The Dark Knight

I had never seen a full Batman movie until last night and am still not quite sure why I wanted to see The Dark Knight. Nevertheless I was told to make my one go of it in IMAX. Thanks for the advice ya'll because it was awesome. This is definitely one of those movies that's worth $18 for an IMAX ticket. I felt tingly in moments when Mr. Batman threw himself from skyscrapers. Awesome. But what I'm really surprised about is how deep it is. It was a study in social conditioning. Of course, I expected the typical 'battle of good vs. evil' but, to me, it wasn't posed that way. Batman and the Joker are human, not superhuman the difference is that the Joker is more twisted due to what sounds like years of emotional abuse from his family, partners, and plain old innate craziness, etc. Harvey Dent's 'development' is posed to us as an example of how the Joker 'turned.'

The movie brought up these thoughts about human nature for me:

- Is it true that we dislike in others what we loath most about ourselves? I don't know about that. Things I dislike tend to be exact opposite of me. What about you?

- What is true is that people definitely show their true colors in times of crisis. Without giving too much away, I really admire, though am not all that surprised, by how the convict on the boat behaved at the end.

- Witness the 'moles,' is it really possible to bribe someone when human lives are at stake? Even though we were told the money was for medical purposes it's like she was trading one life for many. Which I guess is one of the main themes. How much is human life worth? Sacrifice someone near to you? Or many strangers? A bunch of convicts? Or regular citizens? Batman? Or the city of Gotham? The point posed goes against the popular concept of survival of the fittest. Rather, here, it's about the greater good. This movie seems apt in these times. We've become so much about ourselves whether in our personal lives in government, perhaps it's meant to be commentary on how we can improve on our society. Is the screenwriter saying that America is destined to become Gotham City if we stay on our general path? I admit, I think people have become increasingly selfish, care less about the greater good and social responsibility. For fear of sounding like an old fart, I think the generation of kids growing up today are really at a lack for all the aforementioned things, they're almost helpless because everything is done for them or at their fingertips. Kids are fearless about talking back to teachers, don't care about passing classes, don't care about disturbing a whole car of train passengers with their behavior, don't care about holding a door open for an elderly person (or anyone), don't care about giving up a seat for a pregnant lady, etc. I bet, my mother's generation said the same things about mine but I feel like I could easily chat with someone of my mom's age and we'd agree. It's a sense of common sense, decency, and etiquette that has been usurped by a focus on personal satisfaction. I feel like the more I write the more I lose meaning but I hope it makes sense because I think the deterioration is a damn shame. I mean, when I'm old are kids just gonna push me over on the sidewalk? Really, I'm just thinking of my own well-being as a senior citizen. ha.

In any case, a movie that makes me think is good in my book. 3 cheers for Batman and I really think Heath Ledger was fantastic. I can see how he must've been overtaken by the Joker's 'darkness.' I think I would be too.