The Dark Knight and the New Era of Superhero Film

Who knew? I mean, sure, we all knew The Dark Knight was going to do huge blockbuster business. But who knew that that many people would love the film that much. And not just your average comic book fan boy or your WoW nerd, but normal average people who normally think of comic book films as big loud, action films and nothing more.

Could it be because of Heath Ledger? Sure. He was a great and well respected actor. His death was very sudden and sad. On top of that, his performance in Dark Knight is one for the ages. Even people who don't like the film (and there are a few,) think he gives the performance of a lifetime in that film. I myself hope he gets nominated, mostly for the scene in the hospital with Aaron Eckhart.

Could it also be because the film is just that good? Absolutely. At the moment the film is now #3 on the IMDB's top 250 films of all time. The two films ahead of it are The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather, respectively. A normal film aimed squarely at the the comic book crowd would not be this popular with every moviegoer.

Personally, I think one of the big reasons the film, like the comic book itself, works so well is that it touches upon many themes in our society today. Fear, death, terrorism, definition of one's self. Many of these themes you will find touches people's lives on a daily basis. That is why they are still around after all these years. Longtime readers see these themes that even though they are rooted in fantasy about superheros and villains, they reflect many of the themes in real life.

In Dark Knight, we see Bruce Wayne struggle with his identity. He doesn't want to be Batman anymore and he pins his hopes on the new Gotham D.A. Harvey Dent. If Dent succeeds, then Batman is no more. Wayne can retire for good. But through a series of events, with the Joker reeking havoc on Gotham City and with the injuries that happen to Dent late in the film, he realizes that he is going to be Batman for the rest of his life.

These are deep issues to deal with. Comic books deal with this every year. It is just now that the films have started to catch up. A talented filmmaker like Christopher Nolan is able to tap into these themes. It took someone like him and Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) and Jon Favreau (Iron Man) to dig deep and realize what comic books had to offer.

Don't get me wrong. Comic book films still have great action scenes. That is what you sell the films on. But with the Dark Knight and with the upcoming Watchmen, Filmmakers have now discovered what makes comic books and their characters tick. And moviegoers are better off for it.