The Dark Knight is now... - Page 27

Thanks, I put it in my Queue. Will let you know...

Edit: 27% on RT, which means I very well may like it !

The respective IMDb voter rankings of Eagle Eye and The Dark Knight are instructive:
Eagle Eye 6.8/10 21,299 votes
The Dark Knight 9.0/10 320,493 votes
Top 250: #4

IMDb voters are not always right about the relative merits of movies, of course, but the disparity in their opinions concerning these two films reminded me of an old story. A mother was watching her soldier son march in a huge parade just after World War II. As her son's company approached, she exclaimed, Oh, look, they're all out of step but spyder [or whatever]!

I liked Eagle Eye myself and can't wait to watch it again tomorrow when I get the blu-ray... But how it can be considered a better movie than The Dark Knight is beyond me.

-The Dark Knight is not an "action" movie.
-The Dark Knight, while telling a serious and "dark" story, doesn't take itself seriously either, if that's what you're implying by "portraying itself at something it wasn't". Just because there's not much humor doesn't mean it's pretentious.
-Eagle Eye tells a fairly stupid story if you ask me, but it's nicely done, paced, and played. Good entertainment, and much better than at least two of the Brosnan-Bond flicks in our "modern spy-thriller" era...
-To me, all actors in The Dark Knight gave great performances, not just Heath Ledger. But I do think his Joker was perfect.
-I like Shia LaBeouf more with each of his films, but he's not yet in the same league as Christian Bale.

...Anyways, we all have our opinions and that's fine. I just give a few of mine, and I really loved The Dark Knight, so I know I'm biased, but I don't care


On a side note, I saw Benjamin Button last night. It's simply amazing. And speaking of actors' performances, both Brat Pitt and Cate Blanchett shine in this stunning story.

gwsat,

I must commend you on your demeanor within these forums. I run across your posts quite often and I don't recall ever reading anything that I considered offensive or rude. I think perhaps we all (myself included) could stand a bit more of your peace-keeping skills and light-hearted nature.*

*Not that there's anything wrong with passionate posts about movies!

Thank you. I am a Usenet oldtimer and have the scars to prove it. Thus, I try never to be too abrasive. Most of us come to forums like AVS and even Usenet for fun and information, not anger and strife. God knows, though, there is nothing whatever wrong with expressing strong opinions.

While I do agree with your views that "The Dark Knight" is an overhyped, over-rated movie I cannot agree with you view that "Eagle Eye" is a better movie than "The Dark Knight".

I actually wanted Shia LaBeouf to die. While not a bad "Popcorn" flix at best, 'Eagle Eye' is worth a rent but sorry, it is not better than the much overhyped, fanboy rejoiced "The Dark Knight".

If you want to see an interesting action movie check out "Taken" with Liam Neeson.

I may have to give Benjamin Button a shot. From all indications, it's a fine film. I like Brad Pitt better all the time. I used to think of him as little more than a beefcake prettyboy but he has grown in my estimation. Earlier this week, I watched his performance as the charming but pathologically violent Jesse James in The Assassination of Jesse James and then as the comic and toweringly stupid physical trainer, Chad, in Burn After Reading. I thought he was marvelous both times. Pitt has a LOT of range.

There are more reasons than just Brad Pitt to check out TCCoBB; there's Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson and a good movie to boot.

I wouldn't say that EE is a better movie than TDK, per se, but it is a better action movie. What's been killing me is that I've heard/seen TDK described as; "A deep and poignant glimpse into the human psyche" or "A gripping masterpiece of emotional drama" or "A non-stop thrill ride." It is, without question, none of these things. It is nothing more than a superhero escapist movie with a few passable CGI moments, garnered for no other reason than to generate quick box office revenue and continued interest in D.C. merchandise.

Those that would portray it as something more than this leave me with pause as to what could possibly quantify such a position, as well as question their stance upon truly meaningful films worthy of such heaps of praise. Hell, I even read a post where someone stated that Robert Downy Jr. should receive an Oscar for Iron Man!

OK, here we agree. Although I liked The Dark Knight a lot, even I can't go along with the idea that it is one of the finest films ever made. It is an extremely well done film about a comic book hero, with all the strengths and limitations that brings to bear. To the film's benefit, Batman is a marvelously intriguing character, brave, resourceful, loyal to his friends, but bats**t bonkers, nonetheless. That gives a lot of fodder for a good movie. The weakness of such a setting, though, is that all of the supporting characters are really there to serve as foils for the Great Man. As such, despite The Dark Knight's many fine performances, a residue of two-dimensionality remains among the supporting characters, even The Joker, despite Heath Ledger's marvelous portrayal of him. My final assessment of the movie would be about an 8.0 out of 10. In short, a truly outstanding film but one that falls far short of being one of that handful of films in the top rank, such as The Godfather I and II, and The Shawshank Redemption.