The Dark Knight is not oscar-worthy.

Greetings to my opponent and many thanks for starting this debate. In todays case, if I manage to properly contend whatever flaw PRO brings to the table or manage to demonstrate how these flaws aren't enough to deem the film not worthy of an oscar, then my job as the contender shall be fulfilled and you shall have no choice but to vote CON. The instigator's one an only argument is that Harvey's Dent's transformation into a villain was awful. However, from this complaint as well as his Darth Vader comparison, it is quite obvious that he misunderstood the meaning behind Dent as well as the actions of the Joker. #1. There were two ingredients in Harvey's fall to the evil side. The first one was Rachel Dawes. The second was the idea that there was good in Gotham and that it could thus be saved from the evil which was manifesting itself daily in the city. Before proceeding, I shall discuss both of these ingredients. a)Rachel Dawes. Her death was more of a heavy blow than PRO has suggested: In the film, it was made clear that Harvey clinged to Rachel for support moreso than one could fathom. Even during the party scene (before the Joker had arrived), we see Harvey confiding to Rachel about not knowing anyone else at the party and that he didn't wish for her to leave him alone with the other guest. Clearly from this scene as well as his description of her while he and her were dining with Bruce at a restaurant earlier in the film, we can gather that Harvey considered Rachel to be his pillar of support. In fact, one could even suggest that this was his reason for making her his legal partner as well as his reason for proposing to her. b) Dent believed and was strongly convicted towards change in gotham. We have plenty of reason to believe in Harvey's convictions. Whether it be at the beginning of the film where he willingly takes down an armed criminal in court (hence risking his own life), where he seeks out James Gordan (one of the few honest police officials in Gotham) just so that he may work with Batman (a vigilante; a violator of the law, yet someone who was focused towards change in Gotham) or where he willingly gives up his own freedom (by claiming that he is Batman) in order to insure that Batman manages to continue existing, we know where Mr. dent stands. #2. The Joker was well aware of both of the ingredients that made Harvey Dent. If both of these ingredients were stricken from the formula, the white Knight of Gotham would become the villain we came to know as Two Face. The Joker knew this was possible just as he knew that ANYONE COULD BE CORRUPTED IF WHAT THEY VALUED THE MOST WAS UTTERLY COMPROMISED! Thus, over the course of the film, we saw the Joker's plots and plans effect Harvey's two ingredients for his life. In terms there being good people in gotham and that it could be changed, Harvey began to see otherwise when approached with the fact that many of the individuals in the city were connected with the Joker or to mobsters. Essentially, this gives him the idea that everyone has been corrupted (hence, why he nearly kills a man, only to be stopped by Batman)(incidentally, contrary to what PRO says, this is the Nolan's way of demonstrating Dent's main charactacter flaw so early in the film). This begins to give him the idea that no one can be trusted, hence why he tells Rachel that she cannot trust anyone in the city when going into hiding from the Joker. In terms of Rachel herself, we see that Mrs. Dawes is blown to smithereens due to clever planning of the Joker. It is at this point in the film that Harvey is brought to Gotham's hospital only to have his fateful conversation with the Joker. At first, Harvey wants to avenge Rachel's death, but the Joker merely sees this as an opportunity to dismantle Harvey's remaining ingredient for being the white Knight of Gotham. During the course of the conversation, he reinforces Harvey's idea that Gotham is all too corrupted and that there is no one who can be trusted. He then goes on to give Harvey the idea that it was the corrupt people of Gotham (Commissioner Gordan included) who ultimately caused Rachel's death). Harvey, already having been emotionally disturbed due to Rachel's death as well as the corruption of gotham, simply goes over the edge due to the Joker's words. This causes him to completely turn towards the only system of justice which is not corruptible; this causes him to turn towards Chance. It is by chance that he doesn't murder the Joker. #3. There is one crucial difference between StarWars and The Dark Knight. The film isn't centered around Harvey Dent (contrary to StarsWars being centered around Vader). Two Face is simply nothing more than a tool of the film's true centric villain (The Joker) that is being used to establish a point, thus more character development would simply be a waste of time given that it would be unnecessary. Thus, I have answered this so-called "flaw" in TDK and now await R2. :D