7. Magic Brace
During a visit to see Jim Gordon, disguised as a hospital check-up, a doctor tells Bruce that cartilage in his knees is non-existent and that his health is deteriorated. He ends his speech by recommending that Bruce not go heli-skiing. The billionaire playboy chooses to ignore him and though he doesn’t go heli-skiing, let’s just say that what Bruce does go on to do for the rest of the movie probably would’ve disappointed the doctor.
It’s possible that Bruce could have planted fake X-Rays, but there really wouldn’t have been a point to that. We do know that Bruce is somewhat in shape, due to an earlier archery scene with Selina, but his leg brace appears painful, so not all of his deterioration was feigned.
It’s hard to believe that this “magic brace” got him in working condition, to the point where he demolished bricks with a roundhouse kick, in such a short period of time.
Now, that being said, I’ve read reports that this technology does exist for military use, but only in prototype form. While it’s likely that Bruce could have access to it, it’s still a bit of a stretch.
6. Talia’s Death
While racing to Jim Gordon, John Blake’s car rolls over. He emerges from the wreckage completely fine and continues his journey. Bruce’s failed attempts to climb out of the Pit end with him falling from a jump, causing the rope to drop his body in a motion that implies agony or death. But, just as Blake did, Bruce appears relatively uninjured from the experience.
Then we come to another scene in the film. During a car chase for the fusion bomb, Batman forces Talia’s caravan off the road. It crashes and Talia dies moments after. Now, I’m not saying that a car crash can’t kill someone and yes, I know that it’s just a movie but still, to kill off one of the film’s main villains in such an insignificant way seems a bit careless to me.
Compared to the death-defying actions of Bruce and Blake, Talia shouldn’t have died from a mere collision, her death should have been more fitting and more believable. Her reveal as a villain only came shortly before her death and it would have been nice to of seen her face off against Batman in another setting, not just a car chase.
5. Prison Inmates Are Supportive And Care About Your Well-Being
While it’s described as hell on earth, with prisoners who are horrifically brutal, instead, we get a prison of nice, old people who are willing to fix you up, talk to you, and cheer on your escape. There’s also free TV.
We can assume that since Talia last visited, she implemented rules and restrictions, but making the inmates almost benign in comparison to Gotham’s ilk does detract from the Pit’s reputation.
It’s clear that its inhabitants are vicious and savage with their treatment of others, as seen by flashbacks, but that’s not how it was when Bruce was there. Despite the horrid descriptions we hear about the Pit, I don’t think Bruce would agree with them.
4. Bruce’s Back Was Fixed Medieval Prison Medicine Style
This is probably one of my bigger gripes about the movie.
Bane broke Bruce’s back in a brutal fashion and despite what you may choose to believe, in no way does hanging out in a rope cure those injuries. Exercising afterwards would have only exacerbated his recovery and what he was eating and drinking wasn’t nearly nutritious enough to help his body heal or rebuild protein.
In the Batman comic there’s a story arc titled Knightfall, during which Bane broke Batman’s back to the point where recovery through conventional means was nearly impossible, despite the fact that Bruce had the support of his technology and was still living in Gotham. Numerous rehabilitation sessions and ultimately, an encounter involving superpowers, fixes Bruce’s spine. But even with his back fixed, Bruce had to undergo training from one of the world’s greatest martial artists, Lady Shiva, in order to return to his former physique.
The Dark Knight Rises had a common theme of surpassing limitations, but the quick fix rope tug isn’t a plausible option for even a short-term recovery.
Click below to continue reading.
Published: Jul 23, 2012 07:18 pm