Joker the Hero

 

            The joker is portrayed as a lying psychopath in the Dark Knight. However, he is the hero in the film due to different reasons. Before the Joker, Gotham is characterized by madness, rampant crime, and corruption of the majority of the city officials (Lesnick 12). The city is a mess and most of the sections are not operational due to the chaotic situation. However, with the introduction of the Joker in a short period, crime rate went down completely, corruption was no more because the corrupt were killed or imprisoned. The Joker was behind the transformation of Gotham in the shortest period possible. The Joker collaborates with other great men to save the soul of Gotham in the best way possible. He goes to the extent of robbing a mafia-controlled bank because it is the only way to ensure that the entire team of expert bank robbers is eliminated. He robs the bank to lure a criminal from the hiding, which is depicted as a brave act.

The joker manages to put in place a team of experts who worked together for the good of Gotham. At the end of the film, Gotham is clean and free of vices. It cannot be associated as Batman’s achievements or any other heroes such as Harvey. The safety of Gotham can be credited to the Joker who was responsible for the cleaning up the streets, eliminating the corrupt, and destroying the organized crimes in the financial sector. He declared himself the protector of Gotham and he managed to achieve his goals at the end.

 

Work Cited

Lesnick, Silas. IESB Exclusive: Heath Ledger Talks the Joker. The Movie Reporter. Web. April 17, 2016.

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart. 2008. Warner Bros., 2008. Film.

 

 

 

Everything Burns

 

The Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’ is incredibly special mainly due to the psychological approach to the character. Heath Ledger spends significant amount of time studying the comics that the joker appeared in. The essence of this obsession is to study the psychology of the Joker. In different areas, the Joker appeared to be a psychopath, schizophrenic, mass murdering machine, and non-empathetic individual. In the film, the role of the joker are assigned because he is fearless (Richards 8). Heath is presented as a scary psychopath. He is a lovely person and his joker is a hell of revelation. Heath Ledger transformed greatly in a bold and terrifying manner. Some of the fans reacted as though it was the first image of Ledger’s Joker because he was not the same old villain. There was the omission of more traditional aspects of comic’s greatest villain; hence, becoming one of the greatest take on any comic character that has ever appeared on the screens.

Ledger, the film director, and the co-writer incorporated great characteristics of the joker and ensured that the character stayed true to the source material in different ways. First, there is the aspect of his lack of the past, which intrigue the audience to a great deal. The other aspect is the association with Batman, where he found true purpose in being his true antithesis. The greatest mission in the film was setting schemes for Batman in order to terrorize him emotionally and other ways of association. This part of the comic that draws great attention for having a chronic love of terrorizing Batman shows that Batman completed the Joker. Lastly, there is the sense of humor that the Ledger’s Joker possesses. He has maniacal objectives that make the film more outstanding because of his character and relationship with other characters.

Work Cited

Richards, Olly . World Exclusive: The Joker Speaks: He's a Cold-blooded Mass-murdering Clown. Empire. April 18, 2016 .

Nizzinny. "The Dark Knight: Everything Burns." Youtube. Google, May 7, 2013. Web. April 18, 2016.

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart. 2008. Warner Bros., 2008. Film.

The Psychology of Batman

 

The film about the ‘Psychology of Batman’ has different claims about the nature of Batman’s behavior and mental capacities. One the claims are that the mind of Batman is not stable. According to the ideas of the psychological experts, Batman was affected by the death of his parents, which occurred when he was at a very tender age (Richards 10). Consequently, he continually blames himself for their deaths and his sidekicks are a sign of depression. The claims that the acts of Batman are because of psychological effects of the past may not be the truth. Based on this claim, Batman is expected to intervene in the situations that are similar to that of the death of his parents. However, with reference to the Dark Night Film, we find that Batman does intervene in a case where he is not affected and even offers to kill rather than save life.

Psychologically, if Batman was affected by the death of his parents and was mentally unstable, most of his acts may have been revenge missions. However, this is not the case for Batman because sometimes, he acts as the person who saves the vulnerable while in other cases, he acts as the bad person. If batman was psychologically affected as the claims assert, most of his acts may be aimed at revenging for the vulnerable and protecting them. At some point, Batman lives as a free man from the happenings in his childhood. It may be true that Batman’s acts are encouraged by the happenings in his early life. However, there is little to attach to the psychological attachment that is claimed by the psychologists.

 

Work Cited

 

Thomas, Sidney. "Batman Unmasked The Psychology of The Dark Knight Documentary."             Youtube. Youtube. June 1, 2015. Web. April 15, 2016.

 

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart. 2008. Warner Bros., 2008. Film.

 

 

Batman as a Loner

          Batman is a clear depiction of a lonely man. Bruce Wayne has no friends, and he is not the best when it comes to the romantic relations (NKY96). However, there are particular reasons that stand behind the fact that Batman prefers to stay alone. First, the tragedy of the childhood made him a loner. Bruce was attached to the parents, and when they were ripped from him, Batman decided that it is better to stay alone not to repeat the tragedy and feel a loss.

