And the Review come piling in: Dark Knight is Emperastic

[Emperor]

...which means awesome in Empyspeak. 

 

Here is reviewer that probably wet himself multiple times throughout the movie. There is a bit of hints of spoilers but nothing is actually given away unless you know little about the Batverse.  I will try to find some poor reviews and post them as well.  Try.

 

Christopher Nolan, without a doubt, displays the biggest, hairiest, sweaty swinging pair of brass cojones of the summer with the sixth and final superhero movie of the season. And after a number of interesting entries, The Dark Knight doesnt suffer from one ounce of superhero fatigue. In fact, it proves that Warners wisely chose to save the best for last. This is in a class by itself. I love The Incredible Hulk. I love the living shit out of Iron Man. And as you all know, Hellboy 2 made me squeal with childish glee. But this? This is the first Oscar quality superhero movie. This is the one we will look back upon 20 years from now and hold it to be superior to most everything that came after it. I want to say that this is like Wrath of Khan or Superman 2, but really this is better than that. This is The Empire Strikes Back of superhero films.

 

Unrepentantly dark, unequivocally ruthless and utterly brilliant, The Dark Knight begins as you expect, but slowly, mercilessly, straps you to your chair and begins to put the screws to you. This film is just mean. It is a true, honest to God Joker story. Batman gets put through the wringer. And hes not alone. Dragged along with him are Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent, both of whom get fully realized arcs neither of which are any fun. Man oh man. This is NOT a summer film. The fact that the Brothers Warner decided to slate it as the very last of the big summer films was wise indeed. Just as we audiences are getting our fill of popcorn, here comes a serious, Oscar worthy genre picture that blows each and every other film that preceded out of the water. Its like a fine aged wine after a steady diet of hamburgers and French fries.

 

The Dark Knight is the perfect antithesis of Iron Man. For all its pathos, its dark angles and its deep character studies, Iron Man was an explosive series of action sequences and laughs that ramped you up and prepared you for a knock down drag out at the end. Tony Stark didnt have to watch his friends and family tortured. James Rhodes never finds himself deconstructed and destroyed for the amusement of a madman. No. Iron Man was a perfect COMIC BOOK movie.

 

This is a GRAPHIC NOVEL.

 

The elegance of what Nolan does here is almost indefinable. He slowly and deliberately builds a singular story, one in which a deranged madman sets up and executes a plan so positively diabolical that you will not fully understand it until the credits roll. The stakes are high and the consequences dire. And while Nolan tells us what may be considered one of the greatest Joker stories ever told, he does exactly what weve been asking for and demanding for years. This is a detective story. It is not some series of supersuited clashes with snazzy getaways and escapes from deathtraps. It is Batman confronted by a foe so ingenious that it takes every ounce of his ability to face him. And even then he is outmatched. Batman has to shake people down, invent bizarre gadgets and expend his every available resource including testing every friendship to find this guy. Only to find that this is exactly what the Joker wanted to begin with.

 

Everything you want from a Batman story is here. There are multiple interwoven villains. Rich development of some of the most noteworthy of Batman characters. Plenty of action and a gripping story that grabs you by the balls from the very beginning and refuses to let go until the final frames have played out. And it has some of the best performances of a number of actors careers.

 

Look. Ledgers Oscar is a lock. Once you see what hes done - just how he not only crafted a character, but completely redefined it youll understand. Forget Romero. Forget Nicholson. Forget Hamill. They were but custodians of the role that Ledger would ultimately own. I cant ever look at The Joker the same way again. The cadence of his speech, the looks he gives people. The way he says You wanna know how I got these scars before hes about to fuck somebody up but good. Hes a monster. Hes positively terrifying. He is everything we were always told The Joker was supposed to be but he never quite lived up to a mystifying squall of hatred and chaos that could scare the living shit out of an entire citywithout needing to resort to an unrealistic body count. And there is never a single moment on screen that you see Heath Ledger anywhere on it. Hes vanished, replaced entirely by this macabre lump of twisted flesh who walks and speaks like the kind of guy you would think was a world class dork if he werent so fucking dangerous. This role is the stuff of legends. And unless something very strange happens, this brilliant entry into his filmography coupled with the sentimentality for his entire body of work will earn him a posthumous award without fail. An award he no doubt would have earned even if he were still with us today.

