So the sequel to the highly successful and acclaimed Batman Begins is finally out. It had one of the most genius viral marketing campaigns ever done, only helping it's insane hype and expectations toil up more and more over the past year or so. It's the kind of movie people line up to see, the type that sells out tickets like it's nothing. So did it live up to all the excitement? Is it really worthy of the nerdgasms it's been causing? Sound off, bitches

In my opinion...yes. Yes yes yes. It's hard for me to fully express myself other than OMIGODDDDDD right now, but really, I think we've easily got a new "best comic book movie" contestant here. I loved the excellent Iron Man from earlier this year but even that pales in comparison to this movie. It's fucking bad ass.

And basically nothing but good reviews so far, and it's number 4 in IMDB's top 250 (for now, it'll inevitably drop some)

I loved the excellent Iron Man from earlier this year but even that pales in comparison to this movie. It's fucking bad ass.



no wai.

Agreeing with everyting chu be sayin Ktulu. Saw it on Wednesday but thinkin about going back again.

Best Batman movie ever, so far. Everyone was terrific in it, especially Heath Ledger. I thought his Joker was freakin scary.

I just saw The Dark Knight yesterday. One of the best movie I've seen in my entire life. Bale is Bale which mean much more awesome than usual (can't wait to see him as John Connor in Terminator Salvation - The Future Begins), Ledger is Legend bringing the perfect Joker in the cinematic history and Eckhart, I just love this man performance as Harvey Dent/ Two Face since his story is pretty much the backbone of The Dark Knight as a tragic hero (not a villain as we knew him in the comic). And the very special kudos to Caine, Oldman, Freeman, Gylenhall and the rest of the crews for this superb film. The real stars of this film is actually The Nolan Bros. for making incredible magnum opus. This leaves me more craving for the third Nolan's Batman trilogy hopefully involving The Riddler in the battle of wits and intelligence against Batman.

I give the movie a perfect 10/10 cos' its more of a Human Crime Drama than a Superhero Movie.

Just saw it tonight, and I have to agree with everything you said Ktulu. The movie delivers in such a manner that is able to completely satisfy you. Christian Bale delivered a wonderful performance, though I think Heath Ledger (partly, I believe because of his early death) did steal the show a bit. I loved Jack Nicholson as the Joker, I think honestly, Heath Ledger stole the title. Everything left me nearly at the edge of my seat and I was actually surprised by many things that occurred in the movie. Which is great to actually sit through a movie where most things were unexpected.

Awesome, awesome movie. I want to go see it in IMAX. But all the tickets are sold out ;(

I just wish people weren't so dumb in the theaters.

saw it "yesterday".

instead of a wall of text, ill just summarize it:

WOWAWESOME

and i got to take pictures with several people, as i went to the movies dressed as the joker.
same happened when i went to the premiere of star wars 3, dressed as darth vader, even had a lightsabed duel with two guys dressed as jedi.

Damn UK I don't get to see it until the 24th! I really can't wait.

Wow it actually went...UP a rating at IMDB, that's sort of rare. This one might stay in the top 250

I can't wait. I haven't so desperately wanted to see a film this much in a very long time. Years even.

Anybody know what song was playing when Batman was in the night club beating up some thugs?

Wow it actually went...UP a rating at IMDB, that's sort of rare. This one might stay in the top 250

It's #1 on IMDb now. I should think that it will go down soon though. It's just fanboys rating it a 10 without even seeing it that got it the top spot.

i thnki the death of ledger contributed to the hype.

Well, I saw the movie last night and I have quite a lot to say about it. Unfortunately, I don't really have time now to post several paragraphs, so for now, just know that I am one of the toughest critics on the planet, and I recommend seeing it very highly and regard you as an inferior form of life if you pass up any opportunity to see it at least once.

It's #1 on IMDb now. I should think that it will go down soon though. It's just fanboys rating it a 10 without even seeing it that got it the top spot.

It'll go down, but I'd still say this one is staying in the top 250. Most big movies do start out in the 250 only to fall out after a few days. This is one of the only ones I've seen actually start so high and then just go up from there.

And to be fair, I've read the boards. There are people giving it 1s 'just because' too.

I must say, Ledger's Joker was un-fucking-believable. At first I had gripes about Joker being a straight out psychopath, but in the end, he was as much the criminal mastermind as I had hoped for.
I'm glad Batman's an Anti-hero again, and not just another DC do-gooder.

I'm not gonna add my gripes and likes review of the movie just yet - I'm assuming not everyone has seen it yet, and I didn't actually see the movie straight through, because I took my nephews and lets just say they have small bladders so I'm going again tomorrow.

