Copacabana

The Salem Witch Trials weren't just a river in Egypt

Okay, here's my Dark Knight deconstruction:

I liked it. It surprised me. Heath Ledger was great. Do I think it was the greatest movie ever? No. Morgan Freeman was, however, in the greatest movie ever and it was called The Shawshank Redemption (get better Morgan!).

But here's what I found most interesting: I think it's fair to say that a great many comic book geeks might publicly decry something I've no doubt attracts them to Batman as the Dark Knight. I offer up this dialogue from the film for consideration:

Bruce Wayne: People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?
Alfred Pennyworth: Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it. But that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.

For the most part, the Batman writers, especially Frank Miller who was responsible for the revamped Dark Knight series, recognize that people as a general rule ostracize those who refuse to follow society's rules. The people of Gotham hate Batman because -- which the Joker takes great delight in pointing out -- he's just not like them. He colors outside the lines and follows his own rules based on his own understanding of right from wrong.

All these people who flocked to this movie and admire Batman as a total badass would -- if a person such as this existed -- and the point I'm making here is that they do even if in a slightly less flamboyant form -- hate, hate, hate him. And ostracize him. And kick him to the curb. And call him evil. And side with his enemies. This is our flaky human nature. And it's well understood.

What's fascinating is that I'll bet most of these people -- who say "greatest movie ever!" and love, love love Batman -- would never admit that they would be the haters who called for the head of the Batman on a stick. They would be the ones on the ferry boats seriously discussing blowing each other up.

But the Batman would believe in you and he would spit in the face of the Jokers who didn't. Would you come through for him and toss that detonator out the window or put it back in the box? Or would you save your own skin and then call for the Batman to be taken down because what he asks of you by believing in you is just too hard, dammit?

And that was the best thing about the film. Christopher Nolan throws those moral ambiguities in our faces and always with a "this is a real issue" flourish and then, just as quickly, reminds us that this is a film and it does have a Hollywood ending. If we're lucky enough, we leave the theater marveling at the irony of our hero-worship for the Batman while publicly reviling those like him in real-life.

Fascinating.

Also, Christian Bale is almost painfully attractive. I mean my God...

I've been listening to this song over and over again lately. I like to turn it up loud in my car and sing at the top of my lungs while driving. I'm aware that's kinda weird so don't look at me like that...

UPDATE: AAAAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!! Bless you Onion. Bless you...

posted by Lola @ 2:12 PM