Batman: The Dark Knight - Movie Thread - $158.3 Million First Weekend

[quote name='Poor2More']Heath Ledger was AMAZING, better then Jack? I bet my last dollar on that, He actually gave me goosebumps. This movie is cinematic History.[/quote]

I'm not sure that there's any dispute he was better than Jack (assuming you mean Nicholson). Nicholson's Joker was pretty good for the time, and IMO was definitely better than any other villians in the other movies of the previous franchise, but that isn't saying a whole lot.

Ledger's Joker is as psychotic and unpredictable as he's supposed to be, and he really disappears into the role. There isn't one point in the original Batman where I forget I'm watching someone play the Joker, even if he did it well.
 
I just got back. It was awesome.

I agree with park, he deserves a Oscar nod because I couldn't ever notice a point where I didn't believe the guy was a nutcase, and could never tell it was Heath Ledger.
 
The great thing about Ledger's joker is that you can see/hear what he has taken from the other Actors who have done the Joker. He has Romero's goofiness down in a dark way, does Nicholson's creepy clown Joker, and by then end my friends and I agreed he was invoking the Hamill personality. I dont believe that they filmed the movie in succession, howver, by then end, Ledger had used the best part of all 3 performers and then with his own personal spin. It was Alan Moore's killing Joke psychopath mixed with Miller's Dark Knight Joker that showed the almost androgenous nature of the Joker. The movie was just incredibly well done, best movie I have EVER seen in a theater.
 
Just got back from finally seeing the whole thing. Easily the best film I've seen this year and without doubt the very best Comic Book related movie ever conceived. Not saying it's perfect or anything, but hot DAMN was it epic.

[quote name='Magus8472']Huh? He's the protagonist. That's like saying Walk the Line isn't about Johnny Cash just because it's not eponymous.

And besides that, the title does, in fact, rather explicitly refer to Batman.[/QUOTE]

IMO,
the movie was more about the rise & fall of Harvey Dent, as well as the Joker. Batman was more or less there for the action pieces to break up the story. He might be one of the protagonists, but he's not what the entire story focused on.
 
After watching Heath Ledger transformation into the Joker, You really have to ask yourself, What other Brilliant Performance's that man was capable of....and that we will all miss him
 
I just saw the movie (first showing of the day and sold out!) and i am glad that I stayed away from all the hype.
If your experience of this movie went down because of the hype than it isn't the movie's fault, its your own. I didn't read up on this movie, or watch every preview or part, but I just let it all come at me during the movie and it blew me away. This movie was better than any of the comic-book originated movies.
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']IMO,
the movie was more about the rise & fall of Harvey Dent, as well as the Joker. Batman was more or less there for the action pieces to break up the story. He might be one of the protagonists, but he's not what the entire story focused on.
[/quote]

One of the protagonists? Who was the other protagonist? Gordon? Alfred? Those assholes dressed up like Batman?
 
I looked at the cast and all, but didn't notice the Scarecrow in this movie. What character was he? Could anyone remind me what area of the movie he was in.
 
[quote name='Wolve11']
I looked at the cast and all, but didn't notice the Scarecrow in this movie. What character was he? Could anyone remind me what area of the movie he was in.
[/QUOTE]

In the beginning after the Joker bank robbery scene, in the fight with Batman and the vigilante batmans in the parking lot.
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']IMO,
the movie was more about the rise & fall of Harvey Dent, as well as the Joker. Batman was more or less there for the action pieces to break up the story. He might be one of the protagonists, but he's not what the entire story focused on.
[/QUOTE]

The film is very much about those things, yes, but only insofar as they relate to Batman. They gain meaning via the counterpoint they provide against the behavior, ethics, etc., of Batman, which in turn reveals the manner in which his character is developing. This is the ultimate point of
Gordon's final monlogue, which calls into relief exactly what Batman is, after having shown the viewer what he is not
. Everything comes back around to him.
 
