THE DARK KNIGHT Movie Review
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Director: Christopher Nolan
Perfection is the only word that comes to mind when thinking about this epic movie. Everything from the special effects to the brilliant editing. Many movies now days you walk away from wishing certain parts would have been executed better, but The Dark Knight is not one of those movies.
This sequel to Batman Begins (another excellent film) picks up with the entrance of The Joker played by Ledger. The Joker quickly convinces many including the mob to help create chaos in Gotham City. Joker’s plan soon brings Batman and others into a web of complicated decisions. You can easily see similarity to many complicated and controversial events in our world.
For being a 2 1/2 hour film it goes by quickly. The movie hits everything it needs to with it’s fast paced action to it’s beautifully scripted dialog. Bale, Oldman, Caine, Freeman, are all back at their finest giving it their all with what roles they have. Heath Ledger will always be remembered, especially after one of the best performances in recent movie history.
I highly recommend this movie and will be very disappointed if there aren’t several nominations sent it’s way.
Note: Just a warning for those taking small children under 13. The movie is very dark and mature in theme, definitely not your typical super-hero movie.
Popcorn Ninja
Rated PG-13
152 mins
2008
on September 6th, 2008 at 12:01 am
I saw a treiler to this movie, I really like it! I’m looking forward to the official premier.
on September 6th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I haven’t seen this movie yet, but several of my friends have. Every one of them raved about it
on September 6th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
This movie is really amazing.The late Heath Ledger is very in to his character
on September 7th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Thanks, great site.. your is one of very few blogs worth taking the time to read..
Thanks again, Love lisa
on September 7th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I’ve seen it, it’s the best BATMAN movie ever made. Congrats for Heath’s Joker impression. But i didn’t like BATMAN’s “deep voice”. It sounded so weird…unnatural.
on September 8th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Liked this one too, won’t be surprised if it caught some awards. Box office luck also encouraged creators to think about the sequel, and rumors go, that The Riddler will be played by Depp - now this one is interesting and risky plan altogether, don’t you think?
on September 8th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I will agree with Ledger’s fantastic joker, but I thought the whole film in general was too long, and the plot could have used some reworking. The story was a little bit conjumbled, and not very smooth. I am not going to say it wasn’t a great film, but I think all of the hype around the film is at times a bit unwarranted.
on September 9th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Just downloaded tonight from rapidshare. I will share my thoughts after review, but like most people say it is amazing.
on September 10th, 2008 at 4:24 am
I have never liked a Batman movie and only went with my firend because she begged me to go, but honestly it was amazing I loved it n Ledger was just outstanding, he really was
on September 10th, 2008 at 5:09 am
I loved it! Keith Ledger was phenomenal!
on September 10th, 2008 at 7:21 am
I’ve just watched it and I can say it’s definitely well worth seeing. But to echo the other comments here, Dark Knight is quite long - over two hours infact.
on September 10th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Awesome article!
on September 11th, 2008 at 5:01 am
One of my favorite Batman Movie. One of the movie I enjoyed watching this year. I also had the chance to see it’s IMAX 3G version. Ledger played the Joker role well, I can say that he fell in love with his character that resulted to an effectiveness in playing the character. although the movies was quiet long and batman’s voice is kinda weird for me though. Great Movie, A must see movie and I will buy my DVD copy once they release a copy. Nice Post!
-John Simon
on September 11th, 2008 at 5:43 am
I just read today, that The Dark Knight is going to be re-released in January to remind voters around award season, and gennerate more Oscar buzz??
And also haul in more money!
on September 11th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
This is the one movie I’ve been wanting to see all summer, and I’ve still been too busy to get out and see it. Ledger just looks awesome. Maybe I’ll have time this weekend to go see it.
on September 12th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I saw it at last, I’m really impressed! It is worth seeing, no doubt. I wish I saw it for the first time.
on September 13th, 2008 at 3:57 am
great post, a little hard to read with some of the weird characters that didn’t transfer well, but other then that I enjoyed the brief quotes form the interview.
on September 13th, 2008 at 8:38 am
cool movie.
I like this movie. “the dark” = the best
on September 14th, 2008 at 6:34 am
This is one of my favorites of the year. Heath should be nominated.
on September 14th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
It was great. A lot better than the first. Much better than spiderman.
Why did you give it 4 stars? 5 stars surely!!!
John
on September 14th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
John,
I rate movies on a 4 star system, therefore 4 out of 4 being the best. Trust me if I rated them on a 5 star system it would get the whole 5!!
