The Dark Knight and Why it Succeeds as both a Superhero Movie and and a Movie that is Relevant Across

Genres

The biggest problem with most superhero movies is that either a) they suck (Captain America, Catwoman, to name a pair of the worst in all time) and fail entirely to capture the original spirit of the superhero, or b) they fail to become more than what they are to transcend their genre, if you want it that way. The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan, a recent movie based on the popular character Batman and drawing from an original work by Frank Miller, manages to succeed in both categories and in fact far surpass what was expected. Instead of being a sensless action-based brawl or a parade of men In spandex tights, it can be judged not only as a superhero movie, where it is excellent, but also a movie that breaks the bounds of genre and succeeds in conveying actual emotional impact. This makes it unique among superhero films and means that it cant be rated, judged, or analyzed simply as a superhero movie. Because it is like this, it should be judged according to the same standards as, say, A Beautiful Mind, or Hearts in Atlantis: serious films with serious messages. Normally a superhero movie, or any movie based on content not respectable by the academia, receives no respect. People, upon hearing that the topic of the movie is, say, Batman, will immediately think that the movie isnt serious or has no serious content. They might say, this will be awesome, but they wont take it seriously. However, consider this. A movie is considered good for the direction,

the caliber of its actors, its emotional impact on the audience, and the message it conveys. Doesnt The Dark Knight apply across all of those categories? I give The Dark Knight a 9/10 rating as a movie in general, and not merely as a superhero movie. This is because it satisfies all of the criteria mentioned above. Its direction was considered exemplary even by the Academy, which is normally known for handing out direction awards to nongenre films, its actors are also of high caliber, and in fact Heath Ledger was supposedly slated to receive a posthumous award for his performance as Batmans nemesis the Joker. Audience members reported feeling the awesomeness and suchlike. And the message was regarded by many as deep and timeless. This proves more than anything that genre movies can and will be more than they are supposed to be. A superhero movie can also be a great movie, and so on and so forth. For example, there are several parts in the movie where the message shows through strongly. In the villain Two-Faces persona, for example, the dualistic nature of a coin-toss as related to the twin sides of the human soul (as seen from a starkly black-and-white perspective like that shown in The Dark Knight) shows through brilliantly. There is a moment in the movie when the character, heralded as the citys savior and White Knight is on the verge of executing a criminal who has something to do with his girlfriends kidnap. Subsequently, his coin flips, so to speak, and he goes on a rampage, killing police officers he believes responsible for his girlfriends death in essence stating clearly that there is a fine line between good and evil that is remarkably easy to cross. The film also attempts and succeeds to show how things are almost never as theyre portrayed. The titular character Batman is singlehandedly responsible for the citys safety but is villified by established authority. While

we the audience know that he is a true hero, the subjective crowd within the movie regard him as either a bogeyman to be feared or a glorious rogue to be emulated. Complexities and others such as these are why The Dark Knight is a 9/10 compared with other movies.

Answer in a manner that is short and direct to the point. (5pts each) 1. Discuss the factors that make the earth inhabitable. The earth is inhabitable because of its proximity to the sun and its abundance of water. If the earth were too close or too far from the sun, then life would be impossible, because the necessary temperatures wouldnt exist. If water werent around, then the critical chemistry for metabolism of life wouldnt exist either. 2. Discuss the cause/mechanism of global warming. Global warming is cyclical. Supposedly caused by carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere which traps heat from the sun, this essentially allows heat to build up slowly but permanently. The more heat there is, the more heat can enter, allowing a destructive cycle to begin. 3. Discuss the possible effects of global warming. Global warming can have multiple effects. Hotter temperatures can make animals accustomed to colder climates move south. The weather patterns will become erratic and destructive because of warming. Sea levels will rise due to the melting of the solar ice caps. 4. Discuss possible solutions to global warming.

Since the main cause of global warming is Carbon dioxide, the best and in fact only solution is to cut down on production of carbon dioxide. Cars should use fuel that produces less. And more trees and plants should be used to help combat Carbon dioxide and turn it into helpful oxygen. 5. Discuss the following concepts a. Mutualism Mutualism Is a type of interaction between organisms in which both organisms benefit though benefit is a sketchy term sometimes. This is seen in America with ants and aphids. The ants protect aphids from deadly ladybugs, and in return the ants can feed on the aphids nectar that it produces. Mutualism is one of the most unusual but suprisingly common biological interactions. b. Parasitism Parasitism is a type of biological interaction where a species benefits from the interaction and the other one is harmed. The most familiar one is the case of the mosquito and the human, where the mosquito feeds and gains resources to lay its eggs but the human may at times contract harmful diseases. c. Commensalism Commensalism is a type of interaction between organisms in which one organism benefits but the other is not harmed, unlike in parasitism. This can occur when, for example, mites hitch a ride on the back of a fly. They are using it for transportation but the fly is not harmed, and in fact the mites are so small that it doesnt notice. Generally speaking, Commensalism allows both species involved in the relationship to at least maintain status quo. d. Competition Competition can occuur directly or indirectly between two organisms or more. It is when species must rely on the same limited resource. For example, if a tiger and a lion want to eat a gazelle, but theres only one gazelle, then the tiger and lion are in competition, because the loser does not get the gazelle, which is a needed resource. Or, for example, when bees need water and ants need water, but there isnt enough water for both. In either case the organism more fit to survive acquires the resource and the one that isnt either adapts or dies out.