on If you go back and look at previous versions of Batman, you’ll notice that the character was usually portrayed more comically (this can be seen especially in the 1960s TV show and Clooney’s portrayal). Nolan’s Batman is a darker and grittier character, whose status as a true hero is even debatable. The slideshow below details how the character is like and unlike the typical hero.
on The Dark Knight is a superhero film that both subverts and conforms to the genre.
The Dark Knight conforms to the Superhero genre in several ways : It’s set in a city (meaning several shots of the cityscape – a staple in many movies of this genre); Batman’s alter ego is secret, and we see conflict of whether or not Batman should reveal himself; he has an arch nemesis, his opposite who is able to target his weaknesses very effectively.
The Dark Knight also subverts the genre is many ways : the Joker has no origin story, therefore no clear motivations – a rarity for the genre; Batman also fails to save ‘the girl’ (Rachel), she also chooses Harvey Dent over him; Batman is a morally grey character, he breaks international law by kidnapping someone in Hong Kong and at the end he becomes a criminal (by taking on Dent’s crimes at the end).
Genre Study – The Dark Knight
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The Corpus → The Repertoire of Elements↓ |
Film1: Superman (1978) Donner |
Film 2: Spider-man (2002) Raimi |
Film 3: Wonder Woman (2017) Jenkins |
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Typical Locations |
New York, mythical places, big cities, urban location, usually America… or space. |
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Characters / Groups |
Typical hero with ‘powers’, group of heroes in conflict, dead family members, orphans, extremists, antagonist, sidekick – tech guys, love interest – the damsel in distress |
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Conflicts & Themes |
Good overcoming evil, overcoming adversity, origin story, internal conflict, |
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Filmic Technique |
Kaboom, CGI, big action sequences, cars chase, flashbacks, training montage, explosions, special effects, aerial shots, voiceovers, the costume reveal |
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Iconography / Mise-en-Scene |
Cityscape, primary coloured superhero suits, vehicles, specific weapons, power prop, superpower, |
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Shape of the story |
Opening action setting – origin story explained – characters introduced |
Superhero is put in challenging situations – their arch nemesis tries to destroy the world. Achilles heel is tested |
Superhero wins / saves the world – and the girl |
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