The Dark Knight...

[iJohnHenry]

That amounts to little more than "product placement", and should be abhorred by everyone.

So many good old movie soundtracks prove that they can be done, and done well.

 

[bigandy]

Finally got to see it.


I think I might just have to go again.

 

[iJohnHenry]

I think I might just have to go again.

2nd door to the right, and please remember to aim this time.

 

[MattKanzler]

best. movie. ever.

 

[Markleshark]

Well there is 9 pages on this so someone must have gone into some detail, but I'm not... What a film. Brilliant.

Has to be the best film I've seen this year, without a shadow of a doubt.

 

[benmrii]

That amounts to little more than "product placement", and should be abhorred by everyone.

So many good old movie soundtracks prove that they can be done, and done well.

I'm still a big fan of Ennio Morricone's soundtrack compositions, although my unhealthy love for spaghetti westerns probably fuels that a bit.

 

[leekohler]

Went for the second time yesterday. Even though there are flaws, it's an astounding achievement in filmmaking. Every second is absolutely beautiful to look at. Chris Nolan should also be congratulated for avoiding CGI as much as possible. There's no substitute for stuntmen.

 

[benmrii]

Chris Nolan should also be congratulated for avoiding CGI as much as possible. There's no substitute for stuntmen.

Ah, great point. It didn't occur to me as I watched through it the first time, but I agree wholeheartedly.

... I need to see that sucker again.

 

[~Shard~]

Went for the second time yesterday. Even though there are flaws, it's an astounding achievement in filmmaking. Every second is absolutely beautiful to look at. Chris Nolan should also be congratulated for avoiding CGI as much as possible. There's no substitute for stuntmen.

Yeah, very good point. The CGI that was used blended well with the film and didn't stand out as CGI. In my mind, that's the sign of truly good CGI - you don't know it's there, and it complements the film, not stands out from it.

 

[Lone Deranger]

I was fortunate enough to be part of the team doing the VFX of twoface. And one thing that struck me was that throughout production Nolan always emphasized his decision to only use CGI where practical effects were not possible.
While that essentially means less potential work for us CG VFX guys it also means our craft does not get abused so much, which is better for all.
With that I mean that "lesser" directors often get carried away by the power and possibilities of having a team of VFX artists at their disposal. Dreaming up crazy shots that defy logic, not because they should, but because can because the budget's there.

Nolan's a guy that knows what he wants and uses the right techniques for the right type of shot. It's a pleasure to work with such directors. Alfonso Cuaron's another such director.

BTW... Glad you liked the work.

Yeah, very good point. The CGI that was used blended well with the film and didn't stand out as CGI. In my mind, that's the sign of truly good CGI - you don't know it's there, and it complements the film, not stands out from it.

 

[~Shard~]

I was fortunate enough to be part of the team doing the VFX of twoface. And one thing that struck me was that throughout production Nolan always emphasized his decision to only use CGI where practical effects were not possible.
While that essentially means less potential work for us CG VFX guys it also means our craft does not get abused so much, which is better for all.
With that I mean that "lesser" directors often get carried away by the power and possibilities of having a team of VFX artists at their disposal. Dreaming up crazy shots that defy logic, not because they should, but because can because the budget's there.

Nolan's a guy that knows what he wants and uses the right techniques for the right type of shot. It's a pleasure to work with such directors. Alfonso Cuaron's another such director.

BTW... Glad you liked the work.

Thanks for the post, quite insightful. What you have stated is what I would expect from someone such as Nolan. Since you were part of the team, I must compliment you on a job well done!

 

[Lone Deranger]

Thank you very much Shard!

Thanks for the post, quite insightful. What you have stated is what I would expect from someone such as Nolan. Since you were part of the team, I must compliment you on a job well done!

 

[Stardotboy]

I finally got around to watching it for the first time this morning (on IMAX) and my feelings about it are a bit mixed.

Great performances from most (Ledger, Bale and Eckhart particularly I thought), which were definitely the highlight of the film and were the key to keeping people in their seats for the full duration.

The plot was the main downfall of the film. Despite setting up some interesting scenes, to put it bluntly it had piss-poor construction. It was easy enough to follow, but seemed to continually go off on tangents that were uninteresting at best and irrelevant at worst. I also get the feeling that the editors had the chance to pull out anything from a good to a fantastic film, and basically failed in their task to splice things together well enough to hit all the high notes - and as a result churned something out that was decent enough, but not stunning.

