*Remember, these are my opinions on the movie, not reality changing facts. Although these movies probably do have positives about them, I will not be addressing them, this is about there overlooked flaws. SPOILERS!!!*

On this edition of Overrated Movie Theater, I am taking a look at a film the has been called the masterpiece of comic book movies. Gaining prestige critically and financially, The Dark Knight has been called a dark analysis of disorder and chaos as well as an allegory for terror in the 21st century.

The Dark Knight was perhaps my favorite movie of 2008 and one of the greatest movies of the 2000 decade (guys, we need to come up with a name for the period of time between 2000 and 2009). That being said, the film is not without flaws.

Bruce Wayne: Man of Inaction

I've never connected with Bruce Wayne. Even in Batman Begins, Bruce seemed too distant for a main character. Maybe Nolan's just reflecting the sheltered personality of Wayne, but in films like Superman Returns and Spider-man 2, you got to sympathize more with the main characters because of their ability to emote. Even at the most emotional point for Bruce (*Spoiler* someone dies), he completely under reacts by just sitting in a corner, no sign of rage and only slight traces of anguish and tears and the scene only lasts for about 30 seconds before heading back to the action. While having almost nothing to do but sulk for the majority of the movie, I also found that the actor never really gave a memorable performance as say Aaron Eckhart or Heath Ledger. I never thought Christian Bale was that good of a Bruce Wayne. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark? Yes. J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson? You bet your sexy ass. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne? No. Just no. Me and him are done professionally.




World's Greatest Detective, my ass

Batman completely losses his stealth in this movie. Instead of being a silent assassin-like hero against the baddies, in almost every scene he's either blowing something up or beating the crap out of someone; and no, the 'disappearing behind the back' routine does not count as a stealthy badassery. Maybe I was wrong to assume that Batman was a more human character who tried to be as stealthy as possible in order to avoid injury like in the first film. Also, Nolan cannot make interesting fighting scenes for the life of him. He's great a plot, but someone else needs to takeover when there's a showdown.



If Drunks could talk...

In the first Batman film by Christopher Nolan, one way Bruce Wayne differentiated himself from his Batman persona was to lower his voice. The effect was to make him seem menacing and more animal-like: whether or not Bale accomplished this in the first movie is debatable. However, while the first 'Batman Voice' served it's purpose in the first movie, Bale has now created a voice so annoyingly grainy and deep as Batman that you really see how much better Heath Ledger's acting and mannerisms are in comparison. It's ludicrous to the level of which Bale takes the voice; not once in the movie does it ever seem to fit in at all and really removed me from the experiences of the film at some points.

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There's no time for explaining!!!

The film's pace is breakneck at its slowest points. While the idea of no dull moments is executed very well, there are only a sparse number of scenes that really show off the personalities of the characters. It's not exactly a bad thing, but I would have liked to see more character development rather than Batman running around trying to find the Joker.

Look, up in the sky! It's SuperBitch!

I really did not like Rachel in this movie and it had nothing to do with the choice of actress. After the case involving the mafia and Harvey's attempted assassination, the form of Rachel's comfort for Harvey takes the form of being a complete cunt by saying that he isn't doing his job as District Attorney right if no ones trying to kill him. She then goes on to tell him to "be nice" to Gordon in his office. I don't know about you all, but I sure feel sympathetic to her now. If someone was just threatened by being shot, you would comfort them, not tell them they aren't doing their jobs unless they are under violent threats. For the remainder of the film, Rachel just mostly serves as a boon for Bruce to obtain as well as a damsel in distress. It's quite saddening that almost everything from Batman Begins has been improved on in the sequel except for the character development of such a pivotal character from the first movie.

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Location, Location, Location

It really bothered me that all of the massive outdoor scenes in the city (*spoilers* the Eulogy for the mayor, Batman vs Joker showdown in the streets, etc.) all took place at the same intersection. Maybe it was the inability to get any other locations, but the overuse of this location took away a bit the feeling of having a sprawling city.

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Well those are my thoughts. What did you guys and gals think? Do you disagree? Agree? Different opinions? Different onions?

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