The Dark Knight (2008) (1 Viewer)

[Will_B]

To launch Harley of course.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

I bet Nolan thinks as much of Harley as he does of Robin.

 

[Edwin-S]

How can you know what he thinks? If Nolan had preconceived notions about the characters then he probably wouldn't be interested in making any sort of BATMAN film. He has made two of these films already so he has to be finding something in the characters and situations that he enjoys portraying.

It is possible that his opinion of Harley Quinn is no lower than his opinion of Joker. If an interesting storyline, using her character, arose then I think Nolan would have zero problems putting her into a BATMAN film.

I speculate, that Nolan is more likely to use a character like Catwoman in his next film, because the character is more likely to be recognized by the population at large, than Harley Q.

 

[Pete-D]

I don't think Nolan has to use villains as a "bussiness prop" to get people to see a third Batman film if he chooses to make one.

The Dark Knight has re-established the Batman franchise as the crown jewel of Hollywood again, people will go see the third film regardless of who the villains are.

Personally I don't think it would be the worst idea in the world to make the third film focus more soley on Batman/Bruce and the aftermath of what he's created.

 

[EricW]

with all these questions regarding Batman killing, i was wondering about the scene where Joker was facing Batman right after the truck gets flipped, walking towards him as the BatPod races forward. Joker walks into the path of the bike, but i guess even that doesn't make it okay for Batman to run him down. why? because Batman still has a choice.
when Batman's on the train in BB, he says he doesn't have to save Ras - meaning he's making the choice to let him die. yes i've read that the cape doesn't support 2 people, but really, a guy who can jump out a highrise and catch a girl and land on a car could save Ras if he wanted to.
also, the Tumbler scene in BB - how many cops/pedestrian drivers could that have killed? they make a point of saying it was a 'miracle' that no one was killed. - like trying to shoot someone and having the gun jam makes the shooter innocent.

 

[Brett_B]

To elaborate just a bit more. Ras had every opportunity to jump from the train as well.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Ras was hellbent on stopping Batman from stopping the train from inside the train (i.e. they tussle), so when Gordon finally nails the support structure for the tracks, that's when Batman makes his get-away, and Ras is taken by surprise at the situation, and BOOOM! Ras's fate was sealed as soon as he commandeered the train on the way to microwave the city's water supply and played his part in the plan, only to be thwarted by the good guys. Whatever he got in the end, he had it coming to him.

 

[Pete York]

Seconded. I did see TDK at the Grumman IMAX dome in the Cradle of Aviation Museum and it was a bit of a drag. I missed a ton of information. Sound was incredible though, so it wasn't a total miss. If you do go Greg, I'd advise somehow assuring yourself of a seat in the top row.

 

[Will_B]

Similarly though, if he ditches even more of the Batman style I won't be coming back to see a third one. No batcave, ok. No mansion, ok. No nighttime, ok. No batmobile half way through, ok. If he wants to do a film about a hero who is not Batman, he should just go do a film about a hero who is not Batman.

The current Batman film did boffo business for one reason: Heath Ledger's death created tons of press. It brought in people. Not the film itself.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

It is but again based on Nolan's movie-making sensibilities my read is I doubt it. I agree with your second point for that reason plus the Catwoman opens a whole area of storytelling. Harley would being retreading old material which ties into my opinion of Nolan's take on Harley.

 

[EricW]

we're not discussing whether Ras deserved to die... just whether or not Batman killed him. both Ras and Joker ~deserved~ to die. but Batman could not kill Joker. The question is did Batman show the same restraint with Ras.

 

[Nick Martin]

And TITANIC was the success it was based on teen girls drooling over Leonardo DiCaprio....right.

 

[DavidPla]

Ridiculous.

 

[Ray_R]

Saw it again way earlier on Friday at the same time and same place as last time. Glad I read this thread to keep my eyes and ears out for more subtleties.
Planning on seeing it a third time and then waiting for the DVD/Blu-ray. Still going to buy that Production Art/Screenplay book and the Limited Soundtrack soon.

 

[Will_B]

Ridiculous? Are you suggesting that the film would have done business of this magnitude if Heath had not died? Newspapers would not be writing articles about the must-see last performance. They'd just have printed their regular movie review, and sure, those reviews would have noted an interesting take on the Joker, deservedly. But his death took the articles out of the review section and into the main pages, and that is why audiences are so large. I can't believe that anyone would think otherwise. Yes, it is a good film. But the equivalent of millions upon millions of free advertising is why audiences packed in to it. Exposure. Heck most days you have to pay close attention to know when a movie is coming out, and if you aren't quick, it is out of the theatres before you're sure it is playing. But everyone knew when Batman was opening. It was huge. Just ask people why they saw the film -- "because I heard Ledger's performance was fantastic." And they heard that because of the articles about Ledger, not because they read a review.

 

[DavidPla]

Yes ridiculous. That isn't to say that Heath Ledger's performance and death didn't contribute to the box office.. of course it did but you stated that

Opening weekend it brings in people. Not the fourth week after the fact. A film does NOT make 500 million domestically because of ONE reason. The reason the film is holding as well as it is at this point is because OF the film itself. Because of the word of mouth on the film as a whole. Again, Heath Ledger is a contributor of course to the box office.. but the sole reason? Ridiculous.

 

[MikeRS]

That was one of my favorite moments in the film. We got a glimpse of it in the trailer, but it wasn't until I was experiencing the actual sequence in narrative context, that it blew me away. The Joker did not plan for this scenario right then, but now that the opportunity had presented itself, he dares Batman to do it because it would be a satisfying death. Heath completely makes you emotionally believe that the Joker wants Batman to murder him because it would satisfy him in some twisted, psychological way.

It's a really sick moment (emotionally-speaking) for a mainstream flick because it felt so real. You believe the Joker in that moment was not only improvising, but enacting some sort of death catharsis.

C'mon...HIT ME!!!
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Shivers.


And Batmans stubborn/violent defying of him.....perfect.

Awesome sequence.

 

[Pete-D]

It got a bump, but if they wanted the same kind of Joker-craze they could have cast Johnny Depp or Leonardo DiCaprio from the get go and they'd have the same amount of business as they do now. The script is strong, the character of the Joker is very well known, and the character is well written. It would've been a home run with a number of other actors IMO, they actually cast someone a little lesser known in Heath Ledger, but the media exposure from his death basically just evened those scales (tragically).

The first film built a tremendous fanbase and good will among the audience during its theatrical run and DVD release. The second one was always going to do a lot more than the first one. It was always one of the most hyped films of this year even before Ledger's passing.

This film and Indiana Jones were always pegged to rule this summer -- The Dark Knight just turned out to be a much stronger film than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

And of course the quality of the film is important. If it wasn't the film would've dropped like a rock after opening weekend and faded quickly after hitting $300 million. Repeat business is going to propel it past $450 million and onwards to $500 million.

And yes, for the third film they can have a new Batcave and a new Batmobile for fans to look forward to.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Absolutely. That scene is critical in understanding that the Joker has no fear because he doesn't care if he lives or dies. It's not an act. He is ready to die.

He's probably got some SERIOUS pain in his history, and is still sane enough to welcome death. But he wants to prove his point. Batman killing him would prove his point. The city falling apart in chaos would prove his point.

It's a great scene, because it encapsulates both characters in a moment.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I saw SUPERMAN RETURNS at the Tuttleman, and it honestly looked horrendous. The dome screen makes the film look "bent", with all of the sets and even the characters looking distorted. I'm seeing TDK on IMAX next week with a couple of friends, and we're going to King of Prussia. That's a much better venue to watch an IMAX film in the Philly area than the Franklin Institute.