My scale of this years comic book movies so far:

Hellboy II* - It had everything, Comedy, Action, Sci-Fi, Great mix of Fantasy and Reality, Great developed characters No real gripes.
Iron-man* - Would've been in the No. 1 spot alone, just wished it was a bit longer like most 1st part movies.
Batman - Need to see it again with no interruptions to place it in the right spot, so far I think it'll be tied or in the top spot alone.
Hulk - 2nd only because I was expecting more than just one straight out brawl like Spider-man 2 had.
Hancock - 3rd because I really wished they had gone in depth with his origins.
Wanted - Not because it wasn't a true adaption, but because it seemed rather short. also, the comic had a way better twist and ending than the movie.

In no way am I saying that the latter sucked, I liked every movie. I'm basing my ratings on gripes I had in each.

It'll go down, but I'd still say this one is staying in the top 250. Most big movies do start out in the 250 only to fall out after a few days. This is one of the only ones I've seen actually start so high and then just go up from there.

And to be fair, I've read the boards. There are people giving it 1s 'just because' too.

I don't think it'll go down that easy due to numbers of voters who loves this The Dark Knight to hit the no. 1 spot. The numbers of voters for Dark Knight is 23,611 and it's only 4 days since the movie's been out on theater to compare with The Godfather with 288,072 in how many years which I don't know. I don't think that includes votes from another country that hasn't watch it yet for late release. I guess TDK earn it for no. 1 rank as one of the best movie ever. Conclusion, its due to voters imo. Sorry if I say anything wrong. It's just my two cents.

PS: Eckhart is up there with Bale & Ledger ;)

Steller. Setting records.

Brought in $66.4 million on its first day in theaters. Broke record with $18.5 million from midnight screenings-- previously set by StarWars 3.

Hoping it breaks 200 million for opening weekend. I've seen it twice.

Best film ever. Ledger was flawless.

Also, happily suprised by Eckharts preformance.

Yes Eckhart did great, 100 million times better than a certain actor named Jones...though you can quite easily argue he had much higher quality writing and directing to work off of.

The Harvey Dent character in general showed some really nice development, wasn't anywhere near as one dimensional as the Batman Forever portrayal

what i really didnt like about the movie was batman's "voice"
he was trying to hard.

The comics have detailed Batman's voice as deep, gruff, and unnatural sounding, delivered as such to strengthen Wayne's disguise. As a well known man, just using his regular voice as Batman would inevitably give him away. It also adds to Batman's intimidating persona. The voice is exactly how he should sound.

I saw the movie last night. I will definitely be seeing it again, and again. Heath Ledger was incredible. He was the perfect villain, and I was so enthralled with his portrayal of the Joker. There was a lot of dimension to the character, and many surprises throughout the movie. I have to say the disappearing pencil 'trick' made me laugh, even though it was so wrong. I loved this movie, and I only wish Heath was still alive to accept the oscar's he will no doubt win for his role as the Joker.

<3<3 Heath Ledger<3<3

It'll go down, but I'd still say this one is staying in the top 250. Most big movies do start out in the 250 only to fall out after a few days. This is one of the only ones I've seen actually start so high and then just go up from there.

And to be fair, I've read the boards. There are people giving it 1s 'just because' too.

It's rating is going up. Looks like it might stay #1 now. It's 0.4 above the godfather. That's the biggest gap between two films in the top 250. I hope it deserves to be there though. I'm really hyped up for it.

EDIT: Bale has been arrested for beating his mum and sister.

Saw the Dark Knight two nights ago, and I found it to be decent enough. I have to agree with Catastrophe. I found myself fighting to refrain from laughing at Bale's Batman voice as it was so hilariously terrible! It sounded like a bad impression of Brando's Godfather Corleone.


The voice is exactly how he should sound.

I so disagree. Kevin Conroy (of Batman TAS) is a great example of someone who can pull off that particular pitch shift without sounding like he's chewing gravel. Bale should work on it.

But that's about the biggest criticism I have for the film thus far. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed the action bits and Eckhart's Harvey Dent. Ledger's Joker was ok. Admittedly, it's not what I expected as an adaptation from the comic Joker, but I think he did well for his interpretation of the character. Thankfully, I also got to say goodbye to the character I considered the weakest in the two Batman films.

I wouldn't see it again, but it's definitely worth a watch.

EDIT: My brother lied.

If anyone's wondering, there's the fund-raiser scene that a lot of detractors are pointing out in which Batman dives after Rachel and leaves the Joker in the penthouse with all of his guests.

The Joker states later that "the way [Batman] dived after her" he thought he was Dent. Since the Joker went to the penthouse to kill Dent, and just had all of his cronies beaten to pulp, it would be assumed he left after figuring Dent just jumped out the window after Rachel. It's still bad editing but oh well.

