The Broken Telegraph

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

We are just three weeks away from The Dark Knight’s arrival in theaters, and I’m battling myself in an attempt to stay at least somewhat spoiler-free. But my impatience is winning.

I happened to indulge today and as a result- compiled a small mound of goods for your reading and viewing pleasure.

First up is Rolling Stone’s take on the film by resident critic Peter Travers. This is definitely the first advance review from an “official” source. I’ll paste some non-spoilerish clips of it and then provide a link should you want to read the whole thing. Be warned: there are some minor spoilers in his discussion about the nature of the characters and overall storyline so keep that in mind if you plan on clicking the link.

Travers gave The Dark Knight at 3.5 out of 4, and issued the following praise:

Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies. The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan’s absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005’s Batman Begins, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up. There’s something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe. Striking out from his Batman origin story, Nolan cuts through to a deeper dimension. Huh? Wha? How can a conflicted guy in a bat suit and a villain with a cracked, painted-on clown smile speak to the essentials of the human condition? Just hang on for a shock to the system…

Go ahead, bitch about the movie being too long, at two and a half hours, for short attention spans (it is), too somber for the Hulk crowd (it is), too smart for its own good (it isn’t). The haunting and visionary Dark Knight soars on the wings of untamed imagination. It’s full of surprises you don’t see coming. And just try to get it out of your dreams.

Check out the entire Rolling Stone review here.

What grab bag is complete without an early review straight from the fan community?  AICN has posted a very positive one as well:

The film feels more like a crime drama in a grand city scape than a
typical comic book movie. It feels like Heat except Batman is Al
Pacino and The Joker is Robert De Niro and just like in that film we
have a great scene between Heath Ledger and Christian Bale across a
table. There is also an element of a Greek Tragedy.. There is a vast
sense of morality at play within the film…

Just go see it on opening day in a room full of fans. Ill be doing the
same and have no doubt Ill enjoy it even more the second time round.

The rest of the AICN review appears to be a bit more spoilerish, but for those interested- click away.

Next is an onslaught of TV spots and international trailers that were collected by the fine gents at The Movie Box. Seriously- there are about 9 TV spots and countless trailers in various formats available here. Give them a viewing at this address.

Finally I want to share two interviews with you that are a cut above the typical junket chit chat. One is a fantastic piece with director Chris Nolan over at Wired Magazine- including a fascinating look at the production’s low-tech nature and use of IMAX cameras and film (my hunch was correct: they’re cropping the scenes shot on IMAX films to fit the aspect ratio on prints in traditional theaters.) As always- Nolan is a thoughtful and fun read. The second interview is over at FHM and is one of Heath Ledger’s final interviews before his death. He does his best to answer our curiosities about his take on The Joker and does so without spoiling the fun. Both interviews are mostly spoiler-free.

Wired Interview with Chris Nolan

FHM Interview with Heath Ledger

Enjoy! I’ll be posting my review for The Dark Knight very soon after the theatrical release.

PS- Nolan uses almost no CG in his films. Can I get an “amen” ?!?