Becoming The Dark Knight Research Paper

1665 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Comparison Between Comic Book Movies and Superhero Films

Becoming the Villain The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is widely acclaimed as not only the greatest comic book movie of all time, but also one of Nolan’s finest masterpieces. This may not seem very grandiose, but when you consider the likes of Memento, Inception, The Prestige, and now Dunkirk, it’s quite the feat for a comic book adaptation to be amongst the best works of one of the more philosophical filmmakers. Through the lens of the superhero genre, Nolan takes an in-depth look at identity, with how we see ourselves, how the world sees us, and how we wish to be seen. Nolan loves to take a central theme and run to the hills with it, and with the theme of identity being very apparent in the traditional superhero genre, it works perfectly. Take, for …show more content…

In it, Ross states that “movies have long since been a battleground on which ideologies have fought, consciously or unconsciously” (Filmish 131). The comic book medium, ironically enough, is the most prominent setting for clashing ideologies. Ever since the idea of a superhero was cemented into the minds of many, we’ve had a power struggle. Captain America and Hydra is all about truth, justice, and the American way facing off against the corruption of Nazi influences, and many more examples can be found with ease. Christopher Nolan recognized the potential of comic books and their ideological struggle, crafting Batman Begins to start the story for The Dark Knight. No longer bound by an obligation to show origins, The Dark Knight could focus directly on Nolan’s vision, the line between anarchy and order, evil and good, or even law and vigilantism. Nolan takes aspects of the comic book mythos, grounds it in our current reality and world, and fleshes out both a thrilling story and a unique character study. Things may seem the same as they began, but nothing is truly the same as it once

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between The Dark Knight and the 9/11 Attacks

    2223 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...revolutionize a whole new genre of movie, a genre which is fast becoming more and moe popular. 'As filmmaking technology has made it more and more feasible to bring the worlds of the comics to movie theaters, the comics themselves have begun to provide a broader and richer array of material.. from which films might be made' (Booker 2007: Paul Benton, Lecture notes). All the mentioned arguments throughout this essay on top of; the star performances, unique marketing and special effects, help make The Dark Knight a truly great film. Prior to the movies release it was questioned wether the film could sustain the 'increasing moral weight imposed upon it', the movie to date has more than dealt with this pressure, and has become a focal point for many discussions and essays, and finally it is because of the morals and ethics within the movie that I have written this essay.

    Read More

  • The Dark Knight Rises Deviance Analysis

    1425 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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 that the world hadn't ended.” Behind all the action in The Dark Knight Rises is an important portrayal of crime and deviance in society. The superficial analysis of the plot makes The Dark Knight Rises seem like a simple hero and villain story and nothing more. However, the film expresses concepts of justice and provides an important depiction of strain theory and the labeling theory.

    Read More

  • Examining Hero Archetypes: Jekyll, Hyde, and Batman

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    Interestingly, the movie puts a twist on the the true Batman origin. By having the Joker create Batman by killing Bruce’s parents, the Batman was created to avenge evil. This being said, the traumatic experience has created a hero whose definition of justice is left to the character’s moral. Traumatized, it is clear that the Batman seeks revenge not only because the Joker murdered his parents, but also for interfering with love interest Vicki Vale. By putting Vicki Vale at risk, the Batman’s traumatic experience is tested to the limits. The origins of Batman describes a hero who will not kill, yet in this movie, the Batman easily slaughters villains with a machine gun while flying his plane. A Batman who is willing to kill cannot be justified but is seen as justified to the character as a permanent way to resolve his traumatic experience with the Joker. In the climax of the movie, Batman is hanging on the edge with Vicki Vale. Instead of just saving Vicki, Batman interferes with the Joker’s escape which ultimately leads to the Joker’s death. Through Bruce’s eyes justice was the Joker’s death when he could have just saved Vicki. Although this movie was the most entertaining, it depicts a hardened character faced with the true reality of life. Not all heroes can be pure, and this movie explicitly shows this through Bruce’s actions. Notably, Bruce

