Production Year: 2008 - Action/Adventure - Director: Christopher Nolan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine more
Director Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, THE PRESTIGE) returns to Gotham City with this sequel to the critically-acclaimed fan favourite, BATMAN BEGINS. In THE DARK KNIGHT, Batman... more
for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the mo...
for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the mo...
The Dark Knight. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and newly appointed District Attorney Harvey Dent Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal o...
Dark Knight
Set in the dark ages, a time of fear, magic and mystery. Dark Knight is a radical new look ... more
at the Ivanhoe legend; an Ivanhoe for the 21st Century, battling not only tyranny and oppression, but a Pandora's Box of strange, terrifying and magical creatures...
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
All our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman We offer *** WORLDWIDE *** Delivery!, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
A review by Timbo3107 on The Dark Knight (DVD) June 28th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Good
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Good
Soundtrack
Good
Advantages:
Still to the high standards of the first film
Disadvantages:
152 minutes in length !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
In my mind Batman Begins was probably the first superhero film since Superman The Movie that had its feet firmly placed o the ground in terms of story telling and plot. The long awaited sequel is about to be released and this for some is what the fans have been waiting for, that is the return of The Joker.
Just watching this film and the fact there is a sequel to Batman Begins is a bonus on its own. People though that this would never get off the ground at all, so seeing the majority of the original cast from the first film is a true achievement and goes to show how much belief the cast have not only in the Director, Christopher Nolan, but also in the script writers. I say the majority of the cast as Katie Holmes (Mrs Tom Cruise) has not returned, she has been replaced with the excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal, who in my opinion more than makes up for the departing Ms Holmes quite effectively and also looks a better actress as a whole for the part of Rachel Dawes.
At the end of the first film, Batman gave his word to Jim Gordon that he will investigate the actions of a criminal called The Joker. This film continues the story a year later but takes it to another level entirely. Batman, Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent have joined forces to combat the crime levels within Gotham City, remember all the patients that were released by the Ra's Al Ghul from Arkham Asylum in the first film? Well they are still at large in Gotham City so it is up to the newly formed alliance to deal with this terror. Working together they basically break up the criminal organisations that are attempting to run the City for there own good.
While this is going on The Joker raises his head again and this time Batman is ready for him, what appears to start off with run of the mill bank robberies soon turns into homicidal acts of terror and something that Gotham haven't seen before, a criminal who can stand up to Batman. It is this that makes Batman re-think his role in society and what he has to do to reclaim his place.
Batman as a character has also changed, a new costume and a new location, instead of Wayne Manor, you see Bruce Wayne based in his company building. Christian Bale looks settled and comfortable in the row of Wayne/ Batman, and actually looks fitter than what he did in Begins. The one thing that I respect Bale for is the fact that he goes to some depth about researching the character he plays and this is evident he is on-screen as Batman. His stance, his mannerism and how he talks all changes. He becomes very aggressive and this only allows the audience to differentiate effectively between the two characters he plays.
Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman return as Alfred and Lucious Fox respectively, again both actors appear settled in the roles and play the characters for who they are in the story. It's interesting to note that these actors have more screen time than the first film, they are also involved in a number of sub plots that involve Wayne and the methods involved in tackling the crime. A relevant subject completely that is tackled as part of the story. If anything Alfred is playing as more of the father figure in this film.
The main difference between this and the previous film is that there are a lot more characters added to the story and the plot, the introduction of Harvey Dent for instance is a good addition to the story , but I cannot help thinking that we should really have seen him in the third film. Dent's character does change and evolve throughout the film and this is entirely true to the legacy of the comics. Aaron Eckhart who plays Dent, is in my mind the best choice of actor for the role, when the character itself takes a turn for the worst then you see Eckhart really give a strong performance in the dual role that he now plays. Fans will know what I'm talking about so I won't go into any details. It does feel that he has been bought in far too early into the series and I hope this isn't a wasted opportunity.
Gary Oldman returns as Jim Gordon, this time around he has been promoted to Lieutenant from Detective. Oldman just looks the part straight away, he has a bushy moustache and glasses, all he actually needs is pure white and that will be Commissioner Gordon off to a tee. Gordon as a character has a destiny and I hope that in the following films that this plays out to entirety. Oldman's performance in The Dark Knight is spot on.