[quote name='Poor2More']After watching Heath Ledger transformation into the Joker, You really have to ask yourself, What other Brilliant Performance's that man was capable of....and that we will all miss him[/QUOTE]

Another question is how much better at playing the Joker could have have got. This was just the first movie with The Joker. They planed on more however that is not up in the air and does not look like we will ever see The Joker again till they start over with Batman. He could have just got better and better at playing the role. To me all they can do now is go down hill without The Joker. Hell even if they get someone else to do it, it will not be near the same. When someone else takes this over in 10 years or so and it is an all new set of movies it will no longer be Jack Nicholson's Joker the next person to play the role will have to live up to. It will be Heath Ledger's Joker they will have to live up to.

I have to say that I was never really big on comics growing up however the cartoons I would watch all the time when they were on. As far as they went I was a big fan of The Joker. When I saw the end of Begins nothing could build up hype for this movie. I had built it all up on just seeing that card. My jaw dropped and I said fucking yes. I'm glad they got Ledger for the role however with his death I'm also sad that they got him due to two things. One I will never see the Joker in this series again and two if I do they won't be near as good as he was.

[quote name='Wolve11']I just saw the movie (first showing of the day and sold out!) and i am glad that I stayed away from all the hype.
If your experience of this movie went down because of the hype than it isn't the movie's fault, its your own. I didn't read up on this movie, or watch every preview or part, but I just let it all come at me during the movie and it blew me away. This movie was better than any of the comic-book originated movies.[/QUOTE]


I'm the same way. I read nothing but just watched the previews on tv just because I was watching what ever was on that channel at the time. Like I said the hype was built up for me in the first movie after seeing that card. That is all it took. I could tell by the previews that Ledger did a great job with this role however I didn't know or expect him to have done as good of one as he did.

[quote name='JohnnyFoxDarko']Great article about the possible villains in the next Batman movie.:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...llains-2008-pg,0,1485774.photogallery?index=1
I would personally either like Black Mask or Ventriloquist and Scarface.
[/QUOTE]

I have said it some where else in this thread but In an interview with Christopher Nolan he said who the next villain was going to be.
He said that they were going to bring The Joker back in the third movie then start with Two Face however with Ledger's death they were just going with Two Face. So unless things change the next is Two Face.
I know it was posted at comics2film.com but dont remember when.

I could not find the interview with Nolan however I did find this

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Scoop-Batman-3-Story-Details-8738.html

That is just where they were said to be talking about takeing it. As for the part about Nolan only doing upto 3 you can count Bale out also well maybe. He said that could not see continuing if Nolan was in on it. That interview can be found here http://www.comics2film.com/index.php?a=story&b=34739.

As for if robin does show up Bale has for the most part said he will quit. http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/07/02/christian-bale-rules-out-robin-for-batman-3-and-beyond/.
 
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[quote name='tangytangerine']I do think that they could've found a better replacement for Rachel than Maggie Gyllenhaal. [/quote]

Who do you have in mind?

I thought Maggie Gyllenhaal was a huge improvement over Tom Cruise's girl (whose name I suddenly forgot when I typed this)...Oh yeah...Katie Holmes..

EDIT: I don't see any other film that I want to see this summer. Maybe Tropic Thunder but for the most part, there doesn't seem to be any new movies that interesting to me until Fall.
 
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the movie was AMAZING. I saw it twice this weekend and it was absolutely enjoyable each time. ledgers performance is an achievement in character work. hes constantly teetering on the edge of absolute insanity. top notch film, i cant say enough about it.

I gotta say maggie gyllenhaal is hideous. She looks like a sad turtle. They definitely could have found a better replacement.
 
[quote name='nickmad']I gotta say maggie gyllenhaal is hideous. She looks like a sad turtle. They definitely could have found a better replacement.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I have to wonder why they picked her.
 
I think they could do better if they completely skipped Robin and went straight to Nightwing. I don't know how old Bruce is supposed ot be in these, but i'm guessing early thirties. They could do Nightwing as being around 21, have something devastating happen to him like happened to Bruce. They could have a situation arise where Batman needs help and a new vigilante shows up to help. I mean, they did have those clowns impersonating Batman this time around, who says Bruce is the only one capable of being a masked vigilante.
 
