Fanboy Complaints: THE DARK KNIGHT

Fanboy Complaints: THE DARK KNIGHT

In the 2nd part of my "Fanboy Complaints" series; I tackle some of the complaints that fanboys throw around against The Dark Knight. Will Include SPOILERS!

Editorial Opinion
By yonny616 - Oct 01, 2013 01:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Batman



Hello ComicBookMovie community! I bring to you guys the second part of my series: Fanboys Complaints. Today I will tackle some of the complaints fanboys throw around against the critically acclaimed and financially successful comic book movie, The Dark Knight. Again I warn you of the spoilers. So in the words of the Joker: And here. We. Go!

1. Gotham doesn't look like Gotham:
Is there a difference between Batman Begins setting and The Dark Knights setting? Yes. There’s a reason for this too. Batman Begins was mostly set in the narrows or it was night for most the film. In The Dark Knight, Gotham is the entire setting of the film, and it balances more of the day and night times. Not to mention the city looking brighter and “cleaner”, this is symbolic for the cities criminals being picked up or in other words: The city is getting cleaned up.

2. Joker isn't the real Joker:
How is he not the Joker? He’s crazy, doesn't care about anyone or anything, and wants chaos everywhere. Oh right, he doesn't have his skin bleached white and he doesn't use his joker toys. That’s probably the only two things Nolan changed from the comics, and it doesn't really matter because the core of the character is still there.

3. How does Batman survive the fall from his penthouse?
He survives because he’s the goddamn Batman! Okay, in all seriousness you need to pay attention to this scene because it happens very quickly. When Batman catches Rachel in mid air Batman opens the other half of his cape to slow down the momentum from the fall. You can see him open his cape and you can hear the sound effect too. I don’t know why this always goes everyone’s head, but they’re not fanboy complaints for nothing.

4. Batman still isn't a detective:
This complaint moved from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight, and it’s still as ridiculous as it’s always been. He helped Gordon mark the mobs money, he investigated the crime scene of the two dead guys, He figured out the two dead guys name was a clue to who Joker was after, he interrogated Joker. He did so much in this film and I guess it doesn't constitute him as a detective.

5. That’s not Batman’s voice:
This is the dumbest complaint in the entire film. This isn't fanboys complaining that this isn't what Batman sounds like; this is fanboys complaining Kevin Conroy’s Batman voice isn't in everything. The modern version of the character in the COMICS has a raspy, growl-like voice.

6. Batman kills Two-Face:
While they’re right, they have to take into consideration the fact that there was pretty much no way Batman could have saved Gordon’s kid without killing Harvey. They were standing near the edge of the building and Gordon’s kid was about to get shot, Batman needed to act fast since we saw Harvey had no hesitation in “killing” Batman.

Well there you have it guys and girls! These were my responses to the fanboy complaints. Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoyed the read, until next time!

Edit: Point 2 was edited after Odin, btmcclure, and AverageDrafter pointed out my confusion on The Killing Joke. I would like to thank them for that.
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GinjaNinja
GinjaNinja - 10/1/2013, 2:19 PM
Only real foul up is Wayne Tower looked nothing alike. Unless they remade it which they never said. The Penthouse I will say was a tad unrealistic. He may have survived by they both should be injured if they hit the car with enough force to smash it. But its a movie right :)
Odin
Odin - 10/1/2013, 2:19 PM
Did the real Joker use facepaint in killing joke? He's double at begin did use facepaint and green wig when he covered Joker's escape, but when did the real Joker use.
Not that Joker's war paint-look would've been any problem to me in TDK, I tought that it fit well with films realistic tone.

