The Dark Knight (2008)

By CRIKEY
in Movie Ratings

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Grand Master

Kev1n

Posted
Posted

The movie, was brilliant. And trust me I went in with sky-high expectations.

It's not flawless, the morality play got a bit overbearing in the end (though it's still dealt with quite deftly), and most of the fistfights aren't much better than in Begins. I also found Dent's transition to Two-Face not entirely convincing.

But my god this is such an exhilarating ride, and it's never, ever dumb. As much as I liked Begins, it isn't a very good standalone film. It was always going to need a special sequel for it to work well, and in The Dark Knight the Nolans have delivered it. If there were bits of fantasy in Begins, all trace of it has all but evaporated here. Gotham is real, and unlike in every other superhero movies, the city isn't just a battleground between the hero and the villain, where civilians are there just to be saved or used as hostages by the bad guy. No, this Gotham is a breathing, living city. The population is a character. Almost everyone is imbued with a story and real character.

Heath Ledger was great. I however think people are just slightly overpraising him. Bale was excellent. As Bruce Wayne you get to really see how tired and lonely he has become; but once he dons the suit he knows what he has to be and he becomes the most intimidating hero of all. The same applies to the entire cast, they were all great. Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie G, Eric Roberts. Batman is still the main character here, but it wouldn't be very wrong to call this an ensemble cast between Bale, Ledger, Oldman, and Eckhart.

As for the action... well there is only one major action sequence - the SWAT van chase. And it's absolutely fantastic! Tops everything in Indy IV, and thus far the best action sequence of the year. All the more impressive that it's (almost) all done without CGI. The Tumbler chase in Begins has nothing... NOTHING on this. This is the closest you will get to experiencing the AT-AT moment in The Empire Strikes Back. Oh and the batpod, from how it emerges to how it flips back off the wall, is ultra cool.

When the end comes, with all the morality and emotional play the movie presents, it gets a tad heavy. But it's all still good. This is an explosive ride. And very exhausting. When I was walking out the theater I though "Wow they sure as hell crammed a lot into the movie. So many things happened." For those who say Begins didn't have any memorable moments, this aint gonna happen here.. From the Joker's magic trick, to the chase sequence, to the hospital, to the batpod, this film is choke full of memorable stuff.

9/10. I'm definitely watching this at least one more time in the cinema. I'm not calling this a masterpiece just yet, but who knows after giving it some time....

Mentor

benplace

Posted
Posted
Did anyone else think that it should have been rated R? The movie is flawless in my opinion and I need to see it again. Ledger's performance bring the Joker to a new disturbing level. Make no mistake, this is not for kids.

Not for kids?? I was going to take my daughter to see it today, she is 9 and loved Batman Begins. I dont think I can get away with not taking her to this now.

Veteran

aubaine

Posted
Posted

I must say, I was thoroughly impressed. I do agree with Kev1n about the "morality play" being too overbearing at times.

For example, I was VERY disappointed with the boat scene. When the convict threw the detonator out the window, I thought that was great. After that though, the man in the suit on the other boat should have pressed the detonator.... and blown up his own boat. THAT would have been much more in-line with what the Joker would have done, with what the Joker was trying to prove to the city, and would have made a much stronger statement in the movie. Unfortunately, it would have made the movie TOO dark for Hollywood.

When the "magic trick" happened, everyone in the audience immediately cringed and gasped. What a brilliant moment!

I was also underwhelmed by Eckhart's performance and transition, but that's nitpicking. As much as I LOVE Maggie G., I was also a bit unimpressed with her performance. It may have been unfair for me to have watched "Stranger than Fiction" earlier that day though.

Overall, excellent film, I WILL see it again to catch the things I missed.

Not for kids?? I was going to take my daughter to see it today, she is 9 and loved Batman Begins. I dont think I can get away with not taking her to this now.

I would advise against taking younger kids to this movie. It is VERY violent. And not "lots of guns and blood" violent - it's a much more real and personal violence. The way in which the character treat each other (especially the "good guys") is quite disturbing and even cruel.

On top of that, Ledger's performance is beyond creepy. It's beyond "Pennywise-disturbing". No, I wouldn't take a 9-year old to this movie.

