Final Batman Essay

 

Overall, I believe that this essay was a lot better that my first final essay. I got 16/28 on this one. In my Pan’s Labyrinth I got 15/28. Although it doesn’t seem that much better at first. You have to consider that they are more elements involved in this essay compared to the last. This essay did have some issues like not using enough macro elements in my essay as well as not mentioning the big picture or the narrative. All of which are fairly easy to solve. Next time I will put for focus to the narrative as well as have a separate paragraph focused on the macro features and the effect to the overall message.

Superhero Analysis

Batman mostly fits the superhero archetype however does have some differences.

  • He has a weakness however unlike the normal superhero it’s not an object like superman as his cryptonite. His weakness is his morals on not killing people.
  • He has an alternate persona similar to spider man or iron man. However with Batman’s persona who chooses to wear dark clothing and not typical bright blue, red and gold that is often seen on superheros.
  • Last he makes a sacrifice and with all other superheros it messes with there morals. However unlike most superheros, Batman’s choice stops him from being seen  as a hero.

Overall he does fit some of the superhero archetype however tends to change the way we see those elements.  I would prefer to call him a tragic hero that has a superhero disguise over him than anything else. It is his own flaws that cause him to suffer.

Batman context and critical reception.

Batman-1yl5lip

  • Vigilantism, Justice and Vengeance:  Batman “is a force for ‘good’ who fights criminals by putting on a mask, attacking them in the dark and dishing out his own vigilante justice, uninhibited by the laws, restrictions and corruption that the local police deal with”.
  • By any means necessary – the tactics of Batman: Batman defeats the villain by becoming the villain, as well as good and evil becoming murky concepts as the film progresses.
  • Inequality in Gotham: People of Gotham are portrayed as “corrupt, chaotic, unequal and unjust” (Douthat, 2012), and how Batman does not fight inequality or any of the other factors that might cause increases in criminality.
  • The Masses: Nolan deliberately put less faith in the masses, presenting them as docile, useless and incapable of achieving anything worthwhile. Meggs (2009) states “the film’s ideological conflict seems to centre around the fundamental worth of humanity, whether it is as truly as corruptible as the Joker thinks it is, or if it has an essential nobility as Bruce Wayne believes”.
  • Order vs Chaos: Reflecting on post-9/11 concerns about terrorism, justice and retribution, as well as finishing with this view from Meggs (2009) – “by not seeking to create a radically new system of government or social structure, he ensures that he will always be needed”.

Key context:

CrashCourse. (2019). Terrorism, War, and Bush 43: Crash Course US History #46. [Online Video]. 30 January 2014. Available from: https://youtu.be/nlsnnhn3VWE. [Accessed: 9 December 2019].

Turner, P., 2013. Dark Knight Dark Ideas. The Ideology of Nolan’s Batman trilogy,  37-41

Textual Analysis in The Dark Knight

 

In the scene we can see that most of the guests in the shot are wearing very similar outfits. The Joker truly standout in this scene with his purple jacket and green waist coat because of how contrasting the outfits our. This shows the audience how important the Joker feels about himself. He feels the need to standout. Another reason for his contrasting look is because it represents what that Joker wants disorder.

Another thing to focus is how the camera is used with the Joker. When Joker is giving his monologue the camera shakes a bit  and goes around with him moment. This makes the audience feel as if they are in the scene with him. The rushed movement also shows us how the Jokers thought are running through his mind. A clear moment is when he attacks Rachel and the camera spins around his head.

One more thing to note is the props, in particular the Jokers knife (more like a shiv). Although it does look threatening he doesn’t use it. It seems more like an add on to his hand more than anything. Yes, he does use it to threaten Rachel as its right in her face it’s his own hands that hurt her when he’s harshly grabbing on to her face. The shiv is symbolism for the jokers craziness and his sketchy life.

The Ultimate Villain (The Joker)

 

  • The joker attacks and exposes Batman’s weaknesses. Every superhero has their own weakness. For instance, Superman has cryptonite which many villains use against him.
  • Joker causes Batman to deal with difficult moral situation.  Choose Harvey dent or Rachel. This moral decision allows us as viewer to paint Batman in a new light.
  • They both have the same goal. They both have a version of Gotham that they want to have both of which are contradicting each other.
  • Batman becomes a better person due to Joker.
  • The joker creates his own material and doesn’t meet the normal cliche

Overall the Joker makes Batman better. It makes us (the audiance) understand Batman. We may see Batman as a hero or just a dick but either way we understand his reasons more because he doesn’t seem to be a powerful being. The Joker brings him down a peg and makes his character more human.

The Dark Knight Narrative Analysis

 

]In the dark knight the hero’s journey is only completed to an extent. When compared to the five point story arc it fits in perfectly however when compared to the hero story arc The Dark Knight only fits with some of the points and tend to skip over key points that most superhero movies have. For instance the crisis (which is suppose to happen at the end of the movie) happens at the end of the movie. Yes you could argue that Rachel death is a crisis and that is true however the two boats is a true crisis. I would argue that The Dark Knight is the first half of the journey and the squeal is second half of the journey.

 

Lighting

  

The impact of lighting:

Lighting is a huge thing in cinema and can change our perspective on a scene. For instance low key lighting causes the object or person to be seem mysterious and/or evil. This is due to the fact that not everything can be seen. In high key lighting everything can be seen. This means that nothing is a mystery or can be a surprise. This makes the audience feel safe and comfortable.

Another part of lighting is the colours used. Gels could be used to cause meaning to a scene. Different colour mean different things.In the video there is a warm light and a cold light used. The warm lighting makes you feel safe and is calmer. The cold lighting makes the person or object it’s on feel more distant.