The saddest part of the cast is the late Heath Ledger; we all know that Ledger passed way earlier this year. His input into this film is staggering. His take on The Joker is what the cinema just hasn't seen for years and I think that it is this film that Ledger will be remembered for as he effectively grounds the character and totally rebuilds him into a totally different type of villain that we haven't seen before in this genre of film. His Joker has all the trademarks of the comic character in appearance such as the green hair and build, but what Ledger has done is to take his attitude towards life and increase it by 200% so that the character in the film has something against everyone and everything that means he has no boundaries or more importantly ethics, which his style towards destruction and death is shown a number of times in the story and at some points you feel guilty for laughing at what he does as the darkness of the action is truly pitch black. Forget about Jack Nicholson's version as he was overweight, and very much overpaid to play the Joker. Ledger looks the part, memorably plays the part and is awesomely mesmerising on-screen. Joker's back-story was not covered I the film at all. Thinking about it, this is actually a good idea as it means that what you see on the screen is what you get on the screen.
Visually the film is stunning, the locations used are spot on and make you believe at how big Gotham City actually is, they represent the city which is shown in more detail than before and even though Chicago was used for shooting, you see on screen a city that doesn't resemble one that you've seen before. Thankfully there is no sound stages used for external shots at all, something that Batman and Batman Returns suffered hugely from. This film has been shot on location and gives a location of reality rather than one built inside a big warehouse, and this attention to little things like this allows the audience to relate to it further and immerse themselves deeper in the story. The strange thing was that a lot of the locations were here in England, look out for Battersea Power Station in the opening minutes of the film!!!
You do get to see the Batmobile again, now the design of this I thought was magnificent as this was total 'out of the box' thinking and after I saw it again in this film I thought it was awesome!!! In this film you get to see a number of other vehicles and gadgets that our hero uses personally would like to see les as this starts to go down the Adam West road of Bat Gadgets.
Again Nolan has utilised CGI, but has deliberately kept these to a minimum. When they have been used they have been used to good effect to establish a diorama that the story unfolds ion such as the city scape or an action that was hard to shoot. What I'm saying is that the CGI utilised by Nolan is there to add to the story.
The film isn't perfect, such as the size of the cast of actors, but in all honesty I can say that these doesn't distract from the story or the plot, yes there are more Bat-Gadgets and Bat-Vehicles than before and yes the character of Wayne/ Batman has grown and evolved and his immediate colleagues have also evolved with him, but there is some points in here that feel as if the story is going by the "golden rules" of hero films, one example is at a slow point ion the film when Wayne is contemplating giving up the Batman mantle as he feels he is in second place to Dent who is on a personal crusade and basically feels as if he is not required anymore. The film has more emotion and feeling that gives it a lot of gravity. In this film there is just a hell of a lot of stuff going on that is told throughout the length of the film.
Nolan's direction of the film is what we have now come to expect from him as the Director, sharp and allows the shot to be held long enough for the film to tell its own story. You can see this man is a big fan of the graphic novels and comics in the way that he seems to have thought about every shot and every equivalent angle used. I hope the third film doesn't go like the original four films, that is change of production team, loss of balance between the main character and villains and most important of all a cast change. If the last one was to happen then I seriously think that that would impact the films credibility entirely. Nolan wrote the screen play with his brother Jonathan and I think they have produced an excellent follow up to Begins and thanks to the writing skills of David S Goyer who co-wrote with Nolan they have given us a film which has more meat on it than the original, with enough room for a sprinkling of humour as well as absorbing a number of topical subjects into the story that are dealt with throughout. The action scenes are finely balanced and do generate a healthy amount of suspense and excitement, the interesting thing is that you shouldn't go on what has happened in other Batman films as this film delivers a number of surprises especially some of the main characters in this film, who in some places don't necessarily act in the way that we have come to expect.
Naturally with Ledger's passing this has probably changed the focus of why people will go and see it. If you ask me, this is a high quality Batman film, strangely without 'Batman' in the title, that will be something that people will enjoy immensely. Be aware that this is a dark film throughout and a lot darker than the previous one. The set pieces are excellent, but in places can be quite violent in nature.
The film is also longer than the first; this one comes in at 152 minutes in length.
