The Dark Knight (opens July 18)

[disneycutie165]

I cannot wait for the Dark Knight! It is on the top of my movie list! I am a huge fan of Heath Ledger, and as a fan I must see one of his last movies. Does anybody agree with me? Please say yes!

[ibrowse17]

Very much looking forward to this movie. I loved Batman Begins, and have waiting for a sequel. While it is very sad what happened, I would be looking forward to this movie anyway

[PirateLover]

Early reviews are saying that it lives up to the hype, and that Ledger's portrayal is the the best comic book villain to ever hit the big screen. We just got our tix for the midnight show. Can't wait!

[PirateLover]

Just watched Ebert and Roeper. Roeper was just raving over the film and said he'd be very surprised if Ledger wasn't nominated for best supporting actor, and not just because of his passing. He said it's probably the best comic book movie ever.

So pumped! 5 more days!

[Jared]

The early reviews are actually extraordinary, which is almost hard to believe. How can a film live up to this hype? People are projecting "The Dark Knight" will have the biggest opening weekend ever!

I adored "Batman Begins," and Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors right now. It looks like this film is near masterpiece territory, which is uncharted territory for a comic book movie. The film is 152 minutes, so I may be spending a lot of time in theaters next weekend.

[PirateLover]

The early reviews are actually extraordinary, which is almost hard to believe. How can a film live up to this hype? People are projecting "The Dark Knight" will have the biggest opening weekend ever!

At this point I wouldn't be surprised. At the rate the midnight shows are selling out, many theaters are adding round the clock showings. That means that people are willing to go see this movie at 3am. The theater we got our midnight tickets for doesn't even normally do midnight showings. It's more of an artsy theater that also plays select blockbusters. I do however feel sorry for the employees of the movie theaters that have to work those late hours.

As far as the reviews, Roeper said that basically the movie is an excellent crime drama-he compared it to "Heat" and "The Departed" and that if you put aside the fact that the main character is in a bat suit, you forget it's a comic book movie. Like with "Batman Begins," there is none of the campy quality that has plagued the super hero since the 60s (which is fun and all, but the serious treatment is what fans have been waiting for). And, the only weak link in the first movie, Rachel Dawes, got a serious upgrade with Maggie Gyllenhal replacing Katie Holmes.

Oh I can't wait! I'm sure that John and I will see this quite a few times... we definitely are going to see it in Imax. This may have been mentioned earlier in the thread, but about 20 mins of the film was actually shot with Imax film and it's supposed to be a stunning action sequence.

[Jared]

The movie is also sporting a rare 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes through the first 15 reviews, and it hasn't accounted for Richard Roeper's recommendation yet.

The poor critic who writes the first negative review will be absolutely lambasted by the commenters.

[caryrae]

Anyone seen it yet? Man this movie is gonna be huge sold out theaters everywhere. I think it will break some records.

[IloveDisney71]

I went to a midnight showing and have to say that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Heath's performance was AMAZING and creepy. He played the best Joker I've ever seen. I wouldn't have known it was him, if I didn't know it ahead of time. He was totally into the character. There was plenty of drama, action, and dry humor. I'm not a huge Batman fan, but I had seen the Batman Begins in '05 and really enjoyed it. I am so glad I went to see it and I might even go see it again. In my opinion, it lived up to all of the rave reviews. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see an AMAZING film.

Oh, and the way it ended will most likely lead to another sequel.

[PirateLover]

I saw a midnight show. I don't think I've ever seen as much anticipation for a film before. I've seen midnight showings of Revenge of the Sith, two Harry Potters, Superman Returns.... we got in line an hour and a half ahead of time and there were already 200 people in front of us. I asked the people in front of the line when they got there, and they said about 8:30. Craziness! People were dressed up, everyone was so hyped. As soon as the lights went down everyone cheered. When they showed the preview for the next Terminator movie and Christian Bale's name popped up everyone cheered. It was truely a communal experience that was exciting to be a part of. My heart was palpitating so fast as the minutes counted down... probably a combo of the excitement and the 24 oz. energy drink I had to ensure I was fully awake as I haven't stayed up that late in 2 months I had read reports of people cheering when the Joker first appears on screen... not our crowd. Every one was completely silent...a hushed intensity. There were two big scenes that elicited cheers... I'm going to wait a bit to talk about them because I really don't want to give anything away.

