The Dark Knight - [spoilers ahead, ye be warned]

innerSpaceman · 07-24-2008, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

Just a crude example would be The Sixth Sense where everything made perfect sense watching it the first time, but on later viewings a lot of missed things of significance became apparent.

Yes, for a technical viewing of curiosity and film-study appreciation.

But that film is the perfect example of my point. A film that can NEVER be watched twice with anything approaching the effect of the first viewing. If you don't "get" the film on that first viewing, it's over.

Ghoulish Delight · 07-24-2008, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

But that film is the perfect example of my point. A film that can NEVER be watched twice with anything approaching the effect of the first viewing. If you don't "get" the film on that first viewing, it's over.

It's not about "getting it" vs. "not getting it". It's about catching subtle foreshadowing that, without information from the end of the movie was forgettable filler but with that knowledge becomes meaningful. Not in a way that adds or detracts from understanding the movie, just in a way that can turn an already good movie into an even richer experience the second time around.

Shawn of the Dead is an excellent example but an even better example that fewer people have seen even once, let alone twice, is Hot Fuzz. I really enjoyed Hot Fuzz the first time and was amused by the way they set a few things up and had them come back in the end as a bonus if you remembered them. It was only on a 2nd viewing that I started to realize that everything in the movie did that. There practically wasn't a wasted character, line, movement. Every little quirk had a payoff somewhere down the line. Not seeing this the first time around in no way made the movie un-followable, it did not lead me to miss any significant story point. But having it there as a reward for watching it again definitely increased my appreciation for the movie and I'm hoping DK be able to deliver something similar (though I doubt it will prove to be AS well crafted).