The comics have detailed Batman's voice as deep, gruff, and unnatural sounding, delivered as such to strengthen Wayne's disguise. As a well known man, just using his regular voice as Batman would inevitably give him away. It also adds to Batman's intimidating persona. The voice is exactly how he should sound.

In All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, Robin even comments on how unnatural and ridiculous it sounds, likening it to a Clint Eastwood wannabe.

I so disagree. Kevin Conroy (of Batman TAS) is a great example of someone who can pull off that particular pitch shift without sounding like he's chewing gravel. Bale should work on it.

Don't just blame Bale, Christopher Nolan obviously agrees Bats should sound that way too or he would've made Bale deliver his lines differently. This is a movie directed by a guy with a very specific vision.

But again, it works because of the disguise aspect. Merely lowering his tone wouldn't realistically be good enough by itself. If you really wanted to hide your voice you'd distort it as much as possible.

the Dark Knight -

I thought Heath was magnificent. And, I liked it when they said

Commisioner Gordon!

But, I have a laundry list of complaints I'm not going to enumerate here because I've been called nothing but insane for them all weekend :o :o :o

Don't just blame Bale, Christopher Nolan obviously agrees Bats should sound that way too or he would've made Bale deliver his lines differently. This is a movie directed by a guy with a very specific vision.

But again, it works because of the disguise aspect. Merely lowering his tone wouldn't realistically be good enough by itself. If you really wanted to hide your voice you'd distort it as much as possible.

Okay, I blame everyone responsible for that crappy voice and those who didn't try to stop it. Is that better?

Edit: Neg, you and me both. =/ But now I'm curious.

Well, I will tell you I love the voice.

In Begins, when he says SWEAR TO ME!!! I always jump ^____^

Oh NO. Everyone seems to like the voice but me. I so love having unpopular opinions... =/

If it's any consolation, I'm in the middle about Batman's voice.
I thought he was trying a bit harder than he did in the first movie.
There's only one part in the whole movie where I didn't understand what he said. It was at the end during the banter between him and the Joker.

Oh NO. Everyone seems to like the voice but me. I so love having unpopular opinions... =/

Hey, hey. I'm the one that doesn't like Dark Knight.

I am the pariah ;)

But, I have a laundry list of complaints I'm not going to enumerate here because I've been called nothing but insane for them all weekend :o :o :o

You can't just say that and not post your complaints!
Please do tell so we may also contribute in your ridicule!!! :p

how can you not like The Dark Knight, it was the greatest Batman film as well as a great film in general. Everything looked and felt wonderful I love the film.

I'm also in the group that says The Voice sounds prefect.

as for Bale being arrested, he wasn't. He went to talk to the police stayed for 4 hours or so and left. The complaint was verbal abuse, he didn't hit his mother or sister.

as for Bale being arrested, he wasn't. He went to talk to the police stayed for 4 hours or so and left. The complaint was verbal abuse, he didn't hit his mother or sister.

Yeah, I found that out onTDK boards over on IMDb, I just couldn't be botherd to post it here lol.

Apparently his mum and sister were both drunk and demanded money from him or something.

also the mother said something about his wife.

My gripes:


The Batman voice fucking sucked. I don't know how you could've liked it. David Hayter can do the "completley change your voice and be ridiculously over the top gruff" while still having his voice change pitch when he talks and sound natural. Many voice actors can do this, actually. Either Bale can't or Nolan's vision is that he should sound as terrible as possible, but it was really, really, bad. And if the comics suggest that it's supposed to be lame sounding, they took it over the top in the movie and ruined whatever satirical effect that might give.

I felt uncomfortable watching Heath Ledger. Not because he's dead, but because I felt he overplayed the part. I understand that this isn't the Joker I think of when I think of the Joker (maniacal but fun loving). As a critic put it, Ledger's the only Joker he's ever seen who looked like he wasn't having any fun at all, and I agree 100%. I know they wanted him to be uncomfortably insane and a psycho, and he did that to such an extent that instead of "ooh this guy is creepy" you get "ooh stop overacting every single line you have and maybe try to sound somehwat realistic" or something. I don't know exactly how to word that complaint.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is less attractive than Katie Holmes and seeing Eckhart and Holmes in another on-screen relationship would've been amusing just cause. But that's not anyone but her fault and Maggie did a good enough job anyways and I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

I felt the whole Hong Kong escapade was a little unneccesary but I dunno. Then they forget to tie up loose plot points such as what happened to Lau (did he get off the burning money okay?) and things like that. I also would've liked more Two Face cause I <3 Eckhart and Two Face is awesome. Hopefully he didn't die.

So there you have it, two fairly big complaints but the only things I can pick at beyond that are minor details. I think if I were to rate it I'd give it a 9/10. It's not perfect.

