Throughout the next few moments we have I plan to discuss how many CBM's can be overrated, underrated, and misjudged. One major victim of criticism is The Dark Knight, with the "Nolanites" and what I consider "Marvelites", going head to head. But is this movie really underrated, or do people enjoy proving it is not a perfect movie? Here is what I think.
Many people like to prove that The Dark Knight is not a perfect movie, which it obviously isn't. But are any movies really perfect? No. When people pick apart a movie they have valid reasons, and bad reasons. So I'm going to go ahead and dive into those questions.
1. It is not realistic:
Well, no not completely, but then again it is the most realistic CBM. Besides, do we really want to sit through a six hour movie just so everything is explained? Many people had a problem with there being no history of the joker on police records. Now this would be something that is nearly impossible to do. That would take time, and recourses, all of which the Joker has. Now leaving this unexplained in the movie adds to who Joker is, a symbol. Just as Batman is a figure of hope, Joker is a figure of Anarchy, and nor Batman or Joker's identity are known. So for your viewing enjoyment, they left that out.
Now let's talk Two-Face. Two-Face obviously had a short time, but impacting time on the big screen. And many people seem to think his condition is not realistic, so let me explain a few things here. When Two-Face has half of his face burned off, a thick lair of scar tissue formed, which would eventually skin. Which is a very survivable condition, but he would be in extreme pain, and he would also need frequent drops of eye drops. So is his condition realistic? Yes. Would it be extremely painful? Yes. But yet again they make it quick and easy for your viewing pleasure.
As for the gadgets, that's a different story. Wayne Enterprise created special operations weaponry that only the elite would use, and some of the stuff is Wayne Enterprises dirty little secret. So this weaponry obviously wouldn't be available for the public. So all of the weaponry is indeed possible, but no available for the public.
2. Following story lines and actor's portrayal
Now a screenplay is its own story. It takes bits and pieces from other Batman stories, but never follows them exactly. Nolan combines stories beautifully, but doesn't follow them. So degrading the story and complaining it's campy really doesn't say anything. Of course you have Sam Raimi who would put too many characters in to a two hour movie. Some stories are flawed and make no sense, but that does not account for Nolan's movies.
Now people complain about the Joker's portrayal, and origin. For one, the Joker needs no origin. The Joker is a symbol just as Batman, and they both have hidden identities. The Joker's origin is unnecessary to the true plot line, and would be unnecessary to include. And it is really a pathetic way to degrade a movie, "Well it's not what I wanted!?” The Joker’s portrayal was realistic, and based on what Nolan wanted. Heath did a stellar job of executing the Nolan Joker. For the Nolan Joker is a version of the Joker, and is not the comic Joker. So why degrade Heath's performance when it was never meant to be the "comic-like" Joker?
Many People also complain about Nolan taking loop holes to solve problems. In some cases yes, but for a reason. A movie is fast paced and easy to understand, and making some things lengthy would ruin its purpose. But all of those short cuts are easy, and make sense. And that’s all that matters to the movie goers. Nolan seems to be making movies for the people, and not the critic that makes himself feel better by pointing out the obvious.
3.Conclusion
Many articles I find show picky people eating at parts of a movie that are easily explained or were put that way for a purpose. People try and prove that The Dark Knight is not a perfect movie, and it isn't. But when put side-by-side with other CBM's, it is far superior. In my mind the most overrated and flaw filled movies are that of the new run on the Avengers characters. Were too busy complaining about The Dark Knight that we don't see the flaws in other movies. No movie is perfect, it is just a matter of which one is better, and The Dark Knight is Superior. In the end people should stop complaining about The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight was hyped up because of Heath Ledger's death, but the hype was worth it, because The Dark Knight is a great movie. It was hyped up, but not successful because of Heath's death. Is it Overrated, No! It deserves every bit of its reconization, because the movie was great, and Heath was great. People went to see the movie because they heard it was great, and they also heard the news of a great portrayal by Heath Ledger. So in the end we need to stop complaining about a great movies great success and move on.
Thank you, and feel free to express your opinion on the matter.