The Dark Knight

This movie was FREAKIN AMAZING! I saw it twice!! I pretty much ignored my bf cuz i didn't want to miss any of it! lol This was a great way to remember Heath Ledger! His last performance was in my opinion one of the best I've seen. It could have been better in some areas but it was very well made. It earns 4.5 stars!

This movie albeit long, is worth every minute. Heath Ledger will be truely missed, but is well comemorated in this movie. Talk about going out when you're on top!!!

I liked this movie! Heath Ledger was a great joker. Great effects!

First off, this movie is one of those where you should leave the little kids with the babysitter and see the movie with the adult group, because of the murderous content of the movie. The so called joker has a very insane mind and many gory moments are displayed as the joker's type of fun. if you decide to go please do not bring the little batman fans because they might get frightened and have nightmares for a while. But, the movie is great because it has intense drama and many surprising moments. It is a good movie and deserves to be called that.

i dont even like action movies that stuff, but this movie topped them all.

heath ledger gave a phenomenal (sp?) performance. he had me tense wondering who hes gonna go after next or what hes gonna do.

honestly, christian bale wasnt that good as Batman in this movie. he didnt show any emotion, at all, not once. he was better as Bruce Wayne.

eckhart was very good as two-face/ harvey dent. he was very believeable when he turned into a bad guy.

morgan freeman and michael caine were, as usual, awesome. they always deliver their roles perfectly in almost every movie theyre in.

well, i thought the joker absolutely stole the show. i give it a 10, or possibly a 9 1/2 because it was good.

the 2 things that peeved me was at the end was he was supposed to be giving a voiceover, the music was so loud it was almost impossible to figure out what he was saying. and christian bales voice as Batman. arg! it sounded horrible.

They really should have titled this "The Joker" because Heath Ledger steels the show. His performance is so fantastically psychotic and creepy.

In previous incarnations of the Joker, the character has always been portrayed as a cynically diabolical evil arch enemy to Batman, with a seriously inappropriate sense of humor. But in "The Dark Knight," the Joker takes a whole new approach to villainy. Ledger's Joker represents chaos and entropy, while Batman represents order and rules. This is a much more interesting conflict than the traditional good vs. evil story that get recycled over and over.

At it's root, there's nothing wrong about anarchy and chaos, it's just a lack of order. Seeing the chaotic Joker as "evil" is like calling a shark or mountain lion evil for mauling a swimmer or hiker. The Joker is this animalistic force. He's not motivated by revenge, he's not doing it for the fame or the money, he's just doing it because order and rule of law is fundamentally man-made and unnatural. I really liked this aspect.

Don't get me wrong, I would fear for my life every second I'm around this guy. But to sit in a dark theater and watch an actor breath new life into a fairly stale character, and do it magically, I haven't been spellbound by an actor's performance ever before. It was great having that new experience.

Now for the obligatory, too bad we lost Heath paragraph. Yes it's too bad. I'm sorry for his death, but my God, what a fantastic performance to always be remembered by. I really think this is a best-actor worthy performance.

If you're not a Batman person, or if you were completely turned off by the Burton and Schumacher movies, seeing this will restore your faith in the franchise. You don't even have to have seen "Batman Begins" (which I found kinda dull, actually) to see "The Dark Knight". I am a Batman fan again.

Some other notes:

I much preferred Maggie Gyllenhaal to Katie Holmes as "Rachel Dawes". Katie always seemed too young to be such an accomplished lawyer. I'm glad they went with someone a little older to play the role this time around.

Aaron Eckhart was fantastic as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. It's so easy to make Two-Face a two-dimensional character. This version, you really see the breakdown of "The White Knight" into someone who has completely given up on playing by the rules. Plus Eckhart is from Cupertino, CA, and so am I, so mad props to the local guy.

Why so serious?? Joker, played by Heath Ledger, did an awesome performance. I couldn't tell if he was serious or not. It was that good! Haha.. he's awesome!

Batman had to make sacrafices against Joker. But he did a good job saving as much people as he can.

Joker stole the show from batman from this movie. With magic trick, appearances, and he has nothing to lose. The Joker has no rules!

The movie could of been rated R with the violence. Overall it was a good movie to watch.

awesome.. but wanted was better..

[EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]

OK. It IS a very good movie. The acting is VERY convincing, the special effects are AWESOME, and the musical score is better than I expected. These are the ONLY GOOD POINTS.

There was too much violence for a PG-13 movie. I've seen R rated movies that earned an R for suggested violence and a short kissing scene.

You see someone get their mouth ripped apart by a knife.

