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The Dark Knight

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polycounter lvl 18
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snemmy polycounter lvl 18
Just saw the midnight showing.

Fuckin' awesome. Great performances all around.

Ledger's performance was amazing. Perfectly portrayed the Joker as I see him.

Harvey Dent was great. A great counter-point to the Joker.

I may, nay, DO have a new fave comic movie. :)


PS: FUCKING LOOOONG!!! 2hrs 40mins... but sooo worth it. :)

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  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    O.

    M.

    F.

    G.


    You cannot imagine. I'll say only this: if you're a fan of the genre, know that nothing will ever be this good again.
  • Saidin311
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    Saidin311 polycounter lvl 11
    vermilion wrote: »
    I'll say only this: if you're a fan of the genre, know that nothing will ever be this good again.

    Genre being batman or genre being comic book movies?

    I haven't seen it yet and I fully plan on seeing it this weekend. But I can't help but take a little outside-the-circle attitude when it comes to Heath Ledgers performance. I expect it to be good, but I also expect there to be an exaggerated hype around it because this is his last major role before his death. (which as cruel as it is, only helped the movies hype factor)

    Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Batman Begins. But I am also a huge fan of the original Tim Burton production and Mr. Nicholson's performance as the Joker. And I can't help but feel cheated out of the comparison just because Ledger died a tragic death. No one in the last year has mentioned how good Jack did with the Joker in the original movie.

    I expect a good movie. But nothing will ever be this good? I think that might be up to the viewer. And the fact that no matter who plays what, each actor/star only brings what they can bring to the table. So if that actor is no longer in that situation then we can't expect any more. Tim Burton did the first 2 movies, if he had done the third maybe could have expected more? (for example)

    And my pre-viewing rant is over. My ticket is already bought for Saturday night, so I will return to this thread after I've taken it in and hopefully enjoyed it as much as everyone else has. (oh I'm also glad to see they didn't let running time be a factor in telling a complete story)
  • snemmy
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    snemmy polycounter lvl 18
    Tragic death or not, that was one hell of a performance. First time in memory that an actor's role scared me at points.

    Not to be overshadowed, Aaron Eckhart gave a really awesome performance as Harvey Dent as well.

    Batman actually felt secondary to both of these actors. Which was nice, I felt Batman actually had to struggle with these two, mentally and physically.
  • Quaggs
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    Quaggs polycounter lvl 19
    Just got back from watching it, and it was great. Ledger as the joker was a perfect fit, and i don;t think anyone could ever be a better joker than he. the story was great, and even with the long run time, the movie didn't seem to drag on. it was filled with great twists, great acting, and it is one hell of an awesome movie.

    on a side note my older brother was in the movie as an extra, and you could clearly make him out in the scene
    where the passengers are being boarded onto the ferry boats, directly behind what looks like a police officer.
    i was so jealous after seeing that, what a lucky sob.
  • Hollowmind
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    Hollowmind polycounter lvl 18
    I just saw a midnight showing of it last night. The Joker was awesome and I thought written really well. The rest....ugh. Awful. Didn't like it. I kept falling asleep during the movie. =/ Except for the joker's scenes I thought it was really poorly written and badly acted. But that's just my opinion.
  • sonic
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    sonic polycounter lvl 18
    Saidin311 wrote: »
    But I can't help but take a little outside-the-circle attitude when it comes to Heath Ledgers performance. I expect it to be good, but I also expect there to be an exaggerated hype around it because this is his last major role before his death.

    Yes, it brought more people to the theaters, but it was still absolutely fucking amazing. Just because there is hype does not mean it doesn't live up to it.

    Movie was fucking awesome. My new favorite comic movie, but Iron Man is a close second. If you are even the slightest bit nerdy, you will love this movie. Then again, you could be one of "those guys." You know, one of those self-important guys who thinks he is a movie critic.
  • Hollowmind
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    Hollowmind polycounter lvl 18
    sonic wrote: »
    Then again, you could be one of "those guys." You know, one of those self-important guys who thinks he is a movie critic.


    Haha, hope you're not referring to me. I just genuinely didn't like it. The Joker was fantastic, just all the other characters were really irritating to me. I'm no movie critic. Just in my own opinion it wasn't very entertaining.
  • rawkstar
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    rawkstar polycounter lvl 19
    best movie since batman begins.
  • pliang
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    pliang polycounter lvl 17
    ZOMG gonna watch it today with own development team...leaving on time too.
  • Lee3dee
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    Lee3dee polycounter lvl 18
    10x better than batman begins, Ledger's Joker is awesome!

