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Lingering Questions from 'The Dark Knight'...

Here's a lingering question I have:

How the hell can Nolan get so much right with this movie... yet the batsuit still looks like complete shit??!?

I realize something as sleek and elegant as the Batman Returns suit (still my favorite) wouldn't quite fit into the world Nolan created, but that doesn't mean a more functional suit can't still be, you know, cool to look at.

I don't know what I hate more, how small and round the cowl is on Bale's head, or how that cape just sort of hangs limply during fight scenes like a black towel.

It certainly doesn't keep this from being an excellent movie, but it's still one of those pesky little things that the fanboy in me can't help but notice.
I felt the same way.
 
1. I assume the Joker will be locked up forever; obviously he won't be in any sequels...

2. In BB, the Batmobile is chased by police and disappears right outside Wayne Manor. In TDK, Bruce Wayne publicly goes to China right before Batman makes what is presumably his first intl' trip. And then there's the point someone mentioned earlier, of the employee that any reporter could figure out who he was going to finger. Guess it's not too much worse than Clark and Superman re-appearing on the same day in SR, but it certainly wasn't necessary to show Bruce in China.
 
Same here, I liked both of the costumes Nolan has given us. Far more than any of the others.

They're decent, functional designs I guess, but they just didn't make my jaw drop or make me go "holy fuck that looks cool!" the way the Iron Man or Spidey suits did.

Or the way any Jim Lee drawing of Batman does.
 
2. In BB, the Batmobile is chased by police and disappears right outside Wayne Manor. In TDK, Bruce Wayne publicly goes to China right before Batman makes what is presumably his first intl' trip. And then there's the point someone mentioned earlier, of the employee that any reporter could figure out who he was going to finger. Guess it's not too much worse than Clark and Superman re-appearing on the same day in SR, but it certainly wasn't necessary to show Bruce in China.

As far as the general public are concerned, Bruce was out on his yacht. Many miles from where Batman appeared. The only people who know he left the yacht were the ballet company he took with him. Even then, they only know he left for a while. They have no idea where he went.
 
Same here, I liked both of the costumes Nolan has given us. Far more than any of the others.

They're decent, functional designs I guess, but they just didn't make my jaw drop or make me go "holy fuck that looks cool!" the way the Iron Man or Spidey suits did.

Or the way any Jim Lee drawing of Batman does.
I'm the opposite. I very much the costume in the batman films, but dislike both Iron Man and the Spider-Man suits. Although the one Stark built in Afghanistan I liked.
 
I'm the opposite. I very much the costume in the batman films, but dislike both Iron Man and the Spider-Man suits. Although the one Stark built in Afghanistan I liked.

Really? I thought it was universal that comic book fans all thought the Iron Man suit was absolutely badass. If not the red and gold one, then certainly the silver version.

Oh well, shows what I know. :D
 
Question:

Why did Lucius Fox all but admit to Coleman Reese that Bruce Wayne was Batman when it would have been far wiser to simply imply that Wayne Enterprises was behind some of Batman's technology?

The blackmail joke is certainly funny, but it seems a far bigger liability, even with the huge combined threat of Bruce/Batman, to even subtly acknowledge or hint at the truth rather than trying to come up with a plausible lie.

I had the same thought. It'd didn't seem to me that Reese was trying to say Wayne was Batman but just suggesting that Wayne was subsidizing him with the burried technology. When Fox gave his litle speech (a nice spoon-full of p0wn, btw) I expected him to say, "What? Who said anything about... Holy SHIT! Bruce Wayne is Batman??!?!? I thought you guys just gave him use of the Tumbler!"

I'm also surprised the plans and stuff weren't "buried" better.

How the hell can Nolan get so much right with this movie... yet the batsuit still looks like complete shit??!?

I kind of agree. I don't think it's complete shit but is mostly uninspired to me. I get it's armor and stuff so it's bulkier than we'd probably like but it is uninspired. It needs more to it too. The bat symbol should be more obvious. A goldenrod color or white or something.

But, really, I wish Nolan would tone down his processing of Bale's Batman voice. It's really just far too much.

I don't see why having Bale simply talking in deeper voice wouldn't suffice. In BB when Bruce is talking to Rahs before they burn Wayne Manor Bale talks in a stern, authoritative voice that I think would've been just perfect for Batman's voice.
 
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Here's a lingering question I have:

How the hell can Nolan get so much right with this movie... yet the batsuit still looks like complete shit??!?

I realize something as sleek and elegant as the Batman Returns suit (still my favorite) wouldn't quite fit into the world Nolan created, but that doesn't mean a more functional suit can't still be, you know, cool to look at.