Thanks for stopping by.
on September 15th, 2008 at 12:22 am
It is actually not the best of the batman series… But the action effects are great…
on September 15th, 2008 at 10:30 am
So, another batman movie… no big deal
on September 16th, 2008 at 5:48 am
One of the best I’ve seen this year, this was.
Top class and will be a definite purchase once its available.
on September 16th, 2008 at 7:37 am
This movie is the best!! I love it to the core.
Batman rocks!!!
on September 17th, 2008 at 9:59 am
The Dark Knight was awesome. Too bad Ledger can’t be back for the next one.
on September 18th, 2008 at 7:23 am
It will take a few more viewings for me to decide, but THE DARK KNIGHT may just be the best Bat film yet. I’m probably in the minority, but right now that spot for me is held by BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM.
on September 18th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Just another Batman movie…
on September 19th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
i must say i really liked the movie… the cinematography, the music, the story, i thought it was great… in more ways than one, i’d put it up there as one of the the best batman movies ever made… and ledger’s portrayal? he made it his own… you’d wonder how the ‘next’ joker would play the part…
on September 20th, 2008 at 6:00 am
Lois, it’s the best one of all of them. Don’t you think so?
on September 20th, 2008 at 6:55 am
I think the dark knight is a real batman
on September 20th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
@kill the batman- I also feel the same way as you do about HEath. He is to young and great actor to die.
on September 21st, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I’ve seen it, it’s the best BATMAN movie ever made. Congrats for Heath’s Joker impression. But i didn’t like BATMAN’s “deep voice”. It sounded so weird…unnatural.
on September 23rd, 2008 at 5:49 am
Maybe it was all the hype surrounding and leading up to the film, but I really felt like it was a good movie, but not all that and a bag of chips. Granted, I didn’t see it on an imax screen, as it was originally intended, but still….good movie, great even…but not an all time classic.
on September 24th, 2008 at 6:18 am
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on September 25th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
What a great movie!! The acting was perfect! Ive seen it too many times so far, and it’s not even out on DVD yet!
on September 25th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
As a child of the 80’s I have a soft spot for the first Batman with Michael Keaton, but this is definitely a solid movie in its own right - Batman franchise or not.
on September 26th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I agree. There was a lot of hype leading up to this movie. Personally it wasn’t my cup of tea. Granted Im in the same boat as the guy above. I wasn’t able to see it on the Imax screen. I must say though for people into that kind of movie had to have liked it alot.
on September 26th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I went and saw this movie 3 different times in the theater. the best is on Imax The sound quality and picture is better than any other movie, Watching it multiple times also allowed me to get into the movie more and understand the real plot behind the characters motives and how it relates to real life situations!
on September 28th, 2008 at 3:12 am
I think it was a very good movie, but not so great as everyone is saying. Ledger was good, but I liked Nicholson better.
on September 28th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
That nice movie. Thanks for sharing.
on September 28th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I absolutely loved this movie. It will be in my collection of DVD’s the moment it comes out. Can’t wait to see it again.
on September 28th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Sounds great looking forward to it ! this is really nice mate! good job! Thanx!
on September 29th, 2008 at 1:01 am
This is the best Batman movie ever. You have to watch it in IMAX to really appreciate the visual quality of the movie.
on September 30th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I would agree for the most part about your review of the movie. Ledger did do a great job but I think he was a little dark. I think I could appreciate the movie if I watched it a second time.
on September 30th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
The Dark Night was awesome movie.when i watched first,i wanted to watch again.Addictionaly, Ledger was perfect..
on October 1st, 2008 at 10:32 am
Isnt it sad that ledger is gone. Even though I also thought that Nicholson was better ledger was going to be a great. Anyways go check this movie out, Im sure you will like it a lot.
on October 1st, 2008 at 3:04 pm
best batman film ever made
on October 2nd, 2008 at 2:55 am
One thing I didn’t enjoy it was Batman’s voice :O It was just weird…
on October 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
It’s an amazing movie, I love it, it;s one of my favorites movies and Heath Ledger was terrific, the saw it 5 times.
on October 9th, 2008 at 11:27 am
really good movie. also action effects are great.
on October 10th, 2008 at 1:52 am
Film is really interesting… Ledger’s play worth to be seen. His Jocker is so realistic because Ledger lived by his character. This film isn’t about Batman, it’s about Jocker.
on October 11th, 2008 at 1:39 am
I love this film…. Truly one of the best Batman movie ever made and one of the best film of the year. Looking for its next movement on the academy award show.
on October 12th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
This is definitely the BEST Batman movie so far. I don’t know how they are going to top this one.
on October 13th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I’ve heard it’s too dark and violent. They really should bring back censorship. Just cut that stuff out so we can enjoy the film. Bleep out swear words and such. If you let filmakers do whatever they want, they invaribaly head towards the gutter.
on October 13th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I watched the movie yesterday only! I got the DVD from one of my friends. I loved it
on October 14th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Wasn’t that good. Kinda boring.
on October 15th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I agree about the brilliant editing. It was a real masterpiece.