You see the joker shove a pencil completely into a guy's head hence "making it disappear."

You see a very gory scene with half of a man's head missing (the left side.)

DON'T watch unless you are AT LEAST 17.

I'M ALMOST 19 AND IT MADE MY STOMACH SICK.

That's the only complaint...too much violence for the rating provided.

HE MADE A PENCIL DISAPPPPEPARS> ZOMG!!!!!! WHY SO SEREEEUS!@!Q!!!@Q!LOL!!!!

As everyone else is parroting, Heath Ledger was amazing. It was the kind of performance you ache to see every time a promising villain comes along. His cold ruthlessness and disdain for the status quo never waver, thankfully.

This is not a story of redemption. It's a tale of sacrifice, true nobility and bravery. However, when I say that, I refer to ideals to which Lucius, Alfred and Commissioner Gordon hold true, not the questionable methods used by Batman. And I believe that the film deliberately draws that distinction, but leaves a certain amount of moral ambiguity precisely because these situations are never cut and dry.

Aaron Eckhart gave an excellent performance as Harvey Dent. He was charming and self-assured until his world collapsed. He brings the necessary intensity to the role of a wounded crusader.

Gary Oldman completely redefines Commissioner Gordon as an independent and sympathetic character with steely quiet strength. As per usual, he delivers a beautiful performance. Though he makes an incredible villain, this switch only serves to illustrate his talent and versatility.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman use their legendary talents to bring depth and meaning to their supporting roles.

One of the major failings in this film is the lack of intimacy between Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal. There doesn't seem to be any passion, no real connection. Her character seems to be an undeveloped plot device. Very disappointing.

Christian Bale has always seemed wooden to me, and this movie only reaffirmed that belief. There were real opportunities in there to show a wounded psyche, to illustrate how heavily his decisions weighed upon him, but they were lost. An adequate performance just isn't enough with a cast of this caliber.

As for the rating, I don't believe that this movie had that much more violence than a number of PG-13 movies. I rather enjoyed the fact that most of the violence was amoral, with no Bond villain diatribes to draw it out or attempt to rationalize the bloodshed. Though it isn't graphically violent most of the time, I still wouldn't show this to young kids.

Despite all the flaws, I really enjoyed this movie. Don't expect a Batman movie; everyone else steals the show, making this into more of a crime drama than a superhero movie. The acting transcends the holes, pitfalls and disappointments... to a point.

Yes yes, I'm here to ruin the five star party. I'm sorry - I really wanted to like this movie. I was in love with "Batman Begins", but unfortunately this movie isn't "Batman Begins". While I'm sure many of you are readying the firing squad (many fanboys seem to be mimicking Batman's quick-to-anger-but-not-quick-to-think mentality), perhaps you can calm down for a bit and remember that, ultimately, this is a movie and other people have opinions that are just as important as your own. Amazing, isn't it?

Let's get one thing out of the way fast: Yes, Heath Ledger is amazing. He's a true genius and in full stride as the Joker (who, sadly, is the only character besides Lt. Gordon that is written well). You can very obviously tell that Christopher Nolan only cared to prove he could make a villain with no true motivation besides "watching the world burn" (as the amazing Michael Caine delivers to Batman in the movie). In that regard, he succeeded. Heath Ledger succeeded. I will make no bones about it - this is the performance of Heath Ledger's life, and likely the best performance of any villain in cinema history. However, this is a movie that's supposed to be about Batman, and in that regard it fails immensely.

Christian Bale reprises his role as the either-superficial-or-angst-ridden Batman. Being a fan of Bale's work, it has become increasingly obvious that he has two modes: billionaire playboy, or "Hulk smash". In any scene where Batman is meant to be depressed or in great sadness, Bale falls completely flat. The troubling part about this is that a great part of the plot works off of the fact that Batman is dealing with watching innocent people and those he loves die because he wants to fight the good fight. If this is the "real world Batman" that "Batman Begins" boasted, then one would expect that Bruce Wayne would have a little more emotion than Bale shows in the movie. Nolan knows he can't do it either, and Michael Caine as Alfred is there to hold Bale's hand through all those scenes as best as he can (which he did in "The Prestige", also a Nolan film).

