The following is little more than a balanced essay about The Dark Knight, fan reactions, and my personal stance. If you agree or disagree with me on whatever topic, please do so in a constructive manner.
Let me start everything out by saying I'm not pointing a finger at anyone. I'm not going to say names; I'm not going to call anyone out. Over the last month or so, there has been a lot of hooplah surrounding the next installment in the Batman franchise. Expectedly so. However, I do believe things are starting to cross a certain line here on SHH! Since I have been a member here I have found most of my compatriots to be intelligent, well-thought individuals. It is due to that fact that I find the present state of discussions to be a bit depressing here. Well developed ideas are giving way to half-witted propaganda. Calculated statements are being usurped by baseless claims.
I don't really need to go into further detail of what I'm talking about. We all know what pictures are getting what people rilled up, and who is taking what side. I see a community divided not by opinion, but by philosophy. Trust me when I tell you it's starting to get ugly. We all came to these forums to discuss the characters and stories we love with people who feel the same way. Somewhere in our good intentions things went arwy. I can't put into words some of the pigheaded, self-righteous bluster that I read here on a daily basis. The discussions over TDK are at the epicenter of the issue.
Where there once was just a group we now have "camps"; Nolanites and Doubters, Purest and Revisionist. This division in my eyes is unwarranted, for we are all under a single banner. Our vision of the big picture has become blurred by attention to detail in my opinion. I think we could stand to take a deep breath, step away, and look at things unobjectively for a second. In particular, as things pertain to the Joker and the Suit, and the direction.
I know the Joker isn't what all of us were expecting. After all, what ever is? But from what I can see, a lot of the disapproval is knee-jerk reaction to something that has been altered a bit. I'm still on the fence with the issue myself, but I will definitely just wait to see how things play out. In my heart of hearts, I do believe Nolan's direction with the character will work. I remember not digging the look of Scarecrow intially for Batman Begins. After I saw the movie I thought it made perfect sense. I was questioning Ken Watanabe playing Ra's Al Ghul. Imagine my shock when I saw he was just a decoy. Things are hardly what the intially seem, and that is never more true than with cinema.
As for the suit...my my my. Honestly, the things I read in that discussion are what prompted me to write this. My intial reaction to the suit was "Badass!" One look at it and I thought that it fitted in perfectly with what Nolan and crew have already established. Not everyone saw things as I did though. There is way too many opinions for me to discuss, but I will say this to some; Stop it. I've heard people compare the new suit to everything from Green Goblin to Robocop, and I'll tell you that that's nonsense. An old adage about making mountains out of molehills comes to mind. You have a right to your opinion, just make it something a little more concrete.
Looking at it seriously, with all truth, the suit is both like and unlike anything we have seen before in the franchise. It is due to that, I think, that so many people differ in their opinion. The suit is recognizable as what is standard for Batman on film, black rubber and all. But the new segemented look and mesh underweave are all new to us. Let's not be afraid of change here. The suit is seemingly "busy", but I can tell you, as an artist myself, that every detail in that suit has a function. Look at how the middle of the leg on the suit is designed for the hard parts to give weigh when fabric streches for Batman to kneel or run. Look a how the hip area is segmented to allow the Batman to lean his torso to either side with great flexibilty. Nolan didn't choose this suit simply to be different, he's trying to make things better. To all who would love a fabric suit, this is as close you can wish for. Imagine how great it will be to see Batman in action with a freedom of movement like never before, all the while holding continuity from what we are all familiar with.
As for those who are begining to question Nolan and his vision for this franchise, be ashamed of yourself. Everyone all but exalted Nolan as the king of comic films after Batman Begins. Now, after a few measly pictures have been released, he's a talentless hack that doesn't know Batman? Nolan's vaunted "realism" is a realative word. Watch BB again, the only things real are the people in it. Nolan's vision isn't realism, it's just to have the movie a little more grounded, as Batman should've always been, the way he was created to be. Focus on that.
We all have our own thoughts of what this should be like and what that should be like, but you know what? It doesn't matter. We're not in charge of making this movie, Nolan is. And what we expect from this movie should be nothing more than what Nolan's vision will allow. There's no room for a festively dressed Joker here. There's no place for fabric suits. Those things are taking steps back for the franchine, not forward. In all earnesty, we really shouldn't really have the audacity to question Nolan right now. Do you remeber the last movie before BB? Do you remember the 8 years of rotating director, writers, and stories? Do you remember the refreshing relief after you saw BB? For a second, maybe even longer, didn't you have to thank God for Christopher Nolan? The plain simple fact is that he has earned your trust and your respect. We may question his methods, yes, but never his madness.
In all, I hope writing this has opened some eyes out there. I hope it opened even more hearts. Look at this fantastic age of fandom we live in! How dare we waste it by bickering with one another like spoiled school children? Let's not forget that not long ago we had nothing to bicker about. Let's give each other a little more common courtesy and due process. Let's honor ourselves by making our stances reasonable and apt. And for the love of all that is good, let's be grateful. Be grateful that we are getting more of the characters we love. Be grateful that we awake to each morning with the promise that something new may come. Be grateful we have SHH. Be grateful we have each other.
D. Marcus McNeal aka NoirMan
t:
It's more like "wtf happened to sticking to teh comics? damn, but oh well... at least nolan's a competent director, just needs to learn how to shoot fights."
