The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar 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 movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralyzed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne.

In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director-cowriter Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--The Dark Knight is a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews: Read 135 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

The Dark Masterpiece Surpasses the Hype October 11, 2008
245 out of 279 found this review helpful

Christopher Nolan has a vision. And whether you agree with it or not, he undeniably completes it in "The Dark Knight"--a vicious, engrossing, overwhelming, intelligent event- film that re-defines 'comic-book-flicks'. In Nolan's grim, dark-depiction of Gotham-City (the crime-ridden hell protected by legendary superhero Batman), the director strives to make everything real (something he began in the well-received "Batman Begins"). He makes it plausible, possible. And yet there's more to it: just as 'Begins' was a dissection of myth, the nature of symbols and heroes, 'Knight' is the escalation of that notion. It's a biblical- confrontation of 'good-and-evil', yet as 'good-and-evil' really exist: a conflict of ideals, something that can't be purely-defined but that is relative to a viewpoint. In Nolan's world, the line of villainy and heroism isn't crossed... it's non-existent. The bad-guys don't see themselves as bad-guys, and as such something so unnervingly-real comes across it might fly past some people's minds (no insult to anybody, it's just common that people don't look deep into 'popcorn-flicks'): the battle is a complete ambiguity.

The film runs at nearly 2.5-hours, yet never ceases to lose interest or momentum. It doesn't waste a scene or moment; every event is utilized and necessary. 'The Dark Knight' tells a story worth telling and it takes the proper amount of time to tell it. Action-sequences are frantic, old-school, eye-grabbing stunts (vastly superior to 'Begins') and in their chaotic intensity we see that they serve purpose to the story, yet more interesting are not played for pure entertainment-value: we are meant to watch, petrified, simply hoping that the outcome will go the hero's way. Attention is never lost because we are immersed in a breathtaking, almost completely-unpredictable story (it packs many a shock), that makes us think and more importantly gains our emotional-investment. We come to care for the characters, because they are believable, developed, and personified fully.

Everyone has great-chemistry together. Maggie Gyllenhal is a more mature Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes. Morgan Freeman provides his authoritative presence to the role of bad- gadget-inventor/Wayne-Enterprise CEO Lucius Fox, and under anyone else's portrayal, the part would be less-memorable. Gary Oldman underplays his world-wearied lawman with such honest-nobility, you never feel for a second any of its forced-acting. The irreplaceable Michael Caine makes a gentle, reassuring, father-like presence as Alfred, and the movie would surely fail without his strong-presence and interjected-moments of light-humor.

And while everyone (rightfully) pours the praise unto Bale and Ledger, I think most are glancing-over Knight's breakout-performance. As Harvey Dent, Aaron Eckhart does more than hold himself in the company of such a renowned-cast. He makes his presence known, whether he's playing on the easy-going charisma of Gotham's 'White-Knight' or the broken and damaged, twisted-soul of Two-Face. He achieves a full-impact with the tragedy that comes unto his character, and so closely connects with Dent, that he makes his pain tangible for us: we sympathize even as we become terrified. He captures both facets of each personality flawlessly.

Now, some people cite that 'Knight' has a potential fatal-flaw in the supposedly wooden- acting of Christian Bale. Admittedly, his development is not as grand as in 'Begins' (yet that film gave us such a good psychoanalysis of Wayne, we hardly need more), yet what Bale pulls off is admirable. Wayne is not an eccentric personality. He is a disillusioned man who can hardly find any joy in having no family, giving up his love-interest and spending his life fighting a battle that may never end. He's dark and conflicted, and Bale plays up on that brooding-mood by making Wayne look as though a thousand dark-things were on his mind. He's not wooden...he's a humorless, quiet individual. Even when Wayne is acting as a frivolous playboy for the public, every now and then Bale offers us a powerful glance that reminds us its all a facade; that deep down, something more disturbed irks him. Occasionally he offers a broken-smile when exchanging banter with Alfred, letting us know that beyond the dour depression of the Caped-Crusader lies a damaged human-being. It is only in the guise of a growling masked-man, that he can unleash his true, ferocious personality.

Finally, who could forget Heath Ledger. Now, when he was first-announced for the part, I was (along with many other people) asking myself: "Why?". Mr. Ledger had proved with 'Brokeback Mountain' he could deliver a potent performance. But he hadn't before. It is only, after seeing this film, that I know the answer to 'why?': I see the significance of his loss.

When Heath appears in this movie, he is completely unrecognizable. His voice is distinctly-altered; a near-whiny, pedophile-like tone that sends shivers down the spine. His face is completely splattered with makeup that renders him both freakishly-nightmarish and strangely-funny. And when you see him, you don't think it's him. In this, his final performance, Ledger proved he was a chameleon. His two iconic performances in this, and 'Brokeback', could not be more different. I am convinced he could have been anything in his career. He commits so intensely to character that the line of actor/portrayal dies. His every tick and gesture only further-enhances his character. Heath never hams the role up or goes for something cheap: he delivers a fully-immersed display of psychotic madness...or do we just label him that to feel safer? The movie writes the character brilliantly; blending terrifying truth into his every social-accusation, and making us question why we laugh at his sick-jokes.

