The Dark Knight may be 10 years old, but it remains one of the finest superhero movies. A complex, grandiose crime-drama thriller that explores…
The Dark Knight may be 10 years old, but it remains one of the finest superhero movies. A complex, grandiose crime-drama thriller that explores the nature of evil and where we draw the line between right and wrong; an experience which asks viewers just how far they would go to fight evil; it forces viewers to consider whether we could come up with such extreme measures against it as well.
Christopher Nolan gave audiences and critics alike their first full glimpse of his vision of Batman in this groundbreaking summer blockbuster. Nolan and his team took an enormous risk by departing from Batman Begins’ origin-building approach for an original tale; their talent-strewn cast was led by Heath Ledger as The Joker; all this grandiosity and scale culminated in one of the most potency and engaging summer blockbusters ever made.
Nolan and his team were rewarded with one of the biggest superhero franchises of our era: Batman Begins grossed over $2 billion at the box office and inspired two sequels that were critically and commercially successful, all critically acclaimed and commercially viable. Furthermore, it reshaped how superhero movies are produced – its darker tone was unlike anything seen before while providing an insightful portrayal of heroism when facing such horrific crimes.
At its heart, The Dark Knight Rises explores our moral limits for heroes in order to keep them true to themselves and stop monsters – along with how our own demons might surface during this process. Additionally, it serves as a stark warning that no matter how pure and noble a person starts out being, their noble status could become stained over time by even minor misjudgements; hence Harvey Dent’s statement “You either die a hero or live long enough to become one,” rings so truthfully true.
The film does not end happily for Bruce Wayne, yet he will live with the knowledge that he did everything necessary to save Gotham City. And even though Two-Face revealed himself despite his attempts at prevention, Bruce still understood the old aphorism “you either die a hero or live long enough to become villain”. So it was fitting that when he chose death over becoming villain that the audience gave him a standing ovation as an unforgettable tribute to Heath Ledger.