The Dark Knight Ultimate Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook [4K Ultra HD] [2008] [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

The Dark Knight was released on July 14, 2008, almost 6 months after Heath’s death. The film started filming on April 2, 2007 and finished filming on October 19, 2007. I personally found the plot weak and the casting (besides Heath, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman) not quite convincing. The love story between Rachel and the other guy (I forgot his name, since his character is so easy to forget) has neither magic nor depth. I think it could have been much more interesting to explore the relationships between the characters and to tell much more of the Joker’s story instead of so many explosions, fights and guns. Nevertheless, it’s a good movie for teenagers (although very violent) and for people who love comic-book heroes. The special effects are spectacular, and the Joker and the music (Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard) are definitely the best of the film. Heath’s portrayal of the Joker is so good that when he is not on screen the movie really goes down, and when he appears, one cannot take the eyes off of him. The Joker is so cool and brilliant that one really wants him to win the battle. Although not a fan of comic books, Heath said that “the character of the Joker was too good to turn down”. Heath wasn’t a fan of blockbuster movies neither, but the character was too attractive: “in this monster machine of a movie, popcorn movie … it was purely a character choice, I can honestly say that”. He thought that Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker was perfect (“To touch what Jack Nicholson did in Tim Burton’s world would be a crime”), and he never compared himself to Nicholson because he really believed that the worlds of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan are completely different, and therefore, uncomparable: “It was an opportunity for a new version of the Joker”. Although Heath knew immediately after being asked to play the Joker how he wanted to do it (“I knew 5 seconds later exactly how to play it”), he locked himself up in a hotel room in London for 6 weeks in order to prepare his character, looking for the Joker’s voice and looking for his laugh: “I locked myself away for 6 weeks in a room and I kind of came up with this creep”. He wrote a diary about the Joker he was going to portray with notes, drawings and photos of old Batman Comics, hyenas and A Clockwork Orange. His father shows the diary in the great German TV series-Documentary Too Young to Die: Heath Ledger (S1, Ep. 3, July 28, 2012). I bought the Documentary in English from the producers of the show and I can say that it is the best documentary about Heath that I’ve seen. Kim Ledger says, showing “the Joker” diary: “He galvanized the upcoming character in his own mind. That was typical of Heath … this was just on a whole new level”. The diary ends with the words “Bye, bye”, which are, after Heath’s death, very painful. There are many stupid speculations about how portraying the Joker led Heath to exhaustion and death, but the truth is that, although the character required a high level of energy, “it was incredibly enjoyable”. Heath said in many interviews that he had a lot of fun playing the Joker: “The Joker was … the most fun I ever had … probably ever will have playing a character”. He described the Joker as a “dark, very nasty … psychopath, sociopath, mass-murdering clown”. The Joker was not only evil but something else: “He’s not just gonna be scary … there are [a] few surprises, I think”. Sadly, Heath didn’t see any takes or parts of the film, because the producers were very secretive about it: “I think the movie is going to be awesome. I’m very excited for it. I haven’t seen anything. Nothing. They really don’t want anyone to see anything. It’s very secretive. But just from what I’ve seen first hand and just from what I’ve heard, I think it’s going to be good”. The movie is “In memory of our friends Heath Ledger and Conway Wickliffe”. Wickliffe (1966–2007) was killed on set while filming a test run / Antonia Tejeda Barros (Spain)

My favourite Batman movie. Brilliant action with a dark story acted by a brilliant cast. It's a more than once watch.

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces the character of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Gotham's newly elected District Attorney and the consort of Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Katie Holmes from the first film), who joins Batman and the police in combating the new rising threat of a criminal mastermind calling himself "The Joker" (Heath Ledger). Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. The nickname "the Dark Knight" was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[5][6] The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Nolan used an IMAX camera to film some sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. On January 22, 2008, some months after he had completed filming on The Dark Knight and six months before the film's release, Heath Ledger died from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and movie-going public. Warner Bros. initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Ledger as the Joker. A co-production of the United States and the United Kingdom, The Dark Knight was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom. Considered by film critics to be one of the best films of the 2000s and one of the best superhero films ever,[7][8] the film received highly positive reviews and set numerous records during its theatrical run.[9] With over $1 billion in revenue worldwide, it is the 19th-highest-grossing film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.[10] The film received eight Academy Award nominations; it won the award for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor.[11] The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in the trilogy, was released on July 20, 2012. Contents [hide]

