Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Member since:29.08.2002
Reviews:625
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Having established himself as the protector of Gotham City, Batman sets out with the help of the District Attorney Harvey Dent and Police Lieutenant Jim Gordon to bring down the largest Criminal organisations. Their plans take a bit of a diversion though when a new mastermind takes control of Gotham's crime syndicate. The Joker demands that Batman unmask himself and sets off on a killing spree to try and ensure it happens. The real question for the Caped Crusader is whether he can stop the Joker and keep to his own rules or will he have to go that little bit further to stop his new nemesis.
It's been over a year since the follow up to Batman Begins was released but yesterday rather than head to the cinema we decided to finally watch it. Having heard nothing but good things about it and loving the previous film it seemed almost unbelievable that we hadn't watched it yet. Where Batman Begins had in my opinion taken the Batman films to a new level I was hoping that The Dark Knight would carry on this progression and I certainly wasn't disappointed. The partnership between director Christopher Nolan
and Christian Bale has certainly made the Dark Knight darker, but it's also made the last 2 films far better than any of the previous movies.
With his views on the Batman series Nolan seems to have totally reinvented it for the 00's and I for one think it works. While the original movies were good there is something in Nolan's portrayal that seems to make the new Batman movies stand out from their predecessors. He uses the camera work to his advantage and there are a number of scenes where his clever camera work makes the scene all the more darker than perhaps it should have been. The lighting and effects used throughout the movie are amazing and follow on from the excellent start he made with Batman Begins.
There are also some spectacular special effects and without ruining the film the explosions and some of the makeup used is absolutely amazing. If I'd had one criticism with Batman Begins it would have been that it started a little slowly but The Dark Knight is all go from the beginning. The screenplay was penned by Nolan and his brother Jonathan and it certainly improves on what I thought was the only negative with Batman Begins. The story hooks you from the opening credits and keeps you wanting to know what's going to happen up until the end. In fact even the end leaves you hoping for another film with a lot of questions that fans of the Batman series, both old and new will want answering.
When it was announced that Christian Bale was taking on the role of Batman for Batman Begins I wasn't sure about the choice. Since then I can honestly say he's completely changed my mind. He seems to have taken to the role with relative ease and his performances are truly stunning. As both Bruce Wayne and Batman he looks and sounds the part. His portrayal of Batman is a lot darker than Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Michael Keatonin the past and I think he's really made the role his own.
His co star in this film is sadly no longer with us and it has been suggested that Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker sent him over the edge. Once you've seen him in the role it is quite easy to see why these suggestions have been made. I was never a huge fan of Ledger's other films but his portrayal of the Joker was astonishing. He seemed to capture the essence of the role and you really believed that he was just doing it all for a bit of a laugh. It's fair to say that it's a fitting final film for Ledger with perhaps his best performance.
As well as the two lead roles everyone in this film gives an excellent performance. With such stars as Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Aaron Eckhart it's fair to say the cast are all reasonably assured actors in their own right. Nolan seems to have used the cast with great effect and it's fair to say he's got the best out of each and every member of the cast.
Overall I think it's fair to say that this film lives up to expectation. It carries on the good work that the Nolan and Bale partnership started with Batman Begins. In fact I would go so far as to say this is my favourite Batman film from the series so far. There are some superb performances in this film and it carries on the good work that the team have started. Obviously there is the darker side of the film, which might not be for everyone but I think it makes for a much more effective atmosphere and works for the Batman series.
Action/Adventure - Director: The Wachowski Brothers - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Jada Pinkett
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
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
I watched this and felt it went on far too long - y'know when you think "Ok, it'll end in about 5 mins" as it seems to be wrapping up? In the end I gave up, bored, and went to bed. (sorry!).
The Dark Knightarrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar ... 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...
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The Dark Knightarrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar ... 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...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Following on from Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale reunite for ... more
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...
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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 Dark Knight (2 Discs) [DVD] [2008]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/70065596.jpg "The Dark Knight (2 Discs) [DVD] [2008]")
Sep 16th, 2009
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