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
On the DVD Unlike the Blu-ray disc, The Dark Knight on DVD is completely in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. You can, however, watch the six IMAX scenes separately. Also on disc 2 are "Gotham Uncovered: The Creation of a Scene," which is behind-the-scenes footage about the Bat suit, the Bat pod, and the music; eight-minute segments of Gotham Central, a faux-news program that gives some background to events in the movie; plus a variety of trailers, poster art, and more. Last, there's a digital copy of the film compatible with iTunes and Windows Media (download expires 12/9/09). --David Horiuchi
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
The Joke's On Us:
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... more info
Great price:
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:
some scenes were deleted from this blu-ray, otherwise it should be rated as the top show for the year 2009.
Movie perfection:
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,... more info
