The Dark Knight [Theatrical Release] | ![The Dark Knight [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pGxSkkz4L._SL500_.jpg)
| Category: Theatrical Release
This item is no longer available
Rating:  1142 reviews
ASIN: B00005JPY0
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| 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 1137 more reviews...
 The Joke's On Us June 30, 2009
Charles Weinstein (Boston, MA United States)
2 out of 9 found this review helpful
Heath Ledger works feverishly as the Joker (the intensity of his commitment is the most impressive thing about his performance), and there are times when his black-ringed eyes take on a hurt expression, like a wounded raccoon's, that is striking in its unexpected vulnerability. For the most part, however, Ledger turns a fantastical character into an ordinary, coarse-grained psychopath; and his Joker is neither original, inventive nor scary enough to be a truly memorable screen creation.
The rest of the film is an insulting mess.
 Great price June 30, 2009
H. Fry
I ordered this as a gift for my husband. I couldn't believe how quickly it arrived. It was exactly what I ordered and was the perfect gift.
movie talkback June 29, 2009
Liow Yuen Thoe (Singapore)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
some scenes were deleted from this blu-ray, otherwise it should be rated as the top show for the year 2009.
Movie perfection June 27, 2009
Newton Ooi (Phoenix, Arizona United States)
What makes a great comic book story? Cool gadgets, great fight scenes, a snazzy disguise, unassuming sidekicks, an unfathomable villian, an incorruptible hero and everyone else caught in between.
What makes a great movie? Great, realistic dialogue. Unpredictable drama. The occasional comedy that is not contrived, and not felt like it was purposely written into the script for laughs. A doomed romance. Multiple protagonists and antagonists. And a haunting soundtrack.
Given these two descriptions, one can safely say that "The Dark Knight" is probably the greatest comic book movies of all time, and one of the greatest movies of all time. Unlike "Batman Begins", there is no exotic locales. No supernatural powers or allusions to myth like in the Superman, X-Men, Spiderman or other comic book genres transplanted to the big and small screens. No, what Christopher Nolan created here is a perfect mix of Hill Street Blues, Law & Order, Heat, and the Godfather trilogy into a 2.5 hour movie set in a major metropolis that feels and looks like Chicago in the summertime.
Of all the movies dealing with crime, the police, psychopaths, and heroes; none so perfectly blends intimate human emotions with the subtle and overt features of office politics, city politics, and mass propaganda. The scenes between DA Harvey Dent and James Gordon epitomize bureaucratic turf protection like few other films. The contest between Batman and the Joker represents the ultimate chess match; except played out over an entire city. And the on-screen wiles of James Gordon, Lucius Fox, and numerous other characters reveal that superheroes did not get to where they are thru sheer personal talent; but instead rely on well-honed teams of dedicated individuals. Probably the most insightful feature of this film is the subtle but unceasing display of ownership. Almost every single major location of this film is owned by some individual or institution; often to the ignorance and surprise of the general public. Whether it is the opening scene in the mob-owned bank, to the dinner scene in the restaurant owned by Bruce Wayne, this unseen ownership of place and time by unseen actors in higher (or lower) positions is the ultimate feature of modern society; one that makes organized crime feasible and profitable. And it is this feature that is the icing on the cake that is this great movie. So overall, this is Hollywood perfection and a must watch film.
An all-around incredible film. June 26, 2009
W. Bowes (California)
This film has it all! The cast is phenomenal, the plot is killer and the action is out of control! Batman Begins was a great start in revamping the series, and The Dark Knight just took it to a whole new level. Some sequels are extremely weak compared to their predecessors, but not so with this one.
|
|
|
