heather Ledger owned the Joker, although I did expect some things to go a little further over the top. Christian Bale still just doesn’t click for me as Batman or as Bruce Wayne. Gary Oldman’s Gordon is perfect, I can live with Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenall was miscast but it didn’t intrude too much… and Aaron Eckhart. I really wanted to like Eckhart’s Dent… but, in the end he just didn’t seem sympathetic or crazy enough to really care anough what happened to him… Batman’s sonor vision was terrible, I wish they’d have found a better way. Loved the guy discovering Batman’s identity and the Joker offering the money to kill the guy…. that whole thing was wonderfully perverse and made moments like that in the film that much more worthwhile.
I was surprised the Joker lived, but saddened that we don’t have Heath Ledger to wear the make up again. That’s the biggest disappointment… to see what he could’ve done with character after he escapes Arkham two or three movies from now.
Despite my critiques, this is the best flick I can remember seeing this year. It was pretty damned good… far from perfect, but still top notch – I wish they could’ve found about 15 minutes to shave from it to make it a tighter, tenser flick.
I also hate to admit, that the whole Harvey the White Knight and Batman that Dark Knight thing didn’t click until after the film.
Possibly the first comic book movie where I didn’t have to forgive anything. Everything was pitch perfect and Nolan and Co. showed no signs of weakness through the entire drama. If it’s not the first Oscar-worthy comic movie, I honestly don’t know what would be. My only problem/worry is how on earth could Nolan possibly top it in a DK sequel?
Two Face looked a loooot like Jonah Hex
@Andy Lawler, yeah, that was probably my favorite moment in the film when Lister chucks the detonator. That was really well done. I think someone yelled "Deebo!" when he came on-screen.
Hey speaking of Dark Knight, on another website I do my own review show and I did a Batman week…..I know it’s advertising, but I’d like to know what you guys think of it….Even bad comments would be nice as well…Yes I’m a whore, but dont judge me too harshly:
http://www.4w-forums.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2454
So…what do you think?
This was such a well made film, it really reminded me that Nolan had made Memento with how perfectly surprising the twists came off.
Man what an awsome flick i cant say enough i havent heard anyone not liking it. I might have been the only one bothered by this but when batman riding the Motorcycle chasing joker he blows up some cars to get by and than shoots a window to break it. I couldnt help but think wouldnt firing stray bullets into a crowdedstreet be a real bad idea? Its a stupid nitpick but it was funny to me. No matter the nitpicks though this movie was just awsome. Between this and iron man its gonna be tough to top. Ow by the way im so PUMPED for Watchmen cant wait to see the ending of that.
I think I feel viewing #4 coming on tonight… Yes, I think so…
This is the only movie I have ever seen twice in the theater. So amazing. I’m still in awe.
I really need to catch this in IMAX!
Loved it, did more then I expected and gave me everything I wanted. Dent was heart breaking, the joker menacing, and I actaully cared about the Rachel Dawes character, also seeing the scarecrow again was totally awesome.
This film basically cemented that I am deff. getting that batman tatto I want.
Not sure if they should do a 3rd though, cause 3rds are either awful or "okay" and I don’t want "okay" from batman. But we’ll see. To early to tell, glad that Batman is getting so much love
@Conor – Yes you do! I saw it Wed for a screening on IMAX. It is spectacular! They say "Experience it on IMAX" and that is SO true. The movie at the regular theater is one thing, but seeing The Dark Knight on IMAX is an EXPERIENCE. Unfortunately, IMAX is sold out in Pittsburgh until Monday.
I’ll just post what I did on Twitter just now about it to sum up my feelings:
Watched Dark Knight. Honestly? Meh. It had like 3 endings. And who put peanut butter in the Joker’s mouth? And Batman needs a lozenge.
Well, that’s two "meh" or "mediocre" reviews on the site. Me? I’m with the majority, this was great. I don’t want all my superhero movies like this; Conor was right, it’s more like a cop film. I want Captain America more like Iron Man and Thor like something we’ve never seen before… which is how I think of The Dark Knight.
Looking forward to Watchmen.
Wow what a great movie and perfect comic book movie. An epic 2 1/2 hour that did not feel like 2 and half hours.
One complaint there were way too many kids at the theater… it is PG-13 for a reason people. Do Not Take your terrified of the joker and screaming 3-year-old back into the theater so you can watch the end of the movie!!!!!!
Grrrrr!!!
It was a good movie, but Christian Bale’s voice when he is the Batman completely ruins it for me.
And Ledger as the Joker is good, definitely shows the crazy, but the constant lip smacking is just ridiculous. It doesn’t make him seem more crazy, it makes him seem like he has cotton mouth.
And it was too long.
I don’t know, I just enjoyed Iron Man and Hellboy 2 better. All the hype around Ledger/DK was unwarranted. If he was still alive, it wouldn’t be nearly as big a deal.
I loved this film. Not only was it a great superhero movie but it was a great Batman story. Usually the good comic book movies tend to get the basics of the characters right, throw some action in and a forced love interest. Usually I leave the theater just happy if came within fifty yards of great stories we read in comics. The Spiderman movies are good but they didn’t come close to "The Death of Gwen Stacy." or "Spiderman Blue". X-men 2 was great but it was no "Dark Phoenix Saga."
The Dark Knight stands with the best Batman stories. It ranks up there with Killing Joke, Year One, & DKR. When someone asks me for a definitive Batman story, I’ll happily recommend this film.
It was sooooooo good. The tension did not let up throughout the movie.
The only minor issue I had was I thought Maggie Gyllenhaal’s performance didn’t stack up against the the rest of the cast . Bale, Eckhart, Ledger, Oldman, Freeman, Cain…fantastic.
I had no problem with the Batman voice cause I would hate it if Bale didn’t change his voice between Wayne and Batman
Watching it again on Tuesday.
Almost flawless. The best film I’ve seen since The Usual Suspects, Heat or Se7en. I loved the twists and the cast/performances were unprecedented. Sorry, Marvel, but you’ll never clear the bar this film set….and that’s OK. Keep doing your popcorn-stuffers and leave the heavy-lifting for the icons. X-Men 2 is now the 2nd-best film (and Iron Man the 3rd) in this genre, but its light-years behind The Dark Knight.
All hail Christopher Nolan, and thank you DC for not f***ing with this film.
Bale’s voice and Ledger’s lip smacking are some of my favorite things about the movie.
That was the best film I’ve ever seen. Thank fuck I saw it on the IMAX, it was entirely immersive and overwhelming, totally worth lining up with 10,000 insane dickheads trying to get my seat. Now I want to see it again on a regular screen so that I can actually watch it without feeling like I’m going to shit my self with the intensity of it all. It was so good that I cried practically the whole way through. It was so good that I had to buy a new powerbook on the way home so that the rest of my life wouldn’t pale into insignificance in the face of so much perfection.