[quote name='JolietJake']I think they could do better if they completely skipped Robin and went straight to Nightwing. I don't know how old Bruce is supposed ot be in these, but i'm guessing early thirties. They could have a situation arise where Batman needs help and a new vigilante shows up to help. I mean, they did have those clowns impersonating Batman this time around, who says Bruce is the only one capable of being a masked vigilante.[/quote]


Agreed was there a "clue" with Gordon's family?
 
Just got back from watching this. Fantastic.

With every movie that I leave from, I usually end up having a least a few complaints about what was seen. With The Dark Knight, I seriously can not think of anything that I disliked.
 
Saw it at noon today. Best movie I've ever seen, hands down. And the people who say Maggie Gyllenhaal is "ugly" or "hideous" are stupid or blind.
 
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Completely unrelated but didn't want to start a new thread for this one question.

During the preview for Watchmen, anyone know what Smashing Pumpkins song was playing? Again sorry for the off-topicness of my question.

edit: NVM - The beginning is the end is the beginning
 
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[quote name='Matt Young']Saw it at noon today. Best movie I've ever seen, hands down. And the people who say Maggie Gyllenhaal is "ugly" or "hideous" are stupid or blind.[/QUOTE]

Yeah...to each his own but I leave you with this gem.

maggiegyllenhaal.jpg


I honestly rather be blind that look at that mug all day.

As for the Robin/Nightwing comments, Bale went on the record saying that he would quit if WB/DC wanted to introducer Robin.
 
[quote name='nickmad']

maggiegyllenhaal.jpg

[/quote]

Wait, you find that ugly?

Damn, I know the internet has high standards but c'mon!
 
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Well, Nightwing is an older, more mature character, not the golly gee wiz Robin.

I'm not even talking about Bruce taking him in or anything, just another guy who decided to fight back against the criminals. He wouldn't have all the high tech gadgets Batman has, not having the cash and all. He'd be somebody who was inspired by Batman to fight back. Of course, with Batman now being hunted by the police, another masked vigilante probably wouldn't be liked either.
 
[quote name='Poor2More']After watching Heath Ledger transformation into the Joker, You really have to ask yourself, What other Brilliant Performance's that man was capable of....and that we will all miss him[/quote]


What makes me sad is that we won't get another joker that is this creepy. The bar has been set, and it is a damn shame that Heath can't be in the inevitable next movie.
 
Saw it at the IMAX here this morning at 10 am with a few friends....it was sold out despite the time.

It was too long, especially
that whole Batman-has-cell phone-vision sequence inside the building near the end, although it had a decent payoff when they finally did get through it. Also, hooray for a Tiny Lister appearance. That dude is scary no matter how old he gets.

Glad they didn't kill the Joker despite what happened. Interesting to see Scarecrow in there in such a minor part after he was one of the main characters in the previous film. I read nothing going into this because I didn't want anything to be spoiled, so I was really surprised to see Two-Face both created and (supposedly) killed all within the second half of the movie.

I'm not going to over-praise Ledger's performance like most people are. He did do a great job. I'll wait 15-20 years before I decide if his has held up better than Jack's; it's hardly fair to compare the performances at this point in time. I guess it's safe to assume Cesar Romero is now out of the running, though.

Really good film. But not close to the "best movie I have ever seen."
 
Saw it earlier today and while it was a good movie, in no way would I consider it one of the best of all time. That being said, I've never really been able to get into the Batman universe, though I was kinda hoping this movie would change it with how highly it was talked about. Ledger put on an excellent performance as the Joker, but he was about the only character I enjoyed in the movie besides Gordon. I don't think Bale makes a good Batman and his deep voice when he's wearing the suit is just... bad.
 
it was good, but it wasnt great.

does ledger win an oscar? if he does its only because hes dead.

and yes, maggie gyllenhaal looked terrible in the movie. she looked 15 years older than everyone else... even morgan freeman.

[quote name='I_Am_ProZac'] and his deep voice when he's wearing the suit is just... bad.[/QUOTE]

agreed.
 
[quote name='help1']What makes me sad is that we won't get another joker that is this creepy.[/quote]

I don't know about that.
 
