The Dark Knight, Or, Wow It's A Bit Nippy In This Refridgerator

[redbrunja]

So, I finally found the time to post my thoughts on the latest batman movie:

First, with all the hype, I totally came in with a 'just try and impress me' attitude. That said, the first half of the movie lived up to what everyone was saying.

I hate to say it, because Katie Holmes gets a lot of flack, but Maggie Gyllenhaal is the far superior actress, and I really liked how that storyline played out. It was one of the few times where I've believed that the girl in a love triangle loved both men.

I adored Harvey Dent, and found his arc honestly tragic (I was hoping he'd stick around and be a reoccuring villain). Also, I really like that actor.

I like how Christian Bale has different voice for himself, Batman, and Bruce Wayne in public.

I liked seeing Will Tippin as a petty criminal.

Heath Legar was honestly amazing - I really liked how he kept having different origin stories for his scars, and he was totally believable as someone who was just crazy.

I didn't have a problem with the movie being pretty bleak, simply because Batman has thematically been darker (the idea that because it's depressing bugs me, and I know that's why it's getting Oscar buzz - well, that and Legar's death.)

What did bug me is that how as soon as Rachel died, it became incredibly main dominated, and didn't have to be. I mean, EVEN IF you needed to kill off Rachel, what tipped the movie over into a male ego fest was all the attention paid to Gordon's kid - and not the one who grew up to be Batgirl. I mean, think about that - instead of focusing on the child who has an instrumental or at least really important role in the comics, as well as her own comic series, you're focusing on the son. Just because. Sweet god, you don't even get to see her face.

That last scene with all those men arguing and Barbara huddling with her children was really annoying, especially when you realize it was the exact same as that scene on the ferry, when the only women you get a reaction shot off of was the mother.

So, the movie really lost me there.

Also, I spent a lot of time going, 'I wonder how smillaraaq feels about the bad rep pit bulls are getting in this movie.'

And now, a nice maiming of the women in refrigerators trope:
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Comments

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I disagree; I don't really see the difference between having a female mobster and a female corrupt cop-- they'd both be negative characters. In terms of counting positive or negative characters and making a tally, they'd both fall under the same category.

I just wish there'd been more in general. The mobster meeting was especially lacking. It would have been interesting if they'd made the Hong Kong mobster, the one who got kidnapped by Batman and who organized the money, a female character. It could have been a woman without particularly changing anything, and it would have been interesting to see a woman effectively act as "leader" of the mobster coalition. Especially if she played it as straight-up as the male actor did: not a sexy character at all, just a cool and analytical mind of someone trying to use money to make money.

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know I meant more female characters in general instead of cops OR politicians OR mobsters, it just came out...or instead of and, and a whole lump of examples. Hmm. *gets a beverage* But yes. I'd have loved some more female characters. Also some female characters filling traditionally male roles. Like you mentioned- a nonsexual female mob boss, accountant, gun-crazy gangster, whatever. (Get that Russian woman from the last Indie movie in here! We need her and her sword pronto!) Or, on the side of good- a highly effective female lawyer. They could have had the mayor be female without changing anything.

And like I mentioned below: give the main female character a reason to be on the screen beyond the romance interest role. It's so annoying to see a female character grace the screen sometimes, not because I don't love female characters, but because I know they're bound to be paired off with Joe Schmuck. And, since it's a superhero movie, they're not only going to be paired up with them, they're also going to be stuck in the screaming damsel role.