            As to the romantic relationship and friendship, one can say that Batman lives by the credo, "The less friend you have, the less can be hurt." There are many scenes where Batman was depicted as a loner. However, the most vivid are when Alfred ascends on the elevator to the Batman's secret vault, and a viewer can see Bruce Wayne sitting all alone, stitching his hand (Nolan). The fact that Alfred noted, "Whenever you stitch yourself up, you are making a bloody mess," confirms that Bruce is always alone, and nobody could even stitch him up because doing it on your own is tough (Nolan). The setting of the scene, one man in a huge room, is a clear depiction of loneliness. Additionally, there is no music or some on the background. Silence always was a vivid sign of loneliness.

            Moreover, in the other scene, where Batman confronts criminal and his successors, dressed as Batman, tried to help him, Bruce tied them up and left. One of the fake-Batman said, "We were trying to help," and Batman replied, "I do not need help" (Nolan). Those words illustrate and support the idea that Batman prefers to stay alone and perform as a lonely hero.

Works Cited

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart.                  2008. Warner Bros., 2008. Film.

NKAY96. "Batman Character Analysis: He Ain’t Crazy but He is Complex – Girl-On-Comic-Book-        World." Girl-On-Comic-Book-World. N.p., 17 Feb. 2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

Gotham Mobsters and Panama Papers

            Recently, the world was shocked by the events called Panama Papers. It was a leak of almost 11,5 million files from the database of one of the world's biggest offshore law firms (Harding). The leak showed the scale of the illegal money laundering that many world leaders and influential people did.  Overall, the documents revealed the secret accounts of 142 politicians among which there are twelve national leaders (Harding).

            Similarly to the Panama Papers events, in The Dark Knight, there is a depiction of the scale of black market of money laundering performed by mobsters in Gotham City. The scene, where mod leaders gathered to discuss financial matters and talked that a small amount of money (68 million!) was stolen from them, is a perfect depiction of the scale of criminal activity performed by influential people (Nolan). The scene setting shows that mobsters gathered in some in a kitchen of the restaurants to hide their criminal intentions. Similarly, people, involved in the Panama Papers crisis hid their money from everyone, to avoid paying taxes and supporting the world's economy. Furthermore, a viewer can make a parallel between the scene, where people load the truck with bags of money, and how politicians and some world leaders move their money to the other side of the world to hide them. It is interesting that in some sense, Joker, who ruined a criminal financial system is similar to people, who stand behind the leak.

 

     Works Cited

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart. 2008. Warner Bros., 2008. Film.

Harding, Luke. "What Are the Panama Papers? A Guide to History's Biggest Data Leak | News | The Guardian." The Guardian. N.p., 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

Reelchanger. "The Hero We Need: An In-Depth Analysis of Batman in Post-9/11 America." Reel Change. N.p., 6 July 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dark Knight (The Tough Choice)

The Dark Knight is a movie about struggle. Specifically, the struggle against corruption; the struggle for fame; the struggle for survival, and, most fundamentally, the struggle between good and evil, both in the outer world and the inner world of characters. Harvey Dent is an excellent depiction of the struggle between good and evil. In one of the scenes, Dent noted, "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see you become a villain" (Reelchanger). In the initial stage of the movie, Harvey Dent is depicted as an attorney who is not afraid to fight the mob leaders, as well as face armed criminals. Additionally, a scene where Dent tells to the media that he is a Batman is an illustration of the sacrifice of the hero. However, there are scenes, where a viewer can see a clear manifestation of Harvey choosing between either standing on a path of a hero or becoming a villain.

There is a scene, where Harvey Dent caught a fake cop, who started shooting during the funeral in the center of Gotham City. Harvey took a fake cop to beat information from him about who was a mastermind of the negative events happening in the city. Harvey Dent picked up a revolver and wanted to play with a fake cop a kind of Russian roulette and took a coin to decide man's fate (Nolan). The scene clearly depicted something negative going on, both outside and inside the Dent's soul. The sound was dark and daunting. The lighting was such that Harvey's face was half lighted and half darkened. Also, Batman interrupts Harvey, and a viewer is unable to see the ending of the scene.

The next decisive moment is when Harvey is in the hospital and faces Joker (Nolan). Joker intended to manipulate Dent on the dark side. One can see the same action with the revolver and a coin. The musical support is intense and ascending. The focus is on the Dent's face, one part healthy, one burned. Additionally, the viewer does not see the ending. However, the fact that Joker appeared in the latter scenes confirmed that Harvey Dent became a villain.

Works Cited

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart. 2008. Warner Bros., 2008. Film.

 

Reelchanger. "The Hero We Need: An In-Depth Analysis of Batman in Post-9/11 America." Reel Change. N.p., 6 July 2012. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.

