The ‘Knight’ Is Darkest Before The Dawn
OY! So, Darion and I made our way out to a midnight screening of Batman: The Dark Knight last night/this morning which, after it was all said and done, had me in bed around 4AM this morning. After the long afternoon/evening/night I had last night (long story short, my VW arrived, it’s a done deal, I take possession this afternoon) I’m pretty wiped right now … but a movie like The Dark Knight needs immediate exposition (as I’m sure the many of you who also saw it last night can attest) so I’m gonna go ahead an post my thoughts on the movie now:
As you can imagine, I really enjoyed the film and you can read my spoilery thoughts and observations after the cut but I have to make clear before I get into the film itself that all the talk that we are hearing about Heath Ledger’s performance in the film is absolutely right on target — the man gives a stunning performance, hand’s down. Whether or not it’s Oscar worthy is another question but he absolutely becomes the psychotic villain of the darkest Batman lore — this movie is NOT TO BE MISSED. After the jump, read the rest of my review …
I have to state, for the record, that I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect from this film. Even without Heath Ledger’s sad, untimely death, I don’t think I would’ve been prepared for the gritty, dark tone of The Dark Knight (which has a morbid tone to it, especially when you see Heath Ledger on screen as the psychotic Joker). Director Christopher Nolan really took the movie as dark as he could for a PG-13 film … I can’t even imagine what the movie would look like had they gone for an R rating. I must confess, tho, that the movie isn’t without its flaws but on the whole, it’s a pretty spectacular masterpiece in the comic book movie genre:
The only negative thing I have to say about the film is that the movie, overall, is really disjointed and not very cohesive. Now, it occurred to me that the disjointedness is intentional so that the viewer can be drawn into utterly insane world of Gotham City but it does make for a somewhat unruly viewing experience. Because the segments in the film are so sectionalized (the Joker part, the Harvey Dent part, the finale), I wasn’t allowed to get totally sucked into the film … I was aware that I was watching a movie. The Joker character is finally realized in movieform for the way he’s always been — an utterly insane psychopath who, for the most part, just “does” rather than necessarily plans and accomplishes (tho, the Joker’s plans do tend to always work out to his specifications, we’re supposed to assume things just keep working out in his insane favor). Never before has the Joker been portrayed as a bonafide psycho in film (in the comics, he’s even more insane but on screen the best we’ve been given was Jack Nicholson, who played up more of the campiness of the character rather than his psychoticness). He’s got yellow, nasty teeth … his face isn’t chemically altered to look freakish … he’s just a completely insane man with no name, no fingerprints, no history (I think it’s brilliant that the Joker has no origin story in this film — he just is — the fact that his facial scars are never explained make them all the more creepy) that is ruled by his utter madness. He’s a villain you can really fear because he could really exist (think Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer but with more flair). Harvey Dent (Two-Face) features in this film much more than I anticipated he would … Aaron Eckhart plays him to a tee, I think. He’s a good-looking, noble character who suffers a great loss (the death of a character and the only real surprise for me in the film) and ends up turning into the very monster he’s built a career on battling. Christopher Nolan tailors the Batman myth to his specifications and makes the characters more real, more believable. I love that the Gotham City in the film is a real city and not an epic, unbelievable monolith of the future — again, it makes everything you see in the movie seem more real. The one thing I always hated about the previous Batman films, including the amazing Tim Burton ones, was that Gotham City never looked real. The viewer could never imagine that city really existing. In Nolan’s world, Gotham City is as real as Chicago, IL (where the movie was filmed) and you can more easily believe that you could be terrorized by a madman like the Joker. In the end, The Dark Knight becomes a bit of a morality play … the citizens of Gotham are given an impossible choice (either kill others or allow them to kill you) and instead of opting to save their own lives and kill, they choose to save their fellow man and not become killers. Now, to be honest, I would have a hard time buying that scenario really happening in the real world so I really didn’t believe that it could happen in the world of Gotham City. Like all hero stories, the good guy has to win in the end — in this instance, the good guy is “mankind”. I can accept that.
