The Dark Knight Theatrical memories

[Grissom]

Thought it will be great on the 10th Anniversary of this great film, to hear people's experiences in watching this film at the cinema. Unfortunately I missed it at the time, but my brother went to see it and when he got back, he looked me straight in the face and said, " That is one of the best movies I've ever seen".

I knew then that it was special...

What about you? How was the theatrical experience? How did the rest if the audience react?

[Catwoman]

I went with some friends the first Saturday it was open. Our group unanimously thought it was the best thing ever as we left the theater. A couple things stand out for me. When Bruce and Lucius are discussing the new batsuit and Lucius says something like "It'll do great against a cat," everyone in our group looked straight at me. I did Selina's "Meow" and we all started giggling. Got shushed, but it was worth it.

The second thing and idk why I remember this (or how I remember it cause this was during one of my...um...yeah times in my life) is that Dominos Pizza was doing a promo with the movie. The pizza boxes were black and they came with a prop Gotham City newspaper. We got a couple pizzas on our way home and a newspaper for each of us and we sat around talking about the movie and eating pizza.

[Silver Nemesis]

I remember being startled when the dead Batman imposter slammed into the window of the mayor's office. I found that moment, and the following scene of the Joker questioning Brian Douglas, to be very unsettling. The whole theatre was deadly silent at that point. I still think that's the most disturbing sequence in any live action Batman film to date. I remember wondering if the name Brian Douglas was a reference to Michael Keaton, since his real surname is also Douglas. Obviously it isn't, but the thought passed through my mind at the time.

I was also surprised by Rachel's death, as I'd avoided any spoilers in advance of seeing the film. You've got to remember that this was only one year after Spider-Man 3, so audiences were accustomed to seeing the hero swing in and save the love interest in the nick of time. The idea of the filmmakers killing her off in the middle of the movie was quite ballsy and shocking. I also liked the plot point about Rachel choosing Dent over Bruce and leaving him a note explaining this. It reminded me of Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock, where Pinkie records a message for his new wife Rose in which he reveals his hatred towards her; and her preparing to listen to the record at the end of the book as she grieves his death, unaware of the horrors it contains.

I was impressed by the acting in the film. I'd gone into the theatre expecting the hype surrounding Ledger to be exaggerated. But once he appeared on screen, and I saw the unique way in which he took ownership of the role, I realised the hype was justified. I'd seen and read so many Joker stories by that point, I didn't think the character could surprise me anymore. But I was wrong. I also remember thinking Bale's Batman voice sounded silly. I hadn't had a problem with it in Batman Begins, but this time I thought he went overboard with the growling.

The overall intensity of the movie caught me off guard. Earlier Batman films had incorporated moments of levity and calm to alleviate the tension, but in The Dark Knight the tension never let up. It was quite exhausting. I remember thinking Nolan's approach to the action scenes was an improvement over what he'd delivered in Batman Begins, but that some of the dialogue was a bit mannered and portentous. After Rachel's shocking demise, I recall being genuinely fearful for Gordon's family during the final confrontation with Two-Face. It felt like the gloves were off and almost anything could happen.

As a diehard fan of the 1989 film, I remember feeling a little intimidated by the quality of the film the first time I watched it. But over time I outgrew the whole silly Burton vs. Nolan thing and came to appreciate The Dark Knight for the high quality entertainment it is. I think it's a movie that holds up extremely well and gets better with repeated viewings. I actually like it a lot more now than I did when it was first released.

One final memory: I visited New York City in August 2008 and there was a huge billboard displaying an image of Ledger's Joker overlooking Times Square. It was quite something to see the Joker's presence dominating such an iconic location. And in light of Ledger's untimely death, it was rather ghostly too.

[The Laughing Fish]

You know that sinking feeling the average Star Wars fan got after watching The Last Jedi? That's how I felt after watching The Dark Knight, and still do to this day. But unlike TLJ, a lot of people are so convinced this film is great. A masterpiece. What, were standards so unbelievably low after Schumacher's films, that people were willing to ignore every blatant flaw as long as the movie took itself more seriously? Bloody hell, even the Schumacher films for all their glaring faults, have some redeemable story value than this mess.

I am disgusted that THIS was the film people chose as the yardstick for superhero films, when it shares some of the same - even worse - issues that other films are criticised for having. All of the fuss surrounding the darkness in most of the DCEU films, for example, seems very suspect when TDK's ending alone is darker than anything we saw in that franchise. The irony is if the critics and fans didn't have such double standards in the first place, movies like MOS and BvS might not have existed, as they were influenced by the tone of Nolan's series. But contrary to popular belief, at least those films have a far more coherent storyline in comparison.

