The Dark Knight Rules the Summer… This one goes to 11…

Posted by fitz in Movies on Jul 19

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Hi all…

All I can say is “wow” to this movie. And I’ll supplement that with a quote from Spinal Tap… “This One Goes to Eleven…” 150 minutes of build, catch your breath, build again cycles — every time you catch your breath and think they’ve reached a climax, they hit the next gear.

Rating:

Ledger deserves at least an Oscar nod, preferably the dang award. Nolan should get a best director nod. And Nolan & Goyer should win for best screenplay.

Yes, it’s that good.

Without giving anything away that hasn’t been shared in the trailers… the movie picks up a year after the first movie ended. Crime is down. Gotham has a new White Knight of a District Attorney. And Batman has been making an impact.

But criminal forces are shifting. A new player is in town - calling himself the Joker - and he’s causing trouble for cops and the mob equally. What’s scarier is he has a vision for the future of Gotham City…

Here’s the IMDB link.

All the gang is back from Batman Begins. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Michael Caine as Alfred. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Gary Oldman as Lt. Jim Gordon. And they’ve changed a face from the old crew — Rachel Dawes, played by Katie Holmes, is now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. She does a great job of stepping into those shoes as an Assistant D.A.

There’s some new faces also, including Anthony Michael Hall as reporter Mike Engel and Nestor Carbonell as the Mayor of Gotham. And it goes without saying that Heath Ledger is there as the Joker, in one of his final performances before his untimely death.

But beyond the amazing cast that was assembled and Heath Ledger’s amazing performance was the story… Exploring themes of growth vs. decay, the corruptibility of man, and what it takes to be the hero who’s needed, but not necessarily wanted. Heady topics.

Nolan has painted a masterpiece with this movie. It’s going to be tough to top with another one.

A scale of zero to 4 just doesn’t cut it. This one goes to 11.

Go see this at the theater — IMAX or your standard theater will do — and hold on to your seats. It’s one hell of a ride.

–Fitz

p.s. Oh and one more thing… Here are some reviews some friends of mine and from around the web…

• ‘The Dark Knight’ The Sizzling Review
• The Dark Knight (Theaters)
• Harry Spends a dark night with the DARK KNIGHT

Related articles by Zemanta

• “Dark Knight” Delivers Thrills & Chills
• Why Heath Ledger will blow us away in The Dark Knight
• Nolan approached Batman sequel with trepidation
• Review: ‘Dark Knight’ a stunning film
• Movie Review for The Dark Knight (2008)
• Batman Returns, But Joker Has Last Laugh
• Joker Plays the Wild Card in Dazzling Dark Knight

Rate this:

3.6 (2 people)

-->

14 Responses So Far (What is YOUR opinion? to “The Dark Knight Rules the Summer… This one goes to 11…”

• trench (Who am I?) Says:
  July 19th, 2008 at 9:27 pm

  Good Review Fitz. I was sure some people would be blown away by the film. I guess I just wasn’t one of them.
  

  Rate this:

  3.5

• fitz (Who am I?) Says:
  July 19th, 2008 at 9:40 pm

  I can see that. I’m hoping that it holds up after a 2nd viewing, but for now I’m still of the opinion that it’s the best movie I’ve seen in a long while. That’s what makes the movie industry great IMHO… There are lots of different movies for different types of people. As an art form, each viewer takes something different away from it. The same is true of music, paintings, sculpture, you name it. No two people can have the same experience. Ain’t life grand?

  Rate this:

  2.5

• farzan (Who am I?) Says:
  July 20th, 2008 at 6:26 am

  Great review, I gave it an A-. Its one of the best movies I have seen this year

  farzans last blog post..REVIEW: The Dark Knight
  

  Rate this:

  2.5

• fitz (Who am I?) Says:
  July 20th, 2008 at 10:27 am

  Thanks farzan! Great review yourself!

  Rate this:

  2.5

• Andrew (Who am I?) Says:
  July 21st, 2008 at 12:20 am

  Nice review. I am really looking forward to seeing this movie. Especially since a lot of people are really exited about it. Even a few people I know who are not really comic book fans that loved it. I will post a comment again after I see it.
  

  Rate this:

  2.5

• Andrew (Who am I?) Says:
  July 24th, 2008 at 12:39 pm

  I finally got a chance to see this last night. Wow, is all I can say. I really liked the movie and thought the phychotic comments from the Joker were great. The person I went with (late showing) told me person playing the joker dies. That was the first time I heard about that. Tragic stuff…
  

  Rate this:

  2.5

• Andrew (Who am I?) Says:
  July 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

  Sorry I meant died (in real life).
  

  Rate this:

  2.5

• fitz (Who am I?) Says:
  July 24th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

  Yeah. It’s tragic that Heath Ledger didn’t make it to see the premiere of this movie. He did an absolutely mindblowing job playing the Joker, among his many other roles (The Four Feathers being one of my favorites). He will definitely be missed.

  Rate this:

  2.5

• Howard Bannister (Who am I?) Says:
  July 24th, 2008 at 7:33 pm

  Okay. I totally concur with the review.

  But just one thing. Amd I the only one who is really irritated by Christian Bale’s Batman voice? Because that’s my only problem with the film.

  Howard Bannisters last blog post..estelle getty — rest in peace.
  

  Rate this:

  2.5

• fitz (Who am I?) Says:
  July 24th, 2008 at 7:41 pm

  Nah. It is kind of funky. (Was funky in the last film too as I recall.) I think other than the voice though, Bale’s Batman is pretty good.

  Rate this:

  2.5

• Reel Advice (Who am I?) Says:
  July 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am

  Hi Fitz! Nice take on this review. We totally agree with everything you said. Especially the one with Christian Bale’s very annoying bat voice. What’s up with that right? Thanks for commenting in our movie review blog (http://reeladvice.blogspot.com).

  Reel Advices last blog post..Watchmen : Reel Advice Trailer Sneak Peek
  

  Rate this:

  3.1

• movie buff (Who am I?) Says:
  August 28th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

  i still wish Katie Holmes had stayed on board as Rachel Dawes for the Dark Knight; it was like the time spent getting familiar with her character in Batman Begins was wasted…

  movie buffs last blog post..Batman is "Incorruptable" says the Joker
  

  Rate this:

  3.2

• fitz (Who am I?) Says:
  August 28th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

  I always thought Katie Holmes was a cute actress, but I think she was the weakest link in Batman Begins. Maggie respun the role into a stronger character in The Dark Knight. But I can see where continuity might have been better than revamping the role.

  Rate this:

  3.2

• Petra (Who am I?) Says:
  October 5th, 2008 at 7:40 pm

  thats unbeleveable, ledger was just great I have to see this movie very soon
  

  Rate this:

  2.5

Leave a Reply