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batman analysis in the dark knight
what can you say about the character of batman in dark knight character analysis
batman analysis in the dark knight
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Since the 1940s, comic book readers have been entertained by stories of a mysterious caped crusader. Batman, the symbol of justice on the streets, prowls rooftops and alleys both thwarting common street thugs’ petty misconduct and sinister schemes of criminal masterminds with the same self-righteous zeal. Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is an epic, three-act saga that presents the rise and fall of this famous antihero. Archetypes, recurring symbolism found so often throughout literature that they have turned into tropes, are liberally scattered through Batman comics and movies. Symbolism is taken to its natural extreme in Nolan’s works of art. The movies of the Batman trilogy contain many archetypes in the form of characters such as Batman, The Joker, Scarecrow, and Bane.
Symbolism is an ingrained part of the world’s storytelling toolbox. The way our world views both narrative works and everyday events is in terms of these literary tropes. Batman is a hero operating outside the constraints of the law. A classic antihero, this ruthless vigilante does his best to protect innocent people by using methods such as
Estes 2 lurking in the shadows and terrifying criminals. He saves people’s lives, but often comes into direct conflict with law enforcement. The
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The Joker in Nolan’s Batman movies is, above all, one thing: a master tempter. He has an eerie charisma that seems to attract as much as it repels. Most important, though is the fact that he is constantly trying to corrupt people, especially Batman. He attempts to get a ferry-load of innocents to sink a boat laden with criminals to save their own lives. He seems to say that chaos is the only truth in life, and destruction the universe 's only reality. The Joker’s game is lies and chaos, and time and time again he comes up with all four aces. His silver-tongued, tempting whisper of chaos is the nemesis to Batman’s single-minded quest to make the world an orderly, safe
...revolutionize a whole new genre of movie, a genre which is fast becoming more and moe popular. 'As filmmaking technology has made it more and more feasible to bring the worlds of the comics to movie theaters, the comics themselves have begun to provide a broader and richer array of material.. from which films might be made' (Booker 2007: Paul Benton, Lecture notes). All the mentioned arguments throughout this essay on top of; the star performances, unique marketing and special effects, help make The Dark Knight a truly great film. Prior to the movies release it was questioned wether the film could sustain the 'increasing moral weight imposed upon it', the movie to date has more than dealt with this pressure, and has become a focal point for many discussions and essays, and finally it is because of the morals and ethics within the movie that I have written this essay.
“A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended.” Behind all the action in The Dark Knight Rises is an important portrayal of crime and deviance in society. The superficial analysis of the plot makes The Dark Knight Rises seem like a simple hero and villain story and nothing more. However, the film expresses concepts of justice and provides an important depiction of strain theory and the labeling theory.
An insane, criminal mastermind with a white face, red lips, green hair, and a permanent smile. The Jokers back story is usually along the lines of him falling into a vat of chemical waste, causing him to take on his iconic appearance; but, Christopher Nolan's version purposefully has no back story. Ashley Cocksworth, a tutor in systematic theology at The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, discusses and attempts to explain and define the evil of the Joker in his article “The Dark Knight and the Evilness of Evil.” In his piece, he writes that “[Nolan] refused to satisfy the fanboy’s call for description because without an explanation, the Joker appears ever more irrational and menacing” (Cocksworth 452). Nolan's choice to not give the Joker a back story was to make him seem even crazier, as the audience has nothing with which to base his madness off of. Without any knowledge of his past or why he is who he is, the audience is kept guessing as to what he is going to do next. Just because it is nearly impossible to tell what the Joker is going to do next, does not mean that he is insane. In fact, the Joker himself even says that he is not, when he is accused of being crazy by one of the underlings in the mob meeting scene. Not being crazy does not necessarily mean that you are fine though, and this incarnation of the Joker, like all the others, is most certainly not fine. No, instead of being insane
We are currently living in the Golden Age of Superheroes. They dominate our cultural life, and have become seemingly permanent fixtures in modern media. Since X-Men burst onto the screen fifteen years ago, we have witnessed the release of over forty superhero movies. By 2020 we will have seen the release of more than twenty-five more. Today, the much anticipated film Superman vs. Batman has come to theaters. Though a plethora of superhero movies have been released, it is to the dissatisfaction of many, having long been exhausted by the stories of the Hulk, Batman, and Spider-man. Although I must agree that it is quite easy to get bored with the constant action, and flashing colors of these films, if one looks deep enough into the story they will discover universal themes and metaphors. Though they may be fighting off alien invasions, these heroes are also battling with their personal challenges, challenges which we can
The heroic archetype is a creative expression borne of the individual's desire to know and to understand the uncontrollable and often chaotic world in which he lives. In the popular culture of America we can find many reflections of the heroic figure; in writing, in the graphic art of comic books, and most certainly in the aftermath of September 11th, heroes are ever present. Our cultural champions speak to our collective need to make sense of the nonsensical and to establish order in both our external and internal worlds. Indeed it is through the internal world of the psyche and the lens of psychological thought that we may gain a better perspective of the fusion of creativity and knowledge that we have come to call the heroic figure.
