The Dark Knight (2008) (1 Viewer)

[Henry Gale]

Got to the IMAX in San Antone today.
After seeing this film it would be nice to jump on a motorcycle or strap on a parasail.
Lucky my Guzzi was sitting outside and I could have a little 70 mile run through the Hill Country.

Favorite moments, silent Joker hamming:
Keith "fixing" his hair as he approaches Maggie.
Keith with his head sticking out the police car window.

 

[Sean Laughter]

I don't know if IMAX certifies every piece of equipment in every IMAX theater. I'm not sure IMAX had anything to say the last time the IMAX theater I work part-part-part-time in bought new sound equipment.

I work in a dome IMAX so we have sound levels available to us up in the console (separate from the projection room) actually inside the theater, so we can adjust fronts, rears, and centers and overall level, but that's about all the control we have (and the play available to us within the sliders isn't much of anything), we can't do any large amounts of mixing.

TDK, in the 35mm presentation I saw, has the same aggressive bass-mix like the previous film, BB. Both had problems with dialog being drowned out, and I doubt the relative levels of the different parts of the soundtrack would be made any different for the IMAX presentation.

 

[CarlosL]

Hey Sean,

Actually, I did some searching over at DVDTalk.com and it seems there's at least a couple of people who also had issues with the score overpowering the dialogue. Strangely, though, it's not so much the effects that were too loud -- just the score. Which is odd, because many composers complain the score too often gets relegated to the background.

Weird...

 

[Henry Gale]

Thank goodness, I though my impending deafness was accelerating.
Sat there thinking, "When I get the disc, I can turn on the titles and find out what everyone said".

 

[Tim Glover]

Seeing the image of a smiling Heath Ledger sitting across from Bale made me really sad. It makes one realize this guy was a human being...just like us. Sure he was a star etc...but a guy not above going through tough times.

No loss is good but like Chuck stated, Ledger had so much promise...:frowning:

 

[TonyD]

non imax, i thought the dialog was low too or muffled justa bit.
i dont remember if it was because the music was too loud.

 

[Nick Martin]

I was one of the first to mention this here, and I've seen it in two different theaters and both times - especially during Gordon's epilogue - the music overpowered the dialogue. When I see it in IMAX later this week, I'm sure it'll be drowned out there now that it's been mentioned as happening in IMAX theaters as well.

Hopefully the mix will be adjusted for DVD/BR release.

 

[DavidJ]

I can't comment on the IMAX mix, but the two times I saw it there was no problem with the epilogue. Gordon's dialog was clear and intelligible without any added listening effort. This was at two different theater chains. One showing was in a theater known for its sound (it was a large Dolby Digital theater) and the other a mediocre sounding theater.

 

[Pete-D]

It may just be the sound mix, because I know people complained about Batman Begins and the score drowning out the dialogue at times.

 

[Calvin_Su]

yes I remember, and I'm glad they toned that down for TDK.

 

[L. Anton Dencklau]

The Bulletpoints... [SPOILERS AHEAD]