    Read More

  • The Golden Age Of Superheroes: Universal Themes And Challenges

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    We are currently living in the Golden Age of Superheroes. They dominate our cultural life, and have become seemingly permanent fixtures in modern media. Since X-Men burst onto the screen fifteen years ago, we have witnessed the release of over forty superhero movies. By 2020 we will have seen the release of more than twenty-five more. Today, the much anticipated film Superman vs. Batman has come to theaters. Though a plethora of superhero movies have been released, it is to the dissatisfaction of many, having long been exhausted by the stories of the Hulk, Batman, and Spider-man. Although I must agree that it is quite easy to get bored with the constant action, and flashing colors of these films, if one looks deep enough into the story they will discover universal themes and metaphors. Though they may be fighting off alien invasions, these heroes are also battling with their personal challenges, challenges which we can

    Read More

  • Tim Burton Comparison

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    Helen Keller stated, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” This quote speaks to Batman`s (Bruce Wayne`s) drive and ambition to get justice for his parents death. Batman becomes what people consider a vigilante because his parents were killed. In the Batman films, Christopher Nolan’s 2008 The Dark Knight and Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, the audience can observe the similarities and differences in each film. In the films Batman is played by two different actors, Burton`s Batman is played by Michael Keaton and Nolan`s Batman is played by Christian Bale. Burton`s Batman and Nolan`s Batman go through similar obstacles and struggles, but they use different resources and, have

    Read More

  • Unmasking Batman: The Intriguing Facts About Bruce Wayne

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever wondered who the man is under the dark knight mask? Bruce Wayne, is a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and owner of Wayne Enterprises, who after witnessing the murder of his parents Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as a child, he swore vengeance against criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. Bruce Wayne trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime. But the man riddle to this amazing “Cape Crusader” is brought along with many interesting facts about this dynamic crime fighter, such as, while Bruce was growing up, he learn he had an older brother, or that Batman is actually afraid of something, how about Bruce Wayne’s no drinking alcohol diet, or even batman’s

    Read More

  • Growing Diversity In Comics Essay

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    There have been major changes to the superhero archetype in comics in these recent years as compared to the past. Along with that arises controversy on the subjects like the new female Thor or a black kid as Spiderman. Many are zealously against such changes for reasons like sexism or racism. While many others are fervently behind such changes because they use it to empower their own political views on today’s topics. These topics are important to today’s society however they should not be so important in comic books because comic books should be value-neutral and gender, ethnicity, sexuality and things of this nature should not matter.

    Read More

  • The Dark Prestige

    1572 Words  | 4 Pages

    Camera work plays a key role in establishing Nolan's style in the opening scenes of The Dark Knight. The different shots Nolan uses gives the audience a deeper understanding of the direction in which the film is going. We are introduced to the film with an establishing shot of Gotham City, as the camera zooms in on one particular building. This helps establish the location and setting, as there are several skyscrapers present and it is day time. The next important shot in the opening scenes is when the camera zooms in on a man's lower back and mask, standing at the corner of a road. Nolan uses this shot to signal to the audience that this man is involved, he is in the centre of the frame therefore he will be important.

    Read More

  • Superman; the mythic representation of cultural reality shifts in truth, justice and the American way

    1804 Words  | 4 Pages

    The mythology of Superman is a paradigm that embodies the cultural reality of the era; constructed around an archetype of ideology, fantasies of human spiritual ambiguity, a religious messiah, and a semiotic representation of modernity. In further study, Superman can be identified to have specifically changed to adhere to American culture in three distinctive periods; midst the Great Depression and WWII, post WWII and finally the socially progressive change of the Vietnam period. In each chapter Superman was re-imagined to meet the definition of the period, a tool of propaganda over that of entertainment. Currently, America is entering a new phase of cultural shift, and thus Superman will be redefined to represent the ideologies of truth, justice, and the American way of that required era. Yet, the mere surface mythology of Superman has applications to cultural ideologies, questions of human freedom, dreams in a Freudian nature, and the complex relation of fantasy and reality which required introduction before in-depth research.

    Read More

  • The Dark Knight Analysis

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    Instantaneously, the title of The Dark Knight jumps out as a parallel to Jesus Christ. The title is stating that the dark knight, Batman , rises, just like Jesus arose. A Knight is “a man ,usually of noble birth, bound to chivalrous conduct” Referring to Batman as a dark knight gives off the impression that, although he is good, there is something dark about him. The dark side of Batman can be said to be that he is the one who killed Harvey when in reality later throughout the movie it explains that he did not kill him, Batman is indeed good. Although Jesus would be considered a “good knight” some may have viewed him as a dark knight because he disturbed some of the peace. Jesus was viewed as someone who came about to disturb the peace of the

