Batman: the Dark Knight

[jebus]

How ****ing unbelievably ****ing amazing is this movie going to be?

WaIR9dAZRR0

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[jmurphyc]

I can't wait. I've been dying to see it for at least six months now. I really liked the last one and Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale are both fantastic.

[passinginterest]

I hope to God this doesn't turn out to be the biggest led down ever. I'm so worried that we're all expecting it to be amazing and anything less will be disappointing.

It looks incredible, everything about it sounds brilliant, I can't wait. I might cry if it's not truly brilliant.

[cheifo]

Best Trailer I have seen in a while.Looks great fun.

[jebus]

I think we can all honestly say it's going to be the greatest thing to ever happen to mankind in the history of the planet

[jebus]

Dear jesus don't litter this thread with pictures of him in the same way you hijaked the Amy Winehouse thread :D

[Neish]

Looks great, been waiting for this since Batman Begins, when is Irish release date?

Was this Heath Ledger last completed movie?

[jebus]

Looks great, been waiting for this since Batman Begins, when is Irish release date?

Was this Heath Ledger last completed movie?

Something like July 25th

Yep

[John83]

I've been looking forward to it for ages too. I'm consciously trying not ot build it up in my head though.


Looks great, been waiting for this since Batman Begins, when is Irish release date?
25th July, I think.


Was this Heath Ledger last completed movie?
Yes, though he was part way through filming another movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. From wikipedia, "Ledger's role was recast with Johnny Depp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp), Jude Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jude_Law) and Colin Farrell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Farrell) portraying physically changed transformations of Ledger's character as he travels through dimensions."

[tetsujin1979]

Batman: Gotham Knight is coming out before it, it's an animated DVD to fill in the gaps between the 2 movies, similar to the AniMatrix between the first matrix films, and the second 2
Kevin Conroy, who did the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman: The Animated Series, is voicing it, not Christian Bale.
There's a trailer on the official site: http://warnervideo.com/batmangothamknight/

[anto1208]

Ive ignored all trailers stories every thing to do with this film im not doing too bad 1 month to go but i just know some idiot will ruin it for me before i get to the cinema.

[shakermaker1982]

I cannot wait, the summer so far has been a big disappointment from a movie perspective (like last year) but I know Nolan won't let us down.

[tetsujin1979]

I cannot wait, the summer so far has been a big disappointment from a movie perspective (like last year) but I know Nolan won't let us down.
what are you, crazy??
So far I haven't been disappointed with any movie I've seen this summer, in fact I reckon it's one of the best summers for movies I can remember. I was going to start a thread about it, and I just might do that

[John83]

I cannot wait, the summer so far has been a big disappointment from a movie perspective (like last year) but I know Nolan won't let us down.
I think it's been a lot better than last year. Last summer, the big films out by now were Spiderman 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean, Evan Almight and Knocked Up. This year, it's been Iron Man, Indy 4, Kung Fu Panda, Sex and the City, Speed Racer and The Incredible Hulk. I'm not saying it's been awesome, but it's an improvement.

[shakermaker1982]

what have we had?

Iron Man - average
Hulk - crap
Indian Jones -average at best
Speed racer - I didn't go see it after the kicking it got.
The happening?! Mauled by everybody.
Sex and the city - pass.

Last year we had Oceans 13 (a little better than 12), the simpsons - average extended tv episode and the transformers. Bourne Ultimatum was the only movie from last summer that stood out. Knocked up was a good laugh as well but I wouldn't class that as a big summer blockbuster.

[John83]

what have we had?

Iron Man - average
Hulk - crap
Indian Jones -average at best
Speed racer - I didn't go see it after the kicking it got.
The happening?! Mauled by everybody.
Sex and the city - pass.

Last year we had Oceans 13 (a little better than 12), the simpsons - average extended tv episode and the transformers. Bourne Ultimatum was the only movie from last summer that stood out. Knocked up was a good laugh as well but I wouldn't class that as a big summer blockbuster.
The Simpsons was only released in late July. Bourne was August, I think. Not a fair comparison.

