Where 'The Dark Knight' Falls Apart

[csroster]

So I'm watching 'The Dark Knight' on TNT, and all-in-all it's a great movie. There's just a few things that bug me.

The cell phones used as sonar:

So Lucious Fox uses a cell phone as a sonar device in the chinese dudes office early on in the movie. It's pretty slick and clever, and soon leaves the viewers mind as the film progresses, but had a certain novelty value. Why ruin it by making it totally beyond realistic and having every person's cell phone in the city turn into a sonar device?

This seemed to also be a plot device to show that Batman would cross a certain line to catch a crazy villain, but was still virtuous to know that the sonar system needed to be destroyed afterwards.

It seems like there could have been some way to find the Joker, and show Batman crossing a certain line with knowledge of it's consequences without the ridiculousness of the entire populations cell phones being transformed into sonar devices.

Two-Face:

Two-Face should have had no role in the movie. Harvey being deformed and then having his morals put in question by the Joker was all good, but then he should have just had no further major role in the movie. Harvey suddenly going totally nuts and trying to kill Gordon's family felt extremely forced, and should have played out longer. If they wanted to wrap Harvey's story up in this single movie entirely, he should have turned into a villain earlier in the movie, and had time to convincingly develop into a psychopath.

What Happens to the Joker?

So what the fuck even happens to the Joker? This dude is criminal mastermind with more knives in his pockets than an obsessive compulsive mohel, and Batman just leaves him hanging from a wire? Did he get away? Did he get arrested? He got arrested before and it was all part of his greater plan, so why trust that this time would be any different.

I understand the urgency to get to Dent and Gordon, but the disrespect for Joker's insanity just seems a bit odd at this point in the movie. The guy isn't even unconscious when Batman leaves him.


Batman as the fall guy:

Why in the hell does Batman take the fall in the end? Why not just blame the situation on the Joker, afterall, he was really the one to blame for Dent going bonkers. Or if not the Joker, why not just blame random thugs?

I feel like the logic in blaming Batman is never really explained, and the movie just ends there. It's like the first 70% of the movie is just awesome, and the last 30% is just slapped together and crammed down the throat of the viewer.

I've seen these issues mentioned before, but they just stand out so much I have to wonder how it wasn't picked up on during pre-release assessments?

Was the first half of the movie just so good that the second half was given a pass?

 

[zackryder]

 

[Corona]

I'm watching it on TNT right now too. Too entertained to respond to this thread.

 

[Da Speeit]

Why can't this forum just enjoy anything?

 

[csroster]

Why can't this forum just enjoy anything?

Do you enjoy this forum not enjoying anything?

 

[Kanster]

Dude it's a movie based on superhero, of course there is going to be things that don't seem realistic.

 

[Misfit23]

The Joker thing doesn't really make senses because Heath died and I'm pretty sure he was suppose to have a large part in the 3rd film.

 

[Da Speeit]

Do you enjoy this forum not enjoying anything?

I enjoy coherent sentences.

 

[Corona]

Most unrealistic part of the movie is some guy dressing up as a bat single handedly bringing down the mafia, Or the part where some guy who wears make up with no resources makes the mafia his bitch.

 

[Hitman81]

The final act is kind of weak but then again it's often the weakest part of great movies.

As far as Harvey Dent goes, the first time I watched the movie I felt robbed of the Two Face character and wished they saved his transformation for the third film. However upon multiple viewings I began to feel like he was the central character of the entire movie and having him be a full fledged villain would not have made sense.

 

[csroster]

The Joker thing doesn't really make senses because Heath died and I'm pretty sure he was suppose to have a large part in the 3rd film.

That does make sense.

I enjoy coherent sentences.

You sound like a party animal.

The final act is kind of weak but then again it's often the weakest part of great movies.

As far as Harvey Dent goes, the first time I watched the movie I felt robbed of the Two Face character and wished they saved his transformation for the third film. However upon multiple viewings I began to feel like he was the central character of the entire movie and having him be a full fledged villain would not have made sense.

