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**Jeritron** · 07-30-2008, 06:49 PM

That would have been a common popcorn film's approach looking to keep people busy for 2 hours and not do anything meaningful other than secure a teaser for the next installment, but this instead resolved his story as the climax of the entire film, since it built to it.
I feel leaving it as a cliffhanger would have diminished this film, and left it empty without a real emotional climax or closure to Dent's story.
It also would have left the next film shallow.

The entire point of the Harvey Dent fall from grace was that it happened briefly and was damaging to the entire city's morale, thus the need to conceal it.
In the next film, he would have had to impact the whole city and it would have diminished his character as we saw him become just another freak. It also would have taken away from the characters of Gordon and Batman. The film would have still worked, but it wouldn't be as great as it is. It was his movie, that's why he closes the film and the Joker doesn't. Saving him for the next flick would make this film just a great comic book movie and the next film likely the same.
Instead, they created a full character arch and meaningful story that has garnered the emotional impact and response that it has.

The most interesting and powerful part of Harvey Dent is and always has been his story as a great man and his initial origin story and fall from grace. His revenge and the shock of his turn on friends Batman and Gordon are the only powerful elements of his character. After that, he's one dimensional and becomes a regular bad guy on the shelf of the rogues gallery.
Saving Two Face for part 3 would have been a poor choice, and bringing him back would be even worse. That's because theres simply no more to tell, and if you left him for part 3 after the hospital bed scene, there wouldn't be much to tell either. It would be brief and wouldn't fit into the story the way it did here.
He's a symbol for the whole theme of the film in fact, it all stems from the line "you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
This is told through Harvey Dent, and we see it's effects on the protagonist Batman in the end.

07-30-2008, 06:49 PM	#797
Jeritron Get a poke on Posts: 35,234	That would have been a common popcorn film's approach looking to keep people busy for 2 hours and not do anything meaningful other than secure a teaser for the next installment, but this instead resolved his story as the climax of the entire film, since it built to it. I feel leaving it as a cliffhanger would have diminished this film, and left it empty without a real emotional climax or closure to Dent's story. It also would have left the next film shallow. The entire point of the Harvey Dent fall from grace was that it happened briefly and was damaging to the entire city's morale, thus the need to conceal it. In the next film, he would have had to impact the whole city and it would have diminished his character as we saw him become just another freak. It also would have taken away from the characters of Gordon and Batman. The film would have still worked, but it wouldn't be as great as it is. It was his movie, that's why he closes the film and the Joker doesn't. Saving him for the next flick would make this film just a great comic book movie and the next film likely the same. Instead, they created a full character arch and meaningful story that has garnered the emotional impact and response that it has. The most interesting and powerful part of Harvey Dent is and always has been his story as a great man and his initial origin story and fall from grace. His revenge and the shock of his turn on friends Batman and Gordon are the only powerful elements of his character. After that, he's one dimensional and becomes a regular bad guy on the shelf of the rogues gallery. Saving Two Face for part 3 would have been a poor choice, and bringing him back would be even worse. That's because theres simply no more to tell, and if you left him for part 3 after the hospital bed scene, there wouldn't be much to tell either. It would be brief and wouldn't fit into the story the way it did here. He's a symbol for the whole theme of the film in fact, it all stems from the line "you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." This is told through Harvey Dent, and we see it's effects on the protagonist Batman in the end.