[John83]

Iron Man wasn't average either...
I agree, but that's subjective.

[shakermaker1982]

The Simpsons was only released in late July. Bourne was August, I think. Not a fair comparison.

sorry I was going up to August. The dark knight will be one for the win column but what else? The mist looks promising, I've heard iffy things about Hancock (hope that turns out to be BS) and maybe Meet Dave.

[John83]

sorry I was going up to August. The dark knight will be one for the win column but what else? The mist looks promising, I've heard iffy things about Hancock (hope that turns out to be BS) and maybe Meet Dave.
Hancock doesn't seem to be getting good early reviews in the US, but WALL-E is. Is Kung-Fu Panda open here yet? It's doing well in America. Hellboy 2 should be bigish. There's an animated Star Wars thing which I don't anticipate doing overly well. Mamma Mia should do big business. The X-Files movie might do well. Death Race is an outside contender too. Babylon A.D. will probably tank, but I'm basing that on Vin Diesel. Oh, and the latest Mummy movie will make a chunk of money from kids.

[tetsujin1979]

what have we had?

Iron Man - average
Hulk - crap
Indian Jones -average at best
Speed racer - I didn't go see it after the kicking it got.
The happening?! Mauled by everybody.
Sex and the city - pass.

Last year we had Oceans 13 (a little better than 12), the simpsons - average extended tv episode and the transformers. Bourne Ultimatum was the only movie from last summer that stood out. Knocked up was a good laugh as well but I wouldn't class that as a big summer blockbuster.
Iron Man was excellent, I'd rank it alongside X-Men 2 and Spider-Man 2 in the comic-book movie history
Hulk was decent, definitely better than the last one, although the fight could have been longer
Indy was enjoyable, although probably the weakest of the Indy flicks
Didn't see the others

[John83]

Indy was enjoyable, although probably the weakest of the Indy flicks
You watched Temple of Doom recently? It ends well enough, but the first hour is painful stuff.

[shakermaker1982]

Hancock doesn't seem to be getting good early reviews in the US, but WALL-E is. Is Kung-Fu Panda open here yet? It's doing well in America. Hellboy 2 should be bigish. There's an animated Star Wars thing which I don't anticipate doing overly well. Mamma Mia should do big business. The X-Files movie might do well. Death Race is an outside contender too. Babylon A.D. will probably tank, but I'm basing that on Vin Diesel. Oh, and the latest Mummy movie will make a chunk of money from kids.

It's a shame they toned down the Hancock script. The original had the hancock charachter as a stalker :D!!!! A real messed up individual who abuses his powers, much darker than the alcoholic version .........unfortunately it was deemed too sick and twisted for a Will Smith/summer movie.

[John83]

I've a friend who was interested in the Hancock idea for years. He's ****ed off at how much they seem to have lightened it.

[tetsujin1979]

sorry I was going up to August. The dark knight will be one for the win column but what else? The mist looks promising, I've heard iffy things about Hancock (hope that turns out to be BS) and maybe Meet Dave.
I'm planning to see Prince Caspian, Wall-E, Get Smart, X-Files: I Want To Believe, Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Step Brothers, Hellboy II, Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express, Choke and The Wackness all before the end of August

[gustavo]

Been looking forward to it all year , Oozes class , Nolan is a top top director, I don't think he's directed anything I haven't enjoyed immensely

[gilberto_eire]

Ive ignored all trailers stories every thing to do with this film im not doing too bad 1 month to go but i just know some idiot will ruin it for me before i get to the cinema.

Can't say the trailers give too much away more then ''The Joker'' is the bad guy and is reeking havoc in Gotham City which is pretty obvious anyway!!

Really looking forward to this, absolutly loved the last one, was amazing even having a lame bad guy(with few scenes) like ''The Scarcrow'' it still blew me away!.

I think these films prove the point the sequels can be good.... it's just there usually done by some terrible writers/directors.
A franchise can continue if given some time until the write plot and crew comes along

[max power]

for the kids the big one is going to be Rock Camp.