I don't know what I hate more, how small and round the cowl is on Bale's head, or how that cape just sort of hangs limply during fight scenes like a black towel.

It certainly doesn't keep this from being an excellent movie, but it's still one of those pesky little things that the fanboy in me can't help but notice.

Honestly I barely noticed the difference when it wasn't a shot specifically of the suite on a rack.
 
I'm guessing at least 20 minutes were cut from the film we saw, based on footage from trailers that didn't make it (the shot of Batman running atop cop cars at night isn't in the movie,) some rumors here and there and the early word the film would be 3 hours long.

But, the whole 5 people dead, 2 of them cops, and at best we saw 4 people (more likely 3) murdered by Harvey, really leads me to believe there is missing footage. Nolan's a details oriented director. Based on his filmography, I doubt he'd let a detail like this just lie there in the film without showing it to us. So, perhaps there's scenes of Harvey killing 2 or more folks (one of them a cop.)

OR, I think Det. Ramirez might've killed herself and her death is being attributed to Harvey. She did appear quite remorseful over her actions and she didn't act as an informant/plant for Maroni for personal greed, she did it to take care of her sick mother.
 
OR, I think Det. Ramirez might've killed herself and her death is being attributed to Harvey. She did appear quite remorseful over her actions and she didn't act as an informant/plant for Maroni for personal greed, she did it to take care of her sick mother.

There's just no way we're supposed to believe that Ramirez is dead. Maybe there's cut footage, maybe not, but a movie can't outright lie to us like that (without later clearing it up, at least) by showing us a very specific event, but then expect us to believe, with absolutely zero evidence or even a vague hint, that the opposite was supposed to happen at some later point.

It's not playing fair with the audience and Nolan is too smart to do something so stupid and out of bounds.
 
But, really, I wish Nolan would tone down his processing of Bale's Batman voice. It's really just far too much.

I don't see why having Bale simply talking in deeper voice wouldn't suffice. In BB when Bruce is talking to Rahs before they burn Wayne Manor Bale talks in a stern, authoritative voice that I think would've been just perfect for Batman's voice.

From everything I've read, the Batman voice was more Bale's idea than Nolan's. I guess he figured his normal voice was already so deep, he had to take it to another level.

I didn't really mind it so much in Begins, and I'm fine with it being used to make an impression or intimidate the bad guys. But when he's simply having a conversation with Gordon or Dent, I do think he should tone it down.

Especially at the end of this movie. I mean even when he's trying to reason with Two-Face and keep him from murdering Gordon's son, he's still using the scary voice!! Somehow I DON'T think that's the best time. lol :D
 
I'm guessing at least 20 minutes were cut from the film we saw, based on footage from trailers that didn't make it (the shot of Batman running atop cop cars at night isn't in the movie,) some rumors here and there and the early word the film would be 3 hours long.

But, the whole 5 people dead, 2 of them cops, and at best we saw 4 people (more likely 3) murdered by Harvey, really leads me to believe there is missing footage. Nolan's a details oriented director. Based on his filmography, I doubt he'd let a detail like this just lie there in the film without showing it to us. So, perhaps there's scenes of Harvey killing 2 or more folks (one of them a cop.)

OR, I think Det. Ramirez might've killed herself and her death is being attributed to Harvey. She did appear quite remorseful over her actions and she didn't act as an informant/plant for Maroni for personal greed, she did it to take care of her sick mother.

Yeah I definitely got the impression there was a lot of stuff cut, especially in the second half. The movie flowed so beautifully up til then, and then suddenly the story started to get kind of... rushed and choppy.

-- One minute the officer is about to fight the Joker in the interrogation room, and the next the Joker is out and holding a knife to his throat.

-- From out of the blue, Gordon announces that Harvey and Rachel have been kidnapped. Say whaaa?

-- the whole situation with the evacuation and the two ferries didn't really seem set up properly enough.

-- compared to how well-constructed and executed that underground tunnel sequence is, the final warehouse sequence (with the hostages in Joker masks) was just one big, confusing mess.

I get that it's the grand finale and you gotta pick up the pace and all, but I still wish Nolan had kept things a little more smooth and elegant all the way through.
 
I've been thinking about it, and I do have a question about the movie. If I remember correctly someone broke into Wayne Enterprises, and when Fox went to investigate he found the sonar room. What exactly happened at that part?


Question:

Why did Lucius Fox all but admit to Coleman Reese that Bruce Wayne was Batman when it would have been far wiser to simply imply that Wayne Enterprises was behind some of Batman's technology?

