Sunday, August 12, 2012

Rise Up / Wise Up


Though I am admittedly not a fan of summer time block busters, I finally went to go see The Dark Knight Rises.  Unlike other films of this genre, I’ve always admired the themes presented in these Christopher Nolan films.  It is for this reason that I was surprised when so called “left-wing” movie critics accused the film of being elitist propaganda claiming that Batman is presented as a crusader for the right-wing agenda.  Though like its predecessor The Dark Knight (which explored the dilemma of battling an uncompromising terrorist, i.e. The Joker), the third film in the series uses real life current events, in this case the occupy movement and the inequities in the disbursement of wealth in this country, as a plot device to enhance the complex nature of the human condition.   Not only does the TDKR explore how the arguably noble motivations of multi- dimensional characters (both antagonists and protagonist) can have disastrous results, the film can also be interpreted as a cautionary tale of what can happen when the plight of the marginalized/ disenfranchised goes unheard and eventually turns on society.  As a result audiences are allowed to question the actions of heroes while sympathizing with monstrous villains.   I swear sometimes you pretentious lefties have no fucking social imagination.