I really liked 'Batman Begins' and I thought I'd like this as much, but I didn't. I tried to work out why and it took me a while: the acting's ok, the effects are pretty good - then it struck me that I'd just spent over two hours watching it and it felt like four. Someone should really have stopped the writers (and director, since he was one of them) in their tracks. Yes, it's great to have all the back and front stories, but in a film like this you need something that's going to get your pulse going, and I personally found it intriguing, but ultimately unfulfilling. I can't fault the direction or the effects (except that I'm getting very used to over the top special effects and maybe they don't need to blow up an entire truck...) The acting is good, and it's a shame that Christopher Bale is basically overshadowed by a) Heath Ledger in a role that would have made any actor thankful for the opportunity to go as far over the top as possible and b) having to be the voice of reason and goodness all the time. And what is that raspy voice about? Obviously because of Ledger's untimely death people are looking at this film with him in mind, but he does a good job, albeit very actory and so far over the top it's coming down the other side. His makeup is astonishing - who could really say that was him without knowing, and it took away the Jack Nicholson Joker, who most people remember from the Tim Burton Days. The film is overlong. Just when you think it's coming to an end you get the Two-Face story. I think this is what's wrong - or at least difficult - with making comic books into films. There is a whole load of villains and as with Spiderman 3, getting a few into the same film takes a while and doesn't necessarily work. I've given it four stars, because overall it's a good, not a great film, and I'm glad it still has some darker sides to it, rather than being a sterilised family movie.

Not only the best instalment of any run of Batman films, from the camp original, through Tim Burton's remake (which was actually pretty awesome for the time) and including Batman Begins, but one of the greatest films of all time. This is not just a superhero movie, it is a serious film made by serious film-makers. It should rightly go down in history as a classic of the genre and as one of the best films Nolan has directed. Gushing aside, it plays as a really great action film as well as having moments of real emotion and subtlety that complement the story, which is both epic and intimate. Christian Bale is a good Batman but a great Bruce Wayne. It is here where the direction of the film is interesting. Most interpretations of the character have the alter ego hero as the created personality. Nolan switches it to impart Wayne's pompous behaviour and rich-kid shenanigans as the made-up part of the man; Batman is who Wayne really is. But Bale is not the best thing here. Ledger apart, Gary Oldman proves once again that he is one of the best character actors who ever lived as the unassuming and kind Commissioner Gordon, and manages to physically change the role of hero over to himself. Batman is the muscle - Gordon is the real hero. But the most significant reason to watch the film is of course for the late Heath Ledger's stunning performance as the Joker. Bringing the character from the comics alive and making him relevant and real, Ledger eats up EVERY scene he is in with no exception. Even his failed attempt at the end of the film to foresee how strong willed the Gotham populace really are was a triumph as his mania simply cannot be quelled. The final shot of him dangling in the air, upside-down, laughing incessantly at the chaos he had caused is just, well, right. And the fact that it doesn't end as such, but almost begins a new narrative as Batman becomes public enemy no 1 in order to preserve the memory of Harvey Dent, to preserve the sanity of the collective mind of Gotham, brings to mind other classic 2nd films like The Empire Strikes Back where the action is left hanging. A triumph on all counts. Cannot wait for the 3rd installment.

Right, where to start?! As you can probably tell from the title of this review, I was extremely impressed with this film. As a fan of superheroes in general from a very young age to this day, I was horrified by the absolutely atrocious protrayal of batman by the likes of George Clooney and Val Kilmer. For the most part, I consider these two to be good actors but the script was just sooooo terrible that they could do nothing to make the films any good! When I heard that Batman Begins was going to return to the comic's dark and gritty roots, it was like a breath of fresh air. Needless to say, I thought Batman Begins was a fantastic film but I must admit that when I heard about the Dark Knight, I doubted it would live up to the standard set by its predecessor. Thankfully, I was wrong as the second installment more than equals Batman Begins. Bale is brilliant as always as the hero Batman but the true star of the show has to be the late Heath Ledger. Many may think it was all hype but of those of you who haven't seen the film and think it's being exagerated, buy this and see for yourself. I won't ruin too much of the plot but I will say that it is far far darker than anything you may have seen in the genre before. The joy of the batman films is that they can be made serious without them seeming like a mockery, as has been done before with super-hero films. The lack of insane superpowers obviously makes this a much easier feat to achieve as you find yourself believing that it could really happen! Right, so there's some positive stuff, now for the negative. I have only two gripes with this excellent film: 1) Morgan Freeman and Michael Cain were sadly neglected, which is almost criminal when dealing with actors of their calibre 2) Two-Face only appears in earnest for about 20 mins, which while being understandable considering the presence of the joker and the storyline in general, is a shame because the character was done so very well. Let's face it, two bad points in a film this long? That's pretty good going!! One more thing as a word of warning: this film as been given a rating of 12. Now, I want to meet the people who did that and get their heads examined. DO NOT let anyone below the age of 15 see this, the sight of Two Face alone will give a 12 year old nightmares for months and he/she will definitely develop a fear of clowns!!