    Most memorable moment involves a pencil :D
  • Richard Kain
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    Richard Kain polycounter lvl 18
    Do NOT spoil this for me!
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 20
  • Jeremy Lindstrom
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    Jeremy Lindstrom polycounter lvl 18
    Saidin311 wrote: »
    Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Batman Begins. But I am also a huge fan of the original Tim Burton production and Mr. Nicholson's performance as the Joker. And I can't help but feel cheated out of the comparison just because Ledger died a tragic death. No one in the last year has mentioned how good Jack did with the Joker in the original movie.


    I don't think people are comparing the two because the vast differences in the movies themselves. Burton's batman was nice 'at the time' and Jack's joker was awesome then too but it was compared to the current movies set in a totally different universe. Even though I know when it comes out of my fingers on the keypad I'll regret it but today's Batman is more grounded in reality.. :poly140: at least moreso then Burtons.
  • TomDunne
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    TomDunne polycounter lvl 18
    I think it's really hard to compare the '89 and '08 versions of the Joker, as so much has changed since then. When the Burton film was being made, Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" was just two years old - too soon for the grim-n-gritty comic revolution to have an effect on the film industry. I don't think filmgoers in '89 would have been able to handle how dark the new film is.

    Twenty years after TDKR, we're to the point of expecting flawed heroes and believable villains in realistic conflicts. The new movie's Joker isn't a laugh-riot clown with a gun, he's a fucking terrorist with face paint. Much scarier, but for a much more disillusioned society.
  • Cheez
    Went to a midnight screening as well. Fuuuuuuck me, that was good. An honest-to-god, big, boisterous, summer entertainment for adults. Its that rare film where the characters become so compelling and the twists of the plot so intriguing that big action "set pieces" take a total backseat. Granted, the action that's there is great....well maybe not the fisticuffs :P
  • RustyFranks
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    RustyFranks polycounter lvl 17
    ledger and eckart stole the show... i also felt batman almost played a secondary role. the movie definately kicked alot of ass though. one of the few movies i wasn't upset with paying $10 to see
  • skankerzero
    I never liked Nicolson's Joker.

    Fart jokes do not a Joker make.

    This is the Joker that I've always wanted to see on the big screen.

    I loved this movie.
  • Striff
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    Striff polycounter lvl 18
    Absolutely brilliant.

    The ending was amazing.
  • cgjeff
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    cgjeff polycounter lvl 17
    studio took us today as a thank you for crunch time, and it was AWESOME.

    I seriously haven't seen a movie that good in a looooooooong time
  • Jeremy Lindstrom
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    Jeremy Lindstrom polycounter lvl 18
    ledgers role was awesome he was so into his character (which the makeup helps a little) that you forget that he's just an actor playing a part his mannerisms, his lies, how he talks and everything he truly brought me into believing the character, nicholsons joker was good but it always seemed like nicholson playing the joker, not really becoming the joker.

    It was awesome,
    I also liked how they tie up some of the loose ends with the scarecrow from the previous movie pretty quickly there in the beginning, and I was surprised how far they went with twoface as I had thought most of the movie was to be the joker, was a very full flick.
  • BoBo_the_seal
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    BoBo_the_seal polycounter lvl 18
    Loved it! It pained me leaving the theater and realizing that we will never be able to see ledgers portrayal of the Joker again. He definitely stole the show and left me wanting more!

    Pencil scene kicked ass!

    - BoBo
  • Jeremy Lindstrom
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    Jeremy Lindstrom polycounter lvl 18
    Was odd to see Bale as John Connor there in the new Terminator movie too.. :D

    was also pretty damn awesome to see them show you how he bends metal, etc.. when he bent the gun I was wtf, and then they showed ya his hand contraption thingie.
  • pliang
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    pliang polycounter lvl 17
    Just got back from watching it...we had a spare ticket for another person in the company but everyone's too busy planning their vacation...