Aaron Eckhart also gives an unrealistic portrayal as white knight Harvey Dent, who comes off as a man who will do anything to see justice served. When told that him and his loved ones' lives will be in danger if he takes on the mafia, Dent doesn't think twice about stopping. He doesn't seem concerned about his own safety, or the people around him. Yet, when something DOES happen to him, he turns a complete 180 (also without thinking - Nolan really doesn't seem to like his characters thinking about what they're doing) and doesn't think twice about betraying every single belief he's been so steadfast in for his entire life. Everything Dent does is so jerky and lacks any thought. He's a character with absolutely no doubt, and we as the audience are supposed to accept his rushed story across the tail end of the movie.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman return as Alfred and Lucius Fox, respectively. Both of them are old school acting giants who deliver in every single role they are in, and this is no exception. At this point, there's really no judging of either of them - if they're in a movie, then they shine in such a suave fashion that you really don't even realize it's them on screen.

The surprise star of this film, however, is easily Mr. Gary Oldman as Lt. Gordon. While we all knew Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman would deliver, and we knew Heath Ledger was going to elevate villains in movies to a new level, I can't name anyone who thought that Gary Oldman would shine like he did. While Oldman is seemingly an actor who can do no wrong, he also did so mainly as villains (in fact, Nolan had initially thought about making him one of the villains in "The Dark Knight"). Watching him turn a previously one dimensional character like Gordon (Watch some of the old movies - he's basically there to cry for Batman's help in them) into a living and breathing family man who does good in the face of overwhelming evil is a spectacle to behold. Rolling Stone said it best - "Oldman is so skilled he makes virtue look exciting". Oldman's character is by far the most realistic one of any of them, and despite having far less lines than Mr. Ledger he still manages to share some of the Joker's spotlight.

With so many brilliant performances, it's really sad to see that two of the most important characters (Bale as Batman and Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes) in the movie are so poorly written and poorly acted that the main themes of the movie are hard to believe despite the fact that the Joker repeatedly throws them in your face. The movie tries to tell you what it's about multiple times (which is a sure sign of a script that's lacking), and yet the audience still doesn't understand what they're trying to say, which is evidenced by the fact that even some people on this page are confused about the message of the movie. I mean come on, one of the reviewers on this page apparently seems to believe that the message is that Batman can take a George Bush approach to catching terrorists and it's okay so long as he actually does. You really think that a movie that was trying to show that people should not give in to fear and xenophobia would also preach that it's okay to break the law and do terrible things as long as it gets the job done? It should be obvious that the story doesn't know exactly where it's going at times.

As I said - I wanted to love this movie, but a movie is more than just acting. A movie is about telling a great story, and this simply doesn't. Ledger, Oldman, Freeman, and Caine deliver some of the best performances of their lives - it's just a shame that the movie simply isn't good enough for them.

What an event. After standing in line for 7 hours I finally decided to purchase the tickets online. I was able to secure an Ebay ticket for only $30 more then it would have cost to stand in line for another 5 hours.

Well worth the wait.

No, Sorry, Christian Bale was just the filler for the movie. It seriously should have just been "The Joker" rather than "The Dark Knight".

I could go on for hours about how well the Joker was coceived, initiated, introduced, and maintained throughout the movie, but I will just cop-out and tell you to go see the movie. However... I will say this, The Joker is no joke. In every installment of batman, the Joker has had a sort of pissed-off, power hungry, anger that drives them. But this Joker... This Joker is disgustingly wicked and dare I say one of the most fucked up human beings that could ever exist.

As with the first in this run of Batman movies the reality of the gadgets and thier background comes in and is executed masterfully. The Batsuit is fixed to be able to turn his head, and the background on the funding and developement comes into play again as a little side plot that was well executed. It's the little details that make this set really real. There's no 'he just has it because he does' moments. Every piece of equipment is designed, adapted, and manufactured. They leave no abiguity.

There's a general overlay of morality throughout the movie. And they don't make any bullshit "I;m better than the criminal" allusions at all. He's got toys that are on the bounds of being too intrusive, and violate the constitution, but at the same time they don't BS the viewer into thinking he's morally bound by such chains. He's a real guy trying to do the best thing. And if that means breaking more laws, not just in the sense of the penal code, but ethically; he will. Which is the main theme of this film.

This should be the last one. They did a perfect job ending this movie. They really could just leave it be. There is a million directions that this series can go now, but they didn't make any hints that they woudl try to. THANK GOD!!!

My Complaints:
This movie is not PG-13. They must have bribed the MPAA for that rating. Rated R, period.

That is the only complaint. Seriously, it is so good that I have only one comlaint that's so utterly trite.... It's gotta be good!

Action, frustrated love, vengeance, and the world's best disappearing-pencil trick.

That's right, this movie has it all.

I'm extremely happy that they're sticking with the gritty, dark, dare I say it realistic format for the new Batman movies. I was getting really tired of superheroes made of neon, and the ridiculous batman "sculpted ab-shaped body armor" batman of the nineties. This has fewer ridiculous contraptions, and thus seems very real to me - it could (maybe) happen. And that just makes the whole experience that much better.

