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

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the film yet -- Hellboy 2 was the big summer comic book movie I was waiting for. Iron Man I didn't catch because I've never really been interested in the character and I'm not crazy about the leads (I don't dislike them, they're just not on my very very short list of "I will see anything this person makes" performers), and TDK, well, I liked the original comic but I'm not really a huge Batman fan in general, ya know? I didn't see the previous one with Bale either, it's one of those things I might catch if I see it come around on cable or might rent one of these years, but it's waaaay down on my list below a bunch of other things I'm much more eager to see. (I did see parts of that godawful Catwoman thing with Halle Berry, but that was mostly for MST3K purposes -- I love the original character but this was just so Not Her.) And this one, eh, maybe I'll catch it when the crowds die down a bit, maybe I'll wait until it hits the Arlington Drunkhouse (because EVERYTHING is better with cheap second-run prices, real food, and booze.)

So what's the deal with the guarddogs? I'll be just as pissed if they're rotts, 'cause while I may not have owned one myself, I've known a lot of rott people, and ever rott I've ever met was just an overgrown huggy bear. And they've got much the same image problems to contend with thanks to stupid people, of course. (Verizon's taking up the slack on the stupid-pit-media front -- have you seen their idiotic LG commercials? (http://miamiherald.typepad.com/crazy_for_critters/2008/07/verizon-angers.html) I've seen some claims that they've pulled the spot in response to all the protest from dog lovers, but I'll believe that when I don't see it anymore...)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Bascially, big, bag rotties are only used as guard dogs and by drug dealers. And since I've talked with you, I find it very interesting I'm more worried about the dogs cliche representation, instead of the fact that the villians are, respectively,

chinese,

eastern european

and black.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Ah, so it's fail on multiple sides! Loooooooovely. This is sounding more and more like "wait for the second-run theater, with lots of booze" territory. Or at the very least, cheap matinee.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

It is so multiple fail.

Other people are pissed about the racism, I'm pissed about the dogs and the women, and I'm sure there's other people who are deservedly annoyed about other things.

It's good, but it's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, and there are some RATHER OBVIOUS FOOT IN MOUTH MOMENTS that you know the director isn't getting called on because every review (I assume) is 'OMG oscar worthy superhero movie isn't it a shame Legar is dead.' (which it is, no question, if only because of his daughter.)