The Dark Knight (2008) (1 Viewer)

[Holadem]

I don't recall anything about running away. It was more about waiting for him.

--
H

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I disagree. I still think the change of actor was a GOOD thing; if KH had been in the part, I would've been rooting for the Joker to kill her!

I also thought that scene was pretty devastating. I never thought they'd kill off Rachel, and the whole scene is very emotional...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Man, I don't get why you so desperately want to defend Reed's goof. I don't think it's too much to ask a major film critic to have SOME BASIC IDEA what he's going to see. Being aware that Begins wasn't part of the prior films' "universe" isn't asking Reed to know "everything" about the flick - it's asking him to do his job on a basic level.

I honestly don't know how someone whose paycheck depends on his knowledge of movies and the industry could be so ignorant about a major film. Do you think they keep Reed cryogenically stored until they let him out to see a flick?

It remains shocking to me that a famous, theoretically "A"-list critic would've thought Begins was just a continuation of the first four films. It's his JOB to be aware of this stuff...

 

[JonZ]

"Combined with the images of The Batman evading the police dogs, the shattering of the Bat Signal, all of it made for a very powerful ending"

I agree. I lreally liked the ending. Gordon and Batman agreeing to protect the truth about Harvey, ending with him on the run from the police w/ the dogs to me, was excellent. It was powerful IMHO.

 

[Brett_M]

We would miss out. We would not be shown how he did it. Great sequence.

 

[David Norman]

They were allowing people to come in while the credits were rolling? Man I'd be ticked off big time. NOBODY should be allowed in the theater before the roll ends -- not next showing, not employees, not anyone. The Lights should stay off, the cleanup crew should keep there stuff outside and block the doors, and the other customers should be standing behind an employee until the previous crowd has cleared out.

 

[ErichH]

Big Time!

 

[Jim Ogilvie]

The scene where Batman is throttling towards Joker on the street in the batpod. What was it that made Batman lose control of the batpod?

It happened to fast and was so dark that I never got to see it. What caused Batman to flip off the batpod like that?

 

[Brandon Conway]

He swerved because he couldn't run over the Joker like the Joker wanted him to.

 

[teapot2001]

I wonder why Nolan decided not to show Batman/Wayne grieving over Rachel's death.

~T

 

[Tim Glover]

That was a great one Mike.

Gool list Paul.

 

[Tim Glover]

Just read Larry Sutliff's review in the review thread. Fantastic review Larry!

Well said, my friend, well said.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Like in the penthouse scene, with Alfred and the letter?

 

[Paul_Scott]

Don't mind at all!
The audience I had was very inhibited and non-demonstrative, which was a bit of a drag...but I do recall that bit getting a big laugh. I totally forgot about it because what came next left such a huge impression.
And you're absolutely right. The film is packed with great little touches and I'm excited at the thought of another viewing at the theater. The last time I saw a movie more than once before getting the DVD was probably Begins.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Exhibit number two of misinterpretation. Yeah it was cool to watch but, as my original post pointed out, can be removed without affecting the story.

 

[TonyD]

well like i said in the post the time between showings was much less then normal and people were showing up the usual early time to get a good spot.
not expecting the previous showing to still be rolling.

every theater i've ever been to the staff is righ there as the credits begin with trash cans for people to put their trash into.
then as soon as the credits end they start to clean.
with this one and the shorter times between they needed to be in there even earlier to get the room clean.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Thanks, Tim!

Whether the HK subplot was extraneous or not, I did think it was a very cool scene. I think it was very Bondian, which is a big influence on Nolan. Joker's "knife in the shoe" routine was definitely inspired by Rosa Klebb in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.

 

[David Norman]

Then they need to get rid of the opening ads, commercials, trivia stuff, etc if they want to run the films close, but letting people in before the end of the movie is near criminal -- I've yelled at more than one cleaning crew over the years to get out of the theater and be quiet until the credits end -- too many films these days have stuff tacked on even if I didn't believe in watching the credits just out of respect.

If for no other reason, how do they make sure that everybody from the 1st showing really left? It certainly wouldn't be the first time somebody sat through a 2nd showing and if they have to check tickets b/c of lack of seats afterwards that's really going to put them behind.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Second viewing, regular screen. I was worried losing the IMAX ratio would impact the story. I needn't have. I took my wife to a very early showing, so the theater wasn't but about a quarter full (9:30 AM). What surprised me most on the second viewing was simply how emotionally overwhelming the film is. Knowing the events as they went down put a monstrous knot in my stomach during a) the Gotham streets chase, b) Batman racing to Rachel (really Dent), c) Batman fighting the SWAT team, and d) Dent at the end. I felt completely worn out by the end of the film.

I completely understand where MikeRS is coming from. The film is alot more hopeful than Seven or No Country, but it plumbs the same depths, and just as viscerally. I honestly felt like crying when the thing was over. My wife actually did. Just suspenseful and harrowing. Assuming Dent dies (which the film does indicate, more from Gordon's eulogy for him than anything else), it's a very dark ending. Very challenging for a summer film. I am totally on board with Ledger getting recognition now, his work is astounding. As is Eckhart. His Dent is Shakespearean tragedy and watching him as Two-Face was tough on me Talk about the thumbscrews.

It's probably the most movie I've ever seen crammed in 150 minutes in my life. I have no problems calling it the best film ever based on a comic book series/character, and one of the best films of the decade. Every part knew its place.

A stunning achievement in filmmaking and storytelling.

 

[Nick Martin]

The viral marketing tied very nicely into this film, specifically the various 'in universe' websites for the Police Department, Ferry line, and so on. The Gotham Cable News and 'Gotham Tonight' newscasts were spot on and the way they led to various events and character's choices is really impressive.

For example, Harvey's punching Albert Rossi on the stand after having a gun pulled on him. That seemed a bit much to some, but part of the viral backstory involved Harvey allowing himself to be a hostage replacement after a crooked cop he brought down snapped. Therefore, facing danger like that, and knowing the quality (or lack thereof) of the gun Rossi pulled made that scene easier to accept.

Another example:
The Batman wannabe who was killed by Joker while being videotaped was actually a cop named Brian Douglass, leader of a vigilante group called "Citizens For Batman", the gun-carrying copycats. Their website is full of background info on them, and anyone who followed this campaign would have known about them giving followers an advantage going into the film, knowing details that made it all the more enjoyable without being spoiled.

Fantastic campaign!