Heath Ledger's performance was absolutely flawless. The Joker in this movie is less goofy-ha ha; he's a thoroughly sadistic, chaotic-neutral genius. He's consistently one step ahead of everyone else, which helps to string along the plot for a long long time. Not that it ever felt strung along - this is an excellent movie that keeps you interested to the end.

Hell, I've got a free pass to a theatre. I'm thinking of seeing it again in the the theater, just cause most TVs won't do it justice.

And apparently it was filmed in IMAX, so that version of it is probably worth checking out...

Christian Bale is a good Batman. We all knew that. He did a good job in Batman Begins. It was a solid movie with a fresh mature vision of Gotham and a more complicated superhero was born.

But what is Batman without the Joker? Very little apparently. The first big Batman movie realized this and Tim Burton tapped Jack Nicholson to play the maniacal painted face that tests Batman's morality. For a new vision of Gotham we needed a new vision for the Joker, and Heath Ledger delivered with a powerful and disturbing performance in The Dark Knight, Batman's latest foray onto the big screen.

But Heath Ledger's performance, as great as it may be, isn't the only reason why this movie is so good. For the first time we are treated to a comic book adaptation that treats the audience as mature human beings. This is a movie about the duality of nature, of being torn apart by conflicting desires, and about clinging on to ones humanity amidst a world thrown into chaos.

Anyway, this movie is amazing and you should see it. Be warned though, just because it is pg-13 does in no way make it a good movie for youngsters. Acts of terrible violence occur just barely off camera and the twisted cruelty of Heath Ledger's performance was far more disturbing to me then any amount of graphic violence in the R rated movies I've seen in the past few years.

This was the best movie I have seen in a long, long time. Christian Bale is the best movie Batman of all of them. Heath Ledger was incredible in this movie, definately at his best. This is a MUST SEE movie.

This is the best movie I've seen this year so far. It is deeper, darker, and more violent than Batman Begins, so much so that I think parents who take children younger than 13 to this movie should be arrested for child abuse. They'll have nightmares for years.

Heath Ledger really DOES deserve a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker. He's not a villian; he is the Devil. He is so unpredictable, so brutal, so menacing, I can't think of another portrayal of any bad guy in any movie that surpasses him. I didn't expect his performance to match the hype, yet it does. Christian Bale, of course, is the anchor of the movie, and although it is not a bravura performance, it's perfectly balanced with those of his co-stars. He is a generous actor, never upstaging anyone else on screen, but always commanding attention when he's there. The tragedy of his story deepens in this movie, and he carries the weight of Batman's dark purpose with utter sincerity.

Aaron Eckhart is also perfect as Harvey Dent, which surprised me. I've never really thought much of Eckhart as an actor up to now, but it evidently isn't because of his talents or skills. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a terrific replacement for the rather lightweight Katie Holmes. She has just the right amount of gravitas for the role she plays in this story. Gary Oldman is amazing, as he ALWAYS is when the director keeps him from chewing up the scenery. And Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are terrific as usual.

I won't spoil any of the details; it's too much fun to experience them without any foreknowledge. Christopher Nolan is an amazing director, and I love the twisty movies he creates. My only minor quibble was with the conclusion of the film: it gets so busy that it's sometimes difficult to follow exactly what's going on. I had heard this criticism before I went to see it, and unfortunately it turned out to be true. That and the speakers in the theater were imbalanced so it was almost impossible to hear the dramatic voiceover at the very end of the film.

"The Dark Knight" transcends the so-called "comic book movie" and moves squarely into the foreground of big-budget action films of any kind. It is a great movie; one which will become the standard against which all action/crime-dramas will be measured from now on. And I think its director, Christopher Nolan, is the only one who has a decent chance of outdoing it.

OMG! OMG! this movie is Amazing! never a dull moment, it is well worth it to go see it. even if you don't like batman persay you'll still love this movie in my opinion, its packed full of action, and a great story plot!

..........Brilliant..Simply Brilliant...

The late great Heath Ledger know he put his Damn foot into that "Joker" role..Yes he did...Come Oscar time he will win it for best supporting actor and fitting tribute it will be...The brotha had me on the edge of my seat wondering what he was gonna do next with his LUNATIC self...LOL..

It's sad that he's not living to enjoy his success. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had every intention on stealing this movie from Cristian Bale and he did...What a great role..

Go see it Movie goers..just go see it, it's worth the admission price...

Holy Wacko Joker Batman, that was EXCELLENT.