Now the only part of the movie that I wasn’t entirely sure about — AND HERE COMES A SPOILER YOU SHOULD AVOID IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE AND WILL ONLY MAKES SENSE TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SEEN THE FILM — was the choice that Batman made when the Joker revealed to him that both Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent were strapped to explosives on opposite sides of the city and he could only save one of them. At first, I assumed that the Joker merely tricked him into thinking he was saving Rachel (the love of his life) and ended up leading him to Harvey (who he saved but not entirely) but then it occurred to me that maybe Batman actually chose to save Harvey (Gotham’s much needed public White Knight) over Rachel (since Batman always chooses the right thing over the thing that would make him happy). Didn’t it occur to Batman that the Joker might be lying about the addresses? I can see both scenarios but I’m still not totally clear on this point. Again, the disjointedness of the film made this part a bit confusing for me.
BUT, I have to say, The Dark Knight is an absolute tour de force. Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger, especially, raise the bar on comic book films and set an all new benchmark. It’s not Iron Man (a totally solid, totally fun almost perfect comic book film), it’s not even Batman Returns (which I contend was the darkest, dirtiest Batman film) … it’s something more gritty and, well, real and substantive. I’ve heard the movie described as the Godfather II of comic book films and I tend to agree. I don’t have faith that the Motion Picture Academy will feel the same way, nor do I believe that the deserving folks attached to this movie will be honored for their magnificent performances (as much as Ledger became Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain — for which he was nominated for an Academy Award — he becomes the Joker in The Dark Knight) … but I do contend that this movie will live on as a film to be respected and admired. Too much hyperbole? Mebbe … but those are my $0.02.
Tags: 'Batman: The Dark Knight'
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July 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
I agree. I loved it as it was so dark and entertaining, but there was something missing. I think the one problem was Bruce Wayne/Batman - we learnt nothing about him.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I totally agree about confusion on who Batman saves. They needed a reason for Harvey to go dark and why not it be listening to the woman he loves die? We knew he was going to live but we didn’t know what would turn him.
This had me thinking the rest of the film. I was waiting for Batman to come clean at sometime with Harvey. Kind of telling to snap out of it bitch, I chose to save you over the woman I loved because of what you could do for this city. And it never happened. Or maybe something where Batman turns darker when he realizes the Joker tricked him into saving Harvey when he was really going for Rachel.
I’ve read you need to watch this a couple of times to catch the little nuances you missed the first time. There are very few movies I would do that for but this is definitely one of them.
Don’t forget the appearance of huge Batman fan, Sen Patrick Leahy! That was funny. But maybe only for political junkies like me.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:26 am
This truly was an amazing movie. The only part that I would change is the end when Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face. I found his mental transformation a little off. I get losing the woman you love would drive you crazy but after being so staunchly against everything evil only to quickly beCOME evil? And it was a little difficult for me to take him seriously with the make-up like that. Didn’t seem believable.
Other than that, i thought that movie was phenomenal. Well acted (well cast!) and well directed. (Major props to Chi-town!) Any future comic book movies (a new Batman included) has quite a lot to follow/live up to!
July 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
-SPOILERS ALERT-
I thought it was made obvious that Joker intentionally messed up the address. His ultimate goal was to corrupt the people of Gotham after all, especially their icons. By giving Bats the wrong addressed, he targeted both Batman and Dent’s anchor, Rachel Dawes. But ultimate only Dent was corrupted as Batman chose not to kill The Joker after all (and Joker was so giddy at the prospect of hitting the pavement from way up high).
I think Bats even said something like “… he chose you, after all you’re the purest of all” near the end or something to that effect.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:37 am
i felt you didnt get the full message of the film which makes it the best “comic book/graphic novel” ever. this movie is soo good you forget about the action scenes but talk about the characters and the story. Joker was psycho but his intentions on killing were awesome because he gave everyone choices that played with your moral. its hard to explain. anyways this exceeded my expectations and this is the only movie to live up to its HYPE. Iron Man is great but this was WAY better in every level. Robert Downey’s Iron Man was the only character worth writing about but in this movie almost every character had a powerful role. The Best 2.5 hours spent in a theatre
really i feel you didnt like the film at all reading your blog…which is sad considering i thought you would have understood the message of teh movie
July 18th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Anne: Dent always had hints of darkness if you noticed. It’s not just the fact that he lost his fiancee, he lost half his face too and he refused medication. I’m sure the amount of pain he’s suffering led to some dementedness. But whatever it is, I think his transformation and death are necessary to the overall theme of the movie.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I agree with Alif…Batman indicates at the end of the movie that The Joker chose Harvey Dent to save by sending Batman to the wrong address to save Rachel. The Joker knew that Batman would choose Rachel. My husband and I both thought afterwards that Batman should have known that the Joker was switching the addresses, but maybe that was all part of the plot. Who knows? We’re seeing it again tomorrow night for my mom’s birthday, so maybe I’ll catch things that I didn’t notice last night. It was a great film, but I feel like the story is not completed. I would definitely like to see them make another…as long as they make it good enough to compete with this one. Heath Ledger was amazing!