Mentor

The Scarecrow

Posted
Posted
Did anyone else think that it should have been rated R? The movie is flawless in my opinion and I need to see it again. Ledger's performance bring the Joker to a new disturbing level. Make no mistake, this is not for kids.

+1

Yes. There were scenes that had obviously been cute funny. It was almost like it got an R rating and they wanted the PG-13 rating so they just hacked it to get the rating. There were two prime places were this happened. I expect an UNRATED DVD when it comes out. I would not take my 9yr old to see this one. I am not even taking my 11 year old. This was a little to graphic and dark for them to see.

Grand Master

Smigit

Posted
Posted

I don't really think it needed an R...it really wasn't THAT heavy. If movies like Saw here can get M15+ then I don't see batman needing an R. I don't know what it's rated in the US but here it's M or M15 and really those aren't ratings designed for 9 year old kids. It wasn't soft but I've seen far more heavy films than this get similar ratings.

The issue is that people expect Batman to be a kids movie without giving it a second thought. Probably a stigma from a few of the original films...especially any featuring Robbin.

as for Harvey...I'm pretty sure he's dead.

Mentor

benplace

Posted
Posted

So what is so bad that people think it should be rated R? Is there nudity, sex? Or is it just violent? I heard there wasn't much blood in it. My kid doesnt get frightened easily, she liked the sixth sense, it didnt bother her, so would this? She is going to be so upset if I dont take her now that I told her we were going.

Grand Master

Lqv2015

Posted
Posted

A more detail review here.

TDK was a total different movie from Begins. Nolan put on his A game here. From the chase scene to the hospital explosion & to the rooftop fight at the end. You'll get your worth of admission here alone on the action scenes. Batman's combat scenes are much better than Begins. But I do realize Nolan made the Batman fights in Begin to show how sneaky & ninja like Batman really is.

The plot was a bit more confusion this time around. You really got to put on your thinking cap on here. Like the financial plot. Where the mob gave everything to Lao. To who was the mole in the cops unit. I sat there for over 10 minutes trying to figure out how the Joker got his hand on Harvey & Racheal. The ending scene when the cops were on the rooftop trying to find & kill the Joker. Again, so many things packed into 2.5 hours. There's was no stop whatsoever. It doesn't stop to let you grasp what you just saw.

To those who said there's no climax. I'll agree. Nothing really ends. I just know in my mind this was just a first half of what Nolan had intended for. Joker & Two Face have to return in the third installment. But again, Nolan will have to rewrite it now since Ledger is no longer around.

In the end I wasn't satisfied because there was no real conclusion. This film doesn't end with a happy ending at all. It's like going to a buffet. You come in hungry. You get your satisfaction going through it. But in the end, you feel f'd up & have to give it some time to digest. It was too much to swallow all at once. TDK have to be my second satisfaction comic book movie off all-time. 2003 Spidey is still my first. Yes I know it wasn't that great but I left that feeling sky high & wanted a second right away.

I want to wait until more of you guys have seen it to really get into the meat of it. So many questions I have & don't know where to begin asking.

So what is so bad that people think it should be rated R? Is there nudity, sex? Or is it just violent? I heard there wasn't much blood in it. My kid doesnt get frightened easily, she liked the sixth sense, it didnt bother her, so would this? She is going to be so upset if I dont take her now that I told her we were going.

I don't think it deserves an R rating. Even though it is pretty dark. Much more than Begins. I agree, you shouldn't take your 9 yr olds to this. First off, they won't understand it. And if they're just in it for the action scene, they'll be somewhat disappointed. There really isn't that much really. This ain't all colorful & fun like Iron Man or Spidey. The Joker is a scary character. Don't buy them a Joker toy. They'll have nightmares. :laugh:

Wrong! It does work! See?

Funny. It works on my iPod touch. Not on my computer. :blink:

Lqv2015, where did you get that avatar from is there a larger version?

thejokerbywelchtoonshq8.jpg

Grand Master

giga Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted
So what is so bad that people think it should be rated R? Is there nudity, sex? Or is it just violent? I heard there wasn't much blood in it. My kid doesnt get frightened easily, she liked the sixth sense, it didnt bother her, so would this? She is going to be so upset if I dont take her now that I told her we were going.

