[MatrixEquilibrium]

This movie has broken the opening debut record, the opening weekend record, and the record for the second-weekend after opening. I'm not sure if it's because of Heath Ledger, or the sudden interest in movies (lol..), but facts are facts: even critics rated this movie an A on average. Most critics criticize Hollywood movies, or the usual ones. Point is: Great movie, great plot, amazing acting (mostly Joker), etc.

For those of you who have watched it already, what were your thoughts?

What'd you think about the movie's length? It was 2 hours and 40 minutes I believe, or something near that.

How about that Joker? And two-face?

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Absolotley Amazing Film!!

Joker is Amazing Character!

I can Defianltey See why it Got an average A From critics!

SpuD

[==SpuD==]

Absolotley Amazing Film!!

Joker is Amazing Character!

I can Defianltey See why it Got an average A From critics!

SpuD

[TheQuickBrownFox]

It wasn't exactly something like the other superhero movies. The Dark Knight focused more on the philosophical aspect rather than the spectacle that someone would usually expect from a superhero movie. It was definitely one of the best films I've ever watched.

[jt1990]

I just watched the Spider-Man trilogy, but haven't seen TDK. How did it compare with SM?

[dsenette]

the dark knight obliterates anything spiderman....both from a movie standpoint and from a continuity of story stand point
these last two batman movies (batman begins and the dark knight) stick A LOT closer to the "real story" (i know i know it's a comic book) than the spiderman movies....i know peter parker is supposed to be a bit of a loser...but he's not as big of a loser as Toby McGuire.....

Heath ledger's joker is BY FAR THE BEST JOKER EVER.....it truly captures the insanity and chaos that was at the root of the character...in the better streams of the batman comic (there are so many variants) the joker isn't some mischievous trickster like in the original TV series with adam west...he's a pure psychopath bent on chaos and anarchy...ledger captures that feeling for the entire movie....even down to simple gestures and movements (just watch the guy talk even when it's something meaningless)...it's fantastic

i'm going to have to go see it again because we had to sit down in the front of the theater....we saw the IMAX version (don't recommend it) which wasn't really worth the extra money...there are only 4 scenes that are different and they're not plot making scenes...plus in our theater for some reason the sound wasn't synched up....it was almost like watching a dubbed movie at times

[==SpuD==]

Heath ledger's joker is BY FAR THE BEST JOKER EVER.....it truly captures the insanity and chaos that was at the root of the character...in the better streams of the batman comic (there are so many variants) the joker isn't some mischievous trickster like in the original TV series with adam west...he's a pure psychopath bent on chaos and anarchy...ledger captures that feeling for the entire movie....even down to simple gestures and movements (just watch the guy talk even when it's something meaningless)...it's fantastic

Heath Ledger is defiantley DEFIANLTEY the best Joker, rather inspiring

Iam defiantley going to have to see it again, one of those films i could watch 5 times in a row!

[Fred21543]

Kind of scary how it suddenly became rated #1 on IMDB overnight..

http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

replacing the godfather which has been out since 1972

[BHowett]

The question is since Heath Ledger did such a great job, who's going to play the Joker in the next one and be able keep the same pace?

[MatrixEquilibrium]

I honestly think that the reason this movie broke records was firstly, because of the actual input into the remake, and the fact that Batman is completely different than spider-man. Everything in batman was something physically possible. Gliding, tools, even his impressive macho car, lol, and the motorcycle as well...the point is - Spiderman is too fake, as well as Hulk, Fantastic Four, X-Men, etc. The second reason is because of Heath Ledger.

I also enjoyed the fact the movie was long; it cost 5 bucks (weekdays) for almost 3 hours, I liked it. ;-)


[The Joker holds Rachel Dawes out of a window]
Batman: Let her go.
The Joker: Ooh... Very poor choice of words!
[The Joker lets her drop and laughs maniacally]

[MatrixEquilibrium]

The question is since Heath Ledger did such a great job, who's going to play the Joker in the next one and be able keep the same pace?

Who could?

I'm not sure if any of you heard, but Heath Ledger was called by Jack Nicholson , the actor for the 1989 version of Batman, and he was warned not to take the job.

Read this, it's really interesting.

[MatrixEquilibrium]

Heath Ledger thought landing the demanding role of the Joker was a dream come true - but now some think it was a nightmare that led to his tragic death.

Jack Nicholson, who played the Joker in 1989 - and who was furious he wasn't consulted about the creepy role - offered a cryptic comment when told Ledger was dead.

"Well," Nicholson told reporters in London early Wednesday, "I warned him."

Though the remark was ambiguous, there's no question the role in the movie earmarked as this summer's blockbuster took a frightening toll.

Ledger recently told reporters he "slept an average of two hours a night" while playing "a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy ...

"I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."

Prescription drugs didn't help, he said.

Ledger's ghastly image as the Clown Prince of Crime in "Dark Knight" has been an Internet sensation since trailers were released in December, featuring Ledger in full death's-head mode.

His face chalk-white, his hair green and his mouth a sliced red grimace, the handsome 28-year-old Australian actor looked frighteningly true to the character in the Alan Moore graphic novel, "Batman: The Killing Joke."

The movie wrapped filming in the fall - right after Ledger's breakup with actress Michelle Williams - and post-production work finished not long after.

While "Dark Knight" is the film that will stand as Ledger's cinematic gravestone, insiders say the flick, set for a July 18 release with Christian Bale as Batman, won't suffer from his death.

"Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is already one of the most anticipated screen characters of the whole year," says Gitesh Pandya, editor of the movie tracking site boxofficeguru.com

"I think most of the audience will still be there. If anything, I would think the marketing of his character might be scaled down a bit.