Great review by the way.
on October 16th, 2008 at 8:50 am
My brother raves about this movie. I still have yet to see it. Thank Kubrick it’s still in theatres.
on October 23rd, 2008 at 2:00 am
A very exciting thriller movie!
on October 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Man you don’t even know how long I’ve waited for this since disabling my own Movable Type widget (that doesn’t work since Haloscan bypasses that code).
on October 24th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
i like this movie
on October 25th, 2008 at 11:55 am
This is the best Batman EVER! And a very good movie too.
on October 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I have been wanting to see this film cant wait to see it.
on October 28th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Good movie. You can download it at my website
on October 28th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Do you guys know anything about the rumors of a director’s cut or extended edition of the Dark Knight DVD? I know its already long (2.5 hours) but even more scenes will be great.
on October 31st, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Unfortunately I haven’t watch Dark Knight yet, but have read several reviews on it to be really top notch film, but I don’t like Maggie here though she is an excellent actress.
on November 1st, 2008 at 7:41 am
The Dark Knight was a fantastic movie. The acting, cinematography, special affects were out of this world. More often than not the later movies in a series are not as good as the first movies in the series. But, I think the batman series just gets better and better. The directores and producers have done a really great job in making each new episode in the series stand out as a great movie unto themselves and not just another installment of the Batman series.
on November 1st, 2008 at 9:18 am
I looked this film. But as for me, it’s so called “so…so…”.
on November 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 am
heath ledger was very good as the joker. the dark knight is by far the best superhero film i’ve seen.
on November 4th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Joker’s acting was incredible.I love this film 5 stars!
on November 17th, 2008 at 12:38 am
This is really very nice movie.I like it.I think this is the best movie to this year.
on November 17th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Have seen the movie and enjoyed it. Heath Ledger made the movie for me. Had really good special effects even if they were a little unbelievable.
on November 18th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Perfection is the only word that comes to mind when thinking about this epic movie.
on November 19th, 2008 at 4:54 am
I didn’t see the movie but I was watching the trailers and trailers are quite interesting. And also I am a big fan of Heath Ledger and I am very sad after his death and I didn’t miss any of his movies. So whenever I have time I must watch this movie. Thanks for the post.
on November 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Personally, I wonder if all this Oscar talk about Heath Ledger would have come about if the dude was still alive.
on November 25th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Great, concise review. My only real criticism, and it’s certainly not integral to the plot, is Batman’s comically throaty voice.
Can we give it 4.5 stars?
on November 30th, 2008 at 6:48 am
interesting site it really learns me a lot.
on November 30th, 2008 at 6:51 am
thanks for the information i will apply that.
on November 30th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
My brother raves about this movie. I still have yet to see it. Thank Kubrick it’s still in theatres.
on December 1st, 2008 at 9:48 am
I have been wanting for long long time to see this film
nice!
on December 2nd, 2008 at 10:03 am
This film was awesome, probably one of the best and most serious batman movies i have seen cant wait until its released on DVD to watch it again…and again…..an again
on December 4th, 2008 at 12:56 am
The movie hits everything it needs to with its fast paced action to its beautifully scripted dialog. Bale, Oldman, Caine, Freeman, are all back at their finest, giving it their all with what roles they have.
on December 14th, 2008 at 2:10 am
i like the idea especially the joker’s plans and the art of killing people. I was sad that he killed Rachel. It was better than batman begins and full of suspense.
on December 15th, 2008 at 9:26 am
interesting site it really learns me a lot.
on December 16th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Excellent film. My estimation - 5. Certainly, heath ledger - the magnificent actor though also christian bale too it is fine. 1 billion dollars - the deserved praise to actors and the director!
on December 17th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Movie was too unpredictable, this is what i like the most about the movie. Director was very clear in his approach and that was clearly visible while watching the movie. Once again he proved himself.
Hope to see some more……
on December 18th, 2008 at 6:28 am
This movie has bring many viewers gag on the silver screen.
on December 18th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Nice review! I saw the movie. I can call it classic. Yah not the regular superhero type movie.
on December 21st, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I hope you start reviewing again. I like this blog and would love to see a review of “Twilight” as I have not seen it yet.
