Anyone who didn't like The Dark Knight is a tool.

[Grim Shady]

And as smart as the Joker was you know damn well he was running the guest list through his head later after realizing Bman wasn't in fact Dent. I mean Batman just happened to show up standing next to the Joker as he moves in on Rachel? Batman's more of an outdoorsy type. Sure he might follow crooks into a building or go into a building where he knows there's criminal activity, but why would he be on guard duty at a fund raiser? He's not exactly dressed for the occasion.

Joker would think about that even if the script writers don't.

[Starkess]

Finally saw it tonight! Overall, I quite enjoyed it, but it's far from the best movie ever. I can hardly get over how silly Batman looks, and that ludicrous voice isn't helping. Yes, I know he does it to disguise himself, but I refuse to believe that is the only alternative voice to be had. Rachel's character did nothing for me, didn't even care when she died. Bale is an excellent Wayne. Ledger was phenomenal, the lick-lipping was just creepy. Loved the scene in the beginning with the guy in the bank with the shotgun.

I'd give it an 8/10.

[ants]

[quote name='Grim Shady' post='1466704' date='Aug 3 2008, 18.15']And as smart as the Joker was you know damn well he was running the guest list through his head later after realizing Bman wasn't in fact Dent. I mean Batman just happened to show up standing next to the Joker as he moves in on Rachel? Batman's more of an outdoorsy type. Sure he might follow crooks into a building or go into a building where he knows there's criminal activity, but why would he be on guard duty at a fund raiser? He's not exactly dressed for the occasion.

Joker would think about that even if the script writers don't.[/quote]
Well, to be fair given he gave out the card with the DNA, having Batman where Dent was is not unexpected. You'd expect Batman to be rushing to save one of Dent/Commissioner/Judge, which is in fact true since he took out Dent before the Joker arrived.

[Tobin]

[quote name='Mandy' post='1466111' date='Aug 1 2008, 23.25']*stares at Tobin*

Wow :P[/quote]


I know, so sad. My "observant writing geek" card should be yanked, :cry:

[Jamie Widdall]

Saw it yesterday, great movie and everyone was at they're best. (Especially Ledger and Eckhart.) What I disliked, like others, was that stupid voice batman makes. I know its to disguise himself but its seriously annoying.

[Brandon Stark]

[quote]Joker didn't have any goals, he just wanted to create mahem.[/quote]

Wouldn't that make it (mayhem) his goal then? He was attempting to destabilize an entire social system, prove that humanity is incredibly selfish by nature, and sow the seeds of chaos wherever he went. To do that, he used tactics which inspired as much fear and paranoia as possible.

You could say that he was the most pure form of terrorist.

[Jaime L]

[quote name='Brandon Stark' post='1466882' date='Aug 3 2008, 13.07']You could say that he was the most pure form of terrorist.[/quote]

Well said. Exactly right.

The whole movie is an exploration of terrorism and how we respond to it. Through the Legal System like Harvey Dent? Or going all Patriot Act like Batman himself. Infact that was one of the most interesting aspects of the film. That the Joker drove Batman to the kind of measures that even Lucius Fox found deplorable. There was a conscious narrative throughout the film of Batman, the protector of the city, becoming the villain through his spying on all of Gotham, through Joker's mocking point about all the innocents that die as result of Batman's "good intentions" to the end of the film, where he actually becomes the villain, in name alone, but the villain no less. It's pretty clear the analogies being made.

[Mathis]

[quote name='Il Chiarimento' post='1466695' date='Aug 3 2008, 08.35']Did you walk into the theater trying to be disappointed?[/quote]

No of course not. Why would I?

I did come [i]out[/i] a little disappointed because all the great reviews led me to believe that it could transcend its comic book movie origins. That it didn't doesn't make it a bad film.

[quote name='Il Chiarimento' post='1466695' date='Aug 3 2008, 08.35']This film delivered on nearly every level possible and on the few it didn't, the other parts were good enough to allow you to easily ignore and forget.[/quote]

I agree. I said that I enjoyed the movie.