A slighty different High School Musical. Which by the way the 3rd one of that is released in cinemas in Oct as well. Disney is on the way back !

[lionelhutz]

what have we had?

Iron Man - average
Hulk - crap
Indian Jones -average at best
Speed racer - I didn't go see it after the kicking it got.
The happening?! Mauled by everybody.
Sex and the city - pass.

Last year we had Oceans 13 (a little better than 12), the simpsons - average extended tv episode and the transformers. Bourne Ultimatum was the only movie from last summer that stood out. Knocked up was a good laugh as well but I wouldn't class that as a big summer blockbuster.

Iron Man was top class IMO. Really got blown away by how entertaining it was - maybe cause I wasn't expecting much going in. Robert Downey Jnr was great in it.

As for the happening.......possibly the worst plot in a film I've ever seen and the acting is appalling. I was laughing during most of it cause it was so bad. Only the remake of Sleuth and Sunshine come to mind as recent films I've seen that were nearly as bad.

Can't wait to see this batman though

[jebus]

Sunshine wasn't bad. First 2/3rds was interesting enough, and it tailed in the last 1/3rd and finished poorly, but I still wouldn't put it down as an absolute stinker

[passinginterest]

Just booked tickets to the special preview in Dundrum on Wednesday the 23rd at 8pm. Tickets 12.50 including a poster. Still a few left. Pretty much all the first four rows everything else is gone.

[GavinZac]

Ive ignored all trailers stories every thing to do with this film im not doing too bad 1 month to go but i just know some idiot will ruin it for me before i get to the cinema.

Batman wins

[Dunny]

First five minutes of the film. (http://www.dailymotion.com/waldo05/video/x62t25_my-big-fat-sisters-wedding_news)

[Newryrep]

for the kids the big one is going to be Rock Camp.



dont tell me a follow up to Rock School ? - toe curlingly unfunny comedy,

Jack Black is fast becoming my must miss movie star - a latter day Burt Reynolds.

[padjoe]

went to see the dark knight last night in sydney...... it was incredible. ledger's role as the joker was worth the hype but not sure if he's worth the oscar people are saying he'll get for it. i wonder would he would get it if he hadn't died. movie bit long and full of themes but an excellent movie. i feel like the comic book guy.

[shakermaker1982]

5 stars from EMPIRE. I knew Nolan wouldn't let us down.

[lionelhutz]

I always go to the website www.imdb.com for its reviews on films and I find 99% of the time they're spot on about the movie's quality.

So far, The Dark Knight has got 9.7 out of 10 from 4,600 votes - need i say anymore!!

And this review really got me excited about seeing it;

Wow. Just wow. And I thought Batman Begins was excellent. This... this piece of art... its PHENOMENAL!! From the scale, to the acting, the atmosphere, the music, the action, it's all art. I have not experienced this level of greatness in the cinema for a long time. This film is the darkest Batman, as well as one of the darkest, violent and gripping films, ever made.

I'll start off with the actors. Christian Bale has done a tremendous job as our beloved Caped Crusader, who has a flawed personality that hangs on the balance between righteous and crazy. His perception of justice causes an emotional and personal shift, whether he is a rich guy who fights crime in a suit or just a regular guy who is sick of all the injustice in Gotham City and decides to give the psychopaths a dose of their own medicine. Because of this, and Bale's tremendous acting, the Bruce Wayne character is justified, and we, the audience, emphasizes with Bale's flawed hero more than Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George (shudder) Clooney, Kevin Conroy, or God forbid Adam West, ever will. If there was an excellent Batman, this is the real deal. The theme of righteousness and insanity is played well with his character here.

But of course, the real star of the show is the late and great Heath Ledger, who steals almost every scene he's in as the villainous Joker. This Joker is not like the other renditions; he is the best. Downright evil, corrupt, insane, psychotic, terrifying. In every sense of those aforementioned words. More scary than funny, he shows audiences the Joker is undoubtedly Batman's most nefarious foe and his perfect nemesis, challenging him all the way. With a cynical smile, he proclaims in a scene where Batman is a freak to the public, like the Joker himself. This also explains the balance of righteousness that Bruce Wayne is going through. The Joker is downright evil, and Ledger makes this performance legendary. I agree with the critics, sign me up for the petition where he deserves a posthumous Oscar win.

