Bryant Delafosse's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-dark-knight"
Do we still need heroes? The Dark Knight’s place in Popular Culture
In the wake of the tragic events in Aurora, Colorado, the inevitable question was asked in the media if our modern culture might have created the monster that can murder ordinary people going to a midnight screening of a Batman movie. I’ve heard this sort of argument before and my first reaction is that a single piece of popular culture (like Christopher Nolan’s Batman series) might have a powerful influence, but it takes an individual that is already considerably damaged to use it in such a horrific way.
Terrorists have been using Holy texts for centuries to justify their bloodshed, and that doesn’t make those texts evil in and of themselves.
So, I saw The Dark Knight Rises last Saturday, so I could see firsthand this movie I’d heard some criticize as pessimistic, ultra-violent and the reason why this madman may have targeted innocent people.
Here’s the bottom-line for me. The Dark Knight Rises is a movie about the inner strength and will-power which makes an ordinary individual a hero, and in no way glorifies the villain of the story or the evil that he commits.
There’s a line from the movie delivered by Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne to Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon that defines a hero. Referencing his first meeting with Gordon as a child just after his parents’ murders, Bruce Wayne says, “A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended.”
That’s a damn good line! And it drives home the point that in reality, heroes rarely wear capes.
Three of the top four grossing movies so far this year are based on classic comic book characters: the Avengers, Spiderman and Batman. (The remaining movie of the four is the adaptation of The Hunger Games, a story which portrays a classic heroine named Katniss.)
Is it coincidence that our popular culture is loaded with superheroes or is it a sign of the times? Well, the times we live in are bleak. Record unemployment. Gas and food prices are the highest in recent memory. Just as we turned to Spiderman, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Lord of the Rings during the year following the 9-11 attacks, we as a culture seem to be once again seeking comfort in a positive message. Good overcomes evil.
If you look at the other side of the coin, during the prosperity of the 1980’s, a lot of popular movies seemed to revolve around anti-heroes like Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger from the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street series.
It’s almost as if we try and seek equilibrium between culture and reality.
The Dark Knight Rises though dark and oppressive as advertised, ultimately leaves its audience with a positive message. Evil can be overcome and happiness--though never assured--can be pursued.
On a purely gut level, The Avengers and The Amazing Spiderman released earlier this summer were lighter and more fun viewing experiences. But all of these movies gave us our hero “fix” in an otherwise depressing economic year.
It is escapism in its purest, most unadulterated form and reminds us why we all go to the movies in the first place. We need our heroes, if for no other reason but to remind us that every struggle has a resolution, and every day that begins in darkness ultimately ends with a sunset.
And just when you thought every big budget hero epic had been released this year, another classic literary figure is adapted for the big screen this December when the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit will be released.
Don't know about you, but I'll be there!
Bryant Delafosse is the author of The Mall for Amazon Kindle & is preparing for the launch of his new novel Hallowed coming in October. An excerpt from the upcoming novel is included at the end of The Mall.
Terrorists have been using Holy texts for centuries to justify their bloodshed, and that doesn’t make those texts evil in and of themselves.
So, I saw The Dark Knight Rises last Saturday, so I could see firsthand this movie I’d heard some criticize as pessimistic, ultra-violent and the reason why this madman may have targeted innocent people.
Here’s the bottom-line for me. The Dark Knight Rises is a movie about the inner strength and will-power which makes an ordinary individual a hero, and in no way glorifies the villain of the story or the evil that he commits.
There’s a line from the movie delivered by Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne to Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon that defines a hero. Referencing his first meeting with Gordon as a child just after his parents’ murders, Bruce Wayne says, “A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended.”
That’s a damn good line! And it drives home the point that in reality, heroes rarely wear capes.
Three of the top four grossing movies so far this year are based on classic comic book characters: the Avengers, Spiderman and Batman. (The remaining movie of the four is the adaptation of The Hunger Games, a story which portrays a classic heroine named Katniss.)
Is it coincidence that our popular culture is loaded with superheroes or is it a sign of the times? Well, the times we live in are bleak. Record unemployment. Gas and food prices are the highest in recent memory. Just as we turned to Spiderman, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Lord of the Rings during the year following the 9-11 attacks, we as a culture seem to be once again seeking comfort in a positive message. Good overcomes evil.
If you look at the other side of the coin, during the prosperity of the 1980’s, a lot of popular movies seemed to revolve around anti-heroes like Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger from the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street series.
It’s almost as if we try and seek equilibrium between culture and reality.
The Dark Knight Rises though dark and oppressive as advertised, ultimately leaves its audience with a positive message. Evil can be overcome and happiness--though never assured--can be pursued.
On a purely gut level, The Avengers and The Amazing Spiderman released earlier this summer were lighter and more fun viewing experiences. But all of these movies gave us our hero “fix” in an otherwise depressing economic year.
It is escapism in its purest, most unadulterated form and reminds us why we all go to the movies in the first place. We need our heroes, if for no other reason but to remind us that every struggle has a resolution, and every day that begins in darkness ultimately ends with a sunset.
And just when you thought every big budget hero epic had been released this year, another classic literary figure is adapted for the big screen this December when the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit will be released.
Don't know about you, but I'll be there!
Bryant Delafosse is the author of The Mall for Amazon Kindle & is preparing for the launch of his new novel Hallowed coming in October. An excerpt from the upcoming novel is included at the end of The Mall.