Now is the time to stop talking about "comic book films" and just talk about films. There’s no separation anymore, no excuses for mediocrity. This beat out any film in any genre.
**SPOILER-Y**
That script was so tight, I wish I could go through the experience of watching it for the first time all over again just to relive that sense of suspense for 2 1/2 hours straight. I love how all the main characters have to compromise their ethics in one way or another so that the two groups on the ferries do not. It was almost like a greek tragedy in a lot of respects with the Gods choices effecting the bystanders. Even Lucious had to compromise his integrity by the end of the film. I don’t know if Ledger will get the much deserved Oscar recognition but I sense this script is gonna get nominated as one of the best screenplays of the year.
Saw it Friday before work and it put me in a weird mood the entire night.
Ledger was *amazing*. He was really the best part of the film.
Good to know I’m not the only one who noticed the Jonah Hex-ness of Two-Face.
The Joker was the movie. Heath Ledger re-created the Joker.
Just got back from seeing it. Ledger should get an oscar nomination. If fucking Johnny Depp playing a gay pirate can get one then so does Ledger regardless of his passing. The first time I saw him I saw Ledger but as the movie progressed I saw the Joker not the guy playing him and not a lot of actors make you forget them and make you see the character (Leonardo DiCaprio I’m looking at you *overrated!*). This movie was like a rollercoaster, just when you thought it was over it jerks you in another direction. I thought Two-Face was a lock for a third movie but the way it ended I’m wondering who will be the villian in the sequel. Please be the Riddler, I fucking hate Jim Carrey.
This movie deserves Best Picture buzz. When you guys do the review podcast I hope Ron takes off his Marvel hat long enough to give credit where credit is due. This movie killed Iron Man, Spider-man 1 & 2 and any other movie people think is better.
@thebouv- My enjoying of Ledger’s performance has nothing to do with his death. I enjoyed because he did a magnificient job. Hands down he has done the best villian performance for any of these movies which is hard for me to say because I love Jack Nicholson’s Joker.
@JumpingJupiter-Where’s the Catwoman reference? I must have missed it.
THE DARK KNIGHT is the new opening weekend champion.
1. The Dark Knight – $155,340,000 (early estimate)
2. Spider-Man 3 – $151,116,516
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $135,634,554
4. Spider-Man – $114,844,116
5. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – $108,435,841
Wow! This blew my guess by a good 30 mill.
Gotham Central to prime time tv. Come on! Make it happen.
The FACE-OFF:
It’s not really polite to insist that something is "the best ever" just because you feel so. It’s much more considerate to state that it’s "my favorite movie ever". Because when you say it’s the best you’re saying a lot of other films aren’t. And who knows how you’ll feel six months from now walking out of the theater having just seen "The Watchmen".
——————————————————————————
FACE time:
I had to see this film a second time. When I considered doing so I began to think of what the last film I had to see twice was. The first one that came to mind was Ep. 2 – The Clone Wars. Who could resist seeing Yoda in action just once more before the long wait to DVD? I couldn’t.
On my way to the theater I remembered though, what movie it was I last saw twice in the theater.. Transformers! Not because it was great (as much as I wanted it to be "my favorite movie ever", it was not), but because I hardly knew what I’d seen the first time. That’s almost what happened with TDK because of Heath Ledger.
There are a number of people here who don’t want to be mislabeled as anything other than a true fan, as one who was only interested because of Heath Ledger’s death. In my defense (and I say this because I’m not that big a fan of the first movie) I was interested in the Joker’s role the minute the last film ended. And when I saw some of those first on-scene photos of Ledger in makeup, "before" his death, I was sold.
So I nearly missed the movie that some people claimed to be the best ever because all I could do was pray for Ledger to hit the screen, and when he did, pray the scene would never end. Some actors in role are just going to do that, and more often than not, those films featuring said actor, will often be held as "best movie ever":
IMO – Al Pacino – Scarface/ Marlon Brando – Apocalypse Now/ Daniel Day Lewis – Gangs of New York/ Jack Nicholson – The Shining/ Brad Pitt – Snatch/ Anthony Hopkins – Silence of the Lambs/ and now Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight.
So clearly, The Dark Knight can be listed as "one of the best movies ever", but can any film that features a grown man running around dressed up like a bat be considered the best movie ever? It can, by you. And now, thanx to Ledger’s performance, you have some ground to stand on.
—————————————————————-
FACE it:
Maggie Gyllenhaal borrowed Katie Holmes cheeks for this role.
Eckhart was great as Harvey Dent, not so much as Two-Face.
Bale was charming AND his bat voice was funny.
Nobody wants to sit up on anyone else once they’ve arrived early enough to get good seats. There are always awkward seats vacant between two groups of people. They’re perfect if you go alone.
This film felt a lot more Chicago than the last one. Maybe it was the inclusion of the monorail that set the first film’s city apart?
Deebo had to make the call on the prisoners’ ferry.
The first Geico commercial featuring the cavemen was funny (i.e. the dinner scene, "i don’t have much of an appetite, thank you"). Now the series has just gotten weird, so weird I almost like it: Jazz hands.
Wayne let Lucious play God. It was his third time doing so.
———————————-
SLAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE!
Aside from the ridiculous blue sonar eyes i thought this movie was just about as good as it gets.
I saw it in IMAX and I’m going to Seattle again tomorrow to see it again. I love love loved it.
@Conor – I’m still avoiding this thread as I don’t get to see it until Thursday, but skipped to the end to see if this podcast also had the ‘host is down’ message, then glimpsed your box office message…
Holy crap! $155m? Is that of all time, or just a certain weekend or however-many-days opening? I thought it would open over 100 but that’s incredible!
Is that just domestic so far, or is it only certain countries (like the bloody UK) that get it this weekend?
Wow, congrats Mr Nolan!
@leland22- What would you rather have, blue sonar eyes or bat nipples? Personally I’ll take blue sonar eyes.
I think there’s a few possible villains left
Black Mask
The Reaper or The Phantasm
Bane
Talia or Nyssa or both
Poison Ivy
Deadshot
I’m sure there’s more I forgot.
Normally I would think the bringing back a villain you thought was dead thing would be way too cheesy. But in this case I think it would be the only way they could top this movie. It would be awesome to have Eckhart back as Two-Face for the third. His performance in The Dark Knight was damn good, but obviously he’s getting over looked.