Thanks for the great info.
on December 23rd, 2008 at 4:14 am
This film was truly the triumph of 2008. The film is un-missable and it is as simple as that!
on December 24th, 2008 at 7:23 am
This is one of the best movies of the year . Not quite as good as Batman Begins (that was a difficult task) but still an awesome spectacle. Heath Ledger is quite simply brilliant and I am personally a big fan of Christian Bale playing Batman.
With such a stellar cast for support this really is cinema at its very best.
on December 24th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Best movie of the year!
on January 1st, 2009 at 8:31 pm
This is one of my favorite movies of 2008. I was about to rent it again on PPV. This will be the third time I see it.
on January 5th, 2009 at 7:42 am
The dark knight is one of my favorite batman movies. Actually, I think it is one of the best batman movies ever made.
on January 5th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Good Lord… when i think about Heath Ledgers joker performance in this movie , i cant help but be sad…
such a BIG LOSS for all of us..
this movie was flawless and ledger was grandilocuent!
on January 5th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Really wonderful movie. I might have to buy Blu-Ray just to enjoy it again
on January 8th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
From characters costumes, make ups to other props and special effects I like the way this movie was made, truly artistic! The movie also becomes so popular because the actor Heath Ledger who played the role of JOKER died before the movie was shown.
on January 10th, 2009 at 11:38 am
What a kick in the teeth. This was definitely not the typical superhero flick, but it does achieve near-perfection if you ask me. Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors of all time, and while his “Batman voice” can be a little cheesy at times he pulls of an American-esque accent so well you’d never know he was a Brit.
There’s a little bit of disagreement going back and forth between whether Heath Ledger has gotten so many accolades for his performance as a Joker only because of his recent passing. As I see it, he was absolutely chilling in this flick and put on an amazingly visceral performance as the Joker.
-Jay
on January 12th, 2009 at 4:25 am
The best movie of 2008. The best Batman movie.
on January 12th, 2009 at 10:14 am
This film is quite good. I felt that it could’ve been about an hour shorter as there was quite a lot of fluff and too many laborious monologues. The effects are good and I do much prefer the darker versions.
on January 12th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Can’t wait to watch it again when they re-release it to theaters!
on January 17th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Well, I watched this movie.But only thing I liked from this is JOKER. Without him this movie would be disaster.
Till
on January 20th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I liked this movie because of Joker.He is everything in this movie.
Till
on January 26th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Keith Ledger was phenomenal!
on January 26th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I am eager to watch this movie but I haven’t tried for the tickets because it is very rush..On one day I should this at any cost.
on January 30th, 2009 at 8:14 am
It’s really the best movie of 2008 hands down. People need to realize that, just because its a comic book movie doesnt mean it cant be good.
on February 2nd, 2009 at 8:14 pm
It is easily the best movie I saw this year and I hope Heath Ledger gets the recognition that he deserves.
on February 5th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Truthfully, this is about the best movie ever. It’s that simple.
on February 9th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
One of the best movies in 2008. You need to see this.
on February 11th, 2009 at 7:33 am
I liked this movie very much, best movie of the year, best cinematography and best actor in supporting role.
on February 16th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Great blog and great post. Thanks for sharing this information.
on February 17th, 2009 at 7:45 am
It is one of the best sci-fi movie made in recent times. It broke lots of records at box office and made more money then any movies made in hollywood except Titanic. Lets see how many oscars it wins.
on February 18th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
A well-written movie review can enhance your movie experience. If you get excited to watch a movie after reading a review, then that review has made a good impact on you.
on February 19th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
My best movie of 2008
on February 19th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I really enjoyed this movie, anyone that has not seen it should see it in an IMAX theater or a huge tv/projector, otherwise it wont do it justice.
on February 20th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I watched it 3 times and each time I was very surprised when I saw the tricks of Joker. The scenerio is really perfect, wish I could write such complicated and surprising scenerios..Dark Night is the best Batman serie..
on February 26th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
best movie for me too
on March 2nd, 2009 at 3:15 am
I also watched this above to 10 times.
on March 6th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
i went back and watched batman begins before the dark knight came out, and i was bored. ya know that kinda bored when you think the movie is almost over, like you been sitting there for 2 and a half hours? well it was only 1:30 into it. didn’t make a great impression. but the dark knight. wow. nolan really out did himself. but then again, memento is probably better. wel… if ledger wasn’t so amazing. loved the film. loved ledger. loved cainne. didn’t love eckart. saw it twice on the theaters, and was first in line at fry’s that tuesday for the blu-ray.
on March 7th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Wow, definitely one of the best “comic” movies made. And for sure better than the other batman movies. I wasn’t sure at first, another Batman movie…..but it didn’t disappoint me!!!
on March 9th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
nice movie , number 1
on March 10th, 2009 at 8:53 am
I don’t know how they will be able to do a sequel without Heath Ledger
on March 20th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Great movie. Double thumbs up for Heath Ledger for his really-awesome performance; who not only revolutionized the Joker character but also made Batman fans talking about him and his character even for weeks after the release.