My gripes:


The Batman voice fucking sucked. I don't know how you could've liked it. David Hayter can do the "completley change your voice and be ridiculously over the top gruff" while still having his voice change pitch when he talks and sound natural. Many voice actors can do this, actually. Either Bale can't or Nolan's vision is that he should sound as terrible as possible, but it was really, really, bad. And if the comics suggest that it's supposed to be lame sounding, they took it over the top in the movie and ruined whatever satirical effect that might give.

I felt uncomfortable watching Heath Ledger. Not because he's dead, but because I felt he overplayed the part. I understand that this isn't the Joker I think of when I think of the Joker (maniacal but fun loving). As a critic put it, Ledger's the only Joker he's ever seen who looked like he wasn't having any fun at all, and I agree 100%. I know they wanted him to be uncomfortably insane and a psycho, and he did that to such an extent that instead of "ooh this guy is creepy" you get "ooh stop overacting every single line you have and maybe try to sound somehwat realistic" or something. I don't know exactly how to word that complaint.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is less attractive than Katie Holmes and seeing Eckhart and Holmes in another on-screen relationship would've been amusing just cause. But that's not anyone but her fault and Maggie did a good enough job anyways and I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

I felt the whole Hong Kong escapade was a little unneccesary but I dunno. Then they forget to tie up loose plot points such as what happened to Lau (did he get off the burning money okay?) and things like that. I also would've liked more Two Face cause I <3 Eckhart and Two Face is awesome. Hopefully he didn't die.

So there you have it, two fairly big complaints but the only things I can pick at beyond that are minor details. I think if I were to rate it I'd give it a 9/10. It's not perfect.

I thought the fall killed two face

I loved the film. Saw it in IMAX last night. My parents came over and took me to see it as a late birthday gift. I loved the Joker. God damn, man. He was FUCKED UP! "You know how I got these scars? My father went after my mother with a knife, then he turned to me, and said "Why so serious?!", and gave me these."
That's sorta the gist of what was said, but man Heath's performance was awesome I thought. 10/10

The comics have detailed Batman's voice as deep, gruff, and unnatural sounding, delivered as such to strengthen Wayne's disguise. As a well known man, just using his regular voice as Batman would inevitably give him away. It also adds to Batman's intimidating persona. The voice is exactly how he should sound.

so he always sounds like he has a hangover? WOW, awesome!

and i agree with wattson to an extent.
i also prefer the joker whose sole purpose in life is to make batman laugh over a quasi-terrorist like ledger's joker.

I felt uncomfortable watching Heath Ledger. Not because he's dead, but because I felt he overplayed the part. I understand that this isn't the Joker I think of when I think of the Joker (maniacal but fun loving). As a critic put it, Ledger's the only Joker he's ever seen who looked like he wasn't having any fun at all, and I agree 100%. I know they wanted him to be uncomfortably insane and a psycho, and he did that to such an extent that instead of "ooh this guy is creepy" you get "ooh stop overacting every single line you have and maybe try to sound somehwat realistic" or something. I don't know exactly how to word that complaint.



I just don't see how Heath Ledger 'over acted' every line. I guess because somehow I am trying to imagine how realistic you wanted him to sound? I mean, seeing how pyschotic the Joker is, I think he acted is part well. Ledger delivered a Joker that you can laugh too and even like a bit but still feel hesitant for doing so knowing who he is and the things he does. From what I see, Nicholson delivered the much more comic Joker, while Ledger took the Joker to his other extremity: Pyschotic and insane - something that can be completely believeable; people can be pushed to such limits.

i still cant forget the description an user did about joker on a thread of darkknight in the RE (gamecube) board of gamefaqs:

heres more or less what was posted:

jack vs heath.
no comparison, ledger kills. jack played well but his character was like taken out of a comic book, while ledger took a more serious and dark tone for the character.

now,let me enphasize
out of a comic
out of a comic
out of a comic

Uh..


Nicholson delivered the much more comic Joker...

I thought the fall killed two face

That's what they want us to think but I'm not sure it happened. It's extremely easy to just say Batman + Gordon covered up so nobody would know the shame Two Face brought upon himself. It should definitley be noted that the police are too busy chasing after Batman to go to the incident so it is possible that Gordon could've hid him in that time. Or whatever.

I think I would've been much happier with Ledger's performance had he not been the Joker and was just a new psychotic villain. However, the big thing is there were times when he was supposed to look like he was truly enjoying himself (ie laughing, when he sticks his head out the window of the car, etc.) and that just didn't translate past "wow he's kinda creepy" which I feel he could have done.

I thought the fall killed two face

I don't think they said for sure. =/

Perhaps all will be answered....in deleted scenes on the DVD.

I felt the whole Hong Kong escapade was a little unneccesary but I dunno.

