The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger

[BabyJane]

I haven't seen this yet but am looking forward to it - despite general disappointing reviews. I want to make my own mind up!

But what I was thinking was: what does anybody else think of the movie industry's ploy to use the deceased actor Heath Ledger's death as a 'draw'? Because that's what it appears like. Someone in one of the papers here in the UK brought it to the public attention that perhaps it was a little ghoulish to use Ledger in this obvious ploy to bring in the punters.

To be honest, I would imagine that because Ledger was an actor and knew the movie industry he wouldn't have been surprised nor that bothered. Surely he'd have understood that these days you've gotta do what you can to put bums on seats. I mean, it's not exactly tasteless to hype up the fact that this was his last film - from what I can gather, he was the best in it!

What do you think?

[LadyShelley]

Who is giving the film disappointing reviews? It's 95% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes.

As for adverts "using" Ledger, I'm not sure what you mean by that one either. I admit I don't watch a lot of television to have seen anything about the film, but are folks really saying "Hey this guy is dead go see his last movie"?

Or are you asking if the film should have been shelved and never seen the light of day? To this last I say absolutely not.

[fidget]

I'm not sure what you mean either. The original comic, featuring the Joker, killed him off, but the editor was wise and added a frame at the end of the guys in the ambulance saying "Well isn't that amazing, it looks like the guy is going to live"... So it's a natural ending for batman/joker.

as for using Ledger, it *was* his last film, so it's understandable it was hyped as such.

[cinema lover]

Any Heath Ledger fan would be proud of his portrayal of the Joker in this movie. It is a true picture of his great talent. I haven't really heard in promotions using the fact that this was his last film. I have heard some news reports making a big deal out of it but then that's just what they do.

[misterd]

How have they used Ledger's death to bring people to the film? Is it because Joker is prominantly featured in the adverts? That would have been done anyway. That the images call to mind HL's death is unavoidable, but the movie is what it is - Batman vs Joker. That's the draw. You can't dance around it.

[BabyJane]

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse! I did say this wasn't my own opinion but that of certain journalists in the UK and just wondered what the opinion of Flixray forums users were... now I know