*caution may contain spoilers*caution may contain spoilers* caution*caution*caution*
The Dark Knight was nothing short of cinematic beauty. And while I could probably write an entire entry on the significance of this poster alone, I'll stick with my review.
While watching the Dark Knight it's not hard to be overcome by your senses and sensibility. Which way do you look? Which wrong do you right? Which life do you save? That was the first movie in a long time that actually put fear inside me, and not cheap fear that a horror picture can give, but one rich with history and intellect.
This may be an off-base comparison—and is certainly not meant to dismantle the integrity of this movie or put it on the same level of—but villainous Joker vaguely reminded me of the villain in the SAW movies. I know I know that may piss some people off but give me a minute on the comparison. What do the two villains have in common? They do not hunt out money or fame, but rather have the goal of the self destruction of people. They allow choice. People killing people. Obviously willing to provide assistance in the matter these villains wanted to see choices being made.
The choice of life and death is one of the greatest villains of all time. What is worse, seeing an unattached villain kill for the sake of killing, or knowing that someone you love chose to save another life over your own? In the movie, this choice of who deserves to live and die is given to a boat full of prisoners and civilians, the Batman, the commissioner, and most importantly the audience. And no, this is not an interactive movie like those choose your own adventure books (which I still think is a great movie concept) but the director certainly had shock value and moral dilemma ever present in my mind. I would never let Batman die—at least not now, and neither did he. Sometimes you need a hero, but other times you need a scapegoat, a reason, a villain.
I actually loved the ending for this reason. The ultimate decision was to do what was right for Gotham, not necessarily what was true. We often give our power to authority and trust that what we are told is what is best for the good of the people and not just one person. Control prevents chaos. When power is given to a troop saturated in corruption, more corruption and evil is sure to follow in its footsteps. What makes it okay? A wrong that needs to be righted is cause enough for violence in most minds. War, exhibit A. I was told at a very young age by a teacher that a single rotten apple can spoil a bunch (her reason for punishing the whole class and not just the one who caused the problem). One loud theater-goer can create a boisterous mass. Once again we are faced with the age-old do two wrongs make a right? Our ultimate will demands goodness, but we are all capable of evil.
1 comment:
Crap, you wrote a better entry than me on Batman.
I agree though. The film raises a lot of great points and that's what makes it so good. It's rich with these fascinating chooses and reasons of the characters. I love the ending of what Batman has become and how much bigger it is. I said before it's less of Batman's movie but at the end, he's still the most important character for what he's doing for Gotham.
One thing I love is how in the film, Harvey pretends to be Batman to stop the Joker crimes and in the end, Batman pretends to be the killer of Harvey's victims. It's all very ironic and symbolic of what the two characters are/were trying to do and be for Gotham. Unfortunately, Dent doesn't really pull through with his symbol.
In Batman Begins, I believe the quote is "It's not who I am underneath, but what I *do* that defines me." - The theme of actions and chooses still continue on in the sequel.
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