Dark Knight - Now with Spoilers.

[Jayelle]

I got my advance tickets for Friday!

I can't wait....

[Mich]

I've had them for two weeks! My bro and I are going, and are totally pumped.

On a side note, before the movie begins I'm hoping to see a trailer for Max Payne that I haven't seen yet.

[neo-dragon]

Seeing it at midnight. I know I'm going to love it.

[neo-dragon]

Okay, random thoughts immediately after seeing it...



SPOILERS (highlight to read) ...or highlight to read more easily, I should say. I thought that white was harder to see. Oh well. You've been warned nonetheless.




- The Scarecrow cameo was a nice touch. I had no idea he would appear in this one. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it wasn't Cillian Murphy under the mask though. *Correction* I've been informed that it was indeed Cillian and I somehow missed when they showed his face. I'll look for that next time.
- Speaking of that bit, all the Batman copycats made the sequence a bit confusing at times.
- And speaking of the copycats, what a wonderful idea! Nolan continues to bring realism to the super hero genre. I'm pretty certain that that's exactly what would happen if Batman was real; a bunch of misguided but well-meaning saps would think that they could be imitate him. Nevermind the lack of high tech equipment and years of training.
- As much as I enjoyed it (and I did enjoy it, by the way) that movie felt long. Granted, the discomfort of being just 4 rows back from the screen no doubt made me feel the length more.
- Much has been said about the darkness and intensity of TDK, and thus I thought I went into it knowing what to expect. I didn't. There's hardly a minute of that movie when something intense isn't happening. One second the Joker's robbing a bank, then threatening to (and for the most part succeeding at) killing the Mayor, the commissioner, Harvey Dent, etc., then he's blowing up a hospital, then he's threatening to blow up a ferry, then after the last Joker related climax there's the showdown with Two-face. I don't know that this is a bad thing necessarily, but it's a lot to take in.
- Rachel's death seemed sudden, and the emotional effect was somewhat lost among all the other stuff that was happening.
- Speaking of deaths, they totally had me going with Jim Gordon's death. I know, I shouldn't have fell for it, but I did.
- Two-face's appearance: Well done. Funny enough, there was an image released on youtube about a month back which everyone called a fake. I just looked it up. It's actually the real thing.
- The ferry scenario: I like the bit with the big scary convict doing the noble thing, but I'm not sure why his buddies didn't tear him apart for it. You can't expect me to believe that more than a few of these dangerous criminals were willing to sacrifice themselves to save others. In fact, I think the whole thing was touching but unrealistic. In real life it's just a matter of which ferry would have gone first. I mean, a lot of the innocent people had their children with them. I don't think that very many people would let their children die rather than kill a boat load of convicts. However, I have a strong suspicion that each detonator was rigged to blow up its own boat. I guess we'll never know though.
- The ending was depressing, but powerful. The contrast between a white knight and a dark knight throughout the film really paid off in the end, but how can they leave it at that? Who am I kidding? We know there'll be another sequel.




END SPOILERS


That's all that comes to mind for now.

[Mich]

With the exception of one thing neo said (and it wasn't length), I have one word:

Perfection.

I'll probably feel different in a couple days, but man am I amazed.

Wait, there was another problem: hecklers. But you can't really do anything about them, can you? Seriously. Laughing every single time the Joker made an appearance? He's supposed to be funny in a way that makes you never want to sleep again, and he pulls it off. Not funny in a "Oh my, I have the giggles from watching this fellow!" way. So shut the heck up, please.

[Jayelle]

Okay, I've not seen it yet, but I've put a spoiler warning on the whole thread, so those who have seen it can post to their heart's desire.

(thanks for the white text, neo, it is much appriciated)

[neo-dragon]

I woke up this morning thinking about how badly I want to see it again. That's definitely saying something since I very rarely see a film more than once in cinemas.

[LilBee91]

I went to a midnight showing. I loved it. I have to see it again as soon as possible. I don't even know what to say about it--just that it was amazing. The actors are all so spectacular.

[UnnDunn]

I loved it, but I thought it asked a little too much of the viewer, maintaining such a high level of intensity for such a long time. Could have used an intermission.

Fun fact: those ferries? Yeah, those were Staten Island ferries, repainted (or stickered) to say Gotham. I used to ride those ferries every day for the better part of four years. They messed up the interiors though.

OK, maybe not a "fun" fact, but still...

[Jayelle]

Oh man... so many thoughts. This will be very spoilery.
I've seen the four comic movies (Ironman, Hulk, Hellboy and Dark Knight) this summer and this was by far the best of the best of the best.

Joker was spot on. He was so much like he is in the comics - the perfect antithesis to Batman. His introduction with the pencil incident was so very frightening and so very Joker. There were alot of moments that reminded me of "The Killing Joke" - a fantastic Joker comic.

Harvey Dent was also so perfect - I was sad that they killed him by the end, but they did play out his story to it's end, so that worked. His makeup was so freaky.