July 18th, 2008 at 11:08 am
*Spoiler*?
I don’t think us not knowing exactly who batman intended to save had anything to do w/ the segmented way it was shown. But rather, leaving it up to more personal interpretation. I.e. would Batman save the love of his life, or go for the people of Gotham and save the “white knight.” since for the majority of the film, Batman’s (Bruce) struggle was whether it was time to hang up the bat-suit……I just think the confusion was part of that struggle.
“You either die a hero, or live long enoough to become a villian” SOOOOO foreshadowing for Dent!
July 18th, 2008 at 11:14 am
i agree Heath Ledger one of the best villians EVER! and no its not just because the HYPE what he does in this movie is just sick. like i said before Joker plays with ur mind, moral etc. He turned Gotham upside down blowing up everything he wanted to, turned regular people in murderers. and OMG his “magic trick”!!! this movie had everything all of the other superhero/ comic movies were missing, especially Iron Man who lets face it had the worst villian in the world ( did some research and his other foes dont look that promising either).
again, Joker stands high and tall next to Vader as best villian EVER
July 18th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I’m sure batman was amazing but let’s see that lovely V-Dub of yours!!
:-)
July 18th, 2008 at 11:28 am
*SPOILERS*
Yeah, it totally sounds like Trent didn’t like the movie, or that he was disappointed. Maybe he was just sleepy. :)
I had no confusion about the rescue at all…did I miss something? Wayne was going to save Rachel, and he and Dent were both devestated when he found out that he had saved Dent instead. I think it was great, because both Wayne and Dent lost their true love, but how they dealt with it made all the difference.
The only thing I didn’t like in the movie was how Rachel kissed both of them so passionately within a day or so…kinda skanky. And I was so surprised by her choosing Dent and her death. The cell phone sonar stuff was kind of random.
The scariest parts were when the joker took over that first mob group (Why so serious!?! Creepy!) and where the imitation batman hit the window…that really got me. And Harvey’s face…wow…that kept freaking me out!
I thought the ferry scene was very poignant, and surprising…yeah for Devo!!! :)
This movie was so great, and done very well. It definitely lived up to the hype, and I am excited for the next installment. I loved how terrified I was of this relatively mild (in gore) movie, and how even as I was terrified and on the edge of my seat, I was able to laugh too. My hat is off to cast and crew…well done! VERY well done!
July 18th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Maybe some parts bothered him but Trent did give it hyperbolic praise. You got to elaborate on what little flaws it has when the rest of it is so perfect, you know =D
July 18th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Hey everyone, let’s not forget the magnificent Gary Oldman!!! To me he shines through as one of the best in the film. Lt. Gordon is best under pressure, and Oldman plays him incredibly, as he does every role. Talk about an unsung hero.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I absolutely thought this film was incredible, especially for a sequel. It was creepy yet there were quite a few humorous parts courtesy of the Joker, and in my opinion there were a few shocking moments. Now this may seem like a stretch but I still do not believe that Rachel Dawes is dead. I think that the Joker did mix up the addresses but either never gave the correct one for Rachel or she was in the building that blew up when Lt. Gordon arrived but she was not near the explosion. I think I have a hard time believing Rachel is dead though because I though Maggie Gyllenhaal was wonderful as her. Katie Holmes was ok but I never truly believed that she was Rachel because Rachel is this strong, independent female character, and I just could not buy Holmes as that.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
“Madness is like gravity, you just need to give it a push…” Scary… Plain scary. Just got back from the movie & I am still reeling!