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Movie, The Dark Knight

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The film was shot using a wider than usual lens so that it could be shown in I-MAX cinemas nationwide. Today’s audiences want an experience bigger than reality. We have to go that extra mile to give them that something extra.” Chris Nolan also insisted that the film should have a distinctive style which included making the film feel sincerely dark and sinister. Very rarely were the cameras sat still instead the cameras used very technical tricks e.g.: tracking, zoom. This film was originally promoted using a very unique style. Instead of paying for adverts they decided to promote the film using an alternative route. One of the ways this was accomplished was by de facing thousands of fake dollar notes by putting the jokers smile on top of the original face. A sane yet effective way was when many “Batman” recruits placed Joker cads into hundreds of books in libraries to do with death, this had the desired effect as many people became stirred up as to what this meant. The next alternative was to send out spam emails to the site named www.whysoserious.com. But when did Batman evolve as part of our lives. It was in 1939 when the world was introduced to a new hero. Bob Kane’s simple vigilante, Batman. The comics were e-introduced during the 50’s period. Yet due to Comic Book Censorship the violence was forced to gradually become weaker. The well anticipated Batman retuned in the 1970’s. Yet to intrigue a wider variety of audience he appeared more complicated and violent than previous comics. Today’s Batman comics show Batman as a real man with realistic and varied dilemmas. Due to these changes Batman is now one of the most original and adored comic book heroes. Nolan’s interpretation is a variety of the previous comics. It includes the violence of the First Batman mixed with the complexity and realism of today’s modern comics.

    Read More

  • Creating Villains People Love To Hate Summary

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Lee Masterson’s, “Creating Villains People Love to Hate”, she illustrates how villains who lack proper motive and composure lead readers to push away from any emotional interest from the plot itself. By explaining her argument on how every villain should be portrayed and illustrated, through a general and broad sense, readers are properly able to understand why certain villains may not contribute fully to a plot through her appeal to logos. However, in their articles, Fischoff and Freeman both tackle their arguments of “Heroes and Villains” from different angles and perspectives. Fischoff illustrates a similar relationship of villains directly through a cinematic aspect by the impact it has had on the film industry. In addition, Freeman’s

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Marvel And Dc

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    Every child in the United States has heard or read the Marvel and DC comics books. If you have not then you have probably have heard of their characters like the famous star spangled hero, Captain America, or the Dark Knight himself, Batman. Both Marvel and DC has influenced the children and adults of American in its darkest times. The great wars affected many by its poisonous grasps, and its victims sought comfort with the antidote provided by the marvelous illustrators and writers of comic books. Now their cinematic counterparts are here to inspire the 21st century. The Marvel and DC cinematic universes have similar content, they both have unique characteristics that set them apart.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Dark Knight And Batman Begins

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    Any fan of Batman knows that “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” are two of the best Batman films made in the seventy-eight years that Batman has been around. The plots really make you look deep in yourself and show the true and more real sides of the characters of the Batman world. Each movie shows the evolution of Batman and shows only a few of the many crazy and intense adventures of this mysterious hero. These two movies are the first two in the dark knight trilogy, created by the amazing Christopher Nolan. These movies were heavily praised for their astounding realism to the real world, and its pros and cons. But they were also extremely liked for their possibility for

    Read More

  • Essay On Superhero Movies

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, this popularity has fluctuated throughout history. In the past few decades, demand for comics in the print media had been falling, in part due to the successes of other children 's media, such as cartoons. “Our biggest fear was that that audience was going to get to a point where we weren 't able to build it up again,” says Dan DiDio, co-publisher of DC Comics, “and a lot of what we do would be branded lost because there was nobody out there reading it" (Martin 14). Luckily, comic creators realized that the stories were perfect for screen adaptations: "they 're full of spectacle [and] adventure with an emotional arc for the hero. That 's what movies have always been about” (Humphries). The promise of lucrative merchandise sales and cross-promotion undoubtedly encouraged production, as well. Comic books were first adapted for television in the 40s and 50s, and met with huge success. Thus, superhero television programs set the stage for the inevitable point when comics took to the big screen with the first Superman movie in 1978 (Humphries). This cinematic moment ushered in a tricking of other superhero feature films, which eventually became the flood of superhero films that is taking place in the 21st

    Read More

More about Becoming The Dark Knight Research Paper

Open Document