I may have some problems with TDK(and I don't like to bitch about them cause they really aren't that big of deal), but none of those you listed above. Harvey's death was an accident that he himself was most guilty of. Bale's Batman-voice is just easy source of parody and jokes, that's all. I believe that in comics Batman has some kind of voice-muffler in his cowl(like Green Arrow had in Smallville), maybe that's what we'll see in the reboot.
aresww3
aresww3 - 10/1/2013, 2:24 PM
In the Killing Joke The Joker does not use face paint. Sorry, he drops in a vat, But still that really isn´t the essence of who the Joker is so it shouldn´t matter. Its not a valid complaint. The real problem was with Two Face and the plot holes in the movie.
yonny616
yonny616 - 10/1/2013, 2:24 PM
@Odin Yeah he used facepaint in Killing Joke.


and Batman's voice is from how the comics describe it now.
aresww3
aresww3 - 10/1/2013, 2:28 PM
Yeah that Batman isn´t a detective thing is stupid and I´m sorry stupid voice or not Bale was excellent in the role. It may be funny while watching him in a film, but a dude grabs me by the throat in a bat mask and screams at me "SWEAR TO ME" I´d shit myself.
Good points, but there are loads of other problems with this film.
btmcclure
btmcclure - 10/1/2013, 2:32 PM
@Yonny616 I'm not disagreeing with your article but Odin was right. His double uses the face paint. It's one of the reasons Batman knows its not the real joker. That's why he's interrogating him in the last few panels. If you really want to use the killing joke for something mention that Batman actually kills joker at the end. Just everyone missed and Alan Moore decided not to bring it up again until about a month ago.
AverageDrafter
AverageDrafter - 10/1/2013, 2:37 PM
@yonny616

Wow, people are still getting that wrong? The panel there is from the beginning of the book, the Joker doesn't speak until he's grabbed, and he doesn't sound Joker like at all. Bat's rubs off the makeup which reveals him to be a double. Bats demands "Where is he?", "Do you realize what you set free?". He offers the green wig to Gordon and continues to interrogate the double.

The dialog makes no sense if that's the real Joker. The point of the makeup and wig and skittish dialog is to show its a double. You see the real Joker making his real estate "transaction" on the next page.
AverageDrafter
AverageDrafter - 10/1/2013, 2:43 PM
@btmcclure

That wasn't from Moore - that was Grant Morrison's interpretation and its been a theory since the book was publish... I don't think Moore has ever said one way or another.

Even Bollard makes a joke about it in the new recolored (a-mazing color btw) version.
btmcclure
btmcclure - 10/1/2013, 2:46 PM
@AverageDrafter oh ya you're right. I re looked it up. Sorry about that
yonny616
yonny616 - 10/1/2013, 2:50 PM
@AverageDrafter Looks like I was wrong then. I never really noticed that it was just a wig Batman was holding, all this time I thought it was just a shadow that formed over his head and Batman was pulling his hair. xD
SuperCat
SuperCat - 10/1/2013, 3:03 PM
yonny616
yonny616 - 10/1/2013, 3:05 PM
@AverageDrafter, @Btmcclure, @Odin

I changed the response and once again thanks for clearing up that confusion I had with The Killing Joke. I read it like once.
marvel72
marvel72 - 10/1/2013, 3:13 PM
it has its faults but the second best batman film.
JM4Superman
JM4Superman - 10/1/2013, 4:07 PM
Do the entire Superman film series and Batman film series
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 10/1/2013, 4:41 PM
You're going on an anti-nit-picking campaign, and bringing up things that most people are able to just not care about. But SINCE you tore that scab back off...

3. His cape opens up for a brief moment. This isn't Tomorrow Never Dies. There's no Pacific Ocean underneath them, and even then, the cape isn't enough of a parachute to soften the landing that well. The fact that they crush the car below them kind of indicates that they should be dead from the fall.

4. Informed traits. Detective stories give the audience ideas and suspects, things to form ideas around no matter how wrong they may be. One of the biggest criticisms of the first Sherlock Holmes was that there was no way in hell a reader could figure out who the suspect was because no element in the evidence points to something so arbitrary. In the Dark Knight, it's like Batman does all the work off-screen. And please, shouting and hitting the Joker is not "detecting".

6. Two-Face is a fan-favorite, personally one of my favorite Batman villains. His relationship with Batman is tragic, because Bats will always feel responsible for him, and he'll always regard his transformation as his own failure. The character has so much potential. Batman tackles him off a building.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/1/2013, 4:59 PM
The part that bothered me wasn't necessarily the fact that he survived that big fall, because as you said, he did open his cape a bit to slow the fall.

What pissed me off is that the scene ended with so many things left wide open.

