Two movies from the art house you might not have heard of: Iron Man and The Dark Knight

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Sooooo, not sure if you heard, but a few big movies came out this summer. Where were we?

Iron Man is a great superhero movie, so much so that it’s an argument that the genre deserves a place amongst the other guilty pleasure genres like Westerns and Gangster flicks. Everything about it feels fresh, the CGI is some of the best you’ll see, it’s funny and hip, and Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t make anyone look foolish for doing a jig once his casting was announced (well, almost anyone: take off that ridiculous hat). But it’s been out for months now and you’re already like “Why is he talking about it now?” so let’s move on.

You might say that The Dark Knight is also a great superhero movie. You’d be wrong of course, because The Dark Knight transcends the superhero genre and stands on its own as just a great film. Actually, it’s one of the better films about philosophy that I’ve seen. “Philosophy?” Yes, Virginia. The Dark Knight is not so much about Bruce Banner’s heroic realization that sometimes the good guys have to wear black; it’s a chance to put Plato, Hume, and Nietszche up on screen and have their respective ideologies duke it out in a flurry of masks and makeup. Dead white guys haven’t been brought to life in such an engaging way since Weekend at Bernie’s.

I could go into each character–Batman, The Joker, and Two Face–and break it all down for you, but this isn’t a term paper and the movie has been out for almost a month now. Suffice to say, it works. I’m probably the smartest guy you know

Or try this alternate reading on for size: The Dark Knight is nothing more than an apologist film for the last eight years of GW Bush’s presidency; a two-hour long episode of 24, with capes and no Chloe. While probably not intended, aren’t the similarities alarming? To wit: The Dark Knight, once loved by the people he protected, becomes villified because the public doesn’t understand what it takes to keep them safe and keep evil off the streets. Also, he implements an unpopular mass surveilance system… for the good of the people. At the end of the film he must accept that he’s a misunderstood hero, and that if people only knew the truth of what happened… but that’s his cross to bear. Spooky, no?

Well I swear I had that conversation with my wife exiting the theatre, but because I’m lazy and only now getting to writing about this movie, that rag The Wall Street Journal beat me to it; read for yourself.

No matter which reading of the film you choose (and really, that’s the beauty of social sciences crit, we’re all right), The Dark Knight is the new black. And I’ve talked about it up till now without even mentioning Heath Ledger*

Oh, and please let’s not even bring up The Incredible Hulk. The ghost of Edward Norton’s talent thanks you.

*He really is incredible and deserves all the awards in the world.

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Tags: criticism, Dark Knight, Iron Man, praise