The Dark Knight Rises The Harvey Dent Act: what does it mean for Batman?

[Blue Sugar]

I am so happy that the character Harvey Dent/Two Face lives on after his death in TDKR. He was such a great character in TDK. Yeah everyone talked about and loved Heath's Joker but to me Eckhart was just as great of a Two-Face.

Infact even though I love Heath as The Joker just as much as anyone else I'm tired of him stealing all the spotlight when talking about TDK. To me Eckhart, Bale and Oldman were also brilliant in thier own different ways and roles. That was also my first thought coming out of the theater after all the Heath hype before it.

 

[Brain Damage]

I am so happy that the character Harvey Dent/Two Face lives on after his death in TDKR. He was such a great character in TDK. Yeah everyone talked about and loved Heath's Joker but to me Eckhart was just as great of a Two-Face.

Infact even though I love Heath as The Joker just as much as anyone else I'm tired of him stealing all the spotlight when talking about TDK. To me Eckhart, Bale and Oldman were also brilliant in thier own different ways and roles. That was also my first thought coming out of the theater after all the Heath hype before it.

The trifecta of Batman, Dent and Gordon was probably my favorite part of the film. All three actors were superb in their roles, never overplaying it.
I get shivers whenever I watch the GCPD rooftop scene, and I'm sure any Long Halloween fans get the same vibe.

 

[Rocketman]

I personally don't think there was a "strongest link" in TDK. Everything was critical and exactly where it needed to be. Saying Joker was better than Dent is kind of odd to me, because both served entirely different roles. Even Rachel was incredibly important in that film (as much as I didn't care for the character in general).

 

[kvz5]

Honestly I think I will have more fondness for Rachel if we only had one actress play her in the 2 movies and it didn't feel like she had multiple personality disorder.

 

[AnneFan]

Honestly I think I will have more fondness for Rachel if we only had one actress play her in the 2 movies and it didn't feel like she had multiple personality disorder.

Agreed. Maggie was better, but anyone has to admit it would've resonated a lot more if we saw Katie tied up in that warehouse set to blow.

 

[lordofthenerds]

Rachel in The Dark Knight felt like a totally different character than the Katie Holmes character from BB.

I didn't like either of them to be honest.

 

[kvz5]

Yeah it almost felt like she was written differently after they found out that a different actress will be playing her. That added to the disconnection.

 

[genraider]

Rachel in The Dark Knight felt like a totally different character than the Katie Holmes character from BB.

I didn't like either of them to be honest.

I agree with this. I'm actually kind of glad Nolan didn't overdo the Bruce\Rachel love story because I just cannot find any reason to like the character.

 

[kvz5]

Well at least now we have Selina/Catwoman.

 

[Papa G]

I said it before, and I'll say it again-who cares about Rachel? I felt NOTHING when she was killed off except for respect for the Joker. She was merely a (clever) plot device. I'll be happy when we get some well-developed female characters in TDKR-Anne seems perfect for Selina, and I'm glad they decided to write her in 'cause no Batman story would be complete without her.

 

[Brain Damage]

I feel like if I started a "I Don't Hate Rachel" bandwagon it would be a lonely ride.

 

[munchie64]

I feel like if I started a "I Don't Hate Rachel" bandwagon it would be a lonely ride.

I'd join. t: I was sad when she died.

 

[Sharkboy]

I always thought the assistant to the DA role should have naturally been Harvey Dent in BB. Think about it, bruce and harvey as childhood friends...imagine the added emotional weight TDK would have had. If they wanted romance in BB they should have just added Talia IMO.

So yeah the rachel character never clicked with me.

 

[munchie64]

I always thought the assistant to the DA role should have naturally been Harvey Dent in BB. Think about it, bruce and harvey as childhood friends...imagine the added emotional weight TDK would have had. If they wanted romance in BB they should have just added Talia IMO.

So yeah the rachel character never clicked with me.

Wasn't it going to be, but the studio wanted a female character?

 

[kvz5]

Wasn't it going to be, but the studio wanted a female character?

Yup. That's how I remembered it too.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Rachel Daweson's Creek.

 

[DKDetective]

Yup. That's how I remembered it too.

Wow, I wish I could erase that from my brain because it would have made Nolan's Bat trilogy even more awesome. Harvey's arc would have been perfect. Its one flaw was that it felt rushed a bit in TDK. Jeez... I can't get it out of my head now.

 

[iamcitizen]

Yup. That's how I remembered it too.

Is there any actual proof of that? I mean, it seems like something the studio might do, but have Nolan or Goyer ever actually said that in an interview or anything, or is it just a conspiracy theory?

Rachel is very consistent with the type of female leads Goyer usually writes in his movies, and every movie Nolan has written features a romantic subplot, so I'm not buying that the Rachel character was forced on them by the studio.

 

[Sharkboy]

First I ever heard of it outside of fan speculation. If it was ever legit it definitely didn't make it outside of the pitch stage. WB (and rightfully so) were really treating that film as your run of the mill action blockbuster. They really seemed to want to cover their usual bases with this film.

Remember that Nickelback tv spot that focused on Rachel and Bruce's romantic subplot? Jeez how far we've come.

I'm glad that Talia and Catwoman are in this film, because they are the only two natural romance stories i could ever see in a batman film.

 

[Herolee10]

First I ever heard of it outside of fan speculation. If it was ever legit it definitely didn't make it outside of the pitch stage. WB (and rightfully so) were really treating that film as your run of the mill action blockbuster. They really seemed to want to cover their usual bases with this film.

Remember that Nickelback tv spot that focused on Rachel and Bruce's romantic subplot? Jeez how far we've come.

I'm glad that Talia and Catwoman are in this film, because they are the only two natural romance stories i could ever see in a batman film.

Speaking of which, I had read somewhere that Nolan and Goyer had intended on bringing in Harvey Dent into BB but they supposedly felt that they wouldn't be able to do his character justice with everything that was going on in the film already.

 

[Brain Damage]

\

Remember that Nickelback tv spot that focused on Rachel and Bruce's romantic subplot? Jeez how far we've come.

[YT]yM3_e6o6p3I[/YT]

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
(but on the plus side it reminded me of the pre-BB excitement, we were still unsure of the final product)

 

[Sharkboy]

Speaking of which, I had read somewhere that Nolan and Goyer had intended on bringing in Harvey Dent into BB but they supposedly felt that they wouldn't be able to do his character justice with everything that was going on in the film already.

Doesn't really make all that much sense though, considering how much Harvey had to do without a real introduction or origin to his character in TDK. He just showed up as Rachel's DA boyfriend.

Rachel's role sounds like it was a romantic interest mixed in with an existing written role for Harvey dent. So i wouldn't put it past them to have combined it.

 

[iamcitizen]

Rachel's role sounds like it was a romantic interest mixed in with an existing written role for Harvey dent. So i wouldn't put it past them to have combined it.

Yeah, I agree with that. Instead of giving Batman a male ally in the form of a crusading assistant DA and a love interest/girlfriend, they combined the two into a single character. I just don't think it was studio meddling, I think it was probably something the writers came up with on their own.

 

[munchie64]

I think it was studio meddling, but in the very early stages (probably the pitch, as stated before). Early enough that the writers ended up liking it as well.

 

[-Catwoman-]

If there really is a "Harvey Dent Act", then I'm sure it has something to do with Batman. He did take the blame for Harvey's death. Plus, Batman took the blame so Harvey could inspire. The act may banish Batman, while inspiring Gotham to clean up crime.

Wait, I thought Dent didnt die. I thought they left that part a little open ended. I was led to believe that he was unconscious at end of the dark knight.