in which the dark knight should be the LAST batman movie
So, I was watching The Dark Knight tonight…I came in at the part where Rachel and Harvey were talking to each other while being held captive at those different spots as bait (which is, ironically, the part where we stopped when we watched it in my Digital Media class.) And we watched it all the way until the end. And I kept thinking…this movie would have been a fantastic, and I mean a fantastic way to end the Batman series.
First of all, the story of Batman (and, in my opinion, something that makes him way more interesting to watch than some of the other countless superhero movies coming out lately) is that he is not a hero. He’s a vigilante, a scapegoat, and, as is mentioned in the movie, “whatever Gotham needs him to be.” And at the end of The Dark Knight, he is needed as the villain while Harvey is left as the cherished “white knight” of the city, a victim of the Joker.
It would have been such a poignant and perfect ending to the Batman series that I can’t even stand it. First, Batman would have been no longer. It is said that he went on to be chased and hunted down as the villain that Gotham needed him to be - someone to direct anger at as opposed to the dangerous and immovable Joker. Second, both Rachel and Harvey would be dead. This would leave no reason for Batman to come back for Rachel, and the death of Harvey meant that Gotham would have a symbol of hope to aspire to live up to - meaning that there was a ray of hope in Gotham’s future. (On top of that, Lucius had already said he was leaving Wayne Enterprises, so there was no need for him anymore.) Third, the Joker was not killed. Those last lines he has? Those lines are absolutely brilliant, and almost twice as poignant when Ledger’s death is taken into account. “I think we are destined to do this forever.” It would have been a great metaphor for the fact that sometimes you can’t just get rid of evil - it will always be there, it will be unstoppable - and aspiring to become better people is the only way to beat it (as the people on the ferries did when they refused to blow each other up.)
It would have left every subplot tied up, and it would have given one of those “on-going story” feels to the end. It would have been the most brilliant and poignant ending to the Batman story that could ever hope to be achieved, on so many levels, not least of which maybe in tribute to Heath Ledger’s memory, as Heath has died, but the character of the Joker (and, as such, Ledger’s mind boggling portrayal of him) will continue to live on forever.
But, of course, we know it’s not going to be the end - they’ve already announced the next one, something about the Penguin? I’m sorry, but not only is this movie never going to live up to the post-Dark-Knight expectations of the audience, but the only way to keep the story going is to completely negate everything set up at the end of Dark Knight.
I don’t usually deal in absolutes or ultimatums like this, especially when dealing with movies. But this one I will stick to until the day I die. If they ever even think about replacing Heath’s Joker…if there is so much as a whisper of recasting the role…I will never, ever see that movie. Never. Not in a million years. EVER. And on top of that, there is a 95% chance that I won’t see the next Batman movie…I really won’t. I love Nolan’s movies, and I like Christian Bale…but I’m sorry. Especially given how Heath Ledger has died, I think I’m just going to pretend like the series did end with Dark Knight. Almost as a somber honor to Heath’s memory. And in honor of good story-telling.
First of all, the story of Batman (and, in my opinion, something that makes him way more interesting to watch than some of the other countless superhero movies coming out lately) is that he is not a hero. He’s a vigilante, a scapegoat, and, as is mentioned in the movie, “whatever Gotham needs him to be.” And at the end of The Dark Knight, he is needed as the villain while Harvey is left as the cherished “white knight” of the city, a victim of the Joker.
It would have been such a poignant and perfect ending to the Batman series that I can’t even stand it. First, Batman would have been no longer. It is said that he went on to be chased and hunted down as the villain that Gotham needed him to be - someone to direct anger at as opposed to the dangerous and immovable Joker. Second, both Rachel and Harvey would be dead. This would leave no reason for Batman to come back for Rachel, and the death of Harvey meant that Gotham would have a symbol of hope to aspire to live up to - meaning that there was a ray of hope in Gotham’s future. (On top of that, Lucius had already said he was leaving Wayne Enterprises, so there was no need for him anymore.) Third, the Joker was not killed. Those last lines he has? Those lines are absolutely brilliant, and almost twice as poignant when Ledger’s death is taken into account. “I think we are destined to do this forever.” It would have been a great metaphor for the fact that sometimes you can’t just get rid of evil - it will always be there, it will be unstoppable - and aspiring to become better people is the only way to beat it (as the people on the ferries did when they refused to blow each other up.)
It would have left every subplot tied up, and it would have given one of those “on-going story” feels to the end. It would have been the most brilliant and poignant ending to the Batman story that could ever hope to be achieved, on so many levels, not least of which maybe in tribute to Heath Ledger’s memory, as Heath has died, but the character of the Joker (and, as such, Ledger’s mind boggling portrayal of him) will continue to live on forever.
But, of course, we know it’s not going to be the end - they’ve already announced the next one, something about the Penguin? I’m sorry, but not only is this movie never going to live up to the post-Dark-Knight expectations of the audience, but the only way to keep the story going is to completely negate everything set up at the end of Dark Knight.
I don’t usually deal in absolutes or ultimatums like this, especially when dealing with movies. But this one I will stick to until the day I die. If they ever even think about replacing Heath’s Joker…if there is so much as a whisper of recasting the role…I will never, ever see that movie. Never. Not in a million years. EVER. And on top of that, there is a 95% chance that I won’t see the next Batman movie…I really won’t. I love Nolan’s movies, and I like Christian Bale…but I’m sorry. Especially given how Heath Ledger has died, I think I’m just going to pretend like the series did end with Dark Knight. Almost as a somber honor to Heath’s memory. And in honor of good story-telling.