Ten years today The Dark Knight came out.

[Batman Begins 2005]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here on in TV/Film so decided to do both for those who don't frequent the Bat boards. Sorry, staff!

As noted, The Dark Knight is now ten years old so thought we could reminisce about the film. in 2008, it became the best comic book movie and still retains that title but for me, I'd go further still saying it's one of the best movies ever. Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker and it's sad he died so young.

What say you about The Dark Knight on it's 10 year anniversary?

[Mateo3000]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here on in TV/Film so decided to do both for those who don't frequent the Bat boards. Sorry, staff!

As noted, The Dark Knight is now ten years old so thought we could reminisce about the film. in 2008, it became the best comic book movie and still retains that title but for me, I'd go further still saying it's one of the best movies ever. Heath Ledger is amazing as the Joker and it's sad he died so young.

What say you about The Dark Knight on it's 10 year anniversary?

While I've seen it a million times sense, my first time ever seeing it at the movie theater with my friends was probably the best experience I've ever had at a movie theater. It was simply mesmerizing watching the Dark Knight and not knowing any spoilers. That movie and Heath Ledger's joker will always be transcendent for me when it comes to comic book movies.

[Mistah K88]

To tell you the truth, I'm in the unpopular opinion camp that believes that Batman Begins is the best of the Nolan trilogy, with each sequel being a little worse than the prior movie. Not to say that the Dark Knight is bad, (I saw it in theatres a couple times), it just wasn't as good as Begins...

[Slim Shady]

I still think the Nolan trilogy trumps anything DC or Marvel has done since. The whole thing is great. I can remember thinking how bad of a move it was to cast Ledger as Joker and thought that was a huge mistake. Then when it came out just being blown away by his performance. That’s method acting 101.

The only negative thing I can say about those movies, I think they made WB and DC feel like future films needed to look and feel that same way. Which imo hurt MOS, BvS, and JL. That’s not the actual Dark Knight trilogies fault of course.

[DarthNeo]

Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were amazing movies. A few slow spots but overall, great origin movies. I like Bale better than Keaton but he was still a bit TOO short for Bruce Wayne...

[bat39]

Made it a point to rewatch it on its 10th anniversary. And, to put it plainly, it still holds out as one of the all-time cinematic greats.

For years, there's been this belief that TDK was the ultimate in superhero filmmaking...that it was the gold standard that all future films in the genre needed to emulate.

But the truth is that, rewatching TDK, you realize that it wasn't a superhero film AT ALL. Well sure, Batman and Joker are in there along with a few other familiar characters from the comics. But its evident that Nolan did not approach TDK as a superhero film at all. He simply approached it as a film. More specifically, a noir film and crime drama with some serious thriller elements.

Its not a 'grimdark' film about a superhero fighting a supervillain. Its a tragedy about a city strangled by crime and corruption, the steps that three good men take in their noble attempt to fix the problem, and the nihilist who just wants to watch everything burn in his attempt to prove that none of it matters.

Its got good cops and bad cops, mobsters and corrupt businessmen, a hysterical public barely able to cope with what their world has become...and yes, it also includes a vigilante dressed up as a bat and a terrorist with clown make-up, but that apart, the film is grounded in reality in a way that virtually no other comic-book film is. Yes, not even Nolan's other two Batman films.

Begins may have had a solidly grounded aesthetic...but its ultimately a film that has a centuries-old ninja cult and a conspiracy to turn the city's water supply into 'fear gas'. TDKR is a film about a new terrorist leader taking over said centuries-old ninja cult and threatening to destroy the city with a nuclear bomb. Yup, both films definitely have a more 'realistic' vibe than pretty much every other comic-book film, but ultimately they are comic-book stories told through a 'grounded' prism. TDK on the other hand, is a film telling a pretty 'grounded' story...one with a couple of fantastical elements, true, but where the stakes hit a little closer to home.

TDK, at the time of its release, was interpreted by some as a commentary on the War on Terror. Just today, I read this article about how it actually predicted the rise of the online troll. And I'm sure in the years to come, a multitude of other meanings will emerge from closer readings of Nolan's work. TDK, more so than any other 'superhero' film, tells us something about the world we live in, whether we like it or not.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into it (as have so many others) and its just a damn good film! That's really all the praise it needs in the end...

[Dr. Skeleton]

Damn, I'm getting old...