Oh well. As they say, there's no accounting to taste.

[thecolorsblend]

This was one of the better movie-going experiences I've ever had. Back when movies premiered at midnight, there was usually a lot of energy to the screenings. But esp with TDK there was a lot of interest to see what was coming.

I believe it's fair to say that audiences overreacted to the film... which is somewhat demonstrated by the "decline" of public opinion the movie has undergone the last few years. But the fact remains that audiences took the movie close to heart. And I think it's a testament to the fact that audiences love Batman and were happy to have him "back", in a sense, after the previous franchise disappointed so many people.

BB was a good start and TDK was the payoff.

In some ways, it can be argued that the Nolan trilogy became a victim of its own success. I think Nolan would've been happy if the movie had done $500+ million worldwide. But when it scraped a somewhat unprecedented $1 billion... I don't think he knew how to process THAT level of success.

It's a good movie and I enjoy it. The score, especially, has grown on me over the years. And after all these years of venom and bloodletting, Nolan's canon has taken its place alongside other great "runs" on Batman (comics or otherwise). It's not definitive for me but it's still pretty good.

And TDK is arguably the strongest entry in the series.

And there was nothing at all like the energy and buzz of that midnight premiere. I'd been to tons of midnight premieres before. But none reached the level of anticipation of TDK. Even Matrix Reloaded (eg, when everybody was expecting greatness) wasn't as atwitter as TDK. People wore costumes, they chatted happily with each other, the whole thing. I don't remember there being distracting cell phones or outbursts or anything.

I saw the movie probably three or four times in theaters. But nothing will ever match that first midnight showing.

[The Dark Knight]

I have fond memories of TDK. Bittersweet memories. To explain them, I need to take you back to 2008 – months before I finally saw the film.

I was on holiday with my Dad and sister. By this time the hype for TDK was already high. Batman was back again – the tone was darker and Bale was a good choice to don the cape and cowl. The sequel was destined to be another solid entry and my fandom had been rekindled in a big way. Around this time I was getting into the graphic novels, and that only increased after I finally saw TDK.

But back to my 2008 holiday.

The day before we were going to leave and go home we went to the cinemas. I can't remember what film it was we sae. But I remember sitting up and hoping I'd see a TDK trailer. And sure enough I did. As I said previously, the hype was already high.

So we're driving home the next day at whatever time it was, and we turn on the radio. 'Actor Heath Ledger has died'. I couldn't believe it. My mind went straight back to the trailer I saw on the big screen the day before. Months before his time to shine Heath is dead.

I remember this. We pulled over and I was walking around a wilderness stop area, deep in thought. It was around this point TDK became something more. The hype became a religious experience. The tragedy bonded people together and elevated the anticipation even higher.

Fast forward to premiere day. 2008 me was blown away – I distinctly recall saying "THAT is Batman." The intensity spoke to me, and it still does. Dent with Gordon's family, for example, or the interrogation with Joker.

I did enjoy Heath's scenes. For this style of Joker he nailed it. But not long after (a year or more I guess) I began questioning plot points, and the hyperbole rubbed me the wrong way.

But at a base level, I can still appreciate TDK. It's been 10 years and any quibbles I have don't seem to bother me as strongly. We don't really have to fight a corner anymore. Everything eventually settles back into the great ocean that is Batman.

The perceived faults of Bale's Batman are known. The 'realism' talk was overemphasized. But I appreciate Batman as an interrogator (Maroni and Joker). I appreciate Batman as an improviser who cannot be stopped (ejecting from the ruined Tumbler in the Batpod). Hauling a suspect back to Gotham from a foreign country is pretty cool as well.

I've been enjoying the Zimmer soundtracks more these days, and will probably post a ranked track list at some point. Having the complete scores helps a lot, too.

The hype film became a legend, as Ras said in BB.

It does have faults, as all movies do. It's not the greatest comic book movie of all time.

But as popcorn entertainment, it's a fine entry.