I also think the the latest incarnation of The Penguin as crime boss probably fits best in Nolan’s world. So I think he’s prime choice for number 3.
With all the hyperboles and well deserved praise being tossed about, I congratulate the three of you for being unique and bringing in a "Jurassic Park 3" connection to "The Dark Knight."
Josh’s comment should go on every DVD cover.
As for the next villian, I’m holding out for King Tut, Egghead, Book Worm, or the greatest Batman enemy there is…The Schumacher.
I’d kind of like to see a ‘No Man’s Land’ scenario as a basis for the next film. When Gotham’s cut off from the rest of the world, how does outlaw Batman work in that kind of environment? You could still integrate some villains into it, but make the point be Gotham’s struggle for its own survival.
This is what Daredevil had the potential of being instead of the stinking pile of cow poop it was. Just think what Mike Nolan could do with Typhoid Mary, Bullseye, Fisk and company. That being said, KUDOS to Nolan for showing the Dark Knight and all of his mythos the respect it deserves and bringing the true spirit of what comics can be in all of their greatness, suspense and gravity to the silver screen.
@scseeling Dammit, you now have me fantasizing about a Daredevil reboot, which unfortunately will never happen. That franchise basically had one shot, and they blew it — unless, possibly, they can get Frank Miller to do the film; and that’s assuming ‘The Spirit’ is actually good.
wow good call scseelig, if anyone could make an awesome DD movie it would be the Nolans.
@scott-Best villian ever…The Shumacher. LMFAO
They are now reporting $158.3 mill is the final tally for opening weekend.
Just speculation, but.. I’m confident Harvey survived the fall. Bats and the Commish never really say he’s dead, there’s no casket at his memorial and, most importantly, Bats is shown falling from the same height and not only surviving, but running away from the scene. Expect to see him in part three.
I’ve changed my mind, Eckhart is great as Two-Face. It’s just harder for me to take him seriously with his half-robot face.
It makes sense for Bruce to pull out a different voice as Batman so no one recognizes him but it always seemed he wouldn’t interact with people who might interact with Batman while he was Bruce. I guess what I’m saying is, "if nobody can recognize Clark Kent as Superman because he’s got a pair of glasses on, then it hardly seems necessary for coweled-Bruce to have to take his act any further."
INTRODUCE A LITTLE ANARCHY!
I don’t think the Joker has to end with Ledger either. There seem to be a number of actors who excel at acting crazy (i just watched DD again and couldn’t help but enjoy Colin Farel as Bullseye). It has to be someone who doesn’t act too much like Ledger though. If anyone can do it it’d be Brad Pitt. Bring a little Fight Club meets 12 Monkeys meets Kalifornia meets Snatch and you just might have yourself another Joker, or maybe, The Riddler.
"You’re crazy."
"No. I’m not."
@Conor and Josh. Bale is signed on for a third movie so to think there will not be one is almost silly. Nolan has hinted he’s seen this as a trilogy and has hinted about his return.
Certainly this is an epic and features an amazing war both in theme, action, and ideas.
Yet, the third film can be a reconstruction and a rebirth of Batman, Gordon, the police force, and Gotham. Allow me to use this allusion of sorts, and just go with me.
The first one shows the factors that make the war and begin it. Part 2 is the war itself. Part 3 is the reconstruction. You are not making a movie to top or compare to this as much as you are to extend the story, and I can think of several ways that a quiet reconstruction can work and what enemies can challenge Batman in a unique way within the context of the story.
Scarlett Johansson as Harley Quinn would be yummy. Plus, she has worked with Nolan before.
I get this whole Empire Strikes Back vibe with the Dark Knight, so it feels like a mid-act to me. No question that Nolan/Bale will be back for one more.
did anyone else find the crowd’s rabbling at the press conference funny?
@FACE – There’s no way in hell they are going to recast The Joker for this trilogy. It is too tied up in the legacy of Ledger.
@conor – just trying to say that i think it "could" be done, not so much that they will. i stand my ground on the riddler. he’d make a great contemporary character with some updates.
I wanted to write a well-thought-out review of this movie because 1) I’m a huge comic book fan, and 2) everyone is already discussing the film. Overall, I loved the movie. It was a fantastic movie in almost every way, and will most certainly get consideration for all the major movie awards. Whether you read comic books, tabloids, tech manuals or classic literature, you are like to really enjoy this movie. When you leave, you are exhausted because the tension and drama have forced you through a roller-coaster ride of emotions. This is the trademark of the greatest movies of all time. Also, it’s nice to see a movie that doesn’t spoon-feed us with an origin story of the Joker, but instead gives us a crystal clear impression of the enemy against which Batman has no defense – dogs.
My biggest issue with this movie is not in the acting (which was flawless), the production, screenwriting, cinematography or costumes, but with the writing (oh, and the musical score was less than inspiring). I’m not completely sure the blame lay with the writers, but I’ll make my complaint clear enough. That Wasn’t Batman. Cape-check, cowl-check, gravellike voice-check, World’s Greatest Detective… that part was severely lacking. Okay, while I have to admit that The Dark Knight was an amazing movie and that it may make a genuine Oscar run, the comic book nerd in me is simply too much of a purist to see Batman as just another superhero. The great thing about Batman has always been his mind. Sure, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner and Reed Richards are all geniuses, but none of them are criminologists. From his motivation for a war on crime (parents’ murder) to his powers (regular human trained to physical perfection) to his weapons/tools (custom-mase devices and vehicles made by his own talent and inginuity), Batman is the perfect comic book character in every way. In this movie, however, we get a guy who is so rich that he can buy everything he needs to be a superhero. I never really bought into Bruce Wayne’s turmoil between his need to be Batman and the positive future that Harvey Dent represents, nor did I see considerable evidence in an internal battle between Batman’s rage and his moral code that kept him from going over the edge. Just a lost opportunity to rub out the Joker turned into a waste of a perfectly good Batcycle (personally, I prefer Tim Burton’s entrance and exit of the Batwing). Batman has never been a really good "team" guy, but is best when he has the personal mentoring of Alfred. With so many stars in this film, it’s easy to pine for the days of Jack Palance ("Your life won’t be worth SPIT!").
The Joker, on the other hand, was simply the most evil, twisted and believable super-villian since Hannibal Lecter, and I believe the two of them may share the crown for many years to come. I was impressed with the theme of the Joker turning Gotham’s "white knight" into a completely broken-down psycho. Unfortunately, Aaron Eckhart was as lousy a Two-Face as he was wonderful a Harvey Dent. He became completely dependent on the flip of his coin and we didn’t really see his personality split as much as the comic book character. Normally, the scene in the hospital with Harvey Dent with the Joker’s long exposition would come off as rant-like and cause a horrible break in the action, but it went off beautifully and kept me on the edge of my seat as much as any of the action sequences. Even with the mostly-great performances by these actors, the core themes were too apparent on the movie’s surface for even children to grasp, not poised to be discussed and revealed as in "No Country for Old Men".