I watched The Dark Knight yesterday but had a few drinks before doing so and got crazy drunk after with the people I saw it with.
I don't really remember anything from the movie so I'll have to see it again, hopefully in Imax this go-around haha.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']
does ledger win an oscar? if he does its only because hes dead.
[/quote]

If ledger does NOT win a Oscar, it would only be because he couldn't accept the award in person, yea the Academy are dicks like that
 
[quote name='JolietJake']I can't remember, did any of the other Batman actors every use a deeper voice when in costume? Seems like they didn't.[/quote]


They used a bit deeper, quieter voices..

Keaton=Too many one liners
Kilmer=lips
Clooney=Talked too much.
 
[quote name='nickmad']Yeah...to each his own but I leave you with this gem.

maggiegyllenhaal.jpg


I honestly rather be blind that look at that mug all day.
[/quote]

Man...You guys are brutal. I think Maggie is fairly attractive; Sure she is not a beauty pageant type but so what... I don't understand the anti-Maggie sentiment here.

To me she was a improvement to Tom Cruise's girlfriend....what the hell is her name?.....Oh yeah....Katie Holmes. Katie Holmes looks like a little girl to me; I know she is over 21 but she always looks like a little girl. She didn't really fit in Batman Begins...
 
Honestly, I loved the movie but I still feel you don't read/watch Batman stuff for Batman, its the villains. I liked the old one for Jack as the Joker, I liked this one for Ledgers version of it. Can't say I've ever liked Batman in any of the movies though...
 
[quote name='LegendK7ll3r']The motorcycle part got a clapping ovation during the screening I was at, and I thought it was actually a really nice scene myself.[/quote]

This is why I hate seeing movies in large crowds. While it was a well done sequence, in no way does it deserve an applause in theater. I've seen more impressive action sequences before.

[quote name='georox']Honestly, I loved the movie but I still feel you don't read/watch Batman stuff for Batman, its the villains. I liked the old one for Jack as the Joker, I liked this one for Ledgers version of it. Can't say I've ever liked Batman in any of the movies though...[/quote]

I do like that the Batman villains are pretty much psychotic, but there don't seem to be too many memorable ones. Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman... are there even any more?
 
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[quote name='senorwoohoo']Did people complain about Batman Begins being too long? I only ask because The Dark Knight is a mere 12 minutes longer.[/quote]

I don't know, but Begins sure felt alot longer. TDK really kept my attention, however Begins really had me drifting off at points.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']They used a bit deeper, quieter voices..

Keaton=Too many one liners
Kilmer=lips
Clooney=Talked too much.[/quote]

I always assumed Bale used that voice, because Wayne would want to disguise his voice (being one of Gotham's biggest celebrities), and also has a way to be intimidating to the villains.
 
[quote name='gareman']I always assumed Bale used that voice, because Wayne would want to disguise his voice (being one of Gotham's biggest celebrities), and also has a way to be intimidating to the villains.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. I have a friend who hates on the voice, but it doesn't bother me at all.

[quote name='darthbudge']I don't know, but Begins sure felt alot longer. TDK really kept my attention, however Begins really had me drifting off at points.[/QUOTE]

Hmm, I just watched Begins again and it didn't feel that long. Then again, I'm still riding the TDK high, ha.
 
[quote name='I_Am_ProZac']I do like that the Batman villains are pretty much psychotic, but there don't seem to be too many memorable ones. Joker, Two-Face, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman... are there even any more?[/QUOTE]

Scarecrow, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn, Mad Hatter, Bane, Hush, Ra's al Ghul, and a few others, notably. Honestly, Batman's is probably the most memorable rogue's gallery out there.
 
[quote name='gareman']I always assumed Bale used that voice, because Wayne would want to disguise his voice (being one of Gotham's biggest celebrities), and also has a way to be intimidating to the villains.[/quote]

I never liked Bale's batman voice. When did batman growl, yell at the villains??!?!?!
 
[quote name='Poor2More']If ledger does NOT win a Oscar, it would only be because he couldn't accept the award in person, yea the Academy are dicks like that[/QUOTE]

thats the most absurd thing ive read all day
 
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