Why are some English movies so hard to understand? (The Dark Knight)
I just saw the Dark Knight, which is a highly rated film. I didn't finish cause I was having a hard time understanding the story. Not only was I having difficulty hearing the characters speak but also the story was really complicated and these two factors come hand in hand. (By the way Joker is relatively easy to understand, cause he speaks more slowly),

This frustrates me. I thought I was doing fine with listening. I am actually doing OK with TV shows such as That '70s show or Family Guy or Friends. Without any subtitles, I understand 80% of the show. I've been putting a lot of effort to improve listening, for about two years. I would watch some movies again and again just to practise.

But the American guy who was also watching the Dark Knight (we rent it) said he didn't follow batman much either, so this makes me feel better.

Here is my questions:

1. to those native speakers who have seen the Dark Knight, did you understand very well?

2. does one need to learn special vocabulary to better understand certain types of movies? eg I don't have much understanding of the american police or law system and this movie deals with it a lot?

3. If I keep giving a lot of effort to listening, how long time do I need to be able to understand the most complicated movies such as Dark Knight?

Question

Why are some English movies so hard to understand? (The Dark Knight)
I just saw the Dark Knight, which is a highly rated film. I didn't finish cause I was having a hard time understanding the story. Not only was I having difficulty hearing the characters speak but also the story was really complicated and these two factors come hand in hand. (By the way Joker is relatively easy to understand, cause he speaks more slowly),

This frustrates me. I thought I was doing fine with listening. I am actually doing OK with TV shows such as That '70s show or Family Guy or Friends. Without any subtitles, I understand 80% of the show. I've been putting a lot of effort to improve listening, for about two years. I would watch some movies again and again just to practise.

But the American guy who was also watching the Dark Knight (we rent it) said he didn't follow batman much either, so this makes me feel better.

Here is my questions:

1. to those native speakers who have seen the Dark Knight, did you understand very well?

2. does one need to learn special vocabulary to better understand certain types of movies? eg I don't have much understanding of the american police or law system and this movie deals with it a lot?

3. If I keep giving a lot of effort to listening, how long time do I need to be able to understand the most complicated movies such as Dark Knight?

Answer

Your writtten English is very good, and you seem to have little trouble with television "sit-coms" (Situation Comedies).  I think I can suggest another reason you have a problem with some of the movies - because I have the same problem.  

Lately I've been having a heck of a time understanding the dialog in a lot of movies.  By the way, English is my native language.  I was born and raised in Chicago.  But now, when I rent DVDs I find that I have to replay many scenes, sometimes several times, to understand what was said.  At first I thought that maybe my hearing was going bad - I'm an old guy - LOL.  But several of my younger friends claim they have a similar problem.  So we watched a couple older movies, then a recent movie and figured it out.  

Zooey is on the right track with her explanation (above).  It is the way movies are produced.  Among other things the volume of the background sound, especially the music, is so loud that it obscures the lines spoken by the actors.

Try this yourself.  Watch a movie produced 10 or 15 years ago, then watch a recent one, even something like the last "Pirates of the Carribean" movie and you'll see what I mean. It is as if the producers think they need to amaze us with special effects and sound instead of giving us some dialog to think about.

Answer

you are joking. the dark knight is pretty easy to undersand already. though i am not a native speaker and both my writtting and hearing are terrible (propably because of the terrible education i got in china, our english teachers and examination are really strictly teaching us the chinglish). i can still undertand part of the batman without the subtitle. you shall probably  try something like sherlock homes. it almost drives me crazy and burns my head off. most of the time i can't understand a single word of what it says, even with the subtitle!  
i know it's partially due to my limitation of vocabulary and pronunciation, but they speak really damn fast...i am always curious how people can understand each with such a high speed. maybe they have a special brain...

Answer

Hi,  I also share your frustration and it's not just with this movie. I find it easier to understand dialogue in the movie theatre. The sound suffers once a movie's on DVD.

Answer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2yv8aT0UFc

Many people realise his voice is funny/ridiculous/incoherent!

Very funny video and I think your written language is pretty well and I'm sure your listening comprehension is too... ^^

Answer

You have to realize batman is a cultural icon in America. he is like superman or spiderman. 

as for the dark night, it was unique and batman's voice was very deep. I did not have a problem following the film, but i can see how it might be hard. 

Did you see the prequel to this movie? maybe if you knew more background you might follow it. 

Also a lot more movies that come out these days have more thinking involved, and if they give hints based on American ideals/slang words/American knowledge, i could see why you cant grasp it completely. 

can i ask what you didn't fully grab, was it his voice, or was it the word choice they used.
If you have never been to america, and dont know our full system, you may never fully comprehend our movies that are based around it. it does not make you dumb, because i have a feeling i will never fully understand japanese but that doesnt hurt my feelings.