    Ledger's Joker was everything I could hope for...
  • Slum
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    Slum polycounter lvl 18
    Absolutely amazing. I went into the theater expecting something maybe as good as the first, but god damn, it was wonderful. A really solid piece of filmmaking.
    Turning every cell phone into a 3d scanning sonar thingy...Seriously though, what the hell?
  • alexk
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    alexk polycounter lvl 12
    Saw it and liked it too, I love the move they made from being a superhero movie to being more of a crime drama. Where batman and the villians are not like cartoon characters but real life characters. Joker isn't "the joker", hes a freakin psychopath. Though I did feel like it was maybe a tiny bit slow at times and they could of pushed it all the way and make it R rated and into The Departed territory. I found it funny to see lots of little kids come watch and expect the Batman cartoon they see on TV, but instead get a Batman that they probably didn't even understand
  • Striff
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    Striff polycounter lvl 18
    Slum wrote: »
    Turning every cell phone into a 3d scanning sonar thingy...Seriously though, what the hell?

    That was my ONLY gripe with the movie. That seemed very "Batman and Robin" esque.
  • D4V1DC
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    D4V1DC polycounter lvl 18
    Just came back from watching it, It was a great movie ledgers performance was very very good.

    I tried to go to an IMAX theatre to see it but everytime listed was sold out at 12:00pm when I tried I hate that...

    Damn fandango why! :)
    I knew that guy was twoface when he talked about the coin but, I didnt think they would have touched on twoface as well, good suprise there for me.

    Are they talking about making another film with the same cast?(obviously not ledger)
    I only ask because there where these people handing out flyers asking to give feedback on the movie at the end of the show(never happen to me before so I was suprised) watched it in manhattan.
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    Saw it with my work on the I max.... HOLY SHIT!!!! That's all just Holy shit that was fucking amazing!
  • ScoobyDoofus
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    ScoobyDoofus polycounter lvl 20
    Just got back and having to thing REALLY REALLY hard about anything that I didn't really like. Can't wait for a 3rd one. They've got my 10$+ already, they just don't know it yet.
  • Rob Galanakis
    That was fantastic. I hope everyone has been reading their philosophy...
  • JasonLavoie
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    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    Amazing... simple amazing.

    I absolutely loved how they explored human behavior and emotions, and Ledger did indeed steal the show, and as Bobo said, when I left that theater, it sucked knowing that I will never see Ledger's genius again.

    Awesome experience...
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    Pros: best comic book movie ever, no contest,

    Cons: damn near impossible for a third batman movie to top this one
  • danr
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    danr interpolator
    humph, best part of a week til it's out over here

    it's odd, you know, having a comic book film where your heavy-literature-reading pottery obsessed girlfriend is far more excited about going to see a film than you are (and that's not to say i'm not excited by it)
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    They can never have a batman movie top this. Ever. Im not even a huge DC comics fan and I only felt mediocre about begins, but goddamn if this isnt the best comic movie yet.
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    The pencil dissappearing trick is one of the most awesomely hilarious moments in movie history.
  • sonic
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    sonic polycounter lvl 18
    I think Ledger was in the process of making another movie when he died. He traveled between dimensions or some shit, and in each one he looked different. I think Johnny Depp played one of the other guys because his acting style is similar.

    Wouldn't it be awesome if Depp played Joker in the next movie...
  • HonkyPunch
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    HonkyPunch polycounter lvl 18
    hey, i saw it today, and it was pretty damned good.
    Joker was nice, dent was nice, everything was ace, kinda dissapointed in the lack of "the batman" but the parts he were in were nice.
    Heh, wasn't crispin glover rumoured to play the joker?
    That guy is fucking hillarious, love him.
    Willard was a good movie btw
  • stimpack
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    stimpack polycounter lvl 10
    gota say, it was good, but not amazing. Had this NOT been a batman movie, and had some other kinda anti hero in it, i would have loved it. Joker was untouchable in performance, hands down the best ive seen in a long time. Two face was pretty damn good himself. but batman..... oh my, he just annoyed me. That stupid voice he keeps doing is rediculous. The little one liners he drops just made me shake my head. the motorcycle was incredibly dumb. I really cant call batman a super hero. Money isnt a power, and thats all he has going for him. In the end id deffinately see it again, just to be captivated by the joker, but id use the batman scenes for a pee break...

    ps. his new helment looks like a lolly pop.
  • Murdoc
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    Murdoc polycounter lvl 11
    Perfect. Every character was nailed and all the subtle details are amazing.