Just violence. If she handled Sixth Sense fine then there shouldn't be a problem.

Veteran

aubaine

Posted
Posted
Just violence. If she handled Sixth Sense fine then there shouldn't be a problem.

As I mentioned before, it's not violence that's the problem, it's brutality. A major part of the plot is that Batman is much of a morally "grey" character. In other words, your kid will be seeing someone that she idolizes committing acts of intimate brutality, allowing their anger to control their actions, etc. Kids at that age can't process "The character of Batman is progressing through a developmental stage during which he must come very close to pure evil in order to do what's right." They just see Batman, a "good guy" torturing people, thus making it ok for them to do the same.

And why you would be more concerned about nudity or sex as opposed to human beings being cruel to other human beings is completely beyond me.

Grand Master

Jase

Posted
Posted

Someone posted above that there is blood in this movie.. Where?.. most of the Violence has been cut... from the movie release and you can tell exactly where Nolan cut it.. just to keep the PG rating.

One example being One part is when the Joker is in the bodybag, and then puts the knife into his mouth.. remember the Why so serious part? yeah that part after he slices the guy in the mouth.. was cut.. Also when Batman Confronts the joker and beating the living crap out of him.. not one drop of blood... and finally the truck chase scene.. the truck tipped upside down yet.. there was not a scratch on Joker?

I hope they release: The Dark Knight - Directors cut.

Grand Master

Smigit

Posted
Posted
and finally the truck chase scene.. the truck tipped upside down yet.. there was not a scratch on Joker?
he was limping pretty bad after the car crash, more so than his usual stagger of a walk IMHO. To me he looked injured. I mean it was a big crash but would it really slice him up? It's not like a car where it gets totally smashed in, the truck still retained much of it's structural integrity. To me the apparent pain in his legs and general shook up way in which he walked seemed appropriate for the crash he was in. Maybe thats me.

Also I'm unsure whether they would have ever filmed the part where the guy gets his mouth cut up. Seems almost inteneded to be an off camera shot.

Anyway film didn't need blod really and I can't think of too many scenes where it was absent for the wrong reasons.

They could just as easily have covered it up like they did with Gordon's death to preserve his image and inspire the people of Gotham. For me it's hard to say if he is really dead.

They could have, but I just got the feeling he was dead. They didn't mention anything but to me the tone in which they spoke to me pointed towards him no longer being alive. You could shake it the other way but and they may choose to use that as a linking point into the next film. Thing is but they are pinning his crimes on Batman because the Jokers around still and thus it'd be hard to make him take the fall. Equally won't it be difficult to keep Harvey Dents existence quiet. They already don't trust their own police force and if they think the public aren't going to buy the Joker being responsible for the crimes how can they then expect police and other people to conspire to keep Harvey Dent secret. I think it just makes more sense if he is dead, especially the whole part of Batman taking the fall to protect his name which I don't think they would even attempt had he lived.

Anyway I'm really interested to see what becomes of the Joker character. Part of me doesn't want to see him recast but to be honest I thought Ledger was a mistake to begin with and now think he should be up for an academy award. I sort of think now that they should continue the character and that if they can nail the casting twice maybe it can work. Sure it'll be controversal but probably no more so than the release of this film. But hes such a great character that I feel it would be a shame to retire him now, especially after all the work Ledger did building him up. I think it would be a huge mark of respect and a appreciation of what Ledger did if the character was selected for another outing.

Grand Master

xp1ode

Posted
Posted

I just watched it last night and i must say it was everything i expected it to be. From day one of watching the trailer and knowing that Heath Ledger was going to be the Joker, somehow i knew he was going to deliver. Every single second he was on screen i enjoyed it, although i did miss the laugh, i thought they should've put more scenes where he did the joker laugh. The movie was pretty awesome and i actually didn't notice it had a PG rating till reading this last page of this thread. I must say the movie was great and Heath really did a great job playing the joker. Great movie and great acting.

Grand Master

SuperJediMedia

Posted
Posted

I SAW The Dark Knight...

