Feature: Darkness Rising Subscribe to this RSS feed
The Dark Knight intrigues and entrances us with his troubled psyche veering on the edge of sado-masochistic. We are attracted to the creature that stands at the mouth of the abyss.
Batman always had appeal because he's a superhero for our pragmatic times. He doesn't have alien powers, he didn't have a radioactive accident, he's not a mutant freak, he can't see through walls or shoot laser beams from his fingers. No, he's just an ordinary--if very driven--guy. And his powers derive chiefly from raw ambition and his immense personal fortune. How very post-modern.
Personally, I've always loved the Frank Miller Bats. So broody, on the edge of real darkness. Miller's hero was a complex man of deep passion, but with a rigid moral code that tortured him at times. Betrayed by close associates, hunted by enemies, in an uneasy relationship with the law, unable to love the only woman in his life, Batman reached iconic status under the deft hands of Miller and his collaborator, Lynn Varley.
I've also enjoyed the animated series, particularly those stories written by Paul Dini. The excellent art direction of the show transformed Gotham into a real urban gothic landscape, with dark spires piercing the sky between shrouded alleyways. The style was very modern, with a touch of art-deco--smooth, and cool. The storyline was also complex and interesting, and Batman, more often than not, was the loner stalking the night. When Robin was added, the series lost a little of the flair that had made it so compelling. We all know Batman was meant to hunt alone.
Previous film treatments have made too much camp out of the character, but maybe Christopher "Memento" Nolan and Christian "American Psycho" Bale can dust some glamour, mystery, and a heavy dose of doom over the slightly frayed story.