I want to make a BRB Going to Hong Kong macro~

Macros are lame

As for Joker being too psychotic or creepy, I dunno but what the hell do you expect from a terrorist clown? If he was totally plastic, completely clean and merely spurting off tame one-liner jokes the whole time without an ounce of intimidation it would be a bit ridiculous, particularly in this version of the Batman universe. As a villain he has to have some slightly demented tendencies or he wouldn't feel like a credible threat. And to me he clearly enjoyed himself through out the film, I'm not sure how there's even a dispute about that.

This is coming from a guy that in his adult years can't stand the Tim Burton take on Batman though, so if this stems from some preference to the Jack Nicholson Joker that's a bit silly, it's apples and oranges. Even though Burton's Batman was "dark" in style, Nolan's Batman is much more dark in terms of actual story and tone. There's more weight to it, and this version of the Joker fits right in there.

These spoiler tags are fucking annoying.

The Hong Kong trip was just a natural part of Batman's big 'going after the mob' battle. Clearly shown from the meeting where he's on the television, Lau was going there to hide mob money, and Bats, through the guise of Wayne Enterprises relations, followed him to prevent this and put a further dent in Gotham's crime ring. If Batman hadn't gone there though he would've really had nothing concrete on him to warrant any sort of arrest.

Two Face clearly died if you ask me. The cover up to protect Dent's image would be pointless if say TwoFace were alive and stuck in Arkham Asylum where he'd inevitably break free and reveal himself anyway. I think this version of Gordon and Batman are smarter than that. It would also take a lot of weight away from this story, and Nolan is a lot smarter than that. The only "he's not dead!" storyline will probably come if the studios take over and Nolan isn't a part of the third film.

And back to the voice, I'm sorry some don't like it, but I think the reasons I gave to explain it are very justified and if you can't at least agree that it does suit it's purposes whether or not you actually like the sound of it - I hope you'll not let something like that take you into "THIS MOVIE SUCKS" land. For me it's also kind of one of those "why are you bitching about it NOW?" things, he sounded that way in the first film. If it's so much of a nuisance then why watch another two and a half hours of it?

Question!

Wasn't Gordon's son supposed to die at the hand of Two-Face, thus making his sister in the future Batgirl?

Without overreacting: this was probably one of the best movies of the year, the best comic book adaptation I've seen so far, my favourite Batman movie, and I absolutely fucking adored everything about it.
It proves that the whole environment about Batman is really something not so ordinary: every character was brilliant performed, there wasn't a single boring moment and the whole movie was quite a tense experience.

In other words: 10/10

Okay maybe a bit dull was the rather corny sequence of the two boats of escaping people and they ended up not killing eachother and The Joker didn't expect that at all.

By now I like the dark voice of Batman, I really had to get used to it in Batman Begins and apparently I have gotten used to it! It suits the peculiar atmosphere of the whole movie too, including The Joker and Two-Face being much more horrifying their previous versions!

Aaand I would like it that Two-Face survives that fall he makes. :D Would be neat to see him team-up (again, lol) with The Riddler or so.

Awesome movie!

I think two-face is alive and locked up somewhere in Arkham. Otherwise that meant that Batman killed him in that final scene when he tackled him over the edge of the building.

Awesome movie!

I think two-face is alive and locked up somewhere in Arkham. Otherwise that meant that Batman killed him in that final scene when he tackled him over the edge of the building.

he did jumped with harvey to stop him from hurting gordon or his wife and kid.
i believe harvey is dead, because batman was now labeled as a criminal. he is now viewed as the killer of gothams only opportunity to true peace: harvey dent

Alright, so every gripe I had with Dark Knight was present in Hell Boy II. Problem being (for me), I absolutely loved The Golden Army. To prevent being a hypocrite, I will stop taking joy in tearing down Dark Knight.

I guess I'll just say that Dark Knight didn't particularly interest me as much as I was expecting it to.

Again, sorry for taking such joy in disliking Dark Knight. Childish and foolish of me, for sure. My apologies.

The old "let's hate something popular just because" routine eh

No, I was hating it because of the problems I personally had, but I was taking too much joy in that.

So, same phenomenon, ultimately, I suppose. Just didn't have a great, grand posse behind me in the endeavor.

Alright, so every gripe I had with Dark Knight was present in Hell Boy II. Problem being (for me), I absolutely loved The Golden Army. To prevent being a hypocrite, I will stop taking joy in tearing down Dark Knight.

I guess I'll just say that Dark Knight didn't particularly interest me as much as I was expecting it to.