I will say this: The movie is everything it was hyped to be and more. There were scenes that made me laugh, and scenes that made my stomach turn. Ledger is absolutely amazing and I wish he had more screen time (although it was probably the perfect amount, you can't help but want more)! All of the roles are perfectly cast, though I was a little disappointed in Maggie Gyllenhall... it seems like she studied Katie Holmes somewhat wooden portrayal of Rachel Dawes and continued on in that same vein. (But she still was an upgrade). It is everything I expected it to be and more. I give it 4 stars, two thumbs way up, A+ and whatever other rating there is and say what are you waiting for!? Go see it!

Just to warn everyone though, this movie is indeed VERY dark and twisted. Definitely not for little kids, the feint of heart, or those who are scared of clowns.

[GBBT]

OMG! I just got back and it was GREAT! When I heard Heath was The Joker,I said no way.I should have known better.It's a shame he's not here anymore.I'm gonna miss the movies he could have made.I give it 5 stars.

[Jared]

I saw the movie last night but couldn't express my sentiments in writing until I slept on my thoughts. Ten hours after the credits rolled, my heart has finally slowed down.

"The Dark Knight" is a monumental, epic, groundbreaking picture, but those are all just buzzwords and don't mean anything. This movie creates an entirely new standard for superhero movies and fits nicely in the crime drama genre with films like "The Departed," which obviously earned a Best Picture Oscar.

Where to start with an 150-minute behemoth? I guess where most of the hype has been focused: The Joker.

The late Heath Ledger gives a performance here worth remembering forever, and watching the movie really makes you wonder what other magic he could have put on screen in the future. He was truly a wonderful talent, who brings an eerie and shocking quality to a villain that has always been played humorously in other adaptation, including Jack Nicholson's renowned portrayal. This Joker is absolutely maniacal with no remorse or compassion for anything or anybody. He is the rare and terrifying villain who is evil for evil's sake. As Michael Caine said as Alfred, Bruce Wayne's trusty butler, "Some men just like to watch the world burn." Even Anton Chigurh, the much-discussed and feared baddie from last year's "No Country For Old Men" was motivated to an extent by money. The Joker is a true "agent of chaos," as he eloquently explains toward the end of the film. Money is completely irrelevant as he proves in an especially creepy and poignant scene. I understand some may feel he didn't receive enough screen time, considering the quality of his performance, but I disagree. Director Christopher Nolan knew not to overuse a great thing and left the audience wanting to see more, not complaining the shtick was overplayed.

But outside of Ledger, the rest of the cast works as an oiled and gelled ensemble, including Christian Bale in the title role. Batman/Bruce Wayne receives just as much screen time, if not less, than Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent. Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as the super-scientist Lucius Fox melt into their characters, despite their overwhelmingly large real-life fame and recognition. Gary Oldman deserves special consideration for his performance as Jim Gordon. Sometimes, it seems like he isn't acting. I know many people will complain Maggie Gyllenhaal is simply not pretty enough to play Rachel Dawes. She does not deserve the attention of two young, attractive men. Katie Holmes would have been better. I agree, but Gyllenhaal's performance is a considerable upgrade from Holmes' who was embarrassingly bad in 2005's "Batman Begins."

Now, onto the story. Let's be clear: The movie is long. Very long. It is 2 hours, 30 minutes. Prepare yourself. I commend Nolan for his decision to make a long movie. American attention spans are so short any movie longer than two hours are called too long. Well, this picture uses every bloody second well, and I could have stayed for more.

It's a little convoluted and complex but not impossible to follow. I think Nolan could have lingered on a few scenes a little longer. Some of this picture deserves savoring.

That's all for now. I'll see you at the movies.

[PirateLover]

Jared, first of all another great review. I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.
The people who pick on Maggie's looks really bother me. I do think she is fairly good looking. No she doesn't have that cute girl-next-door vibe that Katie once had going on. Maggie has a bit of a longer face and sunken in eyes... but overall she's just a much better actress, and I'd rather watch her in any role. Going back to what I said earlier about her performance, I think it was more of her script she had to work with... I don't remember anything like the line Rachel had in the first one : "It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you."

I'm going to see it again on sunday, and this time around I'll be able to pay more attention to details.

[Minnie Imagineer]

I can't wait to see this! I am seeing it this wen. in IMAX!!
Is this movie 'scary'?? ex: do things pop up and make you scream?? Becasue if they do, I am a little scared to see it in imax....
oh, and is it bloody??

[NotaGeek]

I can't wait to see this! I am seeing it this wen. in IMAX!!
Is this movie 'scary'?? ex: do things pop up and make you scream?? Becasue if they do, I am a little scared to see it in imax....
oh, and is it bloody??