OMG THIS MOVIE IS PERFECT/FLAWLESS... BEST Movie in a LONG time!!! only words to describe this movie!!! :D :woot:

YOU MUST SEE IT NOW!!!

Heath Ledger MUST earn an Oscar for his role as the Joker, it's WAY BETTER than I thought it was.

You ain't see nothing yet, of his Oscar-Winning performances, just from the trailer.

He is The PERFECT JOKER!!! And, Christian Bale is the PERFECT BATMAN TOO!!!

It is not just the BEST Batman movie EVER, but BEST Comic Book movie EVER, period.

Grand Master

Lqv2015

Posted
Posted (edited)

Jedi, you don't have to post the exact same thing on both threads. :p

What scenes stood out the most for you guys.

Immediately I thought of the blown up hospital scene. When the Joker walks away from it. I don't know how he can act under that circumstance. Pretty hard knowing a hospital is blowing up right behind you. It's a one time money shot & he nailed it. Too funny. I loved it.

Edited by Lqv2015
Grand Master

Jase

Posted
Posted
I SAW The Dark Knight...

OMG THIS MOVIE IS PERFECT/FLAWLESS... BEST Movie in a LONG time!!! only words to describe this movie!!! :D :woot:

YOU MUST SEE IT NOW!!!

Heath Ledger MUST earn an Oscar for his role as the Joker, it's WAY BETTER than I thought it was.

You ain't see nothing yet, of his Oscar-Winning performances, just from the trailer.

He is The PERFECT JOKER!!! And, Christian Bale is the PERFECT BATMAN TOO!!!

It is not just the BEST Batman movie EVER, but BEST Comic Book movie EVER, period.

Unquestionably.

Grand Master

Mathachew Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted
Jedi, you don't have to post the exact same thing on both threads. :p

What scenes stood out the most for you guys.

Immediately I thought of the blown up hospital scene. When the Joker walks away from it. I don't know how he can act under that circumstance. Pretty hard knowing a hospital is blowing up right behind you. It's a one time money shot & he nailed it. Too funny. I loved it.

Uh.. dude, spoiler tags.

Grand Master

Smigit

Posted
Posted
Jedi, you don't have to post the exact same thing on both threads. :p

What scenes stood out the most for you guys.

Immediately I thought of the blown up hospital scene. When the Joker walks away from it. I don't know how he can act under that circumstance. Pretty hard knowing a hospital is blowing up right behind you. It's a one time money shot & he nailed it. Too funny. I loved it.

The above as well as the car chase, especially when he pulls out the bazooka. Add to that the scene where he cuts the guy up (of screen) but only after telling him the story with the dad asking "why so serious". That was dark.

lastly the opener where all the badies were picking themselves off one after the other. That was hilarious.

If I had to add one more it'd be the sequence where Rachael dies and the bits leading up to in the police HQ up until the point where you find out that guys chesct pain was because he had a bomb in there and you could see the phone light up. Probably an entire chapter more than a scene but the entire sequence was fabulous.

Bah too many good ones.

Grand Master

Ayepecks

Posted
Posted
Jedi, you don't have to post the exact same thing on both threads. :p

What scenes stood out the most for you guys.

Immediately I thought of the blown up hospital scene. When the Joker walks away from it. I don't know how he can act under that circumstance. Pretty hard knowing a hospital is blowing up right behind you. It's a one time money shot & he nailed it. Too funny. I loved it.

The "magic trick" scene. :laugh: I don't think I need to put any spoilers on that, as you all know what I mean and people going won't be spoiled :)

This movie was amazing. I'm not sure if I liked this one or Begins more, but they were both amazing.

5/5

Grand Master

Jase

Posted
Posted (edited)

not really a spoiler but..did anyone notice this: Mayor wore mascara or eyeliner

and to all saying that Maggie didn't do a good job as Kate did in Batman Begins.. I personally think she did a great job, its the other way around.. Kate Holmes is overrated.. she can't act at all.. and when she does it looks like some sort of high school drama.