The scene with the bomb-laden ferries, in my opinion, didn’t quite represent the true Gotham populace. It was an amazing scene without a doubt; one that fills one with pride in regard to the decent nature of humanity. There’s a reason, however, that this town has a Batman and not a blue-clad flying boy scout. Gotham City is a bad place and filled with a lot of bad people, and those who fall outside that definition are filled with dread, hopelessness and dreams of living someplace sunnier. In TIm Burton’s Batman, people like "Detective Eckhart" (no, not Aaron) would be first in line to snatch that detonator and save their own skins. This is no more self-evident by the crazed individuals who rush to pull the trigger to kill the accountant who would reveal Batman’s secret identity. But perhaps the criminals on the ferry had a moment of mercy, or just maybe they wanted to mass murder on their own terms, without their hand being forced by the Joker. Gordon himself gets it right at the end when he says that Batman is the hero Gotham deserves, because they aren’t ready to do their own dirty work.
In a nutshell, this was a fantastic movie. In every way, this may very well go down in history as the greatest Batman movie of all time. I seriously doubt I’ll ever watch it again, but I can’t argue with that sentiment. I will, however, get out my Batman or Batman Returns dvds without anyone twisting my arm.
On a side note, I was very pleased to see Tiny "Zeus" Lister scripted as a hard-as-nails, tough guy criminal who commits the most selfless act possible. Oh, and I was glad to see Rachel go "boom", cuz I couldn’t stand looking at Maggie Gillenhal (sp?) for another minute longer.
Ok, I hate to spoil the gushing… and I was little guilty of it, too. But, the more I think about what I saw a few days ago the more I’m growing a little tired of the rave reviews… it’s a good flick, but it is still missing some things.
#1. Batman is a detective. There is very little detective work in the film. Bats headed to China is not detective work… it’s James Bond gadgetery.
#2. It’s too long… trim 15 minutes or so and it would sit better.
#3. Sonic vision. Lame.
#4. Batman’s voice, the costume and the car. Hated it in Begins, still hate it.
#5. No half of a purple suit for Two Face.
@JD – All those things you hated I absolutely loved. As for #1 – he did more detecting in this movie than in all others combined.
I concur Connor. Detective work is what allowed Batman to pinpoint Joker’s position.
@JD-Again I’ll say it, sonic vision or bat nipples dude. I was’nt a fan of it but it was’nt as bad as people are making it out to be. It was such a minor detail and for people to be making a mountain out of a mole hill shows this movie was nearly flawless.
true that.
Okay, I’m on vacation now but I was FINALLY able to see this film…..I fucking loved it! God, I dont wanna sound like a gushing nerd but….damn this was a great film! It brings all other comic book films to shame (well maybe not Iron Man) and even make Begins look like a practice test of a film.
Positives:
Joker-What a fantastic performance by Ledger. I wont be all preachy cause he’s dead, but he does deserve an oscar. What others failed to make the Joker a scary villian before, Ledger was able to do here. I knew he was going to be great from the ‘disappearing pencil trick’ at the beginning. He just got more insane as the film went on and it’s because of the fantastic writing and preperation Ledger did in order to be in this role. Shame how he went out of our lifes….cause if there is a third film, it’s gonna be hard to top an oscar nominated performance.
Harvey Dent- Another great performance by Eckhart, he did fantastic as both Dent and Two-Face. I dont know why some people werent liking him as Two-Face, I thought he did pretty good. He didnt flip his coin again to get better results (like Batman Forever), he had a very insane side to his mission, and overall he was very menacing.
Acting-Everyone else did a great job with their roles, whether it was Caine, Freeman, Bale, Oldman, and any other actor who had a role in here.
Pretty much this film made me believe that comic book films are here to stay. If people could just take the time and effort like Nolan has with these two Bats films, then any comic films would be fantastic….Shame the next comic book film is Punisher. -_-;
Oh and the only two bad things I hate was Rachel and Bale’s voice as Bats (again). Sorry but Rachel in this film was pointless and should’ve like moved or died after the first film. Plus that chain smoking voice for Batman is just too fucking annoying. The last scene with Batman and Two-face sounded like two old ladies talking. Not saying Eckhart was bad voicing two-face, just it looked stupid as a final scene between the two. If he’s complaining about moving better in his suit, then the third film should have someone complain about that voice.
On my 2nd viewing I felt that a lot of the things that I saw as flaws were not that big a deal. The first time I saw it, it was a midnight-thirty show, and that was just too damn late. I was awake, but I wasn’t appreciating a lot of it. The 2nd time around the length, the cell-phone sonar, the voice… none of it seemed as glaring. Also, the ferry scene – which seemed a bit hackneyed the first time to me – had a good payoff, which was nice to see. I missed that the first time through, as well as the whole ending, because of technical malfunctions at the theater.
I think the buildup was better than the payoff, but I’m fine with that. Gordon was so so good. And Fox. And Alfred too. And Dent. Even the throw-away Ramirez was good enough that I though for awhile that it was Montoya. An excellent cast.
What surprised me the most about The Joker is that he was funny and scary at the same time. There were moments in this movie when I laughed and I was almost embarrassed to be laughing because it’s so inappropriate. Like laughing in a church. But that’s what the Joker’s going for, right?
Also, the Joker is such a good, good liar. He lied to Batman so he would save the wrong person. He lied to Two-Face that it wasn’t him (that was Joker’s plan, even if Martoni’s people carried it out), his finale was a big lie with the hostages switched out. He was so good at being evil.
Oh! The 340th thing this movie got right: the Henchmen Question. The Joker builds up his gang by preying on the mentally ill homeless. I thought that was a prosaic, plausible stroke of genius.
Something that impresses me the more I think about the movie: everything that I didn’t get upon the first (sleepy) viewing turned out to make sense. What’s with the dogs being set up as Batman’s big weakness? I asked at first. They represent the Joker, an unpredictable entity not bound by human reason. Why did Batman call out "Rachael" to Gordon, and then go save Harvey instead? The Joker was lying because he wanted him to save Dent and feel awful about it.
Actually, there was one thing that still doesn’t make sense: Batman found a thumb print on a reconstructed bullet, which is pretty damn odd already. It had three partial matches, one of which was along the funeral parade route. And the Joker knew that he would figure out which apartment to go to, and that he would get to the window of that apartment just as the alarm clock was going off?