This movie isn't scary. No one screamed in the audience.

The movie was absolutely spectacular and Heath Ledger really made the Joker truly maniacal. There is no doubt he will be on the Oscar nominations list.

[PirateLover]

This movie isn't scary.

I would slightly disagree. There is definitely one huge make-you-jump scene that made a number of people in our audience yelp. I myself jumped, but didn't yell. I think I may have muttered an "oh jeez" to myself though, lol!
The rest of the stuff is more implied gore, nothing outright gruesome. I don't really remember any blood. They cut away from the actual bad stuff in most scenes. There were maybe two scenes that made my stomach churn because I didn't know how it was going to end up and what they would show, but it is PG-13, not R... but I would say the PG-13 is a hard 13.

[PirateLover]

And IMDB fanboys have now pushed The Dark Knight to the #1 ranking, bumping The Godfather (temporarily, I'm sure) down to #2. Crazy stuff man, gotta love it!

[Emily]

We saw The Dark Knight tonight and I have to agree, it's a great movie. Certainly not surprising, but I was most impressed with Heath Ledger. He was, in a word, phenomenal. It's funny, previous posters mentioned the 'leaving you wanting more' thing with re: to the Joker's scenes - if that was the goal it worked for me! Loved his performance. All of the other actors did a fantastic job as well.

It's a little convoluted and complex but not impossible to follow.

I have to agree there, and that would really be my only complaint. I may go see it again just to catch what I missed or was slightly confused by this first time around.

As a side note, I was SO excited to see the trailer for the next Terminator movie! That's going to be awesome!

[LauraleeH]

I'm probably the only one here that didn't really like it. Well, I liked it more than I thought I would, and I also disliked it more than I thought I would.

I didn't like how they "glorified" the Joker and made him sort of a Captain Jack Sparrow type of guy that people love. There are so many sick people out there that will look up to him and idolize him. People were dressed like him in the theaters, walking up to other people and giving them that crazy laugh. I wouldn't normally feel bad about that, but something just seemed wrong about the whole thing. Maybe that's the point. This world is messed up and everyone knows it. Maybe the point is to not take everything so seriously. But I did. The whole time I kept thinking, "So when Heath was filming this, he was having nightmares. He was taking sleeping pills. He's doing an amazing job on this film, but to die for it?"

But there were some parts that I really laughed at. I did find some of it funny. Crazy, but funny. And there were some really good points to the story. I also had a very bad headache, so I want to see this again, whenever my brother goes. I will respond in this thread and let you know if my feelings have changed. Maybe I was reading into too much. But...we'll see.

By the way, this is just my opinion, I'm not stating a fact saying this is a horrible, sick movie and whoever enjoys it is sick. Not true. Most of my friends loved it and I could eventually learn to enjoy it. Last night, I didn't...but that's just my opinion.

[PirateLover]

I didn't like how they "glorified" the Joker and made him sort of a Captain Jack Sparrow type of guy that people love. There are so many sick people out there that will look up to him and idolize him. People were dressed like him in the theaters, walking up to other people and giving them that crazy laugh..

It was not this movie that glorified The Joker. In fact quite the opposite... I think people are in awe of Ledger's performance, but I think the movie made it clear that Joker is a sick individual. Yes he has some funny scenes, but he is nowhere near the campy loveable Joker of the past.

The Joker himself is one of the most popular comic book characters of all time, well before this movie was even conceived. This is the first time he has been portrayed as a such a twisted individual on screen. Yea, we all heard the rumblings of how dark the movie would be, but there was no way for these people who dressed up before they even saw the movie to idolize him. My boyfriend was going to dress as the Joker last year for Halloween before we even knew anything about what he would be like in this movie, more based on his love of Joker in general. I was going to be Harley Quinn, the Joker's girlfriend from the animated series. (he threw his back out and we couldn't really go out but we're going to do it this year). We did wear t-shirts with Joker on them to the premiere, and were quoting some of his lines from the previews....however we are two of the most mild-mannered people you'll ever meet. We just love comic books. And, at our screening, there were just as many people dressed as Batman as there were Joker.

I do agree that there are twisted people out there and I found myself wondering after the movie if anyone could ever get away with that kind of thing in real life. But at the end of the day it's a movie, and people dressing as the Joker is really no different than people dressing as Darth Vader or Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series. It's all about the psychology of fear... like Halloween... we embrace the things we fear sometimes, to make them a little less scary.