I am glad Nolan picked Maggie to play Rachel... She an Upcoming actor.. and a good one at that (Y)

Edited by Jase
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On the flip side, the device lacks software customization, the built-in AI needs improvement, the smart dial is a bit wobbly, and there is no ambient light sensor. EA Sports UFC 6 EA Sports UFC 6 does a better job at onboarding new players than most fighting games, according to Pulasthi's detailed review. The game comes with rewarding combat systems, top-notch animation, impressive impact physics, and visible damage on fighters. However, the menus lag a lot, grappling isn't very fun, and the flow state feels a little misplaced. More price drops! We got you covered with some hot tech deals all week. For some reason, if you missed out on a great discount, here is a summary of some recent deals that are still alive: GIGABYTE Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming OC ICE 16G - $649.99 (13% off) 1TB Samsung T7 Portable SSD - $189.98 (31% off) AirPods Pro 3 - $179 ($50 off) Edifier R1280Ts Powered Bookshelf Speakers - $129.99 (24% off) To view all of our recent deals, click here. So, these were some of the biggest tech news and other updates from this week. There will be more issues of our 7 Days series in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing to extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option. Have a great weekend!
    • AMD 9070XT

      By cooky560 · Posted

      Well I've done a grand total of nothing, and it now clocks between 2010mhz and 1995mhz (stock is 1710mhz) and hovers around 80c, warmer than it used to, but tolerable clocks seem to have returned. Thanks for all the advice on this thread. Will review the evidence and make a choice.
    • Microsoft hides these secret Windows 11 performance boost settings available on every PC

      By ExPat · Posted

      Looking forward to the test results.
    • Audacious 4.6.1

      By Copernic · Posted

      Audacious 4.6.1 by Razvan Serea Audacious is a lightweight, open-source audio player that emphasizes simplicity, performance, and sound quality. Designed for Linux, Windows, and macOS, it supports a wide range of audio formats, internet radio streaming, and playlist management. Users can customize the interface with Winamp-style skins or modern themes, making it flexible for different preferences. Audacious also includes an equalizer, advanced audio effects, and a plugin system for extending functionality. Its low resource usage makes it especially suitable for older computers or users who value efficiency without sacrificing playback quality. Audacious key features: High audio quality – delivers clean, gapless playback with minimal distortion. Wide format support – plays MP3, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, WAV, WMA, and more. Internet radio streaming – supports Shoutcast, Icecast, and other online streams. Winamp skin support – classic, nostalgic look for users who prefer the old-school style. Modern GTK-based interface – clean, simple UI with a more modern feel. Customizable themes – change appearance through skins and themes. Advanced playlist management – organize, save, and edit playlists with ease. Equalizer – fine-tune audio output with a built-in graphical equalizer. Audio effects – built-in DSP options like crossfade, replay gain, and more. Plugin system – extend functionality with additional components. File metadata support – displays and organizes music based on tags. Drag-and-drop support – quickly add songs or playlists. Global hotkey support – control playback without switching windows. Bit-perfect output modes – bypass system mixers for pure audio output. ReplayGain support – normalizes track loudness automatically. Cue sheet support – play entire albums from a single audio file with .cue. MPRIS2 integration – integrates with Linux desktop environments for media controls. Advanced resampling options – adjust playback quality with different resampler settings. Gapless playback – seamless transition between tracks encoded properly. Crossfade plugin – blend one song into the next smoothly. Last.fm scrobbling plugin – track listening history online. Remote control support – control Audacious via command-line or scripts. Lyrics plugin – display song lyrics if available. Alarm / timer plugin – start or stop playback at set times. SOX resampler plugin – high-quality resampling for audiophiles. Spectrum analyzer / visualization plugins – visual feedback while playing music. Headphone crossfeed effect – simulates speaker listening for headphones. Customizable buffer size – tweak latency and playback smoothness. Audacious 4.6.1 changelog: Use XDG cache dir to store temporary files (#1817) Accept embedded lyrics in more cases (#1818) Bump .so and plugin ABI versions retrospectively (#1819) Include Georgian translation (#1820) Fix build on systems using musl instead of glibc (#1823) Download: Audacious 4.6.1 | 48.2 MB (Open Source) Download: Portable Audacious 4.6.1 | 69.8 MB View: Audacious Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

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