Suspension of disbelief: thunk.
good point flagg.
how about these two scenes:
(1) The raid on Joker when he burns the cash. I understand the concern for the hospital patients’ safety, but to abandon their chance to seize the Joker all together at the time. thunk.
(2) When Joker’s left in the interrogation room instigating the officer, he comes over to rough him up (i guess). The next time we see the two Joker’s got him held hostage with a knife at his throat. thunk
there’s a part of me that allows these scenes to make sense, another that’s just like " wha huh?"
"LOOK AT ME! If you’re not Batman, then why do you dress up like him?!"
"cuz he reminds us that we don’t have to be scared of scum like you.."
"Yeah you do."
Hmm. I think the "knife" he was holding to the cop’s throat was a piece of broken two-way mirror from when Batman pounded his head against it.
I don’t remember where Joker was when he burned the cash, and I definitely don’t remember a raid that allowed for the chance to seize him. Anyone else?
if we’re pointing out things that don’t make sense there is restricted airspace in every major city on the planet especially Hong Kong so a non-commerical aircraft would never have been able to do the sky-hook that close to the buildings without some kind of military responce. But that’s easy to let slide seeing as how great the scene was.
do you remember Maroni (?) telling Gordon that there was too much pain after he’d seen deformed Harvey? he tells him where he can find The Joker that afternoon. down on the docks, apparently. The police force head down there and then receive the call about the hospital threat. guess Joker has it all planned out. I’m not saying its unacceptable, just odd.
regarding the knife: looked like a knife to me. likely it was one they had taken from him upon booking. just seemed stupid that they left one officer to guard the Joker and noone to cover his back.
@Kimbo – yeah, they were flying a little low across the Hong Kong skyline to go un-noticed.
Am I the only one who saw the scene when they’re pulling out all the knives out of the Joker’s person and thought "Is that last one… a potato peeler?" Heh.
The rabble from the press conference crowd’d like to make me die laughing.
"Things are worse than EBER!" – that one’s so funny. whoever says it is off-screen. might be the cop who follows it up with, "no more dead cops!"
and then – "He (Batman) should turn himself in right now!" , oh so funny. I was so happy when the kids next to me laughed about the things are worse than EBER line and I realized it wasn’t just me.
@FACE I was going to mention the "Things are worse than eV-er." line but you bet me to it. Definitely the unintentially (?) funniest line of the movie.
As for the knife, it was a glass shard. And as for the re-direct by Joker, it was odd that Gordon and Wayne are both focusing on protecting the squealer when they could have been going after The Joker. But I guess it shows the kind of heroes they are. They’ll risk everything to protect even a scummy guy like him.
@ flaggthecat The reconstructed bullet scene was not really explained in great detail. My guess is that there’s a long psuedo-scientific explanation for how he got the fingerprint off of a shattered bullet. But the thing about the partial matches, that is the trail that The Joker is leaving for Batman. He’s leaving little clues all along the way for him to catch up to him. If there’s any disappointment (and believe me, I loved this movie) it’s that Batman never really managed to think ahead of the Joker. He’s playing catch-up the whole time.
@patio – i love you! so glad somebody else here got a laugh outta that. i think your phonetic eV-er highlights more so what made it funny than my EBER. definitley "eV-er".
Fist of all GERAT FILM!!! I loved every minute of it.
Second, my brother and I were talking about possible villans if they decided to do a sequal.
Hush, maybe? Riddler came up, but like the guys said in the podcast Joker was such an amazing character how would you top that? Should they even make a sequal? Maybe these question are too early to ask and I should just enjoy what I have now. Which is amazing! I’m seeing it in Imax this week.
@Jumping Jupiter: saying Bats did detective work to get the Joker’s location is a stretch. He used a high tech toy and Fox to listen to cell phone calls to get the location.
loved the movie and enjoy this take on batman even if it, to me, differs from the bats i read. i didn’t like him blowing up those cars and doors either, but i guess he ain’t perfect and that’s probably the point. and the bat voice made me laugh a bit only cuz his tongue kept getting in the way. but how do you do a bat voice? i kinda imagine the bruce from the animated series but it’s either in the comics or phantom comics where when he’s being threatening, his word balloon changeds to having icicles hanging off it. how the @*#! does that sound? i like the look of batman and batman returns gotham city over this one and the same with music, but the cities and music reflect the different approaches so i get why it has to be done. two things happened i expected. 1) the destruction of the tumbler, both as a dramatic moment but also cool to have different gadgets and technology in other movies. obviously the curves and fins of a traditional batmobile wouldn’t hold up but i’ve always wanted to see a modified bugatti veyron serve as his transport, but that’s just me. 2) rachel’s death ties the three male leads together in a way that couldn’t be done without a sacrificial lamb, and that last scene with her when she knows she is going to die and she tells harvey it’s okay, i liked that a lot. poor maggie gyllenhal.
good times with Bats. Now we have to wait 3 more years for a new one.
for quite a while i thought the detective chick was montoya.
off topic, yes, but wtf? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Arrow_in_other_media#Film
@Matrix
I thought the same thing. I guess they couldn’t make her Montoya since she sells out Gordon later. And everything i heard the guys call her "Not Montoya" on the Podcast, I laughed my ass off. it never stops being funny.
@JD- He used detective work to analyze and track the mobsters money to the various banks that Gordon and his men raided. He used detective work to reconstruct a bullet to find a fingerprint so he could see if it belonged to a person that lived along the funeral route. He used detective work when he identified what cops may have family in the hospital when he was driving the Lamborghini, I’m sure they are other examples but those are few so we can end the whole "he did’nt use his detective skills’ argument.
Come on people lets not nitpick to death a film that was outstanding.
Did I spell "Lamborghini right?
As for villain speculation, did anyone notice that when Batman asked Fox if the new armor would protect him from a dog, he said it would protect him from a cat? So, Catwoman in the next film, right? I like the idea of the third movie being a kind of NML thing, with maybe some riddler thing thrown in. It could also be a cavalcade of all Batman villains. Just throw everyone in there.
@Kory You are correct in the fact that money tracing and bullet reconstruction are indeed "detective work". It’s hard to really see him that way, however, since the only reason he was able to do those things is because Bruce Wayne has So Much G.D. Money! There are many Batman stories out there that make him seem much more like a "crime fighter" and less of a "super hero", such as Batman & The Monster Men.