Nolan & the crew have hit the bullseye and how! Out here in India, you cheer everytime the hero hits the screen and this time it was the JOKER. But like said above, everyone played it up well and made a mark.
It was obviously the JOKER i couldn’t get over, he scared me. The sheer gut-wrenching violence in him… phew! I have to watch it again… Soon :D
July 18th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
it made total sense that batman would save harvey. first of all you knew thats who joker really wanted the whole time and he would be in far worse danger, second he had to save the person who was best for gotham not who’s best for him, rachel would have told him to go for harvey…
July 18th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
aahhh Samantha… Even I think Rachel isn’t dead :-)
July 18th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Samantha, I think Rachel is alive too! Well, more like hope she is alive…because I have no idea where she could be. That would be smart of the Joker to just let them think she was dead and keep her locked up somewhere as an insurance policy to get Bats back later.
July 18th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Great, great film! The story was good. What I didn’t like was that the ending, when the Commissioner was talking to his son, I couldn’t hear what he was saying! The music drowned him out.
I LOVED the Joker. (I always have.) I left the theater feeling so good because the movie was really good, but then once I got in my car, I felt sad all over again because, damn, Heath’s gone. :(
I don’t think Rachel would still be alive, though.
In the end, Two Face/Harvey Dent lives, right? And does the Joker get locked up?
July 18th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Saw the movie at midnight myself last night and was just floored by Heath. There’s the part where he’s swinging upside down after Batman saved him from the fall at the end, and he’s saying how he believes he and Batman are meant to do this forever… my heart sank thinking of all the good scenes of future movies with the two characters that COULD have been… and I can’t see them now without Heath. Ugh. He was just awesome in that part. Fascinating playing him as just plain crazy with no reason behind it.
Two-Face’s evolution could have been a LOT more interesting. He seriously gave up his entire life’s work just because his woman died? (I think she really is dead… it’d be pretty lame bringing her back years from now in the next one) Go from being a saint to threatening a child’s life? I didn’t buy it.
I also didn’t buy that Batman would’ve saved Harvey over Rachel, and thought he HAD made that choice… I didn’t see any references to him being tricked. Count me amongst the confused there!
I did love how strongly physical Batman was. The scene in the parking garage had everyone saying “yeah!” in that manly way, LOL
This is the only movie I’ve seen that I’m dying to see again IN the theater… normally I’m too cheap :)
July 18th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I think you need to read up on The Joker and Joker/Batman history before you make anymore ill-advised criticisms…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_%28comics%29
July 18th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
i agree in that it was pretty obvious the joker gave the wrong address. he told batman both addresses, and when batman said he was going to save rachel, the commissioner said he was going to the address that joker said harvey was at. joker knew batman’s feelings for rachel and so he sent him to the wrong address on purpose.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
By far one of the greatest, if not the greatest, comic book/superhero movies ever. Definitely the best Batman film so far. “Iron Man” was great, but this one takes the cake - it’s so real and you get lost in the chaos of it. Heath was outstanding and the rest of the cast was fantastic as well.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Didnt it make sense for Batman to choose Harvey Dent? He wanted to pass on the “hero of the city” to Dent. If he chose Rachel he would have to continue to save the city… and NOT be with her. Regardless he loses her? right?
July 18th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I thought all of it was awesome, Heath played the best joker i’ve ever seen and I’ve seen all the batman movies and the guy playing harvey dent nailed two face better than i’ve ever seen, the visual effects were crazy on that scene, I’ve never felt so compassionate about a movie more than this one, maybe due to the tradgey to come out of it but it was great, I believe you are right though, Joker is a sick minded freak and knowing that he would go save Rachael he decided to switch up the addresses cause he makes a statement of how he wanted to bring “two face” to their level, that was his plan all along, he knew somehow, someway he’d get him to turn evil, as harvey says you either live long enough to see yourself become the villian.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I loved the movie and I really got into the whole story. Even though the scenes were somewhat disjointed like you said, I got really emotional when people were dying and especially when Dent turned into two-face. I didn’t watch any batman movies before Batman Begins, and I didn’t see two-face coming, so when that happened, I was like having a mini-freak out in my mind about what was going to happen next and stuff. I loved it, and I loved Heath Ledgers performance. Really, I’ve never been afraid of clowns, but now I really see why people can be scared of them lol. I was honestly so afraid of his face and what he’d do next. I first thought that Batman thought he was getting Rachel also, but then later someone said it might have been on purpose not to…so then I got confused. I just decided for myself which one I would accept. lol I like to think he meant to get Rachel, but that when it was Harvey he found, that he realized he needed to get him and he had equally good reasons to save both.