Your username denotes far too much expertise for me to argue with, but I do agree that Harvey was a really good character.

 

[Misfit23]

The most unrealistic part is that someone with a billion dollars would be interested in a butterface like Maggie Gylenhaal.

 

[Hitman81]

Your username denotes far too much expertise for me to argue with, but I do agree that Harvey was a really good character.

Honestly, the movie really does center around Harvey Dent, it's his story. Batman and the Joker are pretty much the same characters from the beginning of the movie to the end. Harvey is the tragic hero, he wins the girl, he sacrifices more, it's his story arc that drives the movie in my opinion. Joker was the scene stealer no doubt but Harvey was the star.

 

[Hitman81]

The most unrealistic part is that someone with a billion dollars would be interested in a butterface like Maggie Gylenhaal.

When you're always eating prime rib sometimes you just want a hot dog.

 

[csroster]

Honestly, the movie really does center around Harvey Dent, it's his story. Batman and the Joker are pretty much the same characters from the beginning of the movie to the end. Harvey is the tragic hero, he wins the girl, he sacrifices more, it's his story arc that drives the movie in my opinion. Joker was the scene stealer no doubt but Harvey was the star.

You know, the more I think about it, the more legitimate this sounds. Perhaps the reason that Harvey's story felt so out of place to me was because he was really the only character who was a different person near the end of the movie than he was in the beginning.

Bruce/Batman, Joker, Fox, Gordon and Alfred are all good characters, but they're all basically the same the entire movie.

 

[ufcfan4]

i have very few complaints about the movie. in my opinion the opening sequence doesnt hold up as well on subsequent viewings but it was ultra-badass when you first saw it.

I think that Dent was handled in a very appropriate manner and though many people decry the rushed pacing with Two Face at the end, I think the whole story arc there was executed damn well. the KEY scene that makes the Harvey stuff worthwhile is that interplay between Eckhart and Ledger in the hospital. That is just a supremely well done scene (mainly cause Ledger is just terrific throughout the film in general and that scene in particular). That scene does a good job of credibly convincing me that Dent's sense of justice and control is shot and he's just going to let randomness dictate his choices.

I dont feel its too hard to buy him going after Gordon either. He warned Gordon about all the crooked cops and held him accountable for not preventing what happened to Dawes. All it takes is to see real life disgruntled whackos go after people they associate with some wrongdoing (recent story with Dormer for instance) and you can buy that an unhinged Harvey would target Gordon and want to make him suffer.

I feel the ending where Batman takes the fall is pure contrivance. it's great within the context of Batman's character but it feels unnecessary as many have mentioned.

 

[Hitman81]

You know, the more I think about it, the more legitimate this sounds. Perhaps the reason that Harvey's story felt so out of place to me was because he was really the only character who was a different person near the end of the movie than he was in the beginning.

Bruce/Batman, Joker, Fox, Gordon and Alfred are all good characters, but they're all basically the same the entire movie.

Yep, and even though Harvey's intention to kill Gordon's family was a little misplaced, it still made more sense than to have him come back as a full time criminal.

 

[ufcfan4]

DKR asks you to swallow much tougher pills than the Dark Knight does. And while I love the Dark Knight Rises, I've seen both films several times and feel the Dark Knight is the strongest of the trilogy. Rises is close but its just not as good in my view.

 

[Islam Imamate]

I hate to go off topic TS but does anyone else think that

Spoiler

The Tahlia Al Ghul twist would've been much better if they included her character in the previous films? Have as a background character in the second film and imply she has feelings for Bruce, especially in the latter part of the film after Rachel dies. That way, it doesn't feel as forced in the third film and its more of a twist.

 

[fightdonttweet]

I feel the ending where Batman takes the fall is pure contrivance. it's great within the context of Batman's character but it feels unnecessary as many have mentioned.

This is the only part I had a problem with