Monday, June 16, 2008

Dark Knight goodies galore!

Here's the new Comcast Dark Knight trailer (from Trailer Addict).



It's mostly footage from the second major trailer, but there's enough new stuff to make it worth a viewing. Oddly enough, the most promising aspect of the trailer is the alternate delivery of the 'darkness before the dawn' speech that Harvey Dent delivers. In the previous trailer, the take they used came off as hammy and overwrought and gave me concerns about the return of the overly on-the-nose dialogue that occasionally festered in Batman Begins. Here, it's quieter, almost mournful, and thus more effective. I also love the fact that The Joker spends at least a decent portion of the film in lockup. As comic fans know, The Joker is never scarier than when he's in a holding cell or in Arkham, taunting, threatening, or preaching, and you just don't know what his next move is ("When the chips are down... these civilized people will eat each other").

This is timed to coincide with yet more fake viral websites and gimmicks. The most up-to-date and interesting bit is at Gotham Cable News Network. We have a new complete website with video clips and articles featuring, among other people, Michael Anthony Hall as journalist Mike Engel. For months, Hall's role in this film was a secret, so his reveal as just a pundit for a cable news network implies that there is more to his character. For what it's worth, the eight-minute debate video (regarding Harvey Dent's election as the new DA, thoughts on Batman, and Dent's war on corrupt cops in Gotham) is actually more coherent and more civil than most of the screaming matches on Fox News and the like. Mike Engel certainly seems like a more level-headed journalist that J. Jonah Jameson for example.

Also fun is the four-page newspaper Gotham City Times. It's almost frightening how much effort Warner Bros. is putting into the various off-shoots of this movie.

Scott Mendelson

No comments:

Post a Comment