Maybe its me. But drawing analogies between the erosion of civil liberties by big government and the vigilante actions of some fruitcake in a batsuit just seems faintly ridiculous.

The Joker the most pure form of terrorist? Seems to me that someone who blows shit up for kicks is insane, not a terrorist. His tacked on sociological experiments seemed, again, faintly ridiculous. The part where the Joker set out the rules for the passengers on the bomb-rigged ship put me in mind of [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzZ86GYoxE0"]this clip[/url].

[Stego]

Seriously people, this was not The Godfather. It was not even First Blood or Red Dawn or The Karate Kid. It was a decent action film and nothing more. Get over yourselves.

[lumer]

[quote name='Stego' post='1466943' date='Aug 3 2008, 14.37']Seriously people, this was not The Godfather. It was not even First Blood or Red Dawn or The Karate Kid. It was a decent action film and nothing more. Get over yourselves.[/quote]

QFT. I saw it yesterday, after reading and hearing all the praising reviews. A good and entertaining movie no doubt, but nowhere near as perfect as people make it to be. I must admit, during the whole ship thingy I even dosed off for a bit :P. Was a bit clueless at the end bits because of that, but didn't feel I missed all that much. It's true what someone said (not here, and I didn't read the 19 pages...) that the movie is a bit incoherent. One part springs to mind, when Harvey walks from the crash incident, and BOOM! next scene it's all hostage and shit. where's the connection? The Joker kidnapping, something? I felt it just fell on me in a really jarred way. Did not like that part.

I could continue, but I think it's rather pointless as it was a good movie, yet very flawed. In another words, an action movie that is not Die Hard.

[Bronn Stone]

[quote name='Stego' post='1466943' date='Aug 3 2008, 11.37']Seriously people, this was not The Godfather. It was not even First Blood or Red Dawn or The Karate Kid. It was a decent action film and nothing more. Get over yourselves.[/quote]

The Karate Kid was a GREAT movie -with the scene of drunk Miyagi recalling his war experiences being the scene that elevated it from 'good action flick' to great. Not sure that Dark Knight had a comparable scene. But it is too bad that they never explored Karate Kid further with a sequel - but I guess there was no need.

*plugs ears*

[Paddy]

[quote name='lumer' post='1466959' date='Aug 3 2008, 19.59']One part springs to mind, when Harvey walks from the crash incident, and BOOM! next scene it's all hostage and shit. where's the connection? The Joker kidnapping, something? I felt it just fell on me in a really jarred way. Did not like that part.[/quote]
After they capture the Joker and Dent is pulled from the van, he is handed over to a police officer who is to look after taking him away. IIRC, the camera lingers on the cop and their expression to show you that something is up.
It's the same cop who gets the "good head" on the coin toss, so he lets her live.

ETA: I dont find myself agreeing with those who found the movie disjointed. The examples I've seen people give have been either them missing stuff that's there in the movie or wanting to see stuff that there is no need to see, unless you want the movie to hold your hand the whole way and assume that you can't work out the trivial intervening parts.
The example that comes to mind is people complaining that we don't get to see the Joker overpower the guard in the cell. Really no need to see that, seeing as all the information is there in the Joker's scene before it and after it to work out what happened.

[Artas]

Loved the movie. Minor criticisms could be made, but overall, it's pretty great.

Don't know which movie Stego saw, but it must have been a different one. :)

[john]

Saw it this weekend. Very enjoyable but too long and the politics were kind of unconvincing. First of all, I agree with Mathis that the Joker is a pyromaniac, not a terrorist. He doesnt threaten or coerce, he just blows stuff up and kills people. He wants Batman to unmask but that hardly qualifies as a political agenda.

Secondly, even accepting the terrorism angle is legitimate, did the movie make anyone even doubt for a second about who or what is to blame for terrorism? I'd say my politics are fairly liberal but it certainly didnt cause any strenous head scratching on my part. Batman does a bit of unlawful rendition and invasion of privacy. The Joker assasinates people and blows up hospitals. Yeah, that's comparable :|. There's cops at the press conference saying "yeah, lets turn in the batman. No more dead cops". Wtf. That's not an attitude that convinces me at all. People in that situation, especially cops, say "we don't negotiate with terrorists."