 

 

Bruce Wayne’s Death and Batman’s (Re)Birth in “The Dark Knight Returns”

            Batman was re-born when Bruce Wayne died. It is an interesting concept that requires being continued. It would be appropriate to point at the change of Batman’s attitude to the criminals. Bruce Wayne always intended to solve problems by means of either the disarmament or intimidation of his putative enemies. Meanwhile, Miller’s Dark Knight tends to make his rivals suffer and feel doomed.

Unconditionally, it would be appropriate to represent some direct examples of this polymorph. For example, in “The Dark Knight Returns” a news anchor says, "What about due process — civil rights?"(Miller). Nevertheless, a couple of pages later, the Dark Knight says a person who already possesses a broken leg and apparently is about to be smashed through a window, "You've got rights. Lots of rights. Sometimes I count them just to make myself feel crazy" (Miller). It directly points at the death of Bruce Wayne, as well as the distinguish between the Dark Knight and old Bruce Wayne.

The next sign of the death of Bruce Wayne and re-birth of Batman is the attitude of Batman to people. In other words, Bruce Wayne always was a leader who inspired people to do their best and become better. However, the Dark Knight is a manipulator, who tends to use people as a weapon in order to reach own goals. He would rather train a little girl so that she be able to serve him, instead of preventing prospective harm to her and sending her home. I reckon that it is no less powerful and persuasive sing of the distinguish between these two personalities. The Dark Knight is not Bruce Wayne anymore.

                                                            Works cited

Miller, Frank. Batman The Dark Knight Returns. DC Comics, 1986. Print. Limited Ser.

Ditto, Nicholas. "Bruce Wayne's Death and Batman's (Re)Birth in "The Dark Knight Returns". Reading Between the Lines: A Closer Look at the Graphic Novel. February 6, 2013. Web. April 6, 2016.

Batman versus Superman (BOUNS)

            In the last chapter of the Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”, the reader encounters with the battle of two significant superheroes in the DC comics universe. It signifies the fight between Batman and Superman. If take into consideration the fact that previous rivals of the Dark Knight were various criminals and anti-heroes, the appearance of Superman seems strange and creative. In my opinion, there is a few reason of such a decision of the author.

First of all, in Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”, the world had already changed significantly and became crueler and sadistic. In this world, the values of superheroes changed for the worst. To be more specific, Superman became a servant of the government, Green Arrow turn into a terrorist, Batman polymorphic into a cruel manipulator with a split personality and so forth (Miller, 1986). In this world, there are not common objectives of the heroes for good anymore. Their objectives now are contradictory and lead them to fight.

The next reason is that during “The Dark Knight Returns”, Batman shows different mental disorders. He changes his values and brakes free from the shackles of Bruce Wayne (Miller, 1986, 25). Meanwhile, Superman became a puppet of the government. His secret is publicly known and everybody knows that Clark Kent is Superman. He lives in the self-contradiction as he scorns his pliability. It is the battle of two frazzled people, who live self-contradiction and cannot live in such a manner anymore. They seek the resolution of their problems, which they eventually find at the end of the book. It is the reason why Superman becomes a final antagonist in Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”.

    Works cited

Miller, Frank. Batman The Dark Knight Returns. DC Comics, 1986. Print. Limited Ser.

Caped Crusader, Or Cruel Sadist? Miller Makes One Fan Wonder

           Undoubtedly, there is a significant change of the Batman’s character after his return. Furthermore, I agree that the Dark Knight is more severe than the old Batman. Nevertheless, in my opinion, there are not reasons to say that the new Batman is an indefensible sadist. At least, the reason is rooted in his main purposes. To clarify, Batman is still aimed at reduction of crime in Gotham. It signifies that his personal goals are concluded in the improvement of the society.  Frank Miller just intended to say that Bruce Wayne had become exhausted and disappointed in the system of justice.

Primarily, I would like to repel the accuse with regard to the fact that Batman provoked Joker to return. I am deeply convinced that Batman had thought that his return would have summoned Joker. Unconditionally, his values and moral standards had been changing in the course of time but the world experienced the huge alteration, as well. For example, the actions of the U.S. government with respect to sending Superman to beat The Dark Knight. This decision was caused by means of the fact that Gotham had become the safest city in the U.S. after the electromagnetic impulse due to Batman’s remaining Mutants and Sons of the Batman into a non-lethal vigilante gang (Miller, 1986, p.156). This gang interferes with looters during the unstable conditions.

The government literally envy as Batman had been making people doubting in the system. Therefore, I believe that Batman changed as the world had altered. “Old Batman” would not be able to exist under such circumstances. The Dark Knights is not an indefensible sadist; he is the light in the indefensibly sadistic world.

Works cited

Miller, Frank. Batman The Dark Knight Returns. DC Comics, 1986. Print. Limited Ser.

Fu, Kim. “Caped Crusader, Or Cruel Sadist? Miller Makes One Fan Wonder.” Npr Books. Kim Fu. 12 Jan 2014. Web. 5 Apr 2016.