[FBarnhill]

It does have its fair share of flaws rewatching it:

• It has some blatant disregard for medicine (Harvey’s scars should have killed him and not have him talk normally), law (only the DoJ can take on RICO cases), and physics (the Batpod’s 180 degree turn)

• the Joker seems to kill more black men than white

• Rachel gets a fridge dropped on her and her being a damsel in distress, in general

• a bank robbery just happened and no bystander seemed to give a damn

• the score can get too much at times

• the Joker conveniently gets a bus full of news reporters

• Harvey survives a deadly car crash. Seatbelts aren’t magical

• The film expects us to think Gordon dies despite being obvious he won’t

• the bus doesn’t even hit that clown and he still died

• Batman fight scenes are handled poorly. They all take turns, don’t shoot at him, and he’s way too slow

• Gotham is Chicago and no effort is made to hide that

• a lot of overacting from that Russian guy, not to mention Dent getting in on the ham as well at times

• the extras aren’t the best actors

• Rachel got her Roman history wrong

• Some characters can withstand getting near gunshots and still have their hearing intact

• silencers aren’t that silent

• It doesn’t matter if Lau is in China. He will still be prosecuted there

• “5 dead, 2 of them cops” wait, who were they? And how would you know?

• a lot of unnecessary product placement, like for Nokia and lamborghinis

• Gordon’s wife scream was used twice at the end

• Oldman’s accent breaks here and there and it’s way too noticable to ignore

• the Joker got away with a lot too easily and Gordon didn’t get demoted after his failed capture, given many had died

• there’s a lot of editing mistakes in the big chase scene

• the fingerprinting and solar devices were ridiculous. Bullets don’t shatter and the heat will destroy fingerprints. Plus, it’s all too convenient for Bruce to have his own cell towers to simultaneously get all of Gotham’s phones, who apparently have the same carrier.

• the phone can have reception under a belly, I guess

• So Gordon cares more for his son than the rest of his family? He only yelled when Harvey motioned towards his son.

• So Gordon’s daughter aged from being a baby to a little girl between Begins and this?

• the ferry scene was way too unrealistically sentimental. A boat would’ve been detonated the second it was revealed to them. You think too much of us, Nolan

• exposition replaces natural dialogue

• Batman does kill Harvey and he doesn’t seem to give a damn

• Harvey was allowed to keep his burnt suit?

• cinematography choices that don’t make sense, like the orbital shot with the Joker and Rachel

• and of course, Batman’s voice

All things considered, I still really loved it.

[bat39]

“5 dead, 2 of them cops” wait, who were they? And how would you know?

For years, I've wondered about that...and I finally think I've figured it.

See, Gordon may still believe, at that point, that Dent killed Ramirez. So he's counting her as one of the cops killed.

Also, the people killed includes Dent himself. Gordon is talking about all the deaths connected to Two Face's rampage...not necessarily all his murders.

Here's how the numbers work

1. Wuertz (killed by Dent)

2. Ramirez (assumed killed by Dent)

3. Maroni (killed in the car crash)

4. Maroni's driver (killed by Dent)

5. Dent (killed by the fall)


As for how Gordon knew...well, obviously Ramirez had something to do with the security of his family, so when he realized that his family was kidnapped, he assumed that Dent got to her. He probably heard a report about Wuertz being killed at the bar, and Maroni's car crash. Also, Gordon knew that Dent believed that Wuertz and Ramirez were working for Maroni, so he deduced that they must have been the first ones targeted.

[dancj]

It does have its fair share of flaws rewatching it:

A good chunk of those aren't really flaws so much as observations.

[Agent Z]

It does have its fair share of flaws rewatching it:



• the Joker seems to kill more black men than white

Aside from the police commisioner and Michael Jai White's character, what other black men get killed by the Joker?

• So Gordon cares more for his son than the rest of his family? He only yelled when Harvey motioned towards his son.

He was trying to talk Dent down at first but started losing composure as Dent went for the boy. He even yells "stop pointing that gun at my family!"

[titansupes]

Incredible movie that remains a cultural touchstone and genre benchmark ten years on. What an incredible experience it was watching it for the first time. Truly a classic.

[Johnny Thunders!]

Everything about this movie is terrific. The cast, the dialogue, the effects, and the momentum of the story. I use to cringe at the big sentiment and language that the characters use but I buy all of it. I care about Christian Bale in all 3 of those movies. His Bruce Wayne always reminds you of that sad kid from that messed up alley. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and of course, the great Heath Ledger!
I re-watched all 3 movies out of order and Bale's Batman voice works. It adds two or three inches to his height.

[MajorHoy]

Still having the problem of reading the thread's title

Ten years today The Dark Knight came out.

and then thinking "What?!? Batman publicly admitted he was gay?!?"

[Restingvoice]

I haven't watched many superhero movies so The Dark Knight is still the best for me, though it's not my favorite depiction of Batman or Joker, and especially not my favorite iteration of Gotham since it's too realistic, but as a movie in general, it's really good.
It's also the first hero movie I saw where the hero didn't manage to save the girl, so that's one of the reasons it stood out.
Joker's pretty overpowered, but entertaining.
The best moment is, of course, the boats, because the movie has been bleak up until that point and that's like the humanity won moment.
It's too bad that Two-Face is too short, but he's more of an epilogue, aftermath story than anything, and that injury won't make him last as a recurring villain.
Morgan Freeman is awesome as always.
Gary Oldman is my definitive young Gordon.