Again, sorry for taking such joy in disliking Dark Knight. Childish and foolish of me, for sure. My apologies.

you are entitled to your own opinion and it will be respected.

im sure not eveyone liked the movie.

like i said before, i still prefer the joker who does things for the lols and his sole purpose in life is to make batman laugh... over a quasi psychopatihic terrorist who wears makeup.
and batman's hangover voice.

iv seen that film 5 times and the joker is to dam gud he still creeps me out u think of any other bad guy who dose wot he dose just for fun come on he brunt that pile of money heath rocked as joker and im sorry to jack fans but jack sucked as joker

Saw the Dark Knight two nights ago, and I found it to be decent enough. I have to agree with Catastrophe. I found myself fighting to refrain from laughing at Bale's Batman voice as it was so hilariously terrible! It sounded like a bad impression of Brando's Godfather Corleone.



I so disagree. Kevin Conroy (of Batman TAS) is a great example of someone who can pull off that particular pitch shift without sounding like he's chewing gravel. Bale should work on it.

But that's about the biggest criticism I have for the film thus far. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed the action bits and Eckhart's Harvey Dent. Ledger's Joker was ok. Admittedly, it's not what I expected as an adaptation from the comic Joker, but I think he did well for his interpretation of the character. Thankfully, I also got to say goodbye to the character I considered the weakest in the two Batman films.

I wouldn't see it again, but it's definitely worth a watch.

But Conroy was fantastic for the animated series, which was intended for younger audience. Though im 18 and was brought up with Conroy, I still say that voice doesnt work. bales is realistic in the way that hes intimidating and strikes fear. Thats the point of nolans batman. Bruce Timms batman was based more on Burtons batman and styling, which really was flawed due to the fact his parents were hardly mentioned as the reason why he takes the batman up, and why he continues it, unlike Nolans, which is where his voice is perfect, so im afraid i firmly believe you wrong.

Not only because of that, but because the two Batmans are practically polar opposites, simply because one was meant to be aimed at children (but was gladly quite dark and mature), but the bale batmans work on completely different principles, in a different ere of batman, and in a time where you dont want camp voices. Not only that but its a disguise, which Timms batman didnt really cover, because the voices were practically the same, excluding the polite mannerism. Conroy is the voice of animated batman and always will be. Bales is the live action.

If it's any consolation, I'm in the middle about Batman's voice.
I thought he was trying a bit harder than he did in the first movie.
There's only one part in the whole movie where I didn't understand what he said. It was at the end during the banter between him and the Joker.


In all fairness, the joker was CHOKING him. So trying to keep the voice AND faking the choke, would be quite hard. so considering that I thought he did well :P

My gripes:


The Batman voice fucking sucked. I don't know how you could've liked it. David Hayter can do the "completley change your voice and be ridiculously over the top gruff" while still having his voice change pitch when he talks and sound natural. Many voice actors can do this, actually. Either Bale can't or Nolan's vision is that he should sound as terrible as possible, but it was really, really, bad. And if the comics suggest that it's supposed to be lame sounding, they took it over the top in the movie and ruined whatever satirical effect that might give.

I felt uncomfortable watching Heath Ledger. Not because he's dead, but because I felt he overplayed the part. I understand that this isn't the Joker I think of when I think of the Joker (maniacal but fun loving). As a critic put it, Ledger's the only Joker he's ever seen who looked like he wasn't having any fun at all, and I agree 100%. I know they wanted him to be uncomfortably insane and a psycho, and he did that to such an extent that instead of "ooh this guy is creepy" you get "ooh stop overacting every single line you have and maybe try to sound somehwat realistic" or something. I don't know exactly how to word that complaint.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is less attractive than Katie Holmes and seeing Eckhart and Holmes in another on-screen relationship would've been amusing just cause. But that's not anyone but her fault and Maggie did a good enough job anyways and I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

I felt the whole Hong Kong escapade was a little unneccesary but I dunno. Then they forget to tie up loose plot points such as what happened to Lau (did he get off the burning money okay?) and things like that. I also would've liked more Two Face cause I <3 Eckhart and Two Face is awesome. Hopefully he didn't die.

So there you have it, two fairly big complaints but the only things I can pick at beyond that are minor details. I think if I were to rate it I'd give it a 9/10. It's not perfect.


just figured id pick your brains. what do you mean the joker didnt look like he was having fun?

He enjoyed throwing rachel out the window and making batman go for her, He enjoyed taunting the officer about how many of his friends he killed (I love his reaction when he says six. Its just, words dont explain how much i thought the joker would do that). He was cackling whilst driving the truck, He enjoyed taunting harvey dent and making batman work for the information in the interrogation room to choose between dent and rachel. on reflection, he enjoyed making batman suffer by lying about who was at what location. He loved walking from the hospital as it was blowing up, without a care in the world. There what i can think of off the top of my head. You can see the fun and joy he had. Maybe its because Ive read many of the source material, IE killing joke, Long Halloween that I can understand the persona, Because he doesnt have to laugh to enjoy things IE creating harvey dent was a parallel to what Joker tries to do to Gordon in the killing joke; send the whitest of white down to their level and show one bad day can turn you into what he is.