I just loved it. The end.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
DUDE!!! YOU ARE DUMB>>>>
this movie was epic! it shows how american filmmaking is changing. people are scared to live in gotham. people should be scared and some are to live in this country. i dont even bother into getting into this but you are dumb!!!!! you misunderstood the movie a whole lot though i do know you said you enjoyed the film. Educate yourself on writing, mainly for your blog purposes, screenwriting, acting, and filmmaking and some common sense and then you’ll realize the only disjointed thing about all this is your brain, or lack there of.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I thought it was obvious when Gary Oldman’s characater said ‘which one are you going to’ and Batman said ‘ Rachel’ that he was going with the intention to save Rachel…just a guess. But it really was never explained afterwards. Plus in the end, Two Face says ‘ why did the joker chose me?’ Clearly Batman would’ve chosen Rachel over Harvey Dent, come on now!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:57 am
To Andrew: What the hell is up with you??? Trent thought the movie was great. Maybe you need to learn to read first before posting.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:22 am
you should read my post again. i acknowledged that he said it was good. its just the reasons he said for not liking the film are ridiculous. the moron didnt even understand some of the most basic things of the movie, like it was obvious the joker was messing with batman. CLEARLY, he would of chosen rachel over dent, no matter if a white knight was needed.
July 19th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I think the movie was confusing on the Harvey/Rachel switch - only because of Batman’s reaction when he opened the door and saw Harvey. I don’t remember him showing right there and then, shock that it wasn’t Rachel. I know he had to act fast to save Harvey, but if the Joker told him where Rachel was, and Batman said he was going to save Rachel, you would think he’d be sort of surprised to see Harvey instead.
Andrew - what Trent said isn’t fact, it is opinion, just because you don’t agree with it doesn’t make Trent a moron! Grow up.
July 19th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I don’t get people saying that Rachel isn’t dead — didn’t you see the explosion right behind her big head? I also don’t get people who are saying that Batman was going to save Harvey. When Commissioner Gordon asks him who he’s going after, he clearly says “Rachel” and hops on the Batpod (which rocked, by the way!). Anyway, I LOVED this movie and am definitely going to see it again. All the hype over Ledger’s performance was so well-deserved. He was fabulous and owned the Joker.
July 19th, 2008 at 11:54 am
your right, it doesnt make him a moron but watch the film one more time and then BOTH of you can see that he was shocked!!! you saying “i dont remember” really doesnt do you any good. it just makes him a bad blogger/critic if one is not even sure of what they are talking about especially when others read it.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/movies/18knig.html
he knows what he is talking about. plus, heath does deserve a nomination.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I haven’t been this blown away by a movie in a long time! It was just amazing! Everything, the acting was superb (Gary, Christian, HEATH, even Aaron!), the action, the story line, the directing, everything!! I loved that the movie itself wasn’t gory, but it was terrifyingly shocking (when Batman drops Maroni and CRUNCH goes his legs! and the Joker’s “dissapearing trick”!), I thought the humor was great, and I loved not knowing what the heck was coming next! Great movie fun, I would happily pay $10 and watch it again! The bar has most def been raise to a new level, it will be hard to beat this one!
July 19th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
this movie kicked aaaaaaass!!! WOOOOOOT!!! it was so twisted and dark and awesome! not confusing at all. everyone was so good! and that opening scene moving toward the office building windows, middle of the day….. everyone in the theatre waiting with bated breath! soo sweet!
it kicked ass! i can’t wait to see it again.
and that alfred has a story from “when i was younger” before he was with the Wayne family?! totally coool! eeeeeee! soo good!
okay i’m done.
so good.
July 19th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I thought it was a good movie. The theme and consistent are very consistent throughout. Solid acting from Ledger and Oldman. Eckhart was a good surprise. The movie is gripping throughout the 2.5 hours.
