“You either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain.” (The Dark Knight) These thunderous words come from Harvey Dent in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Night”. This seminal film laden with depth and intrigue is abounded with a sharp juxtaposition of good and evil, light and dark, and virtue and vice. This is primarily manifested by the interesting relationships between Batman and Harvey Dent, and Batman and the Joker. Batman works tirelessly to remain the hero Gotham needs him to be, as the city is fighting to keep afloat through a swamp of mob-violence and money laundering. However, trying to be “decent men in an indecent time” (The Dark Knight) proves to be almost impossible. These three focal characters in the movie define the body of work with their …show more content…
It’s unquestionable that his ethics and lack of morality are twisted and wrong, yet his actions and articulations lead us to wonder about his high level of cognitive ability. It appears, as it is suggested by the man himself, that the Joker is merely, “ahead of the curve”. His actions do not take into any consideration the wellbeing of others, but at the same time they do not appear to be carried out with personal mal-intent. “Some men can’t be bought. Some men want to watch the world burn.” (Dark Knight) These words come from Alfred speaking with Bruce about the realization that the Joker is in no way a normal human being. This is further supported in the scene when the Joker is speaking to Harvey Dent in the hospital, “I’m just a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught one. But I just do… thing”. (Dark Knight) The Joker’s actions are not carried out because of some revenge or hatred, but rather, out of some contorted desire to test the characters of people. He marvels at his ability to being even the most notable and moral figures to the ground; which is exactly what he does to Harvey
In The Saga of the Volsungs, a paradoxical notion of the value of life emerges from almost every action that the characters perform. One’s corporeal death is almost of no concern in the sometimes harsh and cruel society of the saga. The importance of honor over almost anything else can explain many of the seemingly contradictory and nonsensical actions of characters in the saga. This obsession with honor constitutes the basis for an honor society—a culture where pain, death, and other earthly concerns fall short in significance to one’s good name and honor. Many of the actions inspired by this fixation with honor seem foolish, but considered within the context of how the culture in the saga views reputations and honor make perfect sense.
It has been eight years since the ending of the previous movie, The Dark Knight. At the end of this movie, Batman took the blame for the people killed by Harvey Dent, the district attorney who set out a war against crime. During The Dark Knight, crime had decreased dramatically because of him and Batman. Numerous criminals were placed in prison because of him. Therefore, Batman took the blame for his murders because he understood that a discovery of Harvey Dent’s killings would allow the numerous criminals that he imprisoned to be set free.
But I do know one thing, Batman was there for us when we needed him the most. He separated us from our darkest nightmares every night. He guarded our houses and protected our families, our friends, and our children. Batman stood up for what he believed, he always had us, the people of Gotham in his best interest. What more could we have asked Batman to do? I could stand up here and say "I never knew the man," but that might not be the truth. During my life, I have known many men, many men who are full of strength, courage, and virtue. Any of these men could have been the Batman and I would have never been aware. However good men still walk among us today, even without Batman. These good men and women are my hope, my consolation for
Bruce Wayne, Batman’s secret identity, is an American billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and owner of Wayne Enterprises. Batman is one of the most well-known and well-liked superheroes of all time probably because of all of the comics, TV shows, movies and video games with him in it. Many are interested in Batman mainly because he is human, has no super powers and no special abilities just like a normal person but continues in many super human things using his gadgets, a body suit and a brilliant mind. Not only are these some of the differences between him and some other super heroes but he wants to see justice served and to defeat his enemies because he focuses on what is right and what is wrong. Batman has starred in about fourteen films both as a starring character and as an ensemble character beginning in 1943 and the latest in 2012 with two more coming in 2016 and 2017. Having earned a total of U.S. $1,900,844,295, the Batman series is the fifth-highest-grossing film series in North America. The first full-length movie of batman made in 1989 shows that to overcome great diversity one must step out of the bounds of what is socially and morally acceptable though the characterization of Batman, the contrast between
Gotham is Batman’s hometown and an incredibly corrupt place. It is well known for its corrupt police department, which turns a blind eye to Batman’s questionable actions, since they are for the sake of the city. The city produces deviance because of the officials and police officers which shy away from addressing crimes. Although Batman is committing crimes in order to fight crime, this is not necessarily moral. While Batman is ultimately solving the city’s
The Dark Knight borrowed elements from Batman: The Killing Joke, a 1988 DC Comics graphic novel, which provides an origin story for the Joker. The connection between the two leads to a similar origin story of the creation of the Joker through the influence of Batman. Batman's interference in The Killing Joke causes the Joker to leap into a chemical vat, which severely disfigures him. In The Dark Knight, the Joker himself also has multiple testimonies on how he came to be. He sometimes blames his abusive and alcoholic father for creating his mutilated smile while in a drunken rage one night. The Joker also claims that after his wife’s face was mutilated, he pulled a razor on his own to comfort her by showing that her damaged appearance didn’t bother him. After carving his own cheeks, he says that, “she couldn’t stand the sight of (him).” This disturbing attempt to make her feel better makes causes worse, resulting in his wife leaving him, furthering his mental instability. Although the scars are present on The Dark Knight version of the Joker, the rest of his appearance is cosmetic in contrast to the physiological image of the Joker from the 1989 Batman film. The Joker in The Dark Knight applies chalk white makeup to his face and dark products to blacken the spaces around his eyes. He also dyes his greasy hair green rather than having the chemically bleached green hair follicles of the 1989 Joker who fell into the bubbling green substance. Their personalities differ mainly by the 1989 Joker being more comical while The Dark Knight Joker being more psychotic. The Joker from The Dark Knight calls himself an “agent of chaos” and wishes to drag everyone down to his level of insanity and corruption rather than just kill them