"The Joker is a character where you could go over-the-top with marketing. The studio might scale that back a bit in the next few months, just to be respectful."

Tony Timpone, editor of the fantasy magazine Fangoria, said the movie should do well, despite the "cloud over it" from Ledger's death.

"It's going to be tough, because the Joker is such an indelible character, and Heath was such an indelible actor. It could be tough to disassociate ourselves from reality. Because the movie looks like it's going to be so dark, and his life had such a dark end."

Critic and film historian Leonard Maltin said Ledger's death will heighten curiosity about the movie - and certainly won't hurt the box office.

"This is sad and so different from any previous examples, because the film has such an enormous built-in audience; people will go anyway, but there's no question it could cast something of a pall over the film," Maltin said.

"It says something about the curious nature of film, that someone can be so alive onscreen when we're all too aware that they've passed. It underscores how we're mortal, and films are immortal."

[Tal]

Kind of scary how it suddenly became rated #1 on IMDB overnight..

http://www.imdb.com/chart/top

replacing the godfather which has been out since 1972

That's just my point.

Well, I've watched it yesterday and I had high hopes - I got them alright. The acting was great, particularly Heath Ledger in his role of the Joker. The Joker was a complex character and this is one of the things that made this movie quite a good watch. Other actors were good, too. The filming was good, too. The message of the movie (I won't spoil it for those who have not watched it yet) is powerful, and yet the movie fails to properly deliver it, simply because it is too long (moreover, it feels long due to the long and stressful scenes). Had 'The Dark Knight' been shorter in about an half an hour or more, the message would have been more powerful, if delivered at once. To convey a powerful message, you need a powerful ending, pure and simple ("The Usual Suspects", for example). That said, these long and stressful scenes were done quite well and left you on the edge of your seat, terrified often. Unfortunately there are too much of these and looking back at the movie, there are parts which I simply cannot remember.

Apart from this, the movie really is brilliant. It's sparkled with humor which is not overdone and thankfully, non-slapstick. This movie is not a comedy by any means, but there are a lot of funny bits which are carefully applied to the movie. Action scenes were good, too. CGI was not overdone (in fact, you can hardly spot any places where it has been used) and these scenes weren't long and tiring.

So what's my point that I stated in the beginning? Well, this is not a #1 IMDB Top 250 movie. No way. It's a great movie, yet it has very kitchy scenes (which is probably inevitable these days) and it's too long. It cannot be compared to masterpieces such as The Godfather and The Shawshack Redemption who traditionally hold the first places on this scale. They are simply on another level, they cannot be compared to this. Hopefully, this rating is caused by the hype caused by the movie (particularly the fact that Heath Ledger plays there).

[Troy]

Absolotley Amazing Film!!

Joker is Amazing Character!

I can Defianltey definitely See why it Got an average A From critics!

SpuD

Heath ledger's joker is BY FAR THE BEST JOKER EVER.....it truly captures the insanity and chaos that was at the root of the character...in the better streams of the batman comic (there are so many variants) the joker isn't some mischievous trickster like in the original TV series with adam west...he's a pure psychopath bent on chaos and anarchy...ledger captures that feeling for the entire movie....even down to simple gestures and movements (just watch the guy talk even when it's something meaningless)...it's fantastic

Heath Ledger is defiantley DEFIANLTEY definitely DEFINITELY the best Joker, rather inspiring

Iam defiantley definitely going to have to see it again, one of those films i could watch 5 times in a row!

Fixed, but only the one word - plenty more I could get... Sorry, I couldn't help it!

Although I definitely do want to see this film...

[Granz00]

So what's my point that I stated in the beginning? Well, this is not a #1 IMDB Top 250 movie. No way. It's a great movie, yet it has very kitchy scenes (which is probably inevitable these days) and it's too long. It cannot be compared to masterpieces such as The Godfather and The Shawshack Redemption who traditionally hold the first places on this scale. They are simply on another level, they cannot be compared to this. Hopefully, this rating is caused by the hype caused by the movie (particularly the fact that Heath Ledger plays there).

What do you mean by kitchy scenes? Also, I disagree with people who think that movies are too long. Maybe if the problem is that it drags on then that could be an issue. However, people make claims that movies are too long based solely on the actual length of the movie. If it is long due to an abundance of good content, like in this case, then that makes it better. Also, whether or not this movie can compare to movies like the Godfather is a personal opinion. Sure its possible that the rating initially came from hype. However, I feel that overall this movie earned its score by the masses.

I for one do not really get into the whole actor/actress thing. I watch movies for the movie and not the people who play in them. In fact, I didn't even know who the joker was while watching the movie. All I know is that I liked the first one, so I wanted to see the second one. It is unfair to compare movies of different ages, since styles are always changing, graphics are always changing, and everything else too. I can say that this is currently my favorite movie, yet I can't necessarily say that this is the most joy I have ever gotten out of watching a movie.

Anyways...

Spoiler

One of my favorite things about this movie was small behaviors in the joker. For example, when he first met up with the different mobs, he walks in there all high and mighty, and slams the guy's head into the pencil to make it 'disappear'. The interesting part though is how he acted after that. When he was threatened, he didn't retaliate all high and mighty anymore, yet he didn't act scared either.

My point is that even during less meaningfull incedents, the joker always seemed to display a perfect emotion for the part. This could be overexageration, or maybe not, I would have to watch the movie again to see. However, stuff like this just made the movie seem perfect to me.

If you have not seen the movie yet, then you are missing out big time... Hurry on over to that movie theater...

Edited by Granz00, 30 July 2008 - 10:30 AM.

[MatrixEquilibrium]

lol, that scene was hilarious. He came prepared too.