*Christian Bale can act. American Psycho proved to be a vehicle where his particular brand of bland determination meshed completely with the character. Weirdly though, i'm starting to see a pattern in these near miss performances from him that recycle that same thorough commitment and superlative effort, but nonetheless wind up blank and unconvincing. Somehow, this has escaped the attention of the public, maybe because he's been able to shield himself with concept (Rescue Dawn) or technique (The Machinist). Throw The Dark Knight onto that pile of misdiagnosed performances, but don't count on anyone to notice. Its a shame, because Batman Begins allowed him to channel just enough Patrick Bateman into Bruce Wayne to give a subversive kick to its calculated action beats and comic book cacophony. Unfortunately, instead of building from that, in this one the character flips: there's little joy in his playboy facade, and what moments there are are quickly sped past. More than before, the Wayne persona is just a means for the "pure" Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, the batman side is an ever more painful struggle for goodness against a lurking, joyless vigilantism. Maybe this makes for a better contrast to the sharply defined Joker character but its not as interesting as the first film. Nolan mentioned in interviews the movie Heat as an inspiration, but he seems to have missed DeNiro and Pacino's characters suppressed and grudging admiration. Then again maybe rubber masks and facepaint can't carry that kind of weight. Its to Nolan's credit though, that this movie engendered those kinds of expectations to begin with.
*Why is the mayor of Chicago wearing eyeliner?
*There are some very awkward edits in the first reel. The movie eventually finds its feet about a half hour in, but it starts to flag a bit in the end. There are a few refrigerator movie moments in there as well, as the joker is abandoned at the fundraiser party, and the criminal ferry isn't well explained or setup. Not a huge problem, but its sloppier than we expect from Nolan.
*Penderecki is the new black.
*Bonus points for casting underrated character actor Nicky Katt as a SWAT cop.
*Demerits for Eric Roberts and Anthony Michael Hall.
*On a visceral level, the movie excels. Heroes and villains, car chases and explosions, and a blue and brown color palette that aims for "action movie" over comic book sensibility. On the thematic level, we've got some issues. The movie aims directly at the American political zeitgeist of 2007, and winds up fighting itself with what it wants to say, and what the comic book tropes and action film element push it towards. The first major plot sequence deals with an extraordinary criminal rendition that undercuts its push for justice with whiz-bang spy-tech fetishism and blatant illegality that the film completely ignores. Its continuous from there. Repeatedly, the filmmakers want it both ways and wind up muddled: realism without consequence, consequence without logistics. Similar to how Jon Stewart protests that his show isn't a news show because it is broadcast on comedy central, The Dark Knight appears to argue that the issues it deliberately raises shouldn't be taken seriously because it does so with clown makeup and a cape. So with that in mind, is it fair to question the intentions of a PG13 film for not showing the R rated results of the violence it so gleefully stages? Is it right to question plot contrivances (no one happened to notice that two ferries completely loaded with people, were also loaded with explosives? no one notices the joker marching in the funeral parade?) in a film that features a car that transforms into a motorbike after it crashes? Yes it is. These are not small issues that the film raises, and given the possibility that this may be the most watched film of the year, in an election year, you don't get a pass by saying its only a comic-book movie. Its not like this is unheard of either: the X-Men movies were thinly veiled representations of MLK and Malcolm X, and contained obvious gay rights arguments. The Spiderman series are loaded with 9/11 angst. The form of the movie does not dismiss the politics. The problem is that for every moment where the film exhibits a conscience, usually embodied by Morgan Freeman, it contravenes itself with its own sadism and illegality. I think Nolan is trying to make some sort of reconciliation argument, and maybe if I watch the film again I could tease it out from under the explosions and car chases. I don't know though. There is a creepy authoritarian lawlessness blowing thru the windy city in this movie. (and its not the Joker.) Perhaps if Nolan had simply given in and embraced the might makes right message his images advocate I could fully embrace the film as high gloss fun. Such as it is though, it looks like Nolan is too smart for his own good and has loaded his film with a confused, acquiescent subtext that the story isn't strong enough to carry.

 

[Holadem]

I like this post from the Review Thread: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/3408579-post38.html

--
H

 

[Paul_Scott]

I tend to agree that the film wants to have it both ways-just like the character of Batman himself. I saw this as a huge problem with the Star Wars movies too, starting with Return of the Jedi and following thru all the prequels. That's why I'm curious how the 'redemption' of an authoritarian vigilante will come about.
Also, I think whether some want to admit it or not, a good part of the appeal of the character is his authoritarian nature. Human beings like strong-men. As I posted pages back, the heroes 'triumph' at the end by conspiring to subvert the truth and nurture a lie.
Unlike the reviewer, I'm appreciative that the film offers opportunity to discuss questions like this, even if it doesn't answer them itself or seems to answer them in the negative.
And yes, there are plot-holes along the films thruway. That it's not without flaws doesn't prevent it from being a riveting, engaging story experience.

 

[ThomasC]

Is there a logical explanation as to why Batman essentially just slapped Scarecrow on the wrist in the beginning of the movie? "Don't let me see you here again..."

He was part of the plot to destroy Gotham, and Batman doesn't turn him in to the cops?

 

[nolesrule]

Batman probably feels that Scarecrow is harmless enough now for the cops to be able to pick him up.

 

[Michael:M]

Yeah, the closing shot to me established Scarecrow trussed up with the Batwannabes, essentially neutered and harmless until the police arrived.

While I would have liked him to have a bit more of a costume and perhaps some good scary music as an intro when he climbed out of the van, I wonder if the anti-climactic nature of Scarecrow's appearance was purposeful: showing that, without patronage and the cover of an institution (Arkham), the Scarecrow was small time and simply not that scary.

The Nolan Bros. are pretty smart guys, so I'm guessing it was deliberate.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Me too! I kept wondering what the hell these two ferry's were doing and why one of them was packed with prisoners.

 

[nolesrule]

They were afraid that the Joker would blow open the prison releasing all the criminals, so they were sequestered on what they had assumed would be a safe ferry until the threat could be neutralized.

 

[Nick Martin]

Not exactly.

The prisoners were aboard the ferry because they were critical to Dent's case against the mob, and they needed to be far away from the situation, rather than simply leave them all to die if Joker got his way, which would have been fine with Mayor Garcia.

 

[Paul_Scott]

Evidently no operations were being performed in Gotham General at mid day either. and no patient with sensitive or critical care needs were there either. To evacuate a large city hospital without prior notice would be an opertation that I'm guessing would take well over a 12 hours to coordinate, yet here seems to be accomplished in one or two at the most.