'The Dark Knight' has had an incredible-amount of hype running for it, from the get-go, mounting ever-higher, until Heath Ledger's too-soon death. And the finished-product does more than exceed all of the near-impossible expectations placed on it. It becomes something much richer than a super-hero-franchise-saga. Christopher Nolan has opened a new door in cinema: allowing action-flicks to become more serious, capable of intelligence. He has transformed this into a piece of artwork, full of beauty, terror, moral-conundrums. This movie has changed things...forever.

There's no going back. 10/10

5 out of 5 stars

Batman has no limits October 9, 2008
89 out of 110 found this review helpful

In "Batman Begins," Christopher Nolan managed to do what few directors could do -- create a dark, gritty atmosphere around an all-too-human Batman, who fights for the oppressed with quiet intensity.

That moody murk is only intensified in the breathtaking, harrowing "Dark Knight," which fills itself with blasts of action, psychological twists and a shocking tragedy. Nolan pulls no punches for our dark knight or his ever-endangered Gotham City, but brilliant acting of the hero and villains is what truly elevates the second of Nolan's Batman movies to a work of cinematic art.

Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) is continuing to fight the good fight for Gotham, even when he gets hurt in a fight against Scarecrow and some Batman impersonators.

So unsurprisingly, he's is feeling fairly in his crimefighting abilities, especially since the new DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is a morally-upright good-guy. But Batman isn't prepared for the Joker (Heath Ledger) a mad clownish psychopath who has hired himself out to the mob to destroy their worst enemy, the Dark Knight. He starts blackmailing Batman by killing Gotham citizens, and saying he won't stop until Batman turns himself in.

But even when captured, the Joker has an ace up his sleep -- Dent and Rachel Dawes' (Maggie Gyllenhaal) lives. And after a devastating loss, Batman finds himself dealing with the Joker taking all of Gotham hostage, and the maddened and disfigured Dent bringing vigilante justice to all those whom he thinks have wronged him. Only Batman has a chance of stopping even one of them -- let alone both -- but doing so may tarnish the Dark Knight forever.

Most directors would have given this movie a distinctly comic-book, slick pop-culture feel. But no matter how hard you search, there's not a single hint in "The Dark Knight" that anything kitschy or campy came before it, or that it was originally a comic book. Instead Christopher Nolan creates a movie as dark, tightly-wound and intense as Batman himself.

And Nolan's skills are even more polished this time around -- lots of kinetic action, vicious dogs and car chases, including the rather silly-looking Batpod and the tanklike Batmobile. The dialogue is drizzled with dry humor ("That isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to inspire people"," Batman says, looking at a bunch of impersonators), mostly to temper the overhanging sense of horror and apprehension.

This is especially true whenever the Joker's corrosive presence is onscreen, since he's all too happy to stick pointy objects in people -- he's creepier than a thousand boogeymen. And Nolan is not afraid to further darken the storyline by inflicting yet another personal tragedy on Batman. His direction is painfully delicate as he explores Wayne's sorrow and guilt.

But the most striking aspect of "The Dark Knight" is Nolan's delvings into morality -- The Joker has none and Dent's becomes horribly perverted, but we're reminded that there are some who will not be corrupted even if they lose what is most precious. It's almost a doom'n'gloom movie, but the faint hints of optimism and hope keep it from being TOO overwhelmingly dark.

Christian Bale is simply perfection as Bruce Wayne/Batman, using his handsomely chiseled face and piercing eyes to best advantage -- even in the most tragic scenes, where you can practically see Wayne's soul bleeding. And he has a difficult character to wrangle with -- not only does he have to expose Batman's pain and struggles, but also his inner incorruptibility.

On the flipside, the late Heath Ledger is blindingly brilliant as the sadistic, creepy, gleefully malign Joker, and he chews the scenery as few actors could. He's pretty spine-chilling, actually -- the Joker is a true "agent of chaos," whose intent is to seize Gotham, and corrupt Batman's soul along the way. There's also a solid (and underrated) supporting cast -- Eckhart is outstanding as an upstanding DA whose morality becomes horribly perverted (along with his handsome face), Gyllenhaal has a solid role that she plays well, and Michael Caine is a quiet, steady flame as the ever-faithful, dryly sardonic Alfred.

The two-disc special edition isn't quite as special as I had hoped (deleted scenes?), but it has a serviceable bunch of extras anyway, including a digital copy of the selfsame movie, galleries for pictures, IMAX renderings of certain scenes, a bunch of mocked-up news programs from "Gotham Tonight" and a documentary about the making of the film. I smell double-dipping in this movie's future, especially since the blu-ray is reportedly far better endowed with extras.

"The Dark Knight" is suffused with darkness and some truly ghastly villains, but the magnificent acting and dryly witty script are what really make this a masterpiece. Utterly astounding -- and promises better yet to come.

1 out of 5 stars

Why Are You Idiots Reviewing This Product? October 24, 2008
82 out of 294 found this review helpful

The 3 versions of this movie are not even released yet and people are reviewing it? God, some of you are really stupid. This isn't a place to review the movie itself, this is supposed to be reviews of the actual DVD or Blu-ray product.

