I Finally got to See this Over Hyped Film! (The Dark Knight (2 DVDs))

Member Name: sewbizzie

Product:	The Dark Knight (2 DVDs)
Date:	31/03/09 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: excellent acting, good special effects

Disadvantages: Very over hyped

Both me and hubby have wanted to see this film for a long time and finally we got around to buying and watching it. I have to say that I am glad I did as I did enjoy it but I don't think it lived up to all the hype which it received.

The story is about Batman helping the police to get the mob arrested and get them off the streets. The mob know that the police are closing in on them so they send their money away with a Chinese man for safety.

The Joker decides to make a trip to the mob to see if they will join him in the taking down of Batman and taking back control of the streets and the mob. The mob are not happy with the joker as he has been raiding their banks so they tell him no.

Batman makes the trip abroad to brings the man who has the Mob's money back to Gotham and he is arrested and finally he gives the police all the names of the mob members. The members of the mob are arrested and the people of Gotham are pleased about this.

The Joker then starts his meddling and says that as long as batman is around and has not revealed his true identity then he will kill one high powered person ever 24 hours until he gives in. The towns people are not happy with this and say that it is time for Batman to go as he is causing trouble.

Will Batman reveal his true identity to stop all the murders or will the Joker be bought to justice?

I have to say that I have given a very brief plot outline and there is a lot more to the story and film but I don't want to spoil any of the film for you.

I thought that the storyline to the film was very good and I did enjoy it. The characters were also very good. I thought that Christopher Bale gave a great performance as Batman but I thought he just did not look the part when he was dressed as Bruce Wayne and thought he was lacking in something. I cannot compare Bales' performance from the last Batman film as I have not seen it. I enjoyed the additional actors, including Morgan Freeman and Michael Cain. I thought that they added a breath of fresh air to the film and I did enjoy their characters.

I thought that Heath Ledger did do a fantastic job as the Joker and he seemed to be able to make the character seem very real. He managed to add the right amount of humour to the role but also keep the scary and psychotic side to him as well. I also thought that all the talk about his character which came as a result of his death was very much over the top as all of the other characters were just as good.

The effects in the film were great and I thought they were all done extremely well. A lot of time and effort had been put into these to make them as realistic as possible and I think that they added to the film and helped to make it what it was.

I have to say that I did not like the Bat mobile at all and cannot believe how different it was from the one I remember from the old Batman films. Why change something if it does not need to be. I also found the lack of Bruce Wayne's mansion also spoiled the film slightly as I did not like the Bat cave or the Penthouse which they used. I did actually like the Bat bike and just wish I could have one for myself but I don't think they would make one with 3 side cars for my boys!

I think that the music was good but nothing really stood out for me. All of it was appropriate for the parts which it was used but none of the tracks really stood out or were memorable.

The DVD which I have is the two disk special edition one. The first disk contains the film and the second disk is full of bonus material which includes:-

Gotham Uncovered; Creation of a scene - Directors Christopher Nolan and Creative Collaborators Unmask the incredible detail and planning Behind the film, Including Stunt Staging, Filming in IMAX, the new Bat Suit and Bat Pod...And More!

The Dark Knight IMAX Sequences: The 6 scenes Shot in this Immersive High Resolution Format, Presented as in IMAX Theatres: Prologue, Hong Kong, Armoured Car Chase, Lamborghini Crash, Prewitt Building and Final Montage. Gotham Tonight: 6 episodes of Gotham Cable's Premier News Program. The Galleries: The Joker Cards, Concept Art, Poster Art, Production Skills, Trailer and TV spot.

The have written these features into paragraphs as if I list them then it will make this review so very long!

Neither me or hubby have bothered to watch any of them as we both feel that we will loose some of the magic of the film seeing how things were done or made.

The running time of this film is 145 minutes which I feel is just too long even though the film moved at a good pace. The film also has a 12 certificate which I fell should be a 15 as there is a lot of violence and some scary scenes. My boys got so excited when they saw this DVD on my desk but I have to say that there is very little which I will let them watch in the film.

The 2 disk special is available from Amazon for just £7 which I feel is a great price. I do recommend this film but do not expect too much from it as it is so over hyped.

Summary: Batman returns as the Dark Knight with the Joker after him!