However, I did feel like something was missing, as the story unfolded. Maybe it’s too fast paced. I also didn’t get the switching of Harvey and Rachel, after so much discussion. Plainly, when Batman opened the door to see Harvey, I thought Joker must have intended to trick him.
I like how the end is - the contrast between the Dark Knight and White Knight. Personally, I don’t think Rachel and Two-Face are dead.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Batman chose Harvey because he is doing what’s best for Gotham, not what he wants. He always puts Gotham before himself. And the Joker’s message in the film was chaos, turning order against order to show disorder. His message was to show in the very end, people can have some evil in them. Like with the hospital, the guy in the car and truck were going to kill an innocent man. The Joker was just trying to exploit the corruption that could be caused on their own. Heath Ledger was amazing. They shouldn’t avoid nominating someone because they’re in a comic book franchise, rather look at how any actor can portray a character and their story no matter the film they’re in.
P.S. Thought it was funny that at the party for Dent the Joker ripped off part of the shrimp then threw it off, then he pretended to chew it. Same with the wine.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Loved every minute of the film! 2 cents…
I too am not convinced that Rachel is dead. For a while during the film I was waiting for her to come back … and it didn’t seem like she would have left the film choosing Dent over Wayne. We’ll see…
No one has commented on one of the best, albeit subtle, scenes in the film. The Joker is next to Dent’s hospital bed ranting about chaos and “the plan” and suddenly the mad man is the one making sense. Brilliant. An antiwar (and antiBush) statement weaved in seamlessly, especially when he says something to the effect, “a truck full of soldiers will blow up tomorrow but no one will think twice because it’s all ‘part of the plan’.” He makes his point, that , in the eyes of society, all lives are not equal. In the end, we see maybe Gotham will try to change that with the last scene with the boats.
Great action, great actors, and substantial dialog. Couldn’t ask for more.
July 20th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I loved the movie. Peroid. But I agree about being confused over who he chose. But I think he actually thought he was saving Rachel but upon seeing Harvey the good guy in him couldn’t just leave him. Plus I think the Joker knew what would happen. He never made plans but it always went with how he wanted it. With Harvey deranged from his loss the Joker made his move and made a butterfly effect by pointing out to Harvey why Rachel was dead. The dirty cops. I really think that Batman thought he was saving Rachel. He was too upset after to not believe that he wanted to save the woman he loved. But I loved how Maggie portrayed Rachel. I seriously don’t think that Katie Holmes could have done as great of a job as Maggie did in this movie.
July 20th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I really loved the movie. I personally thought that it was obvious that Batman was going to save Rachel because he yells to Lt. Gordon ‘you go get Dent’ (or something similar to that). I was also waiting for him to explain that to Dent near the end like some others have mentioned, but I think the fact that he didn’t mention it probably had something to do with how crazy Dent was near the end. He wouldn’t have believed him anyway so why should Batman go into specifics. He basically tells him that the Joker made the decision on who was saved because he wanted to prove that he could bring down even the purest person to his level. That part didn’t confuse me as much as some other people, but at the same time maybe it was intentionally confusing so it would get everyone talking.
You certainly can’t talk about the film without mentioning Heath Ledgers performance. All I can say was that is was truly amazing. A work of art even. He did such an amazing job that you were so engrossed in the character that you didn’t even really notice who the actor was. You didn’t think ‘Heath Ledger as the Joker’ while watching it you just thought of the Joker as a completely separate entity. It was truly amazing.
I absolutely loved the entire film and can’t wait to see it again. And on a totally shallow note, Christian Bale, is HOT! He looks amazing in that bat suit, and those lips! Swoon!
July 20th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
When the joker tells batman the addresses of Harvey and Rachel the new commisioner (i forget his name) asks Batman who he is going to save. Batman says “Rachel” and the commisioner goes to find Harvey. The reason they both don’t end up in the same place is because the joker lied about the addresses and switched them. The joker was thinking batman will choose who he wants to save and then show up and it be the other person. Batman wanted to save Rachel so the joker him that her address was really where Harvey was. Therefore disappointing Batman. Sorry if this is confusing I have no better way of explaining it.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
SPOILER ALERT What about the scene with Lucius Fox and and Bruce Wayne reviewing the new Bat suit?When Bruce asks “Will it protect against dogs?’ Lucius says, “Rottweilers, chihuahuas…even cats.” Could this be setting the stage for the next instillation and a properly developed and cast Cat Woman?