The rest of the cast is excellent and star-studded. Aaron Eckhart does his Harvey Dent character justice, with a strong sense of righteousness up his sleeve, as well as Bruce Wayne's rival in love. His acting is strong here. Maggie Gylenhaal is a great replacement for Katie Holmes as Wayne's love interest Rachel Dawes, as she shows more sensitive and caring side towards Bruce, other than Holmes' nearly flat performance. Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne's loyal butler Alfred delivers, as well as Morgan Freeman as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Gary Oldman does an excellent portrayal of Lt. James Gordon, who aids Batman in his quest for justice. And a special mention goes to Eric Roberts as a crime lord, who surprisingly does a great acting job. The rest of the cast can take a bow, they can be proud of their being in this film.

The cinematography is possibly the most sublime scenes ever chosen. Gotham and Hong Kong are wide, and yet, there is this dark aura of crime and corruption all around them. It really blends in well with the film, giving it a distinct and unique look. Quite simply, this is the best Gotham city in any Batman rendition. Wally Pfister has done an excellent job.

To accompany the atmosphere is the tremendous music score by movie music maestros, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer. With talents like these, the score is unforgettable. It is dark and moody at times, and throbbing and glorious yet dark during the action sequences. It deserves an Oscar.

The very loyal screenplay is written very, very well by Jonathan Nolan (director's brother), who has done a masterful job. The characters are (pardon the pun) rich in character and the story has not a flaw in it. For a comic book film adaptation, this film is not at all fantasy-like. It is quite realistic in a way and this is what gives the film more credibility. Also, the fact that the script is realistic is unbelievable, as you expect a superhero film when you walk in the cinema, and walk out realizing you have just seen an epic crime saga. Yes, CRIME SAGA. It deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence with "GoodFellas", "Heat", "The Untouchables" and even "The Godfather". I kid you not, this film has the power. The fact that this is an epic is further proved by the film's length - 2 hours and 32 minutes. Yes, it's that long. But it goes by so fast because you end up wishing for more.

But of course, none of this is possible without the genius that is the other Nolan, director Christopher. As per Memento, he knows how to direct a film. The dramatic scenes are engaging and the action sequences are crisp, thrilling, and will blow you out of your seat. Nolan's direction is tense, whip-smart, kinetic and smart. All of the action sequences are realistic and "boombastic" and CGI is used only when necessary (Steve Spielberg and George Lucas, take note). The new vehicle and some gadgets look cool and stylish and do not take away the film's credibility and realism. There are a lot of action sequences to boot, some of them combining themes from above. You will have to see them to believe them. The brothers Nolan have done it again.

In short, it's a masterpiece. One that will knock you out of your seat. It is the best Batman film ever, the best superhero film ever and the best film of 2008 thus far. If there ever was a possibility of a summer film winning Best Picture at the Oscars (like Titanic and Lord Of The Rings), this will join their ranks. It is rightfully deserved. Do yourselves a favor and see this piece of art. Repeated viewings highly recommended.

[John83]

A friend of mine watched the critic's screening here the other day. He's very enthusiastic about it. All of the word of mouth is good. I'm really looking forward to it.

[gustavo]

RE the IMDB thing , new films normally start off there with an unusually high score and then get rounded off a bit after a while , theres a fair few films from 2008 already in the top 250 , and damn me for not extending my self imposed "blackout" on all things Dark Knight related to this thread now i know the Empire review score :(

[GavinZac]

RE the IMDB thing , new films normally start off there with an unusually high score and then get rounded off a bit after a while , theres a fair few films from 2008 already in the top 250 , and damn me for not extending my self imposed "blackout" on all things Dark Knight related to this thread now i know the Empire review score :(

The bad guy in it is called The Joker

[thischarmingman]

I generally trust Rotten Tomatoes and it's currently sitting on 94% on it.