People want to know how well the audio and video quality are when they buy the Blu-ray/DVD...we all know how great the movie itself is.

Amazon should really lock reviews for products till after they release or else you get morons like all these people putting up reviews that have nothing to do with the actual product for sale.

5 out of 5 stars

I'd give this 10 stars if I could - THE BEST comic book adaption movie EVER!!! October 9, 2008
55 out of 77 found this review helpful

Anyone who knows me, knows how big of a Batman fan I am. And even though this may sound biased, I can honestly say that "The Dark Knight" is the best comic book adaptation movie ever made! With little nods and sideplots that only us deep Batman fans could recognize (i.e. the sonar spying system that Batman utilizes in the film that is ironically close to the Brother I satellite from the OMAC Project storyline in the comics (The OMAC Project (Countdown to Infinite Crisis)), or the Batman wannabe gang that mirrors Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again"), Nolan's "Knight" brings so much to the table that I can only think that the filmmakers achieved what Raimi so desperately tried to achieve with Spider-Man 3 (Two-Disc Special Edition), only they failed miserably; whereas Nolan and crew made a stunning success!

There are so many plotlines in this film, which may make you think that the movie would become convoluted, but it doesn't. If anything, it keeps the audience involved with each and every character all the while keeping them on the edge of their seats, as there are plenty of nailbiting sequences in this film. The main plotline is Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) having to deal with the fact that his persona as Batman has inspired many new acts of criminality -- both seemingly good and extremely bad. Yes, Rachel Dawes is back too. Only instead of Katie Holmes, we now get Maggie Gyllenhaal. I was one of those few when the first film came out that didn't think Holmes' performance was all that bad, but, after seeing Gyllenhaal in this, I now realize how -- although not that bad -- truly stiff Holmes' performance was. And, much to Bruce's chagrin, Rachel's love interest is no other than the compassionate, idealistic District Attorney Harvey Dent (with a performance by Aaron Eckhart that may be the best of his career to date). Of course, Bruce has to deal with this relationship as well (continuing their relationship from Batman Begins (Limited Edition Gift Set)), all the while dealing with the newest criminal to grace Gotham's streets -- an anarchistic criminal who simply "wants to watch the world burn" and calls himself The Joker (Heath Ledger). And the complicated relationship between Gordon, Dent and Batman (another comic book staple) is explored with great writing (again, taking a cue from their relationship in Batman: The Long Halloween.

Now, let me just take this time to say that I'm definitely not one of those people who believes much in an actor or actress receiving awards just because they've passed away or because they're so old and the academies believe they'll be passing away soon (Yes, Martin Landau, for his performance in "Ed Wood," I'm directing that statement at him; his performance in that film didn't even come close to Morgan Freeman's in "The Shawshank Redemption"). However, regardless of Ledger's living status, I can truly say that he deserves an Academy Award for Supporting Actor nomination for his turn as The Joker, dead or alive. He is that good! Of course, being The Joker, he does have a few funny one-liners, however, unlike Jack Nicholson's Joker, Ledger's lines are so creepily delivered that you're not sure whether you want to, or should, laugh. And the complex relationship between The Joker and Batman -- one not being able to exist without the other -- that is a constant in the comics even to this day is added into the movie, which I was delighted about. Also, Ledger's Joker is always one step ahead of Gotham's police and Batman that he makes the perfect formidable foe that us fans know from the comics.

Gary Oldman is also back as Lieutenant Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox; and all have good screentime and give great performances. Also, for those fans wondering, Cillian Murphy is also back for a brief cameo as The Scarecrow. The performances are all excellent but the true accolades should go to the writers, brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer. They wrote what a Batman movie should be and perfectly showcase why all of us fans love Batman in the first place: the dark, gritty realism peppered with hope and lots of cool gadgets. The fact that director Christopher Nolan has finally brought the cool respect that was lost by his predecessors back to the Batman franchise is superb! The action is plentiful but doesn't take away from the drama that is also needed for a film of this caliber.

I liked Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition) a lot, but The Dark Knight blows it and every other comic book-movie adaptation out of the water! I can only hope that there are more Batman movies planned for Nolan and crew, especially after all the money they've raked in (they broke the record for a midnight opening with $18.6 million, and that's not including any other showings; just the midnight ones)! Whether you're a comic book fan or not, I would recommend this movie! It's probably the best summer blockbuster I've seen in years! Immediately after seeing it, I wanted to see it again and felt bummed out that I couldn't. I won't write any more about the storylines or surprises in store as that would rob you of the full effect of the movie's greatness. Don't read any more into it. Just go see it and soak in the experience for yourself.

1 out of 5 stars

Product not released but has 75+ reviews already? October 24, 2008
49 out of 201 found this review helpful

How can this product have over 75 reviews and it has not even been released yet? This is not a movie review forum, this review forum is meant for the PRODUCT (blu-ray vs other version).

Amazon, please assist in filtering this, such that when I look for reviews of a PRODUCT in future, I might actually be able to find the ones which actually do, rather than have to sift through hundreds of over-zealous fans' personal step by step synopsis of the storyline.

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