@Kory I agree that this movie should not be nitpicked to death, which is why I tried to put so many positive comments WAY FAR UP on this forum. I did not get much out of the Batman character in this film, but everyone else (except Rachel) was superb. Did Iron Man get very much nitpicking?
i can see why people would be bothered about the detective thing, though i liked the fingerprint part and when he identified the cops that might kill that dude who knew who bats was. i’m just choosing to believe they’ll be a scene in the next one where alfred asks how night school is going. well, alfred. well.
Idid notice the cat reference and I would love Selina rear her badass burgular head in the nect filmbut as minor character.
Anyone else notice the name of the guy who figured out who Batman was? Reese. "Mr. Reese". Say it out loud.
Voila!
where in the flick is the catwoman reference?
I didn’t get it either. I think what people are talking about is when Bruce gets his new armor; he asks if it will protect him from dogs, and Lucius says it works against cats, and they exchange a little look.
Personally, I call shenanigans on this being a "catwoman reference," but I’m not prepared to mount a big campaign about it or anything.
There is no Catwoman reference.
To be honest, we had Batman’s two most interesting villains in the same film. Ledger’s performance was absolutely astounding. I don’t think a typical sequel can top this. The Riddler? Mr. Freeze? Catwoman? Talia?…sorry it just wont cut it.
In Nolan I trust. I’m sure if he does decide to do a sequel, it’d be fantastic, but I just can’t see another villain competeing with this. I think rather than focus on one particular villain, they should focus on the theme of villains as a whole. Sort of like the Long Halloween and Dark Victory. Inspired by both Batman and Joker we could see the freak taking over Gotham. We’d get an interesting conflict between the police and Batman, as well as the mob and the costumed villains. Both groups would be resentful of the other.
Anyway why am I talking sequels? I’d be fine with the franchise ending right here. I was that satisfied with the film.
I think the third movie could feature multiple villains with one main one, like say Black Mask, emerging as a new type of mobster trying to organize the "costumes" that have sprung up since the Joker’s terror spree that happend in this film. With the Batman myth spawning someone like the Joker to come onto the scene as a new class of criminal, and succeed in the public’s view, the next one could carry it further having rouges like the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, etc, all be gimmick based criminals attracted to this new Gotham where people like Batman and Joker are running around changing things. The third one could show a city under seige from a fulfilled Joker’s promise of a new class of criminal taking root and up the anty for the city, showing that Bruce has actually made things a little worse.
But I would be cool with it just ending on this one too.
@Kimbo
Totally agree. Using the idea of the masked villain as a theme is the only way to up the ante form the last film. They should stick to reality based villains, no powers. Batman would be even more of an outcast for inspiring this surge in masked crime. The city would resent him, but at the same time he’d be the only one able to fight these villains. At the end of the film we can see Gordon accepting Batman as a necessary evil.
The only thing that I found lacking was not enough Batman himself. There are nods to his struggle, but he seems relegated to a secondary character, and that disapointed me. I grant you that Batman Begins was where we found this, but I think Batman is a complex enough character that there should have been more focus on his internal struggle, and less on Dent. It was still brilliant, but that is my only concern.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d like more, outright detective work… not little bits and pieces.
…and it’s not not nitpicking an outstanding film. I’m making some critiques of an OK/good film…. IMHO.
I made a comment somewhere else that I didn’t think this was a good superhero film, but it was a great supervillian film. The less Batman we have in it, it seems that the better the film.
@Jimski and Conor Oh c’mon! You don’t see this as a veiled Catwoman reference? I mean, honestly, why would Fox say it would protect him from a cat? Ok, maybe there’s some internal logic there, but it seems to me like a shout out to me.
@patio, if that was a veiled reference, the veil was so thick it was made out of reinforced burlap. I soaked that movie up like a sponge, and I had to conduct a research project just to figure out what people were talking about. When I found out, my only reaction was "Seriously?"
In other news, a persistent rumor has Brandon Routh as an extra at Dent’s fundraiser.
has anyone coined the term "battoo"? if not, i just did. saw a number of them today at mayhem fest. it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
I just saw it, and as someone who hasn’t missed a single issue of Batman or Detective Comics for 20 years, I’d say that Ledger really deserves ALL this hype — he nailed the character of the Joker, and I guess that’s credit to the writer as well.
As for the movie as a whole? I guess I was too over-hyped for it (I hadn’t read a single negative thing about it before I saw it, and IMDB right now has it rated as the best movie ever made) and even though the movie is awesome, I guess I was expecting more. This is far from the flawless masterpiece it’s been hyped as. I’m not hating on it, I liked it a lot, but best movie EVER? No way.
I wasn’t expecting Two-Face to be in this movie at all (I don’t read spoilers) , of course I knew Harvey Dent was going to be in it, but I thought they’d be setting up Two-Face for the next movie, the way the Joker was set up for this one at the end of Batman Begins. That dissapointed me a little because the Joker was so AWESOME in this, he deserved to be the solo villain, when it turned out he wasn’t even really the main one.
The scene where Batman is beating up the Joker in the holding cell & he is giggling was the best part of the movie to me, that felt strait off the pages of a comic, and at the risk of being lynched by all you guys, here’s a couple of things I didn’t like *gasp* —
1) The very start of the movie, Batman grabs the barrel of a rifle in one hand & bends it … dude, he’s not Superman. I know the movie isn’t based in reality, but even in this comic book, suspended disbelief world — Batman is human, and no man alive could do that.
2) The Bat-Sonar goggles … that just made Batman into a high tech version of Daredevil. Lame as hell.
Anyway … please don’t beat me up for not falling in love with this movie, but hey, I liked it, it just didn’t live up to the enormous hype for me personally … except for Heath Ledger’s performance.
Maybe I need to see it again before I totally make my mind up on it, the plot was pretty dense & so is my head.
@Jimski – I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Routh. Not as a cheeky Superman reference though, but if he’d actually been hired as an extra. Speaking as one of the few that loved Superman Returns, he’s been criminally ignored by Hollywood.
Finally! It’s been released in New Zealand! 24/07/08! It’s been such a had wait! So many spoilers to dodge, so so painful 🙁
But…… wow. I….. this was amazing. Next Tuesday (my day off) I’m going to drive up to Auckland and see it as many times as I can at the iMax on Queen St.
Two face! Joker! Mayhem…. the hospital scene, OMG! brilliant! HAHAHAHAHHA *click click* *tap tap* BOOM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHahaHAHaHAHahahAHAHAHAHa! awesome!
Listening to your cast soon.
@Wade Wilson: I don’t understand how you could say Joker wasn’t the main villain- he instigated everything that happened in the movie, including setting Two-Face free and poisoning his mind.
Also, if you see the movie again you’ll see that he used a mechanical device to bend the gun barrel.