Advantages: Great cast, script, action etc. Disadvantages: Too long and poorly rated.
...a lot of people in the world Heath Ledger died of an accidental OD. However he did manage to act in two films before his death, one he never completed and the other was probably one of his best pieces of work, ever. His role in the Dark Knight is nothing like you would expect, he doesn't make you swoon ladies like he does in his other films, he doesn't just seem to be there for eye candy. He was always a good actor, I agree, but it's a shame his ... ...as the Joker was truly his best performance ever. The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight co-written and directed by the amazing Christopher Nolan, who also created it's prequel Batman Begins, got the idea for The Dark Knight by the jokers first two appearances in the comics Batman: The Long Halloween. Christian Bale reprises his role as Bruce Wayne whose alter ego is a crime fighting superhero called Batman. He faces a new villain however in this ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average exceptional
Advantages: Chilling to the core Disadvantages: Some underused characters
...first hit cinema screens across the globe, and now as I write this The Dark Knight takes the story on a seamless transition from one movie to the other. 2008's most anticipated movie would have been a blockbuster hit alone, but the death of one of the co-stars Heath Ledger an icon of our time solidified its place in history; when The Dark Knight opened a week ago in America it smashed box office record by achieving a whooping turnover of 67 million ... ...the already dark Batman Begins we were told The Joker was coming, and as The Dark Knight begins you're very well reminded of this, but now no longer just coming, The Joker is here. This time history does not repeat itself, from the old Adam West movies and TV shows to the 1989 movie The Joker onscreen has always provided amusement, that journey stops here. If you are expecting laughs from Heath Ledger's Joker be prepared for a nasty shock, and if ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
The Dark Knight is the latest Batman film to hit our screens, involving Batman's fight to save Gotham city from the Joker's crime wave, whilst also trying as Bruce Wayne to push Harvey Dent as the cities new major and finally be able to hang up his bat suit, and Dents eventual moral conflicts.
Bale is a excellent Batman and Bruce Wayne, playing both characters to almost perfection, although my gripe with his Batman is the strange gruff voice he ... ...the arrogant millionaire and you have to wonder how much of this is the character and how much is the person.
It's impossible to talk about this film without mentioning Heath Ledgers performance but as we've all heard countless times already about this I'll try to be brief. HL isn't a actor I previously thought anything good about and after hearing the hype about his performance I passed it off as another glorification of the dead moment, sort of ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Superb performances, amazing script and scintilating direction... Disadvantages: Perhaps too long for some...
...ShaunMunro.co.uk, and Dooyoo. Thanks!
The Dark Knight is certainly the most hyped film of 2008 – regardless of typical summer blockbuster buzz, Christopher Nolan’s sequel to the superb 2005 Batman Begins has garnered both critical and audience acclaim, even managing to sweep the #1 spot on IMDB’s Top 250 for the time being (although many question whether such is simply a gauge of timely popularity rather than traditional film quality).
Is The Dark ... ...viewings of the film, I would attest that it is not only the finest comic book film of the year, but the most entertaining and intelligent worldwide 2008 release thus far, and on its own terms, is packed to the brim with Academy Award-worthy material.
The Dark Knight opens as The Joker pulls off an ingenious bank heist, a scene all too familiar from the likes of Michael Mann’s Heat, although Nolan unabashedly admits this to be one of the film’s ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: The Joker Disadvantages: Waay tooooo looooong, too violent for kids, silly Batman
...yet another crime wave at the hands of the mafia and the Joker, who are intent to turn Gotham into a free-for-all for criminals. New District Attorney, Harvey Dent, is determined to get to the bottom of matters, along with James Gordon and Bruce Wayne, who leads a double life as Batman. Some progress is made, but the Joker keeps turning up and thwarting their every move. Can Batman rid the city of the menace that the Joker has become? Or is the Joker's ... ...to me, and apart from the Batman series that was on the television in the seventies, I have never seen Batman in action. However, with Heath Ledger's death earlier this year and the rave reviews that I have read, I decided to go against the grain and see what everyone was talking about. This is, then, a review about the film as a stand-alone, because I cannot comment on how this fits in or compares with previous films. The first thing that stands ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Picture, sound, story, characters, cast etc etc etc Disadvantages: changes from full to wide screen Ion my ps3 dunno about actual blue ray player
... The DarkKnight
Introductiosn
DarkKnight is the second serious film to the batman series. the first being batman begins and i must say, DarkKnight destroys batman begins in every way, better story, characters, cast etc. in this review, ill cover everything to try and get you to get this film, on blue ray of dvd.