The terms "hero" and "villain" are as distinct as the terms "good" and "evil." They are mutually exclusive; the hero is courageous, popular, strong, morally, and willing to save the people at whatever cost, while the villain is despicable, hated, and heinous to his core. However, when we turn away from the archetypal world of comic books, this distinction is no longer as clear. When we look at real human beings we do not see a hero as a hero or a villain as a villain, but rather individuals composed of varying degrees of both extremes. No hero is perfect, and no villain is completely heinous. The most recent film adaptation of the DC Comic series Batman presents this truth of human nature. The Dark Knight Rises effectively communicates the
Somebody who had established higher power in their community. Somebody who tried to run from fate, and has the moment of recognition and understanding of their destiny. Batman. Even though he is considered the strong and powerful superhero of Gotham City, Batman's characteristic features show that he relates strongly to that of a "tragic" hero. In the beginning, the Batman is presented at a higher state of appreciation, even though the police see him as a vigilante. Despite his wealth, Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, is easily relatable to audiences, which makes it easy to sympathize and empathize with the character. Batman is in a constant battle within himself, trying to be the good guy, while defeating the bad guys. His morals prove true when he admits that he won't kill any of the many villians that cause destruction for Gotham City. But, because of this moral, sometimes the villians end up escaping and doing more harm then good. In the end, this interal chaos and internal battle is seen interally and externally through Batman. At the end of the most recent Batman series, The Dark Knight, his exit at the end of the movie is, in essence, his figurative death. Bruce Wayne wants to keep Gotham City safe. And with the "Batman" gone, villians will be least likely to continue to destroy and conquer. As an audience, we cling to the edge of our seats and feel dismay for our beloved superhero and what is to become of
The Dark Knight Rises can be seen as portraying Batman as more of an ubermensch rather than a Jesus-like figure. Connecting Batman as an ubermensch conveys his superiority to a level of where he is above human but not at the state of being a Jesus-like figure. The film can be interpreted as alluding to the idea that we do not need a savior because we can have someone within humanity adapt that particular role. Even though Batman can be seen as a savior that does not necessarily make him a Jesus-like figure due to the luxuries that Batman had. His company is what allowed him to become who he is. If it weren 't for his money he probably would not be who he is now. Batman was not chosen from above to be the messiah of Gotham as opposed to Jesus who was chosen from above to be the people’s messiah. Batman at the same time carried human-like characteristics that allowed him to connect more to the people of Gotham which demonstrates that we can have a Jesus-like figure come from within humanity. A claim that can be assumed is that humanity does not necessarily need Jesus because a human, someone like Batman can take on that same role. The film also can be interpreted as trying to portray Jesus through Batman. Batman’s presence is reassuring to the people of Gotham because
The traditional connotation of a knight in shining armor that exists in fairy tales represents someone brave enough to rescue someone who was stuck in danger that they were unable to get out of by themselves, as if the knight was the only person who could get them out of that situation. Batman serves as Gotham’s knight since he is usually the last-ditch option for preventing the most corrupt and dangerous crime in the city. However, Batman is a dark knight because while knights usually reveal their identities after their rescue mission is complete, Batman’s human identity is always kept secret, and he doesn’t want to reveal that he is Bruce Wayne in the “real world.” When Harvey was elected as the new District Attorney, it was Batman’s opportunity to put a face on his efforts to fight crime.
Batman (Christian Bale) is hoping to hand on his crime fighting duties to D.A Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) yet when Batman’s cards are on the table the twisted mastermind who goes by the name of the joker (Heath Ledger), forces the masked vigilante to go against everything he ever stood for.
2. McGowan, Todd. "The exceptional darkeness of "The Dark Knight"." Jump Cut: A Review of
Batman and police commissioner James Gordon try to rid the Gotham of organized crime while combating the rise of the menacing and terrorizing psychopath villain, the Joker. (uci.edu) It’s important to take notice of the other clowns featured throughout the movie as well as their roles in the heist. This is crucial and singles the Joker out as the odd man.
Why so serious? If I were to ask you that question six months ago, you wouldn’t understand the phrase. Now that The Dark Knight has been made though, most people will understand what I am talking about. Ever since The Dark Knight was created, the joker has been thrust back into the public eye. Most people only know the joker from the performances of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman. Most people forget that the Joker has been a villain since 1940 in Batman #1 (spring edition). The Joker has been reinvented every decade since his first appearance. He started off as a homicidal maniac, then a criminal that was just a harmless nuisance to becoming a mass murdering, schizophrenic clown that we know today. He has been named number one on the Wizard’s list for one hundred all-time villains. In this speech I will tell you how the joker was created, the criminal career of the joker, and trademark characteristics of the joker.
In the film, Joker explains to two different victims about his scars. It was a different story for each one, meaning that his childhood must have been abusive and rough leaving him scarred for life. Joker had no relationship with anyone as his he had no name and is only referred as Joker. In the Joker’s perspective, ‘revenge’ was not an intention. In the first crime of robbing the bank in the beginning that the Joker and the mob commit, it was a message to Gotham about the Joker which continued as a followup.