Dark Knight; Darker Day

So I've been waiting for the new Batman movie for ages. Like a lot of people.

Today was a good day for hookey, so I took advantage of the lull in lawyerly e-mails indulge myself.

It was a good movie, but not the movie I wanted to see. Heath Ledger was great. Christian Bale's Batman remains to die for. I'd been so looking forward to seeing Batman evolve and especially to watching the layers of complexity woven into his relationship with Rachel Dawes (who THANK GOD is now played by Maggie Gyllenhall). But there we have the big letdown. You see, Rachel Dawes dies at the Joker's hands. Batman doesn't save her. And even worse, Rachel Dawes doesn't want Batman, she wants Harvey Dent. The worst sin of all, though, is that Batman doesn't even mourn her.

I struggle to understand why these choices were made. Why can't Batman's love for Rachel and the wholly valid reasons which keep them apart be used as a way to develop Batman's divided personality? I've been thinking about this all day. If I figure it out, I'll let you know.