Story
DarkKnight has so many twists and turns it unbelievable. its also full with action, romance, thrills and a few laughs. so the basic story is the joker is in gothem and batman has to catch him. in this batman film the joker is a bit more of a terrorist than a criminal, with blackmail and hostages. batman has a sort of Q from james bond and a new good guy Harvey who is a sort of polatictian who has a dark ending.
Cast
DarkKnights cast is absolutly outstanding, they may not be brad pitt, tom...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Amazing action, cool characters, brilliant special effects, sublime sound track. Disadvantages: Storyline very similar to last 2.
...! Each song was so well placed and always fit the scene as well as enhancing the film. Soundeffects were also cool and accurate, all the weapons sounded realistic and the effects to the fight scenes were timed perfectly.
5/5
How does it compare to similar films?
This film takes two genres, action and horror, rolls them into one and outclasses both. It is much better than most horror movies as I tend to find alot of them too fake-looking and cheesy. It also out-classes many action films with some of it's action sequences. Definatly stands out from the croud.
5/5
How does it compare to others by the same director?
When it came out, I would say it was the best David Samuel Goyer had done so far and it still competes with some of his more recent films such as batman begins and the darkknight.
5/5
The DVD...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: decent comic book adaptation Disadvantages: very bad quality transfer, no extras
...When dvd was first brought onto the market Warner bros was one of the forst studios to get on the bandwagon with some initial releases.
Batman was one of these titles and it really shows the infancy of dvd titles.
The film itself is a great dark gothic comic book movie. It's everythngi you'd expect from the darkknight. Keaton is the best of the cinematic batmans so far and is a charming Bruce Wayne. Jack Nicholson is wonderfully over the top as The Joker and at times domintes too much. Still it's enjoyable but not as good as it's sequel.
The film is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen and is enhanced for widescreen TV's. The problem is sadly the transfer which is abysmal. It's grainy, full of dirt and scratch and frankly everything looks washed out. I wouldn't be surprised if Warners made this transfer from a VHS copy.
Sound...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Official Website: http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/
Consumer Advice: Contains moderate violence and sustained threat
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: United States of America
Plot: Batman squares off against a new, completely psychotic foe: the Joker. However, the Dark Knight finds himself fighting a battle on two fronts when he learns that a prominent political figure named Harvey Dent is concealing a dastardly alter-ego known as Two Face.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS, WARNER BROS.
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital
Special Features: Batman Tech: The Incredible Gadgets and Tools, Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight - Delve into the Psyche of Bruce Wayne and the world of Batman Through Real World Psychotherapy (in HD), Gotham Tonight: 6 Episodes of Gotham Cables Premier News Program, Trailers, TV spots
DVD Description
Director Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, THE PRESTIGE) returns to Gotham City with this sequel to the critically-acclaimed fan favourite, BATMAN BEGINS. In THE DARK KNIGHT, Batman (Christian Bale – RESCUE DAWN, AMERICAN PSYCHO) squares off against a new, completely psychotic foe: the Joker (Heath Ledger – BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, A KNIGHT'S TALE). However, the Dark Knight finds himself fighting a battle on two fronts when he learns that a prominent political figure named Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart – IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, ERIN BROCKOVICH) is concealing a dastardly alter-ego known as Two Face.
Award information
BAFTA: Best Supporting Actor 2009 (Heath Ledger)
OSCAR: Best Actor In A Supporting Role 2009 (Heath Ledger)
Professional reviews
Review: THE DARK KNIGHT is pure adrenaline. Returning director Christopher Nolan, having dispensed with his introspective, moody origin story, now puts the Caped Crusader through a decathlon of explosions, vehicle flips, hand-to-hand combat, midair rescues and pulse-pounding suspense (Hollywood Reporter, 30/10/2008)
Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies. THE DARK KNIGHT, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005's BATMAN BEGINS, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up. There's something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe (Rolling Stone, 30/10/2008)
An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some (Variety, 30/10/2008)
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