[Travesty]

Aside from B89, it was probably the most hyped I've ever been for a movie. The levels of Batmania were on the same level as they were in 1989. I went with a group of friends who I always went to the movies with, and 2 of us were HUGE Batman fans. We were all excited, and got to the theater 2 hrs early just to make sure we got seats. Seeing as how I loved BB, I thought I was going to love this movie. But as we all left, none of us were really hyped about it. Most of the time, we would go to a diner to talk about the movie we just watched, but we all kinda went our own ways. I was pretty vocal about not liking it nearly as much as BB. I went home, and go to a Bat forum I used to frequent(its not around anymore), and I said I don't think I liked it all that much. To my surprise, most people were agreeing with me. I go to bed, wake up and go to work, get back home, and then I see everyone and their mother talking about how this is the second coming of Jesus. I go back to the forum, and all the people who said they were disappointed, now loved it. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. So I then waited a few weeks to make sure I wasn't too rash about my opinion. I think I saw the movie about 16 times in theaters(excessive, I know, but a number of those were at the $1 theater), and every time I walked out disappointed. And it's not a movie I think is total garbage, it's just a movie that doesn't connect with me, and I don't think it's a smart movie, at all. I still think it's a watered down Batman movie, that takes itself way too seriously.

I still get excited and stoked for movies, but I now try to check my expectations regardless of hype. I still wonder if I checked my expectations at the door, if I would appreciate this movie more? I just don't know? As much as I want to remember this fondly, I just can't. This is when I started to question my love for the Batman franchise. I couldn't wrap my head around everyone loving this movie. Me being the Bat-fan I should love this. But since then, I've talked to other Batman fans who didn't enjoy it as much as the GA, and they gave me a good way of looking at it. They said to just treat it like the comics. You're not going to like every Batman comic ever made. So enjoy the ones you do, and know that you're not obligated to love every Batman story. Great advice. Simple enough.

[The Laughing Fish]

I went home, went to a Bat forum I used to frequent(its not around anymore), and I said I don't think I liked it all that much. To my surprise, most people were agreeing with me. I go to bed, go to work, get back home, and then I see everyone and their mother talking about how this is the second coming of Jesus. I go back to the forum, and all the people who said they were disappointed, now loved it. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.

The bit in bold reminds me of the crowd psychology theory of behavioral contagion, where an individual suspends their own interests and beliefs to satisfy the collective interest. In other words, it's groupthink.

I've talked to other Batman fans who didn't enjoy it as much as the GA, and they gave me a good way of looking at it. They said to just treat it like the comics. You're not going to like every Batman comic ever made. So enjoy the ones you do, and know that you're not obligated to love every Batman story. Great advice. Simple enough.

Wise advice, and I agree 100%. I've seen some people here championing that everybody should celebrate all things Batman on this forum, and I just don't share that sentiment. I have no issues with other people enjoying all interpretations of the mythos. Good on them. But I believe it's important to be honest if you genuinely don't like something. Otherwise, if you force yourself to like every adaptation, you become less of a fan and more of a mindless consumer. As Peter Thiel once said, "the most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd, but to think for yourself". Which is something I highly doubt pop culture junkies really understand.

[Edd Grayson]

There are certainly Batman films which I like more than others, and particular elements which I think one interpretation did best, and I'm pretty sure other posters feel the same way and may have different tastes, and that's great. I think no one should like or dislike a movie "by default".

I would've liked to contribute to the topic, but I did not see TDK at the cinema. In fact, I didn't get to see any Batman movie on the big screen until BvS came out.

[The Dark Knight]

I still get excited and stoked for movies, but I now try to check my expectations regardless of hype. I still wonder if I checked my expectations at the door, if I would appreciate this movie more? I just don't know? As much as I want to remember this fondly, I just can't. This is when I started to question my love for the Batman franchise. I couldn't wrap my head around everyone loving this movie. Me being the Bat-fan should love this. But since then, I've talked to other Batman fans who didn't enjoy it as much as the GA, and they gave me a good way of looking at it. They said to just treat it like the comics. You're not going to like every Batman comic ever made. So enjoy the ones you do, and know that you're not obligated to love every Batman story. Great advice. Simple enough.

My HYPE levels are low these days.

I think DC are creating a separate universe from the DCEU to accommodate the new Batman trilogy. The Joker movie is a strong indication of that. At this point I don't see Affleck coming back. I think he's gone. Comments from Laurence Fishburne strongly allude to the fact he's never coming back as Perry White again as well. They've changed direction/focus. What a disappointment...and that's why my hype levels are low on that front.

But TESTOSTERONE levels? They're higher than ever. DC better funkin' keep making Wonder Woman movies with Gal Gadot. What a treasure. Did folks see her visit that hospital while dressed in costume? Worth checking out.

And yes, this post has nothing to do with TDK movie.

But here's a few crumbs: at least Nolan was allowed to make his own movies in 2008 and 2012. Snyder got his chance with BvS. But after that everything went downhill. As a result, I just cannot enjoy BvS in the same way anymore. I'd rather not talk about it or see it. BvS is great but it's a haunting echo.