July 21st, 2008 at 8:27 am
Loved it. Trent, it seems like you gave more negative reviews that positive ones?!?!!?!….I do agree with you in that at the beggining, the movie wasnt really capturing my attention, but after a few minutes, I was hooked to it till the end. Heath completely stole the movie, and his performance was INCREDIBLE.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:39 am
negative reviews? i merely stated that the disjointed nature of some of the scenes made the storyline disorienting for me … and maybe that was the point that Nolan was trying to make? i don’t recall saying a negative thing about Heath, his performance was pretty perfect for me. opinions aren’t necessarily a negation, they’re merely observations. i think i was quite clear that I loved the film.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:13 am
although i can understand where the previous commenters viewed batman’s decision as the right choice for gotham, i don’t think it was intentional. ONLY because he told gordon he was going to get rachel. i think the joker (which, by the way, was brillantly played by heath ledger) gave him the wrong address knowing he would attempt to save rachel and not harvey. why else wouldn’t he have told gordon he was going to get harvey, in the hopes that maybe gordon could reach rachel in time?
everyone’s so quick to jump on trent’s review! maaaan. he’s a celebrity gossip blogger, not a professional film critic. it’s just his opinion, which i believe he should be entitled to voice since this is HIS blog. lol :)
imo, the movie was great — a tad long, but well thought out and portrayed. i went in thinking the hype over heath’s performance was only because of his tragic and untimely death. i am glad to say i was wrong, and he deserves every single one of the rave reviews. it’s heartbreaking that he’s no longer with us to be able to get the credit (in person) that the role is giving him.
July 21st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
What if instead of Batman saying that he was going to “Save Rachel”, he was actually instructing Gordon to go “Save Rachel”. Am I the only one who thinks it could’ve been interpreted as an order for Gordon, instead of stating what he was going to do himself?
July 21st, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Thank you Molly for bringing up Gary Oldman. He was amazing (as always). The most AMAZING underrated actor of our time who deserves our cheers and applause! Heath was obviously incredible, but Gary (who had the most screen time over everyone in it) stole it for me. :)
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 am
I have to say I knew this movie would be amazing, but still there are no words to describe it. Heath was out of this world. I kept turning to my friend during the movie saying, it’s just not even him. He portrayed the Joker so well. Aaah, I just yeah I loved it. I loved him, Christian Bale as always, everyone. After reading all of the comments about Batman saving Harvey and not Rachel, everyone has the same confusion. But, Gordon didn’t ask Batman who should I save? He asked Batman Where are you going? And Batman yelled Rachel. I think that’s how the dialogue went. So we know that the Joker mixed up the addresses on purpose. He knew that saving Dent would not only make Dent go nuts but also Batman cuz he even said at one point in the movie, I saw the way you looked at her.(the joker to batman) So that’s my take. And I just want to add that some critics were trying to say that this movie wouldn’t have done as well if Heath Ledger was still alive. But that is just not true. Before he passed away people were already raving about his turn as the joker. Either way he was an amazing actor, and this movie just proves what great things would have come from him.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 am
i totally agree w/you, jen.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 am
yeah, i agree with Jen too about the Rachel/Harvey situation…
plus, if Batman changed his mind and decided to choose and save Harvey, wouldn’t Batman and Gordon end up at the same place??? which is where Rachel was..
well, if he did changed his mind, he could’ve saved Rachel since the Joker switched addresses… she could’ve been the one who is alive….
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:17 am
I totally agree with the part of: Not being sucked into the movie.. I realized I was watching something rather than being a part of something.. Im gonna watch it again and give it another chance..
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
kudos to the makers Dark Knight for their record breaking opening weekend… it’s no wonder there’s talk of another one coming out ASAP
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
TRENT IS AN UGLY FUCK!!!! everything makes trent disoriented. ha.
July 25th, 2008 at 7:25 am
The Joker Didnt Specifically say where each of them were he just said one is at this adress and the other at this.. no names were included