Synopsis :
The follow-up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman set out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves effective. But soon the three find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Heath Ledger stars as archvillain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast as Rachel Dawes. Returning From Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
Cast & Crew
Actors:
• Gary Oldman
• Aaron Eckhart
• Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Morgan Freeman
• Michael Caine
• Christian Bale
• Heath Ledger
Writers:
• Christopher Nolan
• Jonathan Nolan
Producers:
• Charles Roven
• Emma Thomas
• Christopher Nolan
Directors:
• Christopher Nolan
Product Information
Features:
Features Not Specified
Video:
Widescreen 2.40:1 Color (Anamorphic)
Audio: (more info)
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English, Spanish, French
Studio: Warner Bros.
Production Year: 2008
Release Date: 12/9/2008
Length: 153 mins
Rating: PG-13
Packaging: Keep Case
Number of Discs: 1
Disc: SS-DL
UPC Code: 085391176428
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Non-DVD extras, such as 3-D glasses or digital copies are not included, inserts may or may not be included ! 23 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
Knight and Day Versus the Batman That You Grew Up With, October 10, 2008
By Sky (New York) - See all my reviews
Batman Begins was a delightful breath of fresh air filling the sails of what one could have only hoped would be the beginning of a new era of Batman movies. Tim Burton's two films Batman and Batman Returns were very entertaining. Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever was fair at best, and Schumacher's Batman and Robin was absolutely atrocious (think the TV series).
The Dark Knight
is so head and shoulders above what Burton did that it makes the Schumacher movies look like a bad 60s TV show. The Dark Knight even outdoes Batman Begins, and that's saying a lot!
Just as the title of Batman Begins was the best description of that movie, so is the title The Dark Knight for this one. In Batman Begins we saw exactly why and how Batman became Batman. In The Dark Knight we see a superhero with a seriously darker personality than his alter ego Bruce Wayne. And the Dark Knight must battle with some seriously dark, conflicting moral issues as well as dealing with a seriously dark villain.
Heath Ledger will get big awards for his portrayal of The Joker...mark my words. And not because he died and to honor him. No. He'll get awards because every aspect of the role was delivered perfectly. Creepy. Genius. Crazy. Brilliant. From his vocal inflictions to that eerie way he kept licking his scars when he talked. Ledger will be sorely missed going forward.
Both Christian Bale and Heath Ledger make you believe that Batman and The Joker are real. The rest of the cast is perfect too. All of the familiar faces are back from Batman Begins with the exception of Katie Holmes (replaced quite un-noticeably by Maggie Gyllenhaal...and I meant that as kind of a back-handed compliment).
The special effects, cool devices and toys are back too...including an updated Tumbler (in keeping with Batman Begins, out are the stupid nicknames Batmobile, Batcycle, Batcave, Bat-etcetera).
The Dark Knight is suspenseful, scary at times, very emotional at times and most importantly well-acted. The entire cast took their roles very serious and it made the movie that much more believable, real and...well...just awesome. This movie is a classic and I will watch it again and again on Blu Ray.
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8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Heath Ledger dominates Gotham City in the best film of the year, October 10, 2008
By Monkdude (Hampton, VA) - See all my reviews
Well, I had a feeling I would be saying this when July 18, 2008 rolled around, and here goes. The Dark Knight is the best film of the year (so far), with some impressive acting from everyone, a top notch screenplay, a great musical score and a little someone called Heath Ledger. Make that a BIG someone. His Joker performance has been praised by critics and fans over and over again by now, and he deserves every bit of the constant accolades. His presence dominates the whole film. The first time you see movie, you really have no idea when he is going to pop up and bring his bag of crazy chaos. This is stuff of legends folks.
Christian Bale is in full gloom mode here, but he pulls it off as only an actor of his calibur could. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a better actress than Katie Holmes, so that was a good trade-off. She did get on my nerves at times, and I hate to say it, but it is hard to believe all these men would want her. I thought Aaron Eckhart made a very good Harvey Dent and Two-Face. Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are all amazing actors and elevate the supporting roles they are given.
Kudos to the limited use of CGI and attention to detail from director, Christopher Nolan.
The Dark Knight will remind you of the epic crime drama Heat at times, but it doesn't lose the crowd pleasing action of a comic book film. Just wait until you see The Joker's disappearing pencil trick. Maybe I'm a little twisted, but it brought a huge smile to my face.
The Blu-ray and DVD release will likely break all sales records and I already have mine pre-ordered. I usually rent most Blu-rays, but The Dark Knight and Iron Man are must buys.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
I'd give this 10 stars if I could - THE BEST comic book adaption movie EVER!!!, October 15, 2008
By amerdale876 (MD) - See all my reviews
Anyone who knows me, knows how big of a Batman fan I am. And even though this may sound biased, I can honestly say that "The Dark Knight" is the best comic book adaptation movie ever made! With little nods and sideplots that only us deep Batman fans could recognize (i.e. the sonar spying system that Batman utilizes in the film that is ironically close to the Brother I satellite from the OMAC Project storyline in the comics (The OMAC Project (Countdown to Infinite Crisis)), or the Batman wannabe gang that mirrors Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again"), Nolan's "Knight" brings so much to the table that I can only think that the filmmakers achieved what Raimi so desperately tried to achieve with Spider-Man 3 (Two-Disc Special Edition), only they failed miserably; whereas Nolan and crew made a stunning success!
There are so many plotlines in this film, which may make you think that the movie would become convoluted, but it doesn't. If anything, it keeps the audience involved with each and every character all the while keeping them on the edge of their seats, as there are plenty of nailbiting sequences in this film. The main plotline is Bruce Wayne's (Christian Bale) having to deal with the fact that his persona as Batman has inspired many new acts of criminality -- both seemingly good and extremely bad. Yes, Rachel Dawes is back too. Only instead of Katie Holmes, we now get Maggie Gyllenhaal. I was one of those few when the first film came out that didn't think Holmes' performance was all that bad, but, after seeing Gyllenhaal in this, I now realize how -- although not that bad -- truly stiff Holmes' performance was. And, much to Bruce's chagrin, Rachel's love interest is no other than the compassionate, idealistic District Attorney Harvey Dent (with a performance by Aaron Eckhart that may be the best of his career to date). Of course, Bruce has to deal with this relationship as well (continuing their relationship from Batman Begins (Limited Edition Gift Set)), all the while dealing with the newest criminal to grace Gotham's streets -- an anarchistic criminal who simply "wants to watch the world burn" and calls himself The Joker (Heath Ledger). And the complicated relationship between Gordon, Dent and Batman (another comic book staple) is explored with great writing (again, taking a cue from their relationship in Batman: The Long Halloween.
Now, let me just take this time to say that I'm definitely not one of those people who believes much in an actor or actress receiving awards just because they've passed away or because they're so old and the academies believe they'll be passing away soon (Yes, Martin Landau, for his performance in "Ed Wood," I'm directing that statement at him; his performance in that film didn't even come close to Morgan Freeman's in "The Shawshank Redemption"). However, regardless of Ledger's living status, I can truly say that he deserves an Academy Award for Supporting Actor nomination for his turn as The Joker, dead or alive. He is that good! Of course, being The Joker, he does have a few funny one-liners, however, unlike Jack Nicholson's Joker, Ledger's lines are so creepily delivered that you're not sure whether you want to, or should, laugh. And the complex relationship between The Joker and Batman -- one not being able to exist without the other -- that is a constant in the comics even to this day is added into the movie, which I was delighted about. Also, Ledger's Joker is always one step ahead of Gotham's police and Batman that he makes the perfect formidable foe that us fans know from the comics.
Gary Oldman is also back as Lieutenant Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox; and all have good screentime and give great performances. Also, for those fans wondering, Cillian Murphy is also back for a brief cameo as The Scarecrow. The performances are all excellent but the true accolades should go to the writers, brothers Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer. They wrote what a Batman movie should be and perfectly showcase why all of us fans love Batman in the first place: the dark, gritty realism peppered with hope and lots of cool gadgets. The fact that director Christopher Nolan has finally brought the cool respect that was lost by his predecessors back to the Batman franchise is superb! The action is plentiful but doesn't take away from the drama that is also needed for a film of this caliber.
I liked Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition) a lot, but The Dark Knight blows it and every other comic book-movie adaptation out of the water! I can only hope that there are more Batman movies planned for Nolan and crew, especially after all the money they've raked in (they broke the record for a midnight opening with $18.6 million, and that's not including any other showings; just the midnight ones)! Whether you're a comic book fan or not, I would recommend this movie! It's probably the best summer blockbuster I've seen in years! Immediately after seeing it, I wanted to see it again and felt bummed out that I couldn't. I won't write any more about the storylines or surprises in store as that would rob you of the full effect of the movie's greatness. Don't read any more into it. Just go see it and soak in the experience for yourself.
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Product Details: THE DARK NIGHT
Actors: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Widescreen
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: N/A
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: December 9, 2008
Run Time: 151 minutes
UPC Code: 085391176428
Average Customer Review:
24 Reviews
5 star: (19)
4 star: (2)
3 star: (1)
2 star: (0)
1 star: (2)
(24 customer reviews)
ASIN: B001GZ6QEC