 

If theres anything negative to say about Ledgers performance it is that it completely overshadows the brilliant character work of Aaron Eckhart who gives a career redefining turn as Harvey Dent. The progression he makes, leading to the ultimate inevitable transformation is absolutely breathtaking. There is a whole section of the film that belongs entirely to him. And much like I am doing right now, most people will relegate the praise of him to an afterthought an Oh yeah, he was great too. No. He is utterly fantastic. But when youre standing immediately next to one of the greatest villainous portrayals in history, it is almost impossible not to get swallowed up by it. But Ill say this the guy has just earned himself a one-way ticket to the A-list. He is so fucking good in this that there is no way we wont be seeing him in bigger, more prominent roles from here on out. His Harvey Dent, coupled with Ledgers Joker is a tour de force of villainy unlike anything youve ever seen. It is at once both diabolical and heartbreaking.

 

And it leads to acknowledging Nolans greatest asset in these films: his slavish obsession with making everything make sense. There is nothing in this film that is off. No character decision that seems the slightest bit forced or strange. No object that doesnt have its place. Even the title, oh my god the title, becomes a powerfully profound part of the film once it finally makes its reveal at the very end of it. Its not just a clever name, not just a snippet of fandom. It is an apt, deliberate description of what you have just watched that carries so much weight by the time you get around to processing it.

 

This film is brilliant and has no equal in the realm of comic book movies. It is a film so good that I almost dont want to see a third because I know there is almost no way it could live up to its predecessor. It will give children nightmares and redefine the way we look at The Joker, the Batman and comic book movies in general. This is the Godfather of superhero movies. The Empire Strikes Back. It is a film that may never find an equal, a film that will have you staring jaw agape with your hand planted in front of your face in disbelief at how far it is ready to go. It is what we always thought a Batman film could be, but never seemed to happen. Yes. It is the real deal. It is the greatest Batman story ever told.

 

Until next time friends, smoke em if ya got em.

[Emperor]

Can't find bad reviews.  Found another 'best movie of the year' review.  Again very slight spoilers.

 

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I saw THE DARK NIGHT early this afternoon, in mind-boggling IMAX no less.

 

And I’m going to another screening at the IMAX tomorrow.

 

And I bought tickets to the Thursday midnight show at the IMAX a month ago when they went on sale, so I’ll be back Thursday night.

 

I must warn you. It is impossible to watch this film and not start spewing hyperbole upon exiting the theater. When the credits started I thought, “Best comic book movie of the summer.” When they finished I was thinking, “Best movie of the summer period.” When I stepped out of the IMAX and into the bright afternoon daylight I was thinking, “Best movie I’ve seen this year.”

 

Given the rapid growth, it could very well be the best film ever recorded by the time I see it again tomorrow.

 

Of course I can’t really qualify any of that and I would not place this film in my “All Time Favorites” list just out of respect of the films that earned their places there over the many years with countless rewatchings.

 

I can say without any hesitation that THE DARK KNIGHT is a spectacular piece of storytelling, that it is as giant a leap forward from the first film as EMPIRE did from STAR WARS or that Godfather Part II did from the first, that all this talk of Heath Ledger being nominated for his work as The Joker isn’t just industry buzz capitalizing on the tragic and far too premature death of the actor. He will be nominated and he would have been nominated had he been alive to see the film open.

 

The film is dizzying in its effortless mastery. Like I told you, hyperbole, but damn if I don’t think you’ll be saying the same things when you leave the theaters upon first viewing.

 

Now, I’m always the one trying to come in and temper expectation. I illustrated my problems with CLOVERFIELD when people were saying it was the second coming. I don’t like building up ridiculous expectation. I really don’t. I love the communal experience of sharing my thoughts on a film and reading your thoughts in emails and down in talkback and one thing I don’t want to do is hurt someone else’s film experience by overstating the quality of a film or putting it at some ridiculously high water mark that no film could possibly live up to.

 

But I am telling you guys that I walked into this film more hyped up than for any other film of the year so far and it was everything I could have hoped it would have been. I honestly believe that this film might be immune to expectations because I really don’t know how much higher they could have been.

 

BATMAN BEGINS centered on Bruce Wayne. It was his movie, so by relation it was Batman’s movie. When Christopher Nolan sat down to write this with his brother Jonathan they decided this isn’t about Bruce Wayne or Batman as a person. This is about Batman as a symbol and what that means. They also set out to create a world where the bad guys can win, where the stakes are real, where people do die and there’s nothing our superhero can do about it.

 

As much as BEGINS was Bruce Wayne’s movie, THE DARK KNIGHT is Harvey Dent and The Joker’s movie.