Too bad Batman himself totally sucked with his weird sounding voice
on March 25th, 2009 at 8:38 am
An imperishable, spectacular and chaotically-brilliant movie. The Dark Knight possesses the essence that should always exist in the handover from comics to the big screen. Sequence after sequence, this is the absolute glory. A great movie that does not give a single frame to breathe. An ode to chaos and anarchy, while shares are confronted inevitably lead to a path dirty, black and hostile. A real Gotham City, dominated by fear.
on March 27th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
A “masterpiece”?
I don’t think so. The movie was good, but definitely NOT as great as everybody is hyping it up to be.
on April 1st, 2009 at 5:46 am
I’ve still not seen The Dark Knight yet, it’s been on my list of ‘films to see’ for a while now though, so I’m sure I’ll get around to watching it at some point!
on April 6th, 2009 at 6:33 am
Honestly its the best superhero movie I have ever seen.
I really like Jokers words at the end of the movie- “You (batman) and I are tied forever with each other, YOU CANT KILL ME because you can’t make the righteous kill and I WON’T KILL YOU because you are too much fun” —– sheer awesomeness xD
on April 8th, 2009 at 7:35 am
I thought Dark Knight was great. It was fun and though it carried on in time a bit, it didn’t feel painful in doing so.
The focus of one character (The Joker) who dabbled in many directions while he took over the different gangs was insightful to the fact he hung it out there in risk, but each risk had an intelligent reward. He was nuts man, nuts.
I didn’t like Batman’s cowl. It wasn’t the classic look I’ve come to enjoy in the comics. I get the practicality of it, but the look just felt odd… almost distracting.
On the other! The DVD, where a movie this big should have had a ton of extra’s, totally bites. 17 whole minutes of extras. Nolan needs to man up and do more than a few minutes of voice or face time on a DVD. At least it would be nice. Hell, they’d probably sell even more DVD’s if they added the extras.
Then again, they might be laying in wait - until the right time to release yet another version of the DVD.
With me, they’ve got what money I’m going to spend, and that’s that.
-Bruce
on April 13th, 2009 at 8:54 am
It is the best movie about Batman and one of the best in 2008.
on April 13th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
The Dark night I really like that movie, the technology there was so advance. I always watched every batman movies but it doesn’t mean that my favorite hero is batman.
on April 17th, 2009 at 1:36 am
I really enjoyed this film. Such a shame about Heath Ledger.
on April 18th, 2009 at 2:29 am
I think it is another interested movie form batmen. I like this movie and will say to all that are interested in batmen at lease you should watch it at least one time
on April 19th, 2009 at 8:36 am
hmm! what awesome link you have given here thanks for giving a chance to visit this sites.A well-written movie review can enhance your movie experience. If you get excited to watch a movie after reading a review, then that review has made a good impact on you.Nolan needs to man up and do more than a few minutes of voice or face time on a DVD.thank you!!
on April 23rd, 2009 at 3:18 am
It would be nice if keith ledger was still around he and he did do a great job with this movie . I heard it was like he never stopped being the character that
he was he was always in character, understandably to get the part down perfectly you probably need to live the part, amazing acting though!
on April 23rd, 2009 at 3:20 am
sorry I’m keith , he’s Heath opps!
on April 27th, 2009 at 12:54 am
I really liked the bank manager. The guy from prison break did a great job with such a small part. Though the whole movie wasn’t as great as everyone makes it out to be. It was ok but nothing above it.
on May 12th, 2009 at 8:51 am
I will agree with Ledger’s fantastic joker, but I thought the whole film in general was too long, and the plot could have used some reworking. The story was a little bit conjumbled, and not very smooth. I am not going to say it wasn’t a great film, but I think all of the hype around the film is at times a bit unwarranted.Truthfully, this is about the best movie ever. It’s that simple.
on June 9th, 2009 at 11:34 am
i was initially surprised when i learned that they were making another batman movie with the joker character after nicolson’s performance. but after seeing the “dark” edge that this “new” joker had, it was understandable. and worth it!
on June 11th, 2009 at 1:30 am
shame it was so tragic he deserved it tho