Its also the same principle with the two boats, which ends like the killing joker; Joker failing to make the innocents blow the convicts up/Gordon not going insane after naked tortue and the shooting/paralysis of barbara which he caused.

The joker was clearly having fun. Just because he isnt campy and laughing like Nicholson, who i think was a crap joker; Jack nicholson in a purple suit with a bit of make up. No depth, no schizoprenic-like tendencies, no darkness, just cesar remero stuff.

I could clearly see the joker loved every single minuet of what he did. Maybe doing social psychology helped too. But i think thats a flawed point, but ofcourse each to their own

My two favorite lines in the film:

"You look nervous. Is it the scars? You want to know how I got them? Come here. Hey, look at me. So I had a wife, beautiful; like you. Who tells me, I worry too much. Who tells me, I ought to smile more. Who gambles, and gets in deep with sharks. One day they carve her face. We have no money for surgeries. She can't take it! I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So I stick a razor in my mouth and do this... to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!"

and

"Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was....a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. Turns to me and he says "Why so serious?" Comes at me with the knife,"Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth. "Lets put a smile on that face!" And..... Why so serious?!"

Heath Ledger did a fine performance as the Joker But I PERSONALLY liked Aaron Eckhart's portrayal as Harvey Dent/Two Face more

Yeah, Aaron Eckhart was freakin' awesome as Harvey Dent/Two Face. He stole the show, IMO

... And yeah, the Joker was great, one of Heath Ledger's finest performances. But I don't want him to get the postmortem academy award. Don't get me wrong, he may deserve that but to me the Oscar is just political stuff in Hollywood, and if he gets one is only because the fans made so much fuss because of this death... And the corny fake sympathy they had. Anyone would hate winning an award like that.

There are two things I really liked:
FINALLY they got rid of Rachel! She was too annoying and too bland! I remember I wanted her to die during Batman Begins

Yay! They destroyed the "Bat-Tank!" (no, I refuse to call it "Bat-Mobile")

(off topic) Is that Starfire in your avatar, Koriand'r?

(off topic) Yup, it is XD Koriand'r is Starfire's true name ;p

I like her character, but I never really got into her too much to learn more about her ;O

I loved the way she looked in the comics though. With the big hair and everything. Unlike in the cartoon...

Yay! They destroyed the "Bat-Tank!" (no, I refuse to call it "Bat-Mobile")

It's not called the Batmobile. It's the Tumbler.

I was wary of Dark Knight because I didn't really like Batman Begins all that much. However, I was quite surprised by Dark Knight and ended up loving it.

I found Maggie's acting to be a little... I don't know... sleepy? It's hard to describe, but in other words I didn't like Maggie's performance. But I think everyone else did a superb job. Aaron and Heath gave the best performances IMO.

The music was great too. I bought the soundtrack the day after seeing the movie and have listened to it constantly since then.

Good action as well. They didn't go overboard with the CGI and stunts like most sequels tend to do these days.

Not a complaint, but Gordon kind of reminded me of Ned Flanders (looks only). I giggled at a totally inappropriate time during the movie because of this and earned a dirty look from my friend XD

ot a complaint, but Gordon kind of reminded me of Ned Flanders (looks only)

haha me too

I loved Batman Begins. I don't know what peoples problems with the ninja and Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul or the pacing are, but it caught me completely by surprise, since I was expecting a half-baked attempt at a franchise resurrection and got a gem. But hey, that's another conversation for another thread.
I went to see The Dark Knight with much anticipation. Bought a bunch of tickets for IMAX almost 2 weeks ahead of time (which was just in time because they were gone the next day), since I'm close to Chicago, and everyone was going nuts about it. I've never been a fan of Heath Ledger. I've seen some of his films, and I thought he was at the very least a decent actor, but didn't care for him otherwise. So, I was particularly apathetic about his death, and I figured the reports of his performance in The Dark Knight were overblown because of his death. Still, the clips of him in the trailers seemed decent enough. Well, I must say that The Dark Knight is the best movie I've seen all year. I found Maggie Gyllenhaal to be refreshing, and was pleased to find that I loved, LOVED Heath Ledger as the Joker. I'm sorry, but all you guys saying that Heath was "okay" are fooling yourselves or simply don't know a fantastic performance when you see one. Not a tiny bit of Heath Ledger shows through the character. Granted, he had a lot of help from the makeup in the visuals, but the way he moved, the way he spoke, the gestures he made, from the grand to the subtle, were spot-on. That is a sign of a great actor, when they bury themselves so deeply in the part that they disappear and become that character. It's rare, and because of it, I am now quite upset at his passing. As for the rest of the cast, Arron Eckhart probably opened up so many doors for his career with his performance this film. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are still great, and of course Christian Bale makes an excellent modern-day Bruce Wayne. I love him as Batman as well, and I really don't notice the voice. I really don't understand the complaints, either, since it's just the character. The cartoons and other movies were never trying to be realistic, so he never really changed his voice in those versions. However, they explain in Batman Begins that in addition to being a symbol (in which a man becomes more than a man and less than a man), the Batman persona and identity is to help hide Bruce Wayne's identity and those close to him from reprisals. Everyone knows who Bruce Wayne is, (as Carmine Falcone explains that to him, " you'd have to go a thousand miles to meet someone who didn't know your name."), and everyone knows what he sounds like. He's practically royalty in Gotham. If you met him, you'd know it. If you heard him, you'd know it. So his "Batman voice" might be ridiculous, but it needs to be there.
Oh, and most important about the movie is that every last little thing makes sense. Nothing feels forced, and nothing is convoluted. It all just falls into place. Oh, except for this:

Jim Gordon's "death". I've only seen the movie once. Did he disappear into the crowd when he was "shot" or what? Why did no one realize he wasn't really dead? Oh well, the audience cheered and clapped when he came back, and it WAS a great moment, so I'm willing to let it go.
Also, I had a friend ask me why they didn't just blame Two-Face's murders on the Joker, which I devoted some thought to answering.
1) The Joker doesn't mind admitting to murder. In fact, he thinks its funny and enjoys doing it. So what if they fry him? He thinks thats funny, too. So, I think that if he said that there were some that weren't his work, the authorities might listen.
2) It would go against the character traits that have been established in the two films of the loyalty, self-sacrifice, and valor. If Batman just started pinning crimes on people or even villains who didn't commit them, what makes him better than they? Instead, he takes the blame himself, thus dashing any chances he had at gaining favor in the city (or at least keeping the cops off his back), in the interest of preserving the good that has been accomplished in the city. A true hero (or perhaps "Patriot" would be more appropriate?).


So overall, an excellent movie. If you haven't seen it, The Dark Knight is well worth your time and money (not that it needs any).

Somehow, the Dark Knight rethunk my stance on Batman Begins. I rented Batman Begins and was able to appreciate it this time. I ended up picking it up the other day on Blu-ray, and without knowing, it included the first 6 minutes of the Dark Knight in glorious HD goodness. Its nice to already own part of the Dark Knight movie.

The Dark Knight was good, but it lacked was every excellent movie needs. Ninjas.

Other than that, Heath Ledger at least went out with his last movie being his best.

I liked the movie more than Begins. As it has been said several times in this thread already, I didn't much care for the Batman voice sounding like he Nathan Explosion with a cold, but other than that it was very good.
9.3/10
The voice thing and the whole "... Live long enough to see yourself become a villain" thing kept it from a 10/10

I think that angryvideogamenerd (a.k.a. James Rolfe) gave a pretty fair review of the movie without including any spoilers. Faily unbiased, but with his own opinions slipped in.

The voice thing and the whole "... Live long enough to see yourself become a villain" thing kept it from a 10/10

How was multi-layered foreshadowing a bad thing? It wasn't cheesy, it wasn't a forced line, and it had more than one implication. In movie-making terms, that's generally considered to be a good thing.

Come now, you know people will nitpick a movie to find any flaw they can grasp onto

The foreshadowing wasn't bad, it was just the repetativeness(is that a word?) that was kinda forced and not neccesary. It's still currently my favorite movie, but just kind of nitpicking like Ktulu said.

Come now, you know people will nitpick a movie to find any flaw they can grasp onto

Oh, I know. I figure most people who didn't like The Dark Knight were either scared of clowns or just trying to seem intellectual by going against the grain. I am not referring to xXShemhazaiXx here, but just in general.


The foreshadowing wasn't bad, it was just the repetativeness(is that a word?) that was kinda forced and not neccesary. It's still currently my favorite movie, but just kind of nitpicking like Ktulu said.
"Repetition" is a word; "repeatativeness" is not. An expansive lexicon is a most prodigious thing to possess.
And he said the line once to my memory. I nitpick the nitpickers. And if I'm the nitpicker, I nitpick the ones nitpicking the nitpickers. At least when it comes to movies.

That was the most extensive use of the word nitpick. Batman did say it once but other characters said it, too. I think Two-Face was the first. It didn't take away from the movie all too much but enough to bring it down a couple of decimal places in my rating.

Harvey Dent said it and Batman quoted him at the end when he realized what he had to do.