Capping Every Word Thread Title Go!
Anyway, we're all aware that The Dark Knight is a very popular movie and some people love it, some hate it, and some give it a big fat "meh." Though, really, that's any movie, right?
ANYWHO, there are thousands of reviews about it, countless opinions expressed, but in everything I've seen, no-one has pointed out these... "offputting" things. I'm not going into the "ridiculously deep voice" or "modernized Batman" arguments, just things that bother me every time I watch the movie. I think I've seen it 5 times now, and each of these always bring me out of the movie.
So, I'd love to hear your thoughts on, er.. my thoughts. I've been wanting to discuss these with someone since I first saw the movie and I finally said "Fuck it! Halforum."
So let's begin. I'll try to go in chronological order with the movie.
1) The very beginning of the movie with the joker-masked robbers. They can be heard and understood way too clearly. I know that filming and recording someone talking through a mask is a generally awful idea, what with muffled sound and everything, but these voices are just
too clear. They were
obviously added in post. In film lingo, anything heard 'on camera' is called "practical sound." For example, a radio playing in a car. Even if you add the music the radio is playing in post-production, you make it sound like it's
coming from the radio! You add a bit of non-clarity to it. Maybe muffle it some if the characters are out of the car, etc. The robbers' voices are "practical sounds," but they, added in post, are heard just way too clearly, and it bothers me every single time that they didn't try to make it sound like there was a mask over their faces at all.
2) Maggie Gyllenhaal being portrayed as "the insanely beautiful girl." Throughout most of the movie, it's acceptable. She's this moderately attractive woman, Bruce loves her, etc. But then in one scene, it's like the movie is "telling" us she's beautiful, when I personally say, "Um... No.. Not really." That scene is the huge Harvey Dent Fund Raiser party hosted by Bruce, when the Joker bursts in. He plays around the crowd and then spots Rachel, instantly smitten by her "good looks," and says, "Hello, Beautiful.. and you are beautiful.." while making passes at her. At this point, I'm just removed from the movie because I feel Maggie is too "droopy-faced" to be "the" beautiful girl in the movie, especially considering all the super-models at the party. Again, I feel the movie is telling us to believe she's beautiful, when it doesn't present the evidence needed to believe it.
3) The scene where the Joker is setting up the wire that brings down the police helicopter. The policeman riding in the car comments, "That's not good," in typical comical fashion. But then as the helicopter crashes more, he says, "Okay that's NOT good!" And it just sounds WRONG. Like, I can't convey to you the inflections necessary to portray my thoughts via text, but I'll do my best-- The way he says the line sounds as if someone is trying to convince him that it's not good. Like, if he were to say, "This is good," then his cohort turn and say, "No it isn't," and the guy return with, almost sarcastically, "Okay, that's not good then!"
The way he SHOULD say it is as if the situation is getting worse. Like I said, I can't explain it via text. Wait, fuggit, I'ma record me saying the two ways.
http://www.zshare.net/download/6666326140b07e58/http://www.zshare.net/audio/6666326140b07e58/]NotGood.mp3 - 0.95MB
Quick download, just listen. May need to turn volume up.
Anyway, if you watch the scene I think you'll get what I mean.
4) When Batman's Bat Tank breaks down and he goes off on his motorcycle. What the HELL? He goes around destroying peoples' cars, breaking off their sideview mirrors, blowing SEVERAL up just to get them out of his way?? Hell, there were kids in a car VERY near to one he blew up! Like, he could've easily blown that car up! This scene always makes me go, "What the shit, Batman?? You suck and I hate you!"
5) The scene where Harvey Dent's "Two-Face" is revealed. My problem? They purposefully missed the perfect beat to do it. As Dent turns to look at Gordon, it has this PERFECT "OMG we're gonna see his face holy shit..." feel-- the tension is perfect and everything. And then they cut to Gordon's face, showing HIS horror, but we're completely robbed of our own! I honestly feel blue-balled by this scene. Every time! The cut just ISN'T RIGHT. When he finally turns to the camera for us to see, the tension is gone. Going back to the blue-ball metaphor, where the first scene was a hot chick giving you a pantiless lap-dance before suddenly dismounting and walking away, the actual reveal scene is you taking 5 painkillers and a halfdressed cheerleader bursting into the room and demanding your dick, which, due to your recent drug intake, just doesn't feel up to the job.
6) My last 'complaint'. After Dent has threatened Gordon's family and Batman and Dent both fall off of-- wherever they were. Batman is awkwardly clinging to a beam, then falls. This scene already looks "off" for some reason, but it never cuts to Batman hitting the ground, nor does it even play a sound effect to indicate he hit the ground. He just falls, Gordon reacts, and then the movie cuts to Batman lying on the ground. It just doesn't feel right. We "know" he fell and hit the ground, but the movie didn't execute it properly. Something was missing there, and the few people I've brought it up to before haven't paid enough attention to know what I'm talking about, but it bothers me every time.
So yeah, I'm just curious to hear your thoughts. I never see these things brought up anywhere--- mostly because they're very minute things in an otherwise enjoyable movie-- but I just really wanted to get others' opinions on them.
Thanks.