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight/

[lionelhutz]

I saw Batman Begins for the first time last night. I thought it was excellent, more like a thriller than a super hero movie. I missed the first half hour though - could someone tell me does Liam Neeson teach batman his fighting techniques?

And did Liam Neeson kill Batmans parents??

[John83]

I saw Batman Begins for the first time last night. I thought it was excellent, more like a thriller than a super hero movie. I missed the first half hour though - could someone tell me does Liam Neeson teach batman his fighting techniques?

And did Liam Neeson kill Batmans parents??
I'll give a quick summary in spoiler tags.

Neeson's character finds Wayne in a Chinese prison, and offers him a direction. Wayne accepts, and trains with Neeson's character, Ra'j Al Goul, and the league of shadows (a bunch of ninjas). In flashbacks, he reveals how he got there - Joe Chill killed his parents... later we see him attend a hearing for Chill's release - he was informing on the mob boss, who he shared a cell with. Wayne brings a gun, but before he can kill Chill, someone else does. He admits this to Rachael, who is mad at him, says he should be ashamed of himself. He confronts the mob boss, who sneers at him and chucks him out. He runs away to 'find the means to fight injustice'. Working with some criminals, he is nabbed and sent to the prison where Neeson finds him.
The League of Shadows graduates him, and asks him to execute a murderer. He refuses. They declare him unfit to lead them to Gotham, which they are going to 'let die'. He sets fire to the place, but saves Neeson before he leaves. Then he goes back to Gotham.

Does that take you up to where you saw it?

[lionelhutz]

Great stuff, thanks for that

[TonyD]

I always go to the website www.imdb.com for its reviews on films and I find 99% of the time they're spot on about the movie's quality.

So far, The Dark Knight has got 9.7 out of 10 from 4,600 votes - need i say anymore!!

And this review really got me excited about seeing it;

Wow. Just wow. And I thought Batman Begins was excellent. This... this piece of art... its PHENOMENAL!! From the scale, to the acting, the atmosphere, the music, the action, it's all art. I have not experienced this level of greatness in the cinema for a long time. This film is the darkest Batman, as well as one of the darkest, violent and gripping films, ever made.

I'll start off with with his character here.......etc, etc, etc.

The cinematography ....etc,etc.etcThe very loyal screenplay is written very, very well by Jonathan Nolan (director's brother), who has done a masterful job.....etc,etc,ect. But of course, none of this is possible without the genius .....etc,etc.etc
.

So, eh, you quite liked it then ?:D

[Soko]

This was quality. I swear you won't even know that 2 1/2 hours have passed by the time it is over. And Ledger is actually that good


Best show of the year by a country mile and I don't see how anything could top it

[passinginterest]

Brilliant. Go and see it just for Heath Ledger, fantastic performance.

Overall at least 8.5 out of 10. Very little that I could really criticise. Not going to post any spoilers at this stage. Not even in tags.

Just get out and see it.

[Pauro 76]

Im seeing it tonight and expecting big things.

[gustavo]

I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl today , cant wait to see it this evening :D

[passinginterest]

I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl today , cant wait to see it this evening :D

I felt like a 4 year old yesterday. I had my special large combo with a Batman figure on top of my Pepsi and we got very cool posters (if you've seen the big hologram posters in the cinemas it's a smaller version of that) well worth the extra €3 on the ticket price.

I think I went about half an hour without blinking at one point because I was afraid to take my eyes off the screen. One particular scene was my absolute highlight and I'm sure plenty of others will agree. I think I'll keep holding off on the spoilers for another while.

Safe to say I'll be going to see it again.

[anto1208]

Getting to this tonight its the 9 o clock show and open seating how early do i need to get there to get a reasonable seat.

I have my tickets bought allready and in my pocket im think 8 20 thats 10 mins fo rthe early show to end and clear then a few mins to get the popcorn and get in.