1. The Joker was still up in the penthouse of that building with all of his henchmen unconscious.

2. Joker was surrounded by an entire party full of people, pretty much defenseless.

3. He was in the penthouse of THE GODDAMN BATMAN'S OWN BUILDING for christ's sake.

Now how in the hell did he get out of there? I'll give the benefit of the doubt and say that the party goers were too scared to react to an obvious psychopath. But do you mean to tell me Batmam didn't even ATTEMPT to go back in there and capture him? Its his own building, he knows it better than anyone. Joker would have had to use the stairs or elevator to get out. It should have been an easy catch. But no, the scene ends and we are to believe that Batman just laid there on the hood of that car and practically let Joker walk right out.

I hate that scene with a passion. But I still like the movie.
yonny616
yonny616 - 10/1/2013, 5:21 PM
@JM4Superman Yeah I'm doing TDK trilogy, I'm definitely doing Man of Steel. I might do the Burton films and the Donner films, but fans don't really complain about those. I won't defend the Shumacher films.

@Tainted
3. It managed to slow down the momentum and it was Batman who took most of the hit anyway. They didn't crush the car, there was a dent on the hood. It wasn't dented all the way in like it usually is in movies where someone falls onto a car.

4. He investigated a crime scene, he found the finger print with the bullet, interrogation is still detective work, even if he kicked his ass while doing it.

6. Yes, it's wasted potential. Yet we still got two face towards the end, and a glimpse of him when he's threatening the crazy guy.

@Corndog

1. He could have fled the scene. When he pushes Rachel out the window you see him start running to the side where he entered from.

2. I don't think anyone would try and attack Joker. I know I wouldn't.

3. Yeah, but Batman wasn't there.

It is wide open, but you can leave it up to the viewer. I never questioned it, I always though he managed to leave while Batman went after a falling Rachel.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/1/2013, 8:31 PM
@ yonny

What do you mean Batman wasnt there? He was on the ground right outside the building.....y'know, right after he jumped out the window and landed on the car.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 10/1/2013, 9:09 PM
Ok, then I must be an awesome detective. I can figure out what my customers want just by asking, even though they don't gimme straight answers.

I'm still trying to figure out why you made this article. No one goes out of their way to bash these aspects in a serious manner. It's not like the sum of these problems (whether you think they exist or not) kept it from being a good movie.
Highflyer
Highflyer - 10/1/2013, 11:56 PM
@yonny616 I agree with everything apart from the voice (I liked it BB but hated it in the last two) and the detective work was present but it wasn't strong or present in the movies as I wanted it to be.
yonny616
yonny616 - 10/2/2013, 3:59 AM
@Corndog He wasn't there as in he wasn't in the building. He would still have to take an elevator or run up the stairs to catch up with Joker.

@Tainted Did you investigate a crime scene, got the finger prints in the round? Interrogation IS still detective work. I did these because read the title FANBOY complaints. If you want me to respond to story complaints such as plot holes, that's a whole other article.

@Highflyer I didn't mind it. I prefer the BB voice too.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 10/2/2013, 6:22 AM
I really, really don't want you to respond to story complaints.

You're just really missing the point here. How inconsequential the fingerprint from the bullet is. You REALLY want it to be important to make your point, but it just isn't. It really isn't.

The SRU from Flashpoint are more capable than Batman is.
yonny616
yonny616 - 10/2/2013, 6:56 AM
@Tainted
It was a rhetorical question, you didn't need to answer.

No YOU'RE missing the point. There's still detective work in the film, even if it wasn't the entire focus of the film.

Now you know who's articles to stay away from.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 10/2/2013, 7:15 AM
Nah, they could be potentially hilarious. I second what JM4Superman said, do the entire Batman and Superman series.
WeaponX93
WeaponX93 - 10/2/2013, 9:29 AM
To add to the bullet thing, his fingerprint would be on the shell, not the bullet itself.
CapitanAmerika2
CapitanAmerika2 - 10/2/2013, 12:59 PM
Now are you only doing DC movies? Cause there have been lots of complaints about Marvel movies:

Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Spiderman 3
The Amazing Spiderman
The Xmen series
Captain America: The First Avenger
Thor
Iron Man 3
yonny616
yonny616 - 10/2/2013, 5:23 PM
@Vandinejd

No. I just decided to start with The Dark Knight Trilogy. I'll eventually start doing Marvel films too.
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