 

The way the Nolans’ tell Dent’s story is nothing less than brilliant. It’s nuanced, tragic and doesn’t go exactly how you picture it, but when the film ends you can see no better way they could have told the story of Harvey Dent’s fall.

 

I’ve always thought the ability of a storyteller to invest you in a character you know in advance is going into tragic territory is one of the highest proving points for sheer talent. Stephen King made me fall in love with Susan Delgado even though I had known since The Gunslinger how her story ends. Romeo & Juliet was my favorite Shakespeare play because it had a deep affect on me as a teenager, even though I knew the ending and I knew to get invested in these characters was only going to hurt when it came about. Nolan makes it hurt.

 

You know Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face, but the surprise comes about halfway through when you realize you’d forgo the coolness you know is in store if Dent could stay Gotham’s White Knight. You want to see good prevail. At least I did.

 

Aaron Eckhart is perfectly cast, effortlessly making you believe in Harvey Dent and, even more importantly, letting you buy his fall from the light.

 

Heath Ledger. What can be said about his performance? It’s absolutely magnetic. You can not take your eyes off of him in this movie. He is the definitive Joker now. His theatricality, insanity barely in check, his brains, the mystery of the character. He’s written to perfection and Ledger takes it a step beyond with his unhinged and frightening performance. The Joker embodies anarchy and he never once contradicts himself.

 

I guarantee you this right now. You will never forget his magic trick.

 

Bale is once again great as Bruce Wayne, but like I said the movie isn’t really Bruce/Bats centric. He’s all over the movie and a driving force, no doubt, but the overall story really does belong to Harvey Dent.

 

Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman are great, as usual. As is Michael Caine, who gets some really great stuff in this flick. I loved hearing a little bit about Alfred’s past, which… let’s just say it’s not a typical butler’s past.

 

Maggie Gyllenhaal is Rachel Dawson. There was never a moment where I lamented the break in continuity from the first movie. And this is coming from someone who liked Katie Holmes in BEGINS.

 

The IMAX experience was amazing. The film played in it’s correct aspect ratio (2.35:1) except whenever the specifically shot IMAX sequences played, which opened the world up, giving me a 70 foot tall window into another universe. Wally Pfister’s cinematography was always sharp and in IMAX really did make me feel like I was there, which is the highest compliment I could pay to him.

 

I don’t know what more I can talk about without going into specific plot points and I damn well won’t be the bastard to ruin this movie for you. I will say that the writing in this is as good as anything the Nolans have written. Seriously. The subtlety in how they handle The Joker’s origins (“Wanna know how I got these scars?”) gives us a deep insight into the diseased brain while at the same time not betraying the mystery. You’ll see how they do it when you see the flick... but it's fantastic, completely true to who the Joker is.

 

The set-up for the next one isn’t as clear as the last film, at least in terms of who the villain is going to be. There is no calling card, but there is certainly a giant thread. You know where they’re going and you can’t wait to see what they’ll give us when it’s time for the next film.

 

And, by the way, Warner Bros. better pray to God Christopher Nolan wants to make a lot more of these movies because after seeing this film I can’t imagine a filmmaker in their right mind that would want to try to follow it up.

 

Mark my words: Ledger will be nominated, Wally Pfister will be nominated, Chris Nolan will be nominated for direction, Jonathan and Chris Nolan for script and if the movie Gods are feeling kind early next year we might even see a Best Picture nom.

 

It really is that good. I am already giddy about seeing it again in 15 hours.

 

-Quint

[Emperor]

Bad Reviews:

 

Here is a link to one with too many spoilers for my taste.  But the jist of it was... "I am proud to be an American and there is too much terror in this film for me to back it.  God bless Bush". 

 

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2008/07/21/080721crci_cinema_denby

 

Another one from the ever popular Star magazine.  I think he really just wanted to be different from other reviewers.

 

Overreaching: Why do comic-book movies want to be serious literature? That’s the problem with this movie the same way it was with 2006’s “Superman Returns.” Instead of being exciting pop-culture entertainment that forces the viewer to take it seriously, the movie takes itself too seriously – and misses the fun in the process. Well, almost – the late Heath Ledger seems to be having a great time as the tongue-flicking, homicidal Joker, played as a mad dog with a sense of humor. Whenever Ledger is on the screen, even when the script tries to slow him down, he barrels through with more gleeful evil than you can imagine.