Batman Begins worked for me because the character development was done particularly well. The end result was a relatively dark film with a fairly tortured central character. It seemed to me The Dark Knight was aiming for the same result, but tried to skimp on existing character development - the Joker and Two-Face developed pretty well (except for the instant and largely off-screen transition from Harvey the hero to Harvey the villain) but with regards Batman and Rachel Dawes I felt a bit WTF... I mean, did it not cross anyone's mind to develop the central character here?

I guess I'm coming across as more critical than I would do if the last film were not as good as it was, but in my mind this film clearly had the potential to blow me away a lot more than it actually did.

 

[soberbrain]

CNN confirms it... What's with Batman's voice in 'Dark Knight'?

I enjoyed the movie, but I was often distracted (and almost had to laugh) at the big difference between Bruce Wayne and Batman's voice.

 

[Chappers]

I finally got around to watching it for the first time this morning (on IMAX) and my feelings about it are a bit mixed.

Great performances from most (Ledger, Bale and Eckhart particularly I thought), which were definitely the highlight of the film and were the key to keeping people in their seats for the full duration.

The plot was the main downfall of the film. Despite setting up some interesting scenes, to put it bluntly it had piss-poor construction. It was easy enough to follow, but seemed to continually go off on tangents that were uninteresting at best and irrelevant at worst. I also get the feeling that the editors had the chance to pull out anything from a good to a fantastic film, and basically failed in their task to splice things together well enough to hit all the high notes - and as a result churned something out that was decent enough, but not stunning.

Batman Begins worked for me because the character development was done particularly well. The end result was a relatively dark film with a fairly tortured central character. It seemed to me The Dark Knight was aiming for the same result, but tried to skimp on existing character development - the Joker and Two-Face developed pretty well (except for the instant and largely off-screen transition from Harvey the hero to Harvey the villain) but with regards Batman and Rachel Dawes I felt a bit WTF... I mean, did it not cross anyone's mind to develop the central character here?

I guess I'm coming across as more critical than I would do if the last film were not as good as it was, but in my mind this film clearly had the potential to blow me away a lot more than it actually did.

I'm probably gonna get flamed for agreeing with you but - you are right.

Amusingly - when I went to see it yesterday with my wife (12 noon session) - we were the only ones in the cinema.

 

[Rhosfelt]

I really did like the movie a lot but I'd have to agree with some of the posters saying the plot was a bit weak. I can say this because I felt at times the movie dragged on, and I personally felt it could have ended so much sooner. A good plot doesn't do that. I believe if they focused more on character development as Stardotboy said it would have pulled me in that much more, and I would not have felt that ancy feeling to get me to leave.

However, everything else about the movie I loved, and if I had to give a rating I would give 9/10, just shy of perfect, but if there is another (which is rumored there may be called "Gotham") they could very well receive a perfect score. All the writer(s) would need to do is revolve around a more linear character based plot (it's batman I mean it is hard to not focus on his struggles).

Also, now the movie maybe cursed, with all the hype about Ledger and now Freeman.

On a last note, I hate Maggie maggie gyllenhaal she looks like a sad cartoon turtle. If Katie Holmes would have been Rachel I would have been happier.

 

[~Shard~]

Also, now the movie maybe cursed, with all the hype about Ledger and now Freeman.

And don't forget Bale's current situation as well wrt assault charges.

I hope Freeman has a swift recovery. It sounds as though none of his injuries were life-threatening thank goodness.

 

[Rhosfelt]

And don't forget Bale's current situation as well wrt assault charges.

I hope Freeman has a swift recovery. It sounds as though none of his injuries were life-threatening thank goodness.

From a MSN article I just found it sounded as though he was lucid and joking with the medical staff.

However the Bale situation wasn't as serious as it was made out to be. I believe it was his sister wanted money, he refused, she tried to make a big deal out of it by calling him on on assault. Which is why it's kind of over now.

 

[~Shard~]

From a MSN article I just found it sounded as though he was lucid and joking with the medical staff.

However the Bale situation wasn't as serious as it was made out to be. I believe it was his sister wanted money, he refused, she tried to make a big deal out of it by calling him on on assault. Which is why it's kind of over now.

Good to hear, on both counts. I never thought Bale would be the type of person to engage in that type of behavior in the first place.

 

[Piarco]

CNN confirms it... What's with Batman's voice in 'Dark Knight'?

I enjoyed the movie, but I was often distracted (and almost had to laugh) at the big difference between Bruce Wayne and Batman's voice.