@WadeWilson- He had a gadget on his hands that enhanced his strength. Remember the Batman in this series is all about theatricality and deception. He would want the criminals to think he is super strong. And about the Bat Sonar, It sounds like this is the ‘organic webbing’ of the Batman series.
@JD- If you did’nt like it fine it’s your opinion. I just hope your not hating on it simply because it’s popular as people have a bad habit of doing that. I’m sort of guilty myself. When Spider-man 2 was being called the gratest thing ever I went it saw it and thought it was awful.
@Eyun- I hope they reboot the Superman series with a new actor playing him. I wanted SuperMAN not SuperBOY. Brandon Routh could play Clark as a 18-21 year old but he can’t play the seasoned thirty-something Clark like he did in Returns. I think his casting was because Bryan Singer thought he was cute. And Singer, If you want to make a Richard Donner tribute do it on YouTube. That’s my rant for the day.
Finally saw it and absolutely loved it. Easily the best film I’ve seen this year so far (superhero or otherwise). Can’t wait to see it again, hopefully in IMAX. Most of the negative comments on here and elsewhere seem to be of the nitpicking variety. There were a few minor faults, of course, but when you consider the film as a whole there’s no way any of them distract from how amazing it is overall. Just my opinion, of course. 😉
The Dark Knight had many excellent qualities: some incredible set pieces, an astounding performance by Ledger, fairly accurate characterizations, an impactful musical score…
Unfortunately, I feel the writing didn’t live up to these other elements or this truly would go down as an all-time classic movie. Here are my two main problems with the script, and they echo my reservations with Batman Begins.
1) It pulls its punches way too often. In a fantastic sequence, the Joker blows up a hospital. But an empty hospital. Bruce in his Lamborghini is able to save the day while Joker has Dent all to himself, but the emotional resonance of the big explosion is inadvertently sucked out by the way the script achieves these plot points. Sure, the Joker shuffling away in his poorly fitting nurse’s uniform trailed by a chain of explosions is a great image, but it has no real impact. Other examples include the resolution of the social experiment on the ferries, which fell completely flat for me (not that neither group chose to kill the other, as expected, but that 12:00 struck and nothing happened. Joker ran out of timers on his petrolium drums?) and the complete lack of a resolution of Joker’s infiltration of Dent’s fund raiser (I guess he must have ran away even though the only guy who posed a problem just jumped out the window).
Pretty much the only people the Joker ever kills are members of the mob or people whose deaths advance the plot. For a city terrified of chaotic violence, you’d think there’d be some actual chaos to the violence. Instead it’s all very calculated and precise. For me, the Joker’s actions don’t mirror the Joker’s random and unpredictable character. In the comics, he gets a kick out of killing dozens or hundreds of people at a time and the writers typically aren’t shy about that. If it’s ok for younger readers to get that kind of mayhem in print, why can’t cinema viewers get those same stakes on film? The citizens of Gotham got away from danger unscathed too often, indicating to me that either the Nolans weren’t fully comfortable with allowing the Joker to cut Gotham too deeply or, more likely, the WB didn’t feel comfortable with the depiction of mass murders by a terrorists (especially if that would make-or-break the PG-13 rating).
2) Chris Nolan has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the face when it comes to expressing themes. Though I don’t think TDK is as blatant as Begins when it comes to the underlying theme (just count how often characters say the word "fear" in Begins), the political allegories (i.e., warrantless surveillance, capital punishment) were awkwardly inserted in TDK and resolved with little grace. For example, the movie lost its steam for me while we waited for Nolan’s little twist that the big scary black guy isn’t going to kill a bunch of people to save his own skin after all. I thought it was an easy, and sort of condescending, manipulation of the audience.
I don’t mean to rag on the movie too much. I did enjoy watching it. It’s just that its few faults are significant enough that I’m surprised they don’t get more mention.
@bfkiller-#1. Joker did’nt have a timer on the bomb he had his own trigger, he figured the civilians would blow each other up. And the party was really the only flaw in this movie all the other things people are mentioning nitpicks. This movie was not meant for anyone under 12. But having Joker slaughter civilians in a movie marketed to kids in cereal boxes and toys would have moral majority groups after them and thats something WB does’nt want to deal with.
2) Does anyone know what suspense is anymore? You would think that the prisoner would have no qualms about killing innocents. But when he tossed the detonator out the window that was meant as a feel good moment about how there is good in people even if they are criminals therefore disproving Joker’s theory that all people are evil. I did’nt get a political ad vibe from the cell phone surveillance scene. To me that was Lucous, already uncomfortable helping Bruce be a vigilante, expressing concerns over Bruce abusing his dual identities.
Well over the other side of the atlantic we got this movie a week late so i haven’t read through all the comments above so forgive me if this has been said. One major plot hole that annoyed me was
spoiler
the party scene that abruptly ended without resolution with regard to jokers search for harvey and after listening to the podcast i see the guys thought of this too. well later it occured to me that joker said in the interrogation that when batman leaped after Rachel he assumed that at that point that harvey was batman, hence him leaving the party straightaway.
@Kory – I think the WB should have chosen a demographic and stuck with it. I’d like to think the dark artistic vision of the movie wasn’t at all compromised so they could market it to kids, but…
Does anyone know what suspense is anymore?
I might have found it suspenseful if it I didn’t find it obvious.
I didn’t get a political ad vibe from the cell phone surveillance scene.
Dude, it was unquestionably an allegory for warrantless government surveillance. It was topical, but I thought the moral dilemma it created was an unnecessary and awkward addition and I was unsatisfied with the naive resolution. I think the movie was already filled to the brim without these unnecessary allegorical tangents.
I agree that the sonar surveillance thing was a tiny bit overstated, but didn’t think it detracted from the film. In fact, it’s pretty faithful to the comics…fellow DCU superheroes are always questioning Batman’s motives when it comes to spying on others (e.g., Brother Eye).
@ Paradiddle – That’s a very good counter. My disappointment, though, was that it was used once to catch the terrorist and destroyed — quick and neat and at no expense to the public, as Fox’s satisfied smile would attest to. I think that’s a misguided message considering the complete lack of respect for citizen’s privacy in current US politics.
I guess my frustration with people on this board is every post starts " I really loved the movie but…" then go on to list 20 things they hated. I think people are finding things to bitch about just for the sake of bitching. I think most of the comments people are making are a knee-jerk reaction to a movie being insanely popular and getting legitimate oscar buzz. If you have to nitpick and point out every minute flaw, could you really say you enjoyed the movie? If little things like cell phone surveillance and bat sonar eyes bother you so much that you have to write your cmplaints on a comic book website then don’t say you liked it, just admit you disliked the movie, don’t say you liked it then proceed to rip it with a list of 93 complaints.