The idea that Batman brings crazy people to Gotham by his very existence is worth exploring, without relating it to the western world's struggle against terrorism. And the idea that Bruce Wayne needs Batman as a personal struggle, briefly touched on in the movie, is another thing I'd have liked to see more of.

Having said all that - loved the realism, the mobland setting and especially the contast with the Joker's verbal and theatrical shenanigans. Ledger makes this movie, no doubt.

[Stego]

[quote name='Artas' post='1467042' date='Aug 3 2008, 17.07']Loved the movie. Minor criticisms could be made, but overall, it's pretty great.

Don't know which movie Stego saw, but it must have been a different one. :)[/quote]


Seen many movies not starring Jean Claude Van Damme?

[EHK for Darwin]

[quote]Seriously people, this was not The Godfather. It was not even First Blood or Red Dawn or The Karate Kid. It was a decent action film and nothing more. Get over yourselves.

Seen many movies not starring Jean Claude Van Damme?[/quote]

Says the guy who thinks 'not killing the Joker = Adam POW West Batman'. Seriously, you lost most credibility there if not earlier. You're a smart guy, so I can't believe that you actually missed the fricken point by that much. But for some reason you're stubbornly and intentionally refusing to acknowledge that point or any other for that matter.

What's gotten you so up in arms over this film? Is this a backlash to the near universal fawning praise its gotten or what?

[Caligula_K]

[url="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/showbiz/2008-08/01/content_6895691.htm"]http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/showbiz/2008-...ent_6895691.htm[/url]

So apparently studio bosses have approached Depp to play the Riddler, and want Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin in the third one. While these actors would definitely do a great job, it does frighten me that the studio is doing this two weeks after TDK came out, that studio bosses are doing this before a script or an idea for a script has been written, and that Nolan doesn't seem to be involved.

[Lord O' Bones]

[quote name='Brahm_K' post='1467229' date='Aug 3 2008, 20.02']Nolan doesn't seem to be involved.[/quote]
Pretty sure Bale has said: No Nolan, no Bale.

[Mad Queen]

What does everyone think about this article?
[url="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121694247343482821.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries"]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1216942473...in_commentaries[/url]
It says Batman is Bush, the unsung hero.

I thought the article was OK until this part:
[quote]Left and right, all Americans know that freedom is better than slavery, that love is better than hate, kindness better than cruelty, tolerance better than bigotry. We don't always know how we know these things, and yet mysteriously we know them nonetheless.

[b]The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them[/b] -- when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love.[/quote]
Yeah, because only Americans embrace freedom, love, kindness, and tolerance. :rolleyes: I hate it when right-wingers claim they have the monopoly on values. Even when right-wingers are intolerant/unkind/hateful, they are only defending tolerance/kindness/love. When other people are intolerant/unkind/hateful, they don't embrace the same values.

Also the values you have are worth nothing if they are only theoretical. In practice, if your actions are intolerant, cruel, and hateful, you stand for intolerance, cruelty, and hate.

Back to Batman, he can't be Bush because he refuses to take lives and doesn't blame anyone for his mistakes. I found out about that review [url="http://www.sfdiplomat.net/sf_diplomat/2008/07/review---the-dark-knight-2008.html"]here,[/url] and this blogger has his own review of Dark Knight, which is very good. It's mostly negative though.

[Grim Shady]

I can't buy that story. Especially since fanatics have been demanding Depp and Seymour for those exact roles on the IMDB message boards. It's like someone saw their suggestions and created an article as if it was truth and not just someone's wishlist.

And why do the damn Riddler and Penguin again? Doing the Joker again was fine, he's too popular and well known to pass on. Aren't there better villains that would fit in the atmosphere Nolan has setup? I thought Nolan said the Penguin was too silly for this version of Batman. Are they really gonna fuck up the franchise again? Here come the neon glow sticks. Someone call Mr. Freeze's agent and arrange a lunch. :rolleyes: