Unfortunately, the same can be said of the DVD package, put out by Warner Brothers. I got the two disk Special Edition version, but there’s absolutely no reason for two disks, save for marketing. Disk one has the film. That’s all — no features, no trailer, and no audio commentary. Just the fuckin’ film. Utterly shameful. Disk two has no in depth features, just some television scenes from a fictional Gotham City news show, and a few mediocre featurettes that add nothing to the film, but do everything to bolster the egos of those involved in this yawnfest.
The Dark Knight simply goes on for far too long — 153 minutes — and gets worse with each passing minute. It goes from a possibly good film, in its first hour, to a barely passable one in the span of the last hour or so. A good 45 minutes could have been lopped off with no discernible detraction from the film. In ten years, few people will care about this film, and Ledger’s Oscar win will go down as one of those great WTF? questions wiser generations will chuckle over. The Dark Knight is not good comic book stuff, it’s not good sci fi, it’s not a good action film. It’s just hype.
Yawn. (the sequel)
Article comments
1 - Deano
this is a very naive and unprofessional review
2 - Dano
I'm getting so angry reading this review. it's so disrespectful to heath ledger-
"in a sign of the film franchise gods’ revenge, the script decision, by director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, to kill off Dent, played by the still alive Eckhart, and keep alive the Joker, played by the still dead Ledger, is the only justice associated with this film"
that's really harsh mate.
And besides, THE DARK KNIGHT was an amazing movie. stop trying to be an individual mate, just admit u love it!!
3 - Jordan Richardson
stop trying to be an individual mate
Erm...
4 - Deusx
Hey, Dan. I respect you as a book critic and as a poetry writer, but you need to stop reviewing movies and stick to what you're good at. You remind me of one of those guys who predetermines whether he will like a movie or not based on it's general appeal. Your non-objective attitude causes you to miss things, like when wrote about the 'agent of chaos' scene having no irony. He's wearing a woman's dress during the whole scene! Of course he's lying. You've done this with a lot of other popular movies too, like Blade Runner. It's not just that you call good movies bad, but when you hold up a piece of shit like Spiderman as being better, you just make an ass of yourself. You guffaw at Gordon's speech but not at 'this is my curse.'?? That's the only WTF I can think of. It never takes itself seriously, is that why Spiderman is better? Please. I guess that means Date Movie is funnier than Annie Hall.
5 - Deusche Schneider
Dan Schneider,
Please channel your [baseless] writing toward something you happen to have a clue about. My guess is you have no experience with acting, composing, screenwriting, OR directing. You also clearly lack any ability to detect well-done, artistic craft when it presents itself. I don't know how you believe Burton's interpretation touches more on realism than Nolan's. Every piece of The Dark Knight's plot is carefully devised in a way that exposes justice for the way it is, whereas in Burton's Batman, Nicholson waltzes around with stupid toys and contraptions, blowing shit up in public simply to show that he's "crazy." Jack Nicholson doesn't lend a commendable performance whatsoever as the Joker, he simply acts as himself. As for your homophobic issues, get over them. You're lame as fuck and have no business writing about any art form. Try sports.
6 - Allyson Christy
That is possibly the worst review I have ever read. Heath Ledger owned Jack Nicholson's Joker. Sure Jack did an amazing job but Heath just put more effort into the role. He completely devoted himself to his role and did the best Joker i have ever seen. And as for the homophobia and comparing it to Heath's role, that's just plain immature. Get better at reviewing movies douchebag.
7 - Claire W
Finally an intelligent review about a vastly overrated movie. Thank you!
8 - James
[personal attack deleted] Jack's Joker character might have been better but his performance was not. jack played Jack in makeup. Ledger transformed himself into the character by drastically changing everything from voice to laugh to mannerisms to facial expressions. He was 100% immersed, couldn't believe it was the same guy from A knight's tale.
9 - James
Keep in mind this is the same person who praised Spiderman 3 and at the same time bashed TDK, Brokeback and Crash(3 of the most well respected acclaimed films of the decade). He has also praised Topher Grace's Venom character(which was just grace as himself) and bashed Ledger as Joker(which was Ledger transforming himself into the character).