The Dark Knight {Spoilers Abound}

Doublehex

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I don't need to say it. It's been said a hundred times over by critics. Those who love it probably already decided to love it before they even saw the opening credits. And those who hate it...well, they are bashing one of the greatest movies in a long, long time.

Go see it, folks. After you saw it, see it again. The Dark Knight is going to be a record holder for a long time.

In the meantime, I'm going to go re-watch the Watchman trailer.
 
o.

m.

g.


i thought it would not meet expectations.


i was so wrong.





my new favorite movie. and i am not exaggerating
 
Wow... just wow... I need to see this again, I have such a bad headache from starring at that screen for too long.

How they fit so much crap in one movie and make it absolutely work is beyond me. Genius

And now off to bed for a I have work in a few hours.
 
I am not going to lie and say that this is a perfect movie, as much as the version of myself who first walked out of the theater wanted to say... After a solid half-hour letting myself hero-worship the entire experience i sat myself down on the steps of Union Square and tried to think out what my problems were with the movie.

So here's what I think didn't work:

- I don't know what it was, but the Bat-suit in the beginning of the film looked rediculous, and Bale looked like an idiot every time they zoomed in on the cowl. There was something just off about it.

- Scarecrow should have been cut from the film, as well as probably twenty additional minutes from the beginning of the movie. I was worried at first, because it was taking so long to come into place. They should have introduced Harvey faster, and the Bank Heist (while awesome) could have been a couple minutes shorter. Once the rest of the film got into motion I was completely captured by it, but it just dragged a bit at the beginning.

- I wanted to like Maggie Gyllenhaal much more than I did. In the end I think the flaw was simply Rachel Dawes as a character... In Batman Begins, I had trouble taking the Assistant DA Rachel Dawes seriously because Katie Holmes didn't have the oomph she needed. Maggie pulled that aspect of the role off in spades... but once we got into the sensitive Rachel Dawes, she didn't work so well with me.

Now, I'm not going to say this wasn't excellent. I think aside from the slow beginning (the opposite of Batman Begins' problem, methinks), the movie was paced exceptionally well... Aaron Eckhart, Bale, and Oldman made a brilliant team, and the comparisons between Dent and Wayne were poignant and well-done. The relationships built in this film are great, and Gordon having to turn on Batman at the end was brilliant. Someone had spoiled that Dent would die in the movie, and I thought that would upset me, but it was absolutely necessary, and the perfect end to the film.

And the Joker... What can I say? Heath Ledger is the Joker. Perfect. 100% Perfect. I don't think anyone could possibly top what I think I would now consider a cinematic villain on par with Vader and Hannibal Lector. He was utterly, completely, and seductively terrifying. The fact that he was lucidly explaining his thinking and his reasoning (or lack there-of) was exquisite. Leaving the theater I was ANGRY, because this series needed more Heath as The Joker. They establish him as Batman's opposite, his first truly great nemesis, and his equal in many ways... The Joker even states outright that they will be fighting like this until the end of time. And now he's gone. It's just not fair. Not only should he have been in more Batman movies, this really showed that Heath Ledger would have absolutely become one of the greatest actors of his generation. It's just not fair.

Nolan -has- to do one more... At least. The story he is telling is not over just yet... I just don't know where he should go next... I, however, rescind my previous statement that they should recast the Joker, because Ledger was perfect. Any more with the Joker would diminish the series as a whole... We can all talk over the next year or so about what character to do next, but I have utter faith in Nolan's vision of Gotham.

Based on my new system, I officially give The Dark Knight an 8.5/10. Not quite a truly great film, but damn close.
 
I can't believe the same people who made the mediocre Batman Begins could make this epic, transcendent movie. It was completely awesome, easily the best comic book movie ever made.
 
Nolan -has- to do one more... At least. The story he is telling is not over just yet... I just don't know where he should go next... I, however, rescind my previous statement that they should recast the Joker, because Ledger was perfect. Any more with the Joker would diminish the series as a whole... We can all talk over the next year or so about what character to do next, but I have utter faith in Nolan's vision of Gotham.

I agree, I need Nolan to do a third cause you just can't leave after throwing out the status quo and leave what happens next behind. WB should do every damn thing he wants to have him return
 
This movie was incredible. It didn't feel like a "normal" comic book movie....The Joker was amazing. He was perfect. He put his own spin on it, and it's the perfect Joker. I only wish that Two-Face would be in the next one....I know his death sort of made sense with the film, but his story ended too fast....We're talking about a guy whose been a prominent Bat-villain for 60-some years, and he was only Two-Face for a couple of days.
 
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No, he's dead. If he's alive it completely invalidates the ending and undermines Batman's sacrifice in the public eye.

Harvey's dead. Sad story.

No, he could be secretly locked up in Arkham or something, Gordon's just telling eevryone he's dead because of what Batman said.
 
No, he could be secretly locked up in Arkham or something, Gordon's just telling eevryone he's dead because of what Batman said.

And Ra Al ghul can be alive too, and so can Bruce Wayne's parents they were just in a coma for a little but but had to remain secret...

I don't see what else they can do with his story or why it would be necessary to continue it all.

My only problems with the film was the bat sonar was way too much and I didn't like the ending. But both of those things had very good upsides that I can really complain about them. The Bat Sonar introduced the idea of Paranoid Batman, that with the fight scene makes me think a Justice League movie with Nolan's Batman could work beautifully.

And the ending seemed really forced, I mean there's so many holes in their cover up story, but it does completely shake up the status quo and has me begging to see what happens next. (unlike most trilogies now a days were the story just cuts, to be continued)

Also I'm surprised the Rachel storyline didn't piss me off. Maggie did a great job, a lot better than I expected. And they made a love triangle story work, which is an amazing feat in my book.
I haven't seen the film, so I have no idea what you guys are talking about anyways.

And I don't plan on seeing the film.

... thanks for that update?
 
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And Ra Al ghul can be alive too, and so can Bruce Wayne's parents they were just in a coma for a little but but had to remain secret...

I don't see what else they can do with his story or why it would be necessary to continue it all.

My only problems with the film was the bat sonar was way too much and I didn't like the ending. But both of those things had very good upsides that I can really complain about them. The Bat Sonar introduced the idea of Paranoid Batman, that with the fight scene makes me think a Justice League movie with Nolan's Batman could work beautifully.

And the ending seemed really forced, I mean there's so many holes in their cover up story, but it does completely shake up the status quo and has me begging to see what happens next. (unlike most trilogies now a days were the story just cuts, to be continued)

Also I'm surprised the Rachel storyline didn't piss me off. Maggie did a great job, a lot better than I expected. And they made a love triangle story work, which is an amazing feat in my book.

... thanks for that update?

The fact that there is a coverup and they're lying makes it seem all the more likely Harvey isn't really dead.
 
The fact that there is a coverup and they're lying makes it seem all the more likely Harvey isn't really dead.
I agree. Gordon showed a willingness to lie for the right reasons. He showed that a lot in this movie. He was already hiding Dent's disappearance from the public. It's not that hard to believe that he would put Harvey someplace and tell people he's dead so that he wouldn't spoil Batman's big sacrifice with his brand spankin' new craziness.

I think I like it better when he's dead, but considering the theme of the ending (people deserve good lies) I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Harvey showed up in the third movie.
 
What if the next movie was Dark Knight Returns....Empire magazine suggested Ellen Page as Robin.

Harvey might not be dead....

If they're not going to have a different actor replace Ledger, then how are they going to explain the Joker's absence from the next film?
 

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