The blackmail joke is certainly funny, but it seems a far bigger liability, even with the huge combined threat of Bruce/Batman, to even subtly acknowledge or hint at the truth rather than trying to come up with a plausible lie.
Not necessarily. Fox merely pointed the huge flaw in Reese's scheme, whether or not Bruce Wayne was Batman.

Jesus, that was funny - and a good point on Lucius' part!

Reese had pretty incontravertible proof. Given that he goes public later, I don't know what Fox could have said that would have convinced him otherwise. But that look Bruce gives him after saving his life (especially combined with Gordon's angry "Maybe Batman will save you!" as they load Reese into the car), is one of my favorite moments in the film. It yet again subtly underlines the core of the character of Bruce Wayne as he's built in these movies - the guy no one can really fathom, misjudged over and over again.
He may of had incontrovertible proof that Wayne Enterprises helped supply Batman, but he didn't really have any proof that Batman was Bruce Wayne. For all he knows Batman was someone hired by Bruce Wayne.
 
I've been thinking about it, and I do have a question about the movie. If I remember correctly someone broke into Wayne Enterprises, and when Fox went to investigate he found the sonar room. What exactly happened at that part?
It was Batman. Remember that he was standing behind the system when Fox walked into the room. For whatever reason (perhaps haste?), he broke in, instead of using whatever access he normally would've used.
 
I've been thinking about it, and I do have a question about the movie. If I remember correctly someone broke into Wayne Enterprises, and when Fox went to investigate he found the sonar room. What exactly happened at that part?
It was Batman. Remember that he was standing behind the system when Fox walked into the room. For whatever reason (perhaps haste?), he broke in, instead of using whatever access he normally would've used.
Ah that's the problem I don't think I saw him standing there.
 
OR, I think Det. Ramirez might've killed herself and her death is being attributed to Harvey. She did appear quite remorseful over her actions and she didn't act as an informant/plant for Maroni for personal greed, she did it to take care of her sick mother.

There's just no way we're supposed to believe that Ramirez is dead. Maybe there's cut footage, maybe not, but a movie can't outright lie to us like that (without later clearing it up, at least) by showing us a very specific event, but then expect us to believe, with absolutely zero evidence or even a vague hint, that the opposite was supposed to happen at some later point.

It's not playing fair with the audience and Nolan is too smart to do something so stupid and out of bounds.

My point exactly. The most likely explanation is that footage explaining who this second cop is was cut to 1.) decrease running time or 2.) improve or preserve the pacing of the ending sequences. My theory regarding Ramirez is simply that, just a theory. Hopefully, when this movie comes out on blu ray, there will be cut scenes that explain this discrepancy.

Even still, with these little discrepancies, this is my favorite movie of the year and the best damn Batman movie EVER!
 
I've been thinking about it, and I do have a question about the movie. If I remember correctly someone broke into Wayne Enterprises, and when Fox went to investigate he found the sonar room. What exactly happened at that part?
It was Batman. Remember that he was standing behind the system when Fox walked into the room. For whatever reason (perhaps haste?), he broke in, instead of using whatever access he normally would've used.
Ah that's the problem I don't think I saw him standing there.
He's not visible until the camera closes in on him and he asks Fox, "Beautiful, isn't it?".
 
Tried to resolve the numbers of Two Face's killing spree in second viewing. It still doesn't really make much sense. The first viewing, I only thought he killed 2 people.

1: He is shown killing Wuertz

2: He is shown killing Maroni's driver

3: The seat belt is a device to show Maroni probably dies in the crash

4: Ramirez. Either he lied about the coin toss (maybe someone who actually saw the coin can correct me), or reflipped for a new event that was cut out of the film. Since she is responsible for Rachel, there is no way he was going to leave without killing her. "Live to fight another day". By punching her, could basically be starting a new fight with her (a stretch). But, Gordon did say Dent killed two cops. These are the two cops Dent defames at the beginning of the movie. It has to be Wuertz AND Ramirez no matter how it went down with her. Plus, if she lived the whole cover story would fall apart.

5: Can't figure it out.

Seeing it a second time today I have an idea on who number 5 might be. Gordon says that five people are dead two of which are cops. He does not say that Harvey Dent/Two Face killed five people. So perhaps he is including Dent himself in that number. Remember the context of that number. Those are the deaths that Batman will be blamed for. They will claim that Batman killed Harvey Dent.
 
For whatever reason (perhaps haste?), he broke in, instead of using whatever access he normally would've used.

I'd assume he came in his normal way, and trigged the alarm himself to get Fox's attention. I mean, it'd be a bit unsubtle to show up at reception in the batsuit and say he needed to borrow Mr. Fox for a moment, or to go on the P.A. "Lucius Fox to the secret lab, please. Mr. Fox to the secret lab, ASAP. ;)
 
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