 

Otherwise, this long (2-1/2 hours!!), overplotted movie never misses a chance to hammer home what a tortured hero Batman is. Bale plays him as though his boxers are too tight. And there’s far too much of straight-arrow District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and not nearly enough of his transformation into the crazed Two-Face (one of the movie’s best visual effects). Though some of the action sequences will drop your jaw, there’s too much gab between chases and too many generic battles to keep the movie from grinding along instead of flying. A tip for the future: The best tragic heroes don’t spend the movie talking about their own tragedy.

 

Long story short: This movie is too in love with itself to make you love it.

 

 

[Silver]

Oh man, that sounds so beautiful.

[Majsju]

Must. See. Now!

[Vemynal]

My favorite villain ever is the Joker...

 

I'm going to *LOVE* this movie!

[SinisterDeath]

I hope it lives up to that first review...

I am SOOO pumped now!

I Will wait in line for this movie now, and I Will be going an hour early. ;)

[Vemynal]

heh, it premiers here at midnight thursday night, my friends are getting there at 7, im getting there at 8 after i get off work

 

mind waiting in line for these types of premiers is always fun, not a drag, i actually enjoyed waiting for spiderman 3 more then i enjoyed the movie

 

It could have seriously been a Nintendo commercial, there were about 30 people at the premier with their gameboy DS, all of them in picto chat or playing video game.

 

We even usually have a group who cosplays (pretty well actually) some times, and then you get to know the people who go the premiers.

 

Its like a giant party with 130 people invited, followed by a movie^^

[reyler]

You know, that negative review kind of leads back into what I was fuming about last year around the time of Bayformers, where people often seem to think a origin in comics requires a brainless piece of fluff as a result, but that would take this thread wildly off topic, so I'll just say that I'm way more hyped about this movie than I've ever before allowed myself to be.

[Majsju]

What is this "waiting in line" you are talking about?

 

*Already bought his ticket online*

[SinisterDeath]

Just cause you have the ticket, doesn't mean you don't have to wait in line to Get Into the Theater (the actual part its being showed at), or go early to get a good seat (aka the line, as everyone wants a good seat). ;)

[Vemynal]

Sin has the right of it^^

 

it was awesome, during the spiderman 2 premier a lady walks up and says "are you guys in line to see the premier? thats so sad, we just got out of the private showing"

 

Now i've been to a couple of the private showings (its done for friends of the theater owner) and they specifically ask you not to do that to people who *paid* to be the first ones to see the movie.

 

So my friend david upended his soda over her fancy dress^^

[Majsju]

Ah, the beauty of pre-booked seats, I can stroll in a minute before the trailers start, and still get to sit exactly where I want to ;D

[Moghedian]

I. Have. Got. To. See. This. Movie. I remember when the trailers first came out... ::)

[SinisterDeath]

If only I lived in that kind of one horse town where you could pre-book a certain seat in the theater.

 

Though, Its funny, when I went to Hancock (expecting it to be teh pure awesomeness), I went 50 minutes early.

There was almost NO ONE in the Ultra-Screen Theater. (like 4 people)

Then about 10 minutes before show time, there were like... 900 people just 'spawned' inside the theater.

[Majsju]

You mean, Civilised city, where people actually can figure out how the number on the ticket corresponds to the same number on the chair ;D

[SinisterDeath]

Maybe in a communist city, but in a capitalistic society, the best seats are first come first serve. ;)

[Majsju]

Well, since a lot of people do not have jobs in capitalist cities, people have time to do that. We honest, hard working people on the other hand...

[reyler]

*wonders who Maj is talking about*

[Barmacral]

You see Maj, in these parts, they don't give you a numbered seat for a movie. Broadway sure, but movies? Nobody cares enough to be prissy about the seating arrangement.

[SinisterDeath]

I get it! In sweeden you don't actually get to 'watch' movies, but you get to watch

The Musical Rendition of Batman: The Dark Knight.

;)

[Majsju]

Do you also have wooden benches and the music played by a little pianoplayer in front of the screen?

[SinisterDeath]

Do you also have wooden benches and the music played by a little pianoplayer in front of the screen?

 

No, but I know in sweeden (where you live) that you guys don't even have surround sound, but a single guy playing a recorder; Oddly enough, its always the same song, and he still sucks at it.

I think his names is barms, which is quite ironic, since Barms is mexican.

[Niamh Sedai]

I'm going to be honest- I generally don't like superhero films. I haven't seen Batman Begins (or any other Batman film for that matter). In fact, I used to watch the old TV series on TV and the cartoons when I was little  but asdie from that... nothing. Therefore, does that make it wrong that I'd really like to see this film?

[Moghedian]

Yes, it's absolutely shocking. You've failed.  ;) :D :P