a new batman movie, which follows on from the end of 2005's batman begins. It should be pretty easy to get into this if you haven't seen batman begins, but you might get more out of this if you have. thanks to the advent of the batman, the forces of good in gotham city are starting to clean the place up. they have the mobs on the run, and a new hero in the shape of handsome and clean cut district attorney harvey dent. a man who has a novel way of dealing with hostile witnesses. the mobs, desperate to fight back, turn to a man they can't fully understand. a crazy devil may care criminal in a suit like a clown, who seemingly cares about nothing other than creating havoc. the joker. he's on the side of chaos, and is the complete opposite of everything that batman and the forces of good in gotham stand for. so how can they stop him without becoming bad themselves? first up, this is not really a batman film for children, as it's a grim and dark piece of work. but then the character can be portrayed in many ways, and the dark and grim version is but one of them. it's a version that will please die hard fans of the comics. the movie strives ever so hard to be as realistic as possible, showing how batman would function in a real world environment. in that respect, it's successful. it's refreshing to see a blockbuster that uses next to no cgi and does all it's stunts for real - with the occasional bit of miniature work. not that you'll probably notice. and it does have a moral dilemma at it's heart that offers no easy answers. the aforementioned how far do you go to stop evil without becoming evil in the process? like all good drama it makes the audience think about the topic without trying to provide them with any answers. the cast are superb, although it's a bit of a shame that michael caine's alfred is absent for so long towards the end. maggie gyllenhall is a stronger actress in the role of rachel dawes than katie holmes, who played the part in the first film and who couldnt reprise it due to scheduling commitments, but the character isn't quite as proactive here as she was in batman begins. there are six major action set pieces and all are quite gripping, and shot on imax film for maximum big screen effect. and the score of the film is superb, with a fair few pieces that you can't get off your mind right away. it's one of those movies that you do need to see more than once in order to take everything in, and it's probably a little too long for it's own good. and as you can see from the voting here it's a film that will divide opinion. it's a quality, grown up and intelligent blockbuster, and quite a cinematic experience. the dvd presents it on two discs. the first contains the movie, with direct scene access. and language tracks in english and italian. there are subtitles in english arabic greek hebrew icelandic and italian. on disc two the same language tracks and subitles can be found. and an amount of extras that are rather disappointing in their number initially as they don't appear like much. but once you get into them they do have their moments. the three trailers for the film that played in cinemas, and half a dozen tv adverts for it. galliers: production stills, poster art, concept art, and the joker cards. these four galleries allow you to flick through images showing all of the mentioned items. the joker cards are quite remarkable, with an incredible amount of different designs on display. gotham tonight: these are six all new short films shot in the style of a tv show, most featuring mike engel, a tv reporter who was seen in the film. they purport to be a gotham tv news show, and run for roughly eight to ten minutes each. and each focuses on a various aspect of life in the city, either profiling bruce wayne or harvey dent or jim gordon or reporting on the mobs and life on the street. they're all quite entertaining and worth a look. the dark knight imax sequences presents six action scenes from the film that were shot on IMAX film, and just shows them as individual scenes. there's nothing here that you won't see on disc one, but the picture is large and clear and they're all entertaining enough to make watching them again worthwhile. creation of a scene presents five different documentaries about the making of various aspects of the movie, from stunt work to action sequences to script writing. these are done with stills and production shots, and the cast and crew don't contribute other than in voiceover. they run anything from eight to sixteen minutes, and they're all absolutely fascinating and engrossing. anyone who watched the extras on batman begins will know what an articulate and thoughtful interviewee director christoper nolan is, and his comments here are equally good to listen to. you just wish there were more of them. or a commentary. and that's that for the extras. it's not as good a package as it possibly could be, but the quality of the film makes it well worth five stars as a whole

This was better in my memory. The last third of the film, in terms of story, is very messy. But. The look of it. A city has never been so cold or glass-like. Christian Bale is excellent as both Bruce Wayne and as Batman. And nobody will ever, ever, ever be a better Joker.