The terms "hero" and "villain" are as distinct as the terms "good" and "evil." They are mutually exclusive; the hero is courageous, popular, strong, morally, and willing to save the people at whatever cost, while the villain is despicable, hated, and heinous to his core. However, when we turn away from the archetypal world of comic books, this distinction is no longer as clear. When we look at real human beings we do not see a hero as a hero or a villain as a villain, but rather individuals composed of varying degrees of both extremes. No hero is perfect, and no villain is completely heinous. The most recent film adaptation of the DC Comic series Batman presents this truth of human nature. The Dark Knight Rises effectively communicates the
To conclude, the graphic novel Watchmen presents the non-fantastic representation of a superhero, implying that not all heroes are like Superman. This notion is explored within the novel by mentioning the realistic motives of the characters choosing to become superheroes, by Rorschach’s representation and through the heroic reactions of the New Yorkers to a street crime. These elements all contribute to Watchmen’s uniqueness and complexity as a superhero comic.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and Persepolis all question what is right and what is wrong while still balancing the duality of the two. They make you wonder who the bad people really are and if the supposed good people are actually good. With the utilization of icons and color, they also emphasize the ever-present question of morality and human life. Batman utilizes duality and creates closure to show that there is always another side of the coin and all you have to do is flip it to see it. Watchman uses character development to build tension in the narrative and create duality in the characters and their moral codes. Persepolis uses a child's view of the world to present a childlike sense of justice and right and wrong.
In the film, “Batman Begins” Bruce Wayne’s journey to become the Batman is explored (Franco, Orleans, Roven, Thomas, Nolan, 2005). This essay applies the theories of Maslow and Bandura, in an effort to determine whose theory makes better sense of Bruce.
Smoke billows out from a Manhattan skyscraper, damaged by a fiery explosion. This could easily be a scene from 9/11, however we see Batman looking grimly on as a poster advertises the film will be released soon. Clearly this film plays on the fears of terrorism. As depicted in The Dark Knight, the Joker plays the terrorist, while Gotham’s leadership struggles to contain him. The film departs from the superhero ideals of pure good versus pure evil, showing a murky world where moral decisions have to be made in order to stop evil. Because of this, The Dark Knight seems to be an allegory for the War on Terrorism. This paper will look at how the Joker represents terrorism, while Batman represents George Bush and his administration’s War on Terror.
In “The Thematic Paradigm,” Robert Ray explains how there are two vastly different heroes: the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero has common values and traditional beliefs. The outlaw hero has a clear view of right and wrong but unlike the official hero, works above the law. Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. The morals of these heroes can be compared clearly. Films that contain official heroes and outlaw heroes are effective because they promise viewer’s strength, power, intelligence, and authority whether you are above the law or below it.
Batman and police commissioner James Gordon try to rid the Gotham of organized crime while combating the rise of the menacing and terrorizing psychopath villain, the Joker. (uci.edu) It’s important to take notice of the other clowns featured throughout the movie as well as their roles in the heist. This is crucial and singles the Joker out as the odd man.
Why so serious? If I were to ask you that question six months ago, you wouldn’t understand the phrase. Now that The Dark Knight has been made though, most people will understand what I am talking about. Ever since The Dark Knight was created, the joker has been thrust back into the public eye. Most people only know the joker from the performances of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman. Most people forget that the Joker has been a villain since 1940 in Batman #1 (spring edition). The Joker has been reinvented every decade since his first appearance. He started off as a homicidal maniac, then a criminal that was just a harmless nuisance to becoming a mass murdering, schizophrenic clown that we know today. He has been named number one on the Wizard’s list for one hundred all-time villains. In this speech I will tell you how the joker was created, the criminal career of the joker, and trademark characteristics of the joker.
As the decade moved along Hollywood continued to build upon these “pick me up” movies with hits like “Back to the Future”, “Three Men and a Baby”, and “Driving Miss Daisy”. As the decade came to a close, the top grossing movie of 1989 brought back a different kind of American hero – Batman. Clearly, that really bad day called the 1970’s had been replaced by a night at the candy store called the 1980’s.
Specifically when he says, “Nobody panics when things go to plan, even if the plan is horrifying” (Tryee, 2009). The Joker said this when he was talking to Harvey Dent. He was giving him a speech before he blew up the hospital because he knew if he did not change his mind about who the real killer was, then he would surely die next. The Joker murdered Harvey’s girlfriend Rachel, so avenging her death is what Harvey wants to do. The point of his speech was to change the direction of the blame. Everyone is to blame except himself for the death of Rachel. The blame is on society. Suggesting that Rachel was going to die anyway and that she was not important enough or people to actually try and stop the chaos. His persuasive words work on Harvey and he becomes the murderous “Two-face”. Honestly, his mental issues are what persuade and scare Harvey into listening to him. I want to find a pattern, or a common motive from The Joker, but taking innocent minded people and turning them into monsters strays away from what I think the real purpose