Sorry to get angry. I respect everyone’s opinions but can we all please agree that cell phone surveillance and sonar eyes are a FAR improvement over Val Kilmer, George Clooney and bat nipples?
Now that I have seen it, I am depressed. They have killed the franchise. This movies was so good that anything released after this will probably pale in comparison.
I mean how could they possibly equal, never mind surpass this masterpiece?
What villain could they possibly trot out there? Penguin? Riddler? Killer Croc? Who?
This film was amazingly good, and I have a sense of melancholy along with a nagging itching feeling that this was the best that could have been achieved, and there is no where else to go but down.
THATS how good I think this movie is. When it comes out on DVD I will probably have it on a loop for about 3 day! lol.
FINALLY SAW IT! THE UK LIFTED IT’S EMBARGO ON US!
Wow! Just WOW! This was everything I could have hoped for from a Batman film, and more so. I was hyped beyond belief, to the point I was sure nothing would meet my expectations. And this surpassed it, without question.
I agree with Unoob; part of me wants Nolan to never stop making Batman films, but I also don’t think he can top it now. If you’re reading this, Christopher Nolan, please prove me wrong?
I’m not sure I understand why people are ragging on little plot details, or things they didn’t like. It’s their perogative, and they’re free to express it, but I just think that when we’ve been gifted with a Batman movie of this quality shouldn’t we celebrate the good rather than pick out the bad? It probably ain’t gonna get this good again, folks, so enjoy it.
By the way, was Heath Ledger in this film? Because all I saw on the screen was The Joker. Peace to all 🙂
This is the last Batman film I wanna see with a "city in peril" story. Tell me another story.
@Brandino — I would say that Two-Face/Harvey Dent was the main plot for the whole movie, and I was just hoping it’d be all about Joker.
@Kory — I didn’t notice the mechanical device, I’m very happy to be wrong about this one!!! 🙂
For the record, I liked this movie a lot, it was awesome. Kory is right about the small problems (Bat-Sonar) being VERY minor things in such as awesome film, when compared to the Schumacher movies, that had me leaving the cinema feeling nauseous.
I will have to see this flick again to fully judge it, because I lost part of the plot & didn’t fully follow the story (because it was pretty intricate), and to me the story is the main thing in any movie, above acting, directing, effects or anything else. I would have liked the iFanbys to talk more about the plot/story on the move podcast, to maybe help explain it to me, lol.
Anyway, instead of saying one more negative thing about the flick (I have no more bad things to say) and risk getting Kory mad enough to make me pick up my own teeth, I’ll say another of my favourite scenes in the film — The Joker in the nurse dress, walking away (kinda with a crazy stagger) from an exploding hospital. Never has any comic movie summed up a character so perfectly in one scene.
@WadeWilson- Agreed. Joker in a nurses dress was the best scene in the movie. It was so totally Joker.
And I’m not angry about anyone dissing this movie, just don’t rip it for the sake of ripping it, that’s what gets me hot under the collar. Don’t worry nobody will call you a square for liking something that is getting a lot of hype.
@Kory- This isn’t a praise Dark Knight website. If people have things they don’t like why shouldn’t they feel free to discuss that? No movie is perfect, from "Citizen Kane" to "Pulp Fiction" and it quite possible to love a movie but notice flaws. I don’t think anyone was trolling or talking shit just to talk shit. People gave examples and described there problem with a particular scene. What’s the big deal?
@WadeWilson- I think it would be pretty difficult to have a successful story arc with Joker as the heart and soul of the movie. Joker worked perfectly as the catalyst for the events in the movie, but Harvey Dent’s rise and fail is a great parallel to the story of Gotham.
Just finished seeing the Dark Knight on iMax in Auckland, I.. it was amazing, the cityscape vistas were just amazing! I can’t wait to buy the DVD for it.
In seeing it a second time, I gotta say, Batman is good, but the show was really stolen by the Joker and Harvey, Ledger’s preformance was perfect, I don’t like praising people that much, but seriously, from setup to finish he was the clown prince of crime.
Now… I’m sitting in a net cafe transfering funds from my savings to my cash accounts so that I can buy some comics while I’m up here and possible see the movie again…. it starts in 30min…. hmmmm….. the main reason thos was because I only had $20 left and my parking ticket was $24… talk about being just outta luck ;D
Great show guys.
@Brandino- you totally misunderstood what I was saying. some people are rejecting this movie based on popularity, thats what bugs me. but whatever I’m done trying to explain myself.
I just listened this episode (because, a panoply of b.s. kept me from my local multi-plex for a week) and I really love that Conor compared it to Heat. Not just because of it favoring more of a crime film, rather than a ‘wam-bam-zowee’ superhero smash’em up. But in that you have your white hat and black hat, being not too terribly different (‘a FREAK, like me’) and the fact that most of their moves are not done directly toward each other. Playing Gotham like a chess board. To say nothing of the fact that you’re just shivering with anticipation for the two leads to occupy the screen at the same time. But in the end, it’s not when they’re beating the hell out of one another, but just like the diner scene in Heat, when they’re just talking to each other is when the real electricity occurs. Good call, Conor. Great movie, Nolan. I’m going to go see the imax. That said, anyone seen the imax? Is it REALLY the entire movie? Or is it just certain scenes?
@Adam – Only select scenes were shot in IMAX format, notably the opening bank scene and the fly-overs. The big set-pieces, really
I figured as much, because there were these certain shots (mostly hong kong, really any time the camera floats over buildings) that looked all imaxy.
and thanks.
Well, I just saw this movie for the first time tonight. Went to the IMAX theater, which has been sold out in every showing since it started (and is sold out for a while to come). I couldn’t understand how any movie could do that well. And then I saw the movie. DAMN. GOOD MOVIE.
3rd viewing last night, and I still have the IMAX experience to look forward to! This film just gets better with every screening. Just insanely beautiful film making.
If you’re reading this, Christopher Nolan, I do not owe you a beer… I owe you several cases of beer! Thank you!
THE DARK KNIGHT has passed STAR WARS and is now the second highest all-time US grossing film. It’s ranked 39th all-time when you adjust the numbers for inflation. Pretty impressive both ways.
This film is a monster:
KNIGHT MOVES TOWARDS $500 MILLION OVERSEAS
Tuesday, September 2 2008
Overseas, The Dark Knight continued to rack up impressive gains, remaining in first place with $19 million to bring its international sales to $417 million and its worldwide total to $922 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It now appears to have a better chance of hitting the $1-billion mark worldwide than it does to break Titanic‘s domestic record of $601 million.
The blu ray is even better.