This was tackled in the first film... kinda. I remember when a picture was released of the new batsuit (now old batsuit) and the two triangular "buttons" that are near the neck and hold the cape are actually voice masking devices - hence the voice change.
On the new batsuit they are intergrated into the shoulders...

 

[~Shard~]

This was tackled in the first film... kinda. I remember when a picture was released of the new batsuit (now old batsuit) and the two triangular "buttons" that are near the next and hold the cape are actually voice masking devices - hence the voice change.
On the new batsuit they are intergrated into the shoulders...

Yeah, I thought there was an actual explanation for this as well. That being said, the voice effect does seem more pronounced in The Dark Knight versus Batman Begins. Regardless, although I noticed it, it never really bothered me during the film.

 

[Thomas Veil]

Just saw this Sunday.

No disrespect to Ledger, but I think a large portion of the credit for his Joker performance must go to the writers, who gave him some very good material to work with. It wasn't as sharp as I would've liked, but you definitely get the impression that Joker was an agent of chaos at best, and a human piece of filth that wanted to drag everyone down to his level at worst.

That said, Ledger's performance was really good. Not better or worse than Nicholson's, just different...an entirely different take. For my money, they're both terrific acting jobs.

Another thing about the Joker character was that, if memory serves, he's always been, in the comics and the Tim Burton movie, a sicko who literally gets his laughs out of murder and mayhem. Jack Nicholson's Joker certainly fit this mold, but Ledger's...not so much. I left with the impression that the movie would've worked just as well if his character were named The Terrorist.

But that's a small carp. Another is the same one I have with a lot of action films: sometimes the action scenes move so fast you almost don't know what you're looking at. And sometimes the camera just moves too damn much. Halfway through the movie I thought if I saw one more shot where the camera circled around the actors as they talked, I was gonna whoops.

But again, those are minor complaints about a very good film. No superhero movie (that I've seen) has ever had the complex layers of this one. So kudos to Nolan and the writers.

Some fantastic shots, especially those that look like they're "diving" off a skyscraper. And that CGI shot where Joker left the hospital was incredible. In one continuous shot he exits the doors, and by the end of the shot the entire building is going up...without one single trace of where the genuine shot ended and the CGI began. Really, really impressive.

I do have to agree the whole section with Batman's night-vision/monitoring system was the one place where the movie seemed to go off the rails and slid dangerously close to becoming "camp".

Only bad thing about the showing I went to was, the audio mix was horrible. The music was often so loud it drowned out the dialogue. I trust that was the theater's fault, and not the movie itself.

Last point: I talked with friends who've seen the film, and they all agree with me -- it's difficult to say I actually enjoyed this film. I liked it very much, yes...but "enjoyed"? The movie is almost relentlessly downbeat, and (SPOILER WARNING; MOUSE OVER TO READ) at the end, everybody loses. The Joker does, Harvey Dent does, certainly Rachel does, Gordon's friendship with Batman is in peril, Lucius Fox has abandoned him, and Batman himself is now an outlaw and loses the woman he loves, both literally and figuratively. It's a terrible price to pay for protecting the people of Gotham City. I can't recall in recent memory a movie which had such a bummer of an ending.

Again, not that I'm saying the movie was bad, it wasn't...but Jesus, was it depressing.

 

[Grasbak]

Some fantastic shots, especially those that look like they're "diving" off a skyscraper. And that CGI shot where Joker left the hospital was incredible. In one continuous shot he exits the doors, and by the end of the shot the entire building is going up...without one single trace of where the genuine shot ended and the CGI began. Really, really impressive.

I am probably being gullable but listening to an interview with Chris Nolan he specifically mention the hospital incident - said it was all one take, really happended - I dont think there was any CGI.....

 

[djellison]

Saw this last night. It was OK.

I agree with others - Ledger did the best job available with the script, but no more than that. I think he will get an Oscar nomination, and thus will win ( you can't not vote for the dead guy )

Batmans stupid bloody voice was like a bad smell thru the whole thing.

I didn't feel anything with the whole Dawes plotline. She's essentially just a two timing slut to be honest.

It was entertaining, it was funny, but it was occasionally disapointing, often annoying and never as good as it could have been.

Doug

 

[Thomas Veil]

I am probably being gullable but listening to an interview with Chris Nolan he specifically mention the hospital incident - said it was all one take, really happended - I dont think there was any CGI.....

I considered that but find it unlikely (though not impossible) that they would construct a complex of buildings taking up a good part of a city block, and then blow it up. Fantastically expensive, even for a high-budget movie...plus you only get one shot at getting it right.