Friday, July 18, 2008

The Dark Hype

Christopher Nolan's latest macabre superhero film is out. I dunno, you might have heard of it . . . It's called The Dark Knight, or something.

The Batman mythos is celebrated for its dark, mature, often psychological themes; something at which I take issue with. The Bruce Wayne character is essentially a billionaire vigilante nutcase with a proclivity for wearing capes and masks. Does that sound dark? Or mature? Not really . . . Because despite constant attempts to legitimize the hokeyness surrounding the almost 70-year-old character, at the end of the day it's still a fantasy and it's still a superhero story.

My experiences with Batman have been bittersweet, with the sweet to bitter ratio at about 3:4. Because for every "brilliant re-imagining" of the character, there's always a few Adam West/Joel Schumacher cockups right around the corner. Despite being let down several times, I still feel that I am invested nostalgically to the character. I was around for the 1989 Batman-mania that ensued as a result of Tim Burton's film. I saw it in the theaters, played the NES game, and even had that ubiquitous t-shirt.


I am eager to see The Dark Knight, but I've noticed an alarming trend in people loving it before they've seen it. It's for that reason that I am going to approach the movie with a bit of trepidation, and try not to let the avalanche of hype influence my opinions on it. I'm also avoiding the opening weekend shows, as well. Hollering nerds and fanboys could have a negative effect on my judgment.

So, enjoy the movie everyone! I know all you assholes are gonna see it. I'll leave you with photos of the most embarrassing moments in Batman history.

. . . . . .

Prince is lucky he's such a bad ass . . .

Yeah. I would've voted for him, too.

If it weren't for Michael Clayton, I don't think I'd be able to forgive you, George.

Keep in mind, this guy makes over $20 million per movie.

Who needs to work out when your shirt has fully articulated faux-abs?

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