    It's nice to see a superhero movie(or even action movie) be about something for once, especially after that fluff we had earlier(ref: marvel movies)

    I went in with the highest hopes and it didn't just deliver it showed me so much more.

    edit: Sonic: It's a terry gilliam movie being made here in Vancouver, yeah the main character could actually change shapes, so I think he becomes heath ledger, brad pitt, johny depp and a bunch of other people..

    $!nz: The third movie will be the final one for Nolan. The only reason we have new Batman movies is because he wanted to do it, the studios weren't looking to make it, he had a vision and specifically went to them and asked to do this.

    After Nolan is done expect the studios to get in some retard to try to mimic it and we'll probably see superman/batman movie as well. I doubt it will be as good as what this is, since he was obviously a fan and had a clear goal in mind for these three films.
  • bounchfx
    saw it last night.

    holy shit... amazing. joker was insane. I mean.. he's not insane.
  • Ferg
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    Ferg polycounter lvl 17
    Ledger's magnum opus. He made that pencil disappear.
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    Saw it this morning. Absolutely fantastic.
  • Parnell
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    Parnell polycounter lvl 18
    I saw it this morning.
    Amazing movie. Period. Not just a good "comic movie" this was a great movie. Ledger blew me away as the Joker. I've never watched a character make me squirm so much. I love how the eerie music was. The long piercing tones reminded me of "There Will Be Blood". It really gave to the unsettling atmosphere of the movie. I'm excited to see the next Batman and hope it's as dark as this one.
    B
  • SouL
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    SouL polycounter lvl 18
    *spoilers*
    Duh.

    I liked the movie. I thought Ledger's Joker was on par with Nicholson's classic Joker. 2 different moods so it's difficult to compare. But if personal preference were to take part, I'd pick Ledger's.

    But there were a few things that bugged me.
    The movie was way too long. It dragged on towards the end. And part of that is because of my other complaint... Two Face. He's cool and everything but his part and involvement in the story made the movie way too long.
    The Joker was the main attraction in the movie for me. He was the reason I wanted to watch the film. Every time he wasn't on screen... I was just waiting for him to get back in it.
    Instead the producers decided to have Dent's story play out alongside the Joker's.

    They could have done the movie w/o Harvey and still had a huge hit.

    It reminded me of the whole Sandman/Venom combo in Spiderman 3. While Dark Knight's main villains were handled FAR better than Spiderman's... it's just too much in one movie.

    Is there a 3rd movie in the works? Were there any clues in the movie as to who the next villain will be?
  • Armanguy
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    Armanguy polycounter lvl 17
    Just watched it soo awesome!
  • Jeremy Lindstrom
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    Jeremy Lindstrom polycounter lvl 18
    It could be Two Face again.. you saw a memorial not a service, Batman lived from the fall and you knew from previous experience in the movie Batman knew the distance one could fall and not be killed. So when he pushed them all over the edge, I bet he is in Arkham with the joker, and they buried Harvey Dent the idea.

    SouL, you can also use [ spoiler ] tags now. :D

    Christian Bale has stated for Batman 3.. “If Robin crops up in one of the new Batman films, I’ll be chaining myself up somewhere and refusing to go to work.”

    http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/07/02/christian-bale-rules-out-robin-for-batman-3-and-beyond/
  • rooster
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    rooster mod
    sonic wrote: »
    Wouldn't it be awesome if Depp played Joker in the next movie...

    thanks, use spoiler tags if you're going to talk about characters appearing in the sequel would you
  • Steve Schulze
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    Steve Schulze polycounter lvl 18
    How does vague speculation about a sequel which isn't in development yet warrant a spoiler tag?

    Just got back from the film. I need some time to take it all in, but I'll agree that it's excellent.
    edit: Sonic: It's a terry gilliam movie being made here in Vancouver, yeah the main character could actually change shapes, so I think he becomes heath ledger, brad pitt, johny depp and a bunch of other people..
    Its called The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Ledger was originally going to play the entire role of Parnassus himself, but died after they'd filmed the sequences in the present day or introductory dimension or whatever. Thus in order to complete the film, Gilliam came up with the idea of having Parnassus change to a new actor each time he crosses into a new period/dimension. Sounds like it'll be an interesting film.
  • PeterK
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    PeterK greentooth
    I saw it last night and really enjoyed it. It was very well made.
  • Xenobond
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    Xenobond polycounter lvl 18
    Also went and saw it last night. Really really good.
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