The Dark Knight (Widescreen)

 

 

Create your own review

...and let`s talk specifically about the DVD
I love the movie and i would pretty much buy any cool merchandise about it, but that`s not the case
I got this 2 disc special edition, and i can say i feel pretty ripped off
This is sure 2 disc, but in no way "special" or collector driven

They`re selling the bluray and the DVD as the same thing, with the same cover, but they`re not, which doesn`t mean the bluray version is awesome and full of features, just that the dvd version is really, really cheap.

The first disc comes with the movie and nothing more, nada, no audio commentary whatsoever

On the second disc we get the imax scenes (which i saw on imax theater and was truly amazed, at home they just feel full screen)
A 18 part feature about the movie gets cut down to 2 in the dvd (one is actually 2 or 3 from the bluray compiled) but they are about 6 to 10 minutes each, they are pretty interesting, but even all the 18 in the bluray are not more then 1 hour to watch.

The other features in the extras disc(which come on the second bluray disc) are pretty much content that were already all over the internet when the movie came out: the gotham tonight news, two documentaries from History channel and a gallery with trailers and posters (tv spots, production stills, concept art and the joker cards added to the bluray). And that`s about it, you never see the actors out of their roles talking about the movie and neither anything about Ledger`s incredible work on the Joker. Oh yeah, and they spend some disc space on your digital copy.

As much as it`s pretty clear that Warner is trying to make you get the bluray version by cutting down the features on the dvd, the bluray version is not really special either as it comes with what a regular 2 disc dvd would come.
I obviously can`t say for sure, but i would assume that warner is probably preparing another (ultimate) version to make you spend more money after you buy this for Christmas.
I know if you are a Batman fan as i am, this will not stop you from buying the dvd nor the bluray (which i also did) just know that you are getting into a piece of marketing practice very, very dark indeed.

Please note: This is an update of my original review from back in October. Now that the DVD is out, I wanted to include my review of that also. My 5 stars is for the movie itself, the DVD however I give 2 stars, and that is aimed at the special features (or lack thereof). But more of that in a minute, first is my review of The Dark Knight.

Finally - a movie that not only lives up to the hype, but actually surpasses it. What a great movie. I found it very entertaining all the way through, it was never boring, and just when you think you have time to take a breath, you're off again! This movie had everything you could possible want in a good film - great characters, a terrific story, stunning cinematography, and a soundtrack that is haunting, powerful, and emotionally psychotic. I really can't think of anything about The Dark Knight that I didn't like. I have seen it a few times, it's just one of those movies that I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching.

As the Joker, Heath Ledger was captivating, and gave the performance of his life in The Dark Knight. When he was on screen you couldn't take your eyes off him, and you were always on edge because you never knew just what the Joker was going to do next. Heath put everything he had into making this role his own, adding all the little antics, expressions and mannerisms that actually made his character fun to watch. There was a lot of talk about Heath's incredible performance in The Dark Knight, BEFORE he died, so for anyone to say that this movie was hyped just because of the death of Heath Ledger, it is completely inaccurate. He earned every bit of praise and recognition that he is getting for this film, and not out of sympathy, but because he truly deserved it. Although Heath's character was a major role, and absolutely stole the movie, all the other actors were terrific as well, and I wasn't disappointed with any of the performances that they delivered.

So many times I have gone to see a movie expecting great things, and then come away feeling let down. This didn't happen with The Dark Knight. It was everything I was expecting, and even more. The DVD however, left alot to be desired. Disc #2 didn't have much to offer in the way of extras. There were no behind the scenes documentries, no specials on how the movie was made, or how they filmed the special effects, no cast interviews, nothing. It might have been nice to see a blooper segment, or out-takes, deleted scenes, but again there was nothing. Of all the DVD's I have purchased in the past, the best value I got for my money was the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Each one of those DVD's had HOURS of extras, including all the interviews and documentries, there was so much to see, everything that you could possibly want in special features, and I was hoping that with The Dark Knight being such a huge movie, we would see something similar on the second disc. Instead, it was a let-down. Perhaps, as some people are suggesting, Warner Brothers might release another DVD, a Directors Cut or extended version of the movie, with lots more extras than there are on this release, and if that's true, then we will have to go out and spend more money again if we want to own it. The special features on this DVD do nothing to compliment or support what was and still is a great movie.

My final comments on the film itself - I hope that the next Batman movie can live up to this one, because The Dark Knight will be pretty hard to top. There was enough action, drama, adventure, emotion, and the occasional comic relief, just enough of everything to make it a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I haven't seen a movie like this in a long time, and certainly not one that I have enjoyed so much. Kudo's to Chris Nolan, the cast and crew, and last but not least, Heath Ledger. He had an amazing talent that will be truly missed.

In "Batman Begins," Christopher Nolan managed to do what few directors could do -- create a dark, gritty atmosphere around an all-too-human Batman, who fights for the oppressed with quiet intensity.

That moody murk is only intensified in the breathtaking, harrowing "Dark Knight," which fills itself with blasts of action, psychological twists and a shocking tragedy. Nolan pulls no punches for our dark knight or his ever-endangered Gotham City, but brilliant acting of the hero and villains is what truly elevates the second of Nolan's Batman movies to a work of cinematic art.

Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) is continuing to fight the good fight for Gotham, even when he gets hurt in a fight against Scarecrow and some Batman impersonators.