I like that they killed off Rachel. Not just because her character was somewhat annoying but because that's what happens to women who Batman loves. He doesn't have a lifelong love the way Superman has Lois.

I didn't believe Jim Gordon's death - though it took so long to reveal that I was starting to get upset (that they were messing up the story).

Basically, it was amazing. I give it 9.8/10.
But, of course, I have tiny issues: random destruction of property is frustrating and Batman was a bit too reliant on technology instead of detective skills.


I wish John was still around, I would love to hear his thoughts on this being as huge of a Batman fan as he is.

[neo-dragon]

But, of course, I have tiny issues: random destruction of property is frustrating and Batman was a bit too reliant on technology instead of detective skills.

Yeah, you know, I remember Nolan being quoted as saying that he was disappointed that he didn't get to show off the detective aspect of the character in Begins, but that we would get to see it in Dark Knight. I personally don't really mind though, because detective work isn't that exciting to watch anyway. But if I didn't know Batman from other media I wouldn't realize what a genius he's supposed to be.

[Seiryu]

As a huge Batman fan, I loved the film. Heath Ledger made for a really creep Joker. There were times when I forgot it was Heath Ledger (most of the film, actually.) I could not see anyone better in Christopher Nolan's adaption of The Joker and I think he definitely beats Jack in that department. (Jack was never my favorite Joker, anyway. I like Mark Hamill better.)

[VelvetElvis]

It seems I am the only one that thought it wasn't everything I was promised although steriods do make me contrary. It was entertaining, but it didn't make me "wow."

[Wil]

It seems I am the only one that thought it wasn't everything I was promised although steriods do make me contrary. It was entertaining, but it didn't make me "wow."

Wrong! I thought this also. I was promised a three cheese omelet, and I only got two cheeses. Bah I say! Bah!

Great movie. Joker was amazing and perfect. So perfect. Just the subtle actions... how he licked his lips to how he twitched just a tiny, tiny bit. The pen trick was simply fan-fracking-tastic. Him telling Batman where Rachel and Harvey were, and then them actually being reversed was genius. It had so much depth, and humor, and drama, and everything that makes a good movie great. I left worn out from watching two and a half hours of mentally stimulating awesome.

It wasn't the promised land like everyone made it out to be, but it was a damn good movie. Damn good.

[LilBee91]

You know, I kind of felt that way too. It was amazing and I loved it, but it didn't blow me away as completely as I'd hoped it would. However, that is not going to stop me from seeing again and loving it to no end.

[Mich]

I saw it again today, after some prodding (there were a number of friends who hadn't seen it yet). I caught a few sleep-deprived winks in the first half, but was wide awake for the second. Really, it kind of separates into two movies, as my friend Chuck explained it: the second movie starts right when Gordon becomes commissioner. I tried explaining the concept of acts, but I guess it was over Chuck's head.

[Jayelle]

I forgot to say before, as Paul and I were leaving the theater, there were tons of people lined up for the next show. We joked back and forth "Wow. I couldn't believe it when Batman was a robot all along." and "Can you believe Joker was really Bruce Wayne's father?"

Sadly, no one was really listening to us. Should have said it louder.

[neo-dragon]

It's all well and good for you to do that. No one's going to punch out a pregnant lady.

[VelvetElvis]

We hope.

[Seiryu]

Is she showing yet? That makes a world of difference.

[LilBee91]

Was anybody else distracted by the mayor's eyeliner?

[Luet]

I don't think that was eyeliner. That actor is in Lost and he looks exactly the same in that. I knew a guy once who always looked like he was wearing eyeliner but that's just how his eyes looked.

[Jayelle]

Is she showing yet? That makes a world of difference.

At 9mo, I should hope so.


And, comeon, if you had been waiting in line, you would have found those ridiculously untrue things funny.

[Oliver Dale]

This movie was really quite good. My only complaint was my relative emotional detachment to all of the characters. When Rachel died, I didn't care, because there had been so very little chemistry between the main characters. I didn't believe that Batman loved her. In fact, the most emotionally jarring moment was when the felon tossed the detonator out the window.

But, as my friend Hel said elsewhere, "...I was so smitten by the Joker that the rest of the movie could have been done with cardboard cut outs and My Little Ponies that I probably still would have liked the film. "

[vendor]

I loved the movie. You're right, batman isn't supposed to have a love life. Consequences too dangerous and such. It was so cool and sinister how the Joker turned "The White Knight" against batman. So many cool things. So many!

I'm not sure, but I think I caught a subtle foreshadowing of a sequel featuring catwoman. The conversation between Morgan Freeman and Christian Bale about the body armer with the ability to protect against large dogs but probably not cats (house cats not included). I'm not sure.. I'll see it again at the Imax tomorrow.

[Petra456]

*just got back*

That was awesome.

[wigginboy]

So, having read all the responses, I would have to say I echo most people. I thought it was the nest comic book flick in a long time and it mirrored the original Batman amazingly. i found the movie very predictable though. i don't know if they made the movie to BE predictable, but i knew pretty much everything that was going to happen at every turn of events or bit of suspense. It could just be that I'm such a huge Batman fan, but it could be that the Batman genre is too predictable.

