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291 of 293 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Comparison of regular version vs. limited edition, July 15, 2008
While this soundtrack score didn't blow me away, I think it's certainly a worthy addition to the "Batman" catalog of scores as well as fitting music for "The Dark Knight." I find track 3, "Harvey Two-Face," to easily be the best track here...almost a ballad so to speak, and yet flows with the rest of the album. This score isn't significantly different than the music of "Batman Begins" but then again, exploring some familiar territory adds a sense of continuity between the films. After all, this is a sequel.
I purchased both the regular version as well as the limited edition today, so I'll now give some comparisons for those of you undecided about which to buy:
-Track listing is identical for both. No bonus track on limited edition. Certainly would have been nice, but alas.
-Although the 2 versions have different cover art, note that the inside booklet of the limited edition has the same cover art as the regular version, as it's the exact same booklet. Booklet itself is the typical kind with various photos and album credits.
-Regular version has an exclusive photo of Batman looking at a wall covered with "HA HA HA" all over it, whereas limited edition has an exclusive 3-way fold-out collage photo of Joker playing cards with Batman in the middle vandalized with red lipstick. In addition, limited edition version has a very cool exclusive photo of the Joker walking down a street with his back to us, holding a playing card in one hand and a knife behind his back with the other.
-Limited edition version comes with 3 two-sided trading cards containing photos of Batman, Joker and Harvey Dent.
To sum up, the limited edition version doesn't offer that much more than the regular version, and is only worth getting for the novelty of a limited edition collectible, or if you're a die-hard fan of the film.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard Return With A Superb And More Grounded Score, July 16, 2008
The score for The Dark Knight is in one word, incredible. Zimmer and Howard have crafted a complete soundscape for this character and the world he exists in. I love the original Batman Begins score to death and the only way that this score surpasses the previous one is that it feels more grounded. The characters and world are already established so the score has something to build off of.
The two-note motif has already become iconic and synonymous with Batman. With this score we get two new themes. The first one is the new motif for The Joker. It's only one note and Hans spent 3 months fine tuning it to become the perfect sound. The first track is pretty much all of The Joker's music. It's harsh, industrial and gritty and I love it. It works so well even if you are more of a traditional score fan and don't like it one cannot deny how well it works with the image.
James Newton Howard was in charge of Harvey Dent. This music had to represent a fallen idol; someone who was good but became corrupted. So tragic is a word that can be used to describe it. It's very emotional. It stands apart from the intense action music in the score and is really wonderful. The emotional arc of it takes you from light to dark, it's great scoring.
Fans of Hans Zimmer and/or James Newton Howard will be extremely pleased with this score (I very much am). Hans' structure and style is heard well throughout. The score pulses with intensity very much like the original. There is really NO downtime on this entire album. The music carries you every step of the way, the listen on its own is a journey in itself. Now and then you will hear the 1-note Joker theme pop up and it indeed can get your hairs standing on end. It absorbs you and assaults you while leaving you wanting more. Hans and James both share one thing in common in that they score everything for real, meaning they aren't treating this movie as a work of fiction. They are carefully crafting an emotional story arc and building an atmosphere for it to exist in. There is no grandiose and heroic theme. Everything stands on its own and is so much powerful for doing so. The Dark Knight will be one of if not the best score of the year and will be hard to beat in terms of scope and emotional complexity.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fine The Dark Knight Film Score from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, July 30, 2008
Two of Hollywood's most respected, most popular, film composers, Hans Zimmer and James Newtown Howard, have joined forces in composing the most exciting film score I have heard this year not composed by John Williams. Theirs for " The Dark Knight" is quite riveting, with a substantial emphasis on a brooding, melancholy quality for much of the film's music. Indeed, I believe they've surpassed Danny Elfman in composing a score which captures so vividly, the many personal demons which beset Bruce Wayne (Batman), while also giving memorable musical motifs too to his long-time lady friend Rachel Dawes and the dashing young Gotham district attorney Harvey Dent, and, of course, the Joker. Fans of contemporary film music will surely want to add this CD to their collections; it is, without question, among the best of this year.
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~ Craig Armstrong
~ Danny Elfman
~ Hans Zimmer
~ Hans Zimmer
by Hans Zimmer 