So unsurprisingly, he's is feeling fairly in his crimefighting abilities, especially since the new DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is a morally-upright good-guy. But Batman isn't prepared for the Joker (Heath Ledger) a mad clownish psychopath who has hired himself out to the mob to destroy their worst enemy, the Dark Knight. He starts blackmailing Batman by killing Gotham citizens, and saying he won't stop until Batman turns himself in.

But even when captured, the Joker has an ace up his sleep -- Dent and Rachel Dawes' (Maggie Gyllenhaal) lives. And after a devastating loss, Batman finds himself dealing with the Joker taking all of Gotham hostage, and the maddened and disfigured Dent bringing vigilante justice to all those whom he thinks have wronged him. Only Batman has a chance of stopping even one of them -- let alone both -- but doing so may tarnish the Dark Knight forever.

Most directors would have given this movie a distinctly comic-book, slick pop-culture feel. But no matter how hard you search, there's not a single hint in "The Dark Knight" that anything kitschy or campy came before it, or that it was originally a comic book. Instead Christopher Nolan creates a movie as dark, tightly-wound and intense as Batman himself.

And Nolan's skills are even more polished this time around -- lots of kinetic action, vicious dogs and car chases, including the rather silly-looking Batpod and the tanklike Batmobile. The dialogue is drizzled with dry humor ("That isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to inspire people"," Batman says, looking at a bunch of impersonators), mostly to temper the overhanging sense of horror and apprehension.

This is especially true whenever the Joker's corrosive presence is onscreen, since he's all too happy to stick pointy objects in people -- he's creepier than a thousand boogeymen. And Nolan is not afraid to further darken the storyline by inflicting yet another personal tragedy on Batman. His direction is painfully delicate as he explores Wayne's sorrow and guilt.

But the most striking aspect of "The Dark Knight" is Nolan's delvings into morality -- The Joker has none and Dent's becomes horribly perverted, but we're reminded that there are some who will not be corrupted even if they lose what is most precious. It's almost a doom'n'gloom movie, but the faint hints of optimism and hope keep it from being TOO overwhelmingly dark.

Christian Bale is simply perfection as Bruce Wayne/Batman, using his handsomely chiseled face and piercing eyes to best advantage -- even in the most tragic scenes, where you can practically see Wayne's soul bleeding. And he has a difficult character to wrangle with -- not only does he have to expose Batman's pain and struggles, but also his inner incorruptibility.

On the flipside, the late Heath Ledger is blindingly brilliant as the sadistic, creepy, gleefully malign Joker, and he chews the scenery as few actors could. He's pretty spine-chilling, actually -- the Joker is a true "agent of chaos," whose intent is to seize Gotham, and corrupt Batman's soul along the way.

There's also a solid (and underrated) supporting cast -- Eckhart is outstanding as an upstanding DA whose morality becomes horribly perverted (along with his handsome face), Gyllenhaal has a solid role that she plays well, and Michael Caine is a quiet, steady flame as the ever-faithful, dryly sardonic Alfred.

"The Dark Knight" is suffused with darkness and some truly ghastly villains, but the magnificent acting and dryly witty script are what really make this a masterpiece. Utterly astounding -- and promises better yet to come.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 28 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied Customer
I was happy with the service and overall I am a satisfied customer. If you need product I recommend this seller.

Published 8 months ago by Jonathon Gribbons

5.0 out of 5 stars the perfect dark knight !
this is a great movie ! unfortunately, heath ledger (the joker) died after playing into this masterpiece. this film is perfect and the dvd is very good.

Published 21 months ago by yvan Gerard asseko Mboro

2.0 out of 5 stars for me,it doesn't even touch Batman Begins
i loved the previous Batman film,Batman Begins.i thought it was brilliant,possibly the best superhero movie ever made. Read more

Published on Mar 16 2010 by falcon

5.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculously Awesome Movie!
Where do we begin?

Three years ago, movie-goers wouldn't dare touch a Batman movie. I mean, what happened? Read more

Published on Jan 27 2010 by A.P. Fuchs / Canister X

4.0 out of 5 stars A flawed but good superhero flick
The Dark Knight lives up to its hype. It's no masterpiece, no modern classic, no Memento, but for those looking for a fun, exciting superhero flick, it's hard to beat. Read more

Published on Dec 10 2009 by Jack Alexander

5.0 out of 5 stars What I think
The product was exactly what I wanted and was in perfect condition. I recieved the DVD very quickly. Thank you.

Published on Oct 30 2009 by M. N. Totten

1.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Hype
I loved Batman Begins, and wanted to love this too.
Sorry... I thought it was boring and childish. Read more

Published on Aug 23 2009 by K

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great
This was arguably the most hyped-up film of 2008, and it may be partially due to this that it was slightly disappointing. Read more

Published on Aug 3 2009 by Han Ding

1.0 out of 5 stars Crap again: incoherence, stranhe values, 100% stereotypes!
Listening to this movie was horrible. The fake "anarchism" evoked by the super-stereotyped vilain (like any of the characters in the movie) was a pure pain as it remind us,... Read more

Published on Jun 26 2009 by Philippe-Aubert Gauthier

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling
Batman and the Gotham City police have had their hands full trying to take down the mob and now there's a new villain, a grotesquely scarred and made-up madman called the... Read more

Published on April 23 2009 by Kona

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 28 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!