So, getting into predictions, and speaking of the Batman genre, I have but one question: Should Christopher Nolan make another Batman movie, who should the villain(s) be?

The next logical choice, just going from the previous movies, would be the penguin. While I don't know if anyone could tell the Penguin story better than Burton did with Batman Returns, I think it could be interesting. And the Penguin is a more darkly cast character, which is the direction Nolan is trying to go with the new Batman movies. I think the Riddler could also be a good character, without Jim Carrey this time and with the addition of the original Riddler sidekick, Harley Quin. These were always fun characters in the comics and I think if the characters are developed properly and cast intelligently, we could see a great movie. Maybe not quite as dark as Dark Knight, but someone like the Riddler could help bring Batman out of his self-induced exile.

Back to Penguin, because he was always my favourite Batman villain, should they opt to base the movie around him, actors would be a problem. Danny DeVito did an amazing job as Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot in Returns, but obviously couldn't reprise the role as it is two splinters of the Batman universe. Who out there is short enough, chunky enough (even without padding) and gruesome looking enough to play such a character?

Well, since I've rambled for so long I'm going to end this by saying Dark Knight was amazing, Heath Ledger did an awesome job in his final screen role, and the better make another because my Batman appetite isn't satiated yet.

[Jayelle]

I think the Riddler could also be a good character, without Jim Carrey this time and with the addition of the original Riddler sidekick, Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is Joker's sidekick. I agree that Riddler could be done well without camp. It would really bring out Bat's detective skills.

Lady Shiva would also work quite well in the realism of Chris Nolan's universe.

I want my Justice League movie, damnit.

[Petra456]

*spent most of last night watching Batman: The Animated Series*

I want to see his Christopher Nolan's take on Catwoman. She has always been my favorite Batman villain.

I'm not sure, but I think I caught a subtle foreshadowing of a sequel featuring catwoman. The conversation between Morgan Freeman and Christian Bale about the body armer with the ability to protect against large dogs but probably not cats (house cats not included). I'm not sure.. I'll see it again at the Imax tomorrow.

Lucius told him he wouldn't be protected against dogs, but he would probably be fine against cats.

[Seiryu]

I think Nolan should go with another virtually unknown villain for the next movie. There's one I have in mind that would continue on with the dark streak and he could work for the mafia (though typically I don't think he does.)

His name is Firefly. He carries explosives, a flame thrower, and wears a fireproof suit of armor. Typically he can fly, but they can cut that out. Firefly, like Batman, has no superpowers and relies on gadgets. There's some versions of Firefly that portrays him as a pyromaniac and others that portray him as a serial arsonist (the difference being that one does it because of a mental disorder and the other does it for financial gain.)

For Nolan's films, he would work. Batman Begins utilizes two well known villains for those already emersed in the Batman mythology, but not so much for the laymen. He's used Batman's nemesis and another seemingly well-known villain. I don't think it'd hurt for him to use another one not so much well-known.

They could also use Catwoman. She isn't supposed to have powers (though Batman Returns seemed to want to give her them...or the Catwoman movie). The 9 lives could be done like they did with Ra's resurrection: simply an illusion.

I'm all for Firefly and Catwoman, though.

[Mich]

My friends and I have been arguing about this since opening night. The Riddler is generally accepted as a good well known one that could be upgraded well, perhaps to a hacking businessman, although I have a friend that is dead-set on him being a, well, a /b/tard. Then we got talking about how Elijah Wood should be in more creepy roles, since he rocked in Sin City, and we decided he should be the Riddler.

So, following the Fan-Mail-Request Template:

"Dear Christopher Nolan:

I loved Batman Returns.

Please have Elijah Wood playing the Riddler in the next movie.

Love Jeff."

[Seiryu]

I had been thinking of Jason Lee for The Riddler, but I think Elijah Woods would be better.

[Jayelle]

I think Doug Jones would work quite well.

[wigginboy]

I think the Riddler could also be a good character, without Jim Carrey this time and with the addition of the original Riddler sidekick, Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is Joker's sidekick.

You caught me. Got that one mixed up. A combination of no sleep and more no sleep. Thanks for catching it.


PS, Jason Lee would be killer as the Riddler. And he's played bad guys before (Dogma) so he has the experience. I just don't know if he has the depth to turn Riddler into a serious but still comical character. Then again, everyone said that about Heath Ledger too.

[Luet]

Back to Penguin, because he was always my favourite Batman villain, should they opt to base the movie around him, actors would be a problem. Danny DeVito did an amazing job as Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot in Returns, but obviously couldn't reprise the role as it is two splinters of the Batman universe. Who out there is short enough, chunky enough (even without padding) and gruesome looking enough to play such a character?

What about Jack Black? He's 5'7" and can be pretty portly at times. Do you think he could pull it off without being cheesy?