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Summer Budget Travel Tips from Gadling

The Geek Beat: The 'Dark Knight' Insanity

by Elisabeth Rappe Jul 15th 2008 // 1:02PM

Filed under: Action, Celebrities and Controversy, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, The Geek Beat

It's rare when geek culture and mainstream movie-goers unite together in barely suppressed excitement. It's so rare that, frankly, it's downright weird when it happens. I'm watching the breathless anticipation that is accompanying The Dark Knight from all corners of the media, from places as diverse as Jezebel and Slate, and wondering how did it come to this...

Don't get me wrong. It's great. I haven't seen The Dark Knight yet (I seem to be the only internet writer who didn't catch a press screening), but I feel it could be a film worthy to unite the masses. When my friends asked me, back in the depths of winter, which summer films would be the biggest and best, I didn't hesitate. "Wall E and The Dark Knight." I maintained this opinion, despite the impending arrivals of Crystal Skull, Angelina Jolie, and The Hulk.

Nevertheless, I'm still not sure where the Dark Knight mania came from. A similar excitement preceded last year's 300, but I think that was largely due to the glut of advertising, TV spots and MySpace banners in the weeks beforehand. This year, Iron Man had a similar effect, but it was practically overnight, and driven largely by the shockingly good reviews. And even so, I have friends and family who still haven't gotten around to seeing Iron Man or 300 despite the buzz – but they've had Dark Knight earmarked for months.



Why? It was hardly the success of its predecessor, Batman Begins. That movie came and went with a relative whisper. The only people I knew who were obsessively watching it and thinking about it were film and comic book geeks. It didn't seem to have much of an impact on average moviegoers. (Still, it did make $205 million in North America alone. --SW) A perfect example of this is my dad, who actually really likes Batman. You can't really interest him in Wolverine, Iron Man, or the Hulk, but he will happily go see the latest incarnation of the Caped Crusader, if only to compare them to Adam West. And so he dutifully rented Batman Begins, watched it, and returned it without much comment. To this day, I don't really know if he cared for it or not. But now he too is counting down to The Dark Knight.

So what was it? The viral marketing? The eye-catching trailers? Or is it the untimely death of Heath Ledger? I am forced to conclude that for many average moviegoers, it's the latter. I do know it's the case with my dad, who was dismissive of Ledger's performance in the first trailer. He preferred Jack Nicholson, which is fine. But now he really really wants to see The Dark Knight, and even mentioned wanting to see one controversial scene in particular. Ledger's death instantly put this movie into the legendary category. People who were only barely aware of its existence at the start of the year were buried in breathless discussion of Ledger's last role -- the role that might have actually killed him. (It didn't.) Now, Christian Bale's interviews are being lovingly posted on Jezebel, a site I enjoy, but one that is normally dismissive of superhero movies. (Perhaps they've carried a torch for Christopher Nolan's vision all along, but I doubt it.)

Without the tragedy, I firmly believe The Dark Knight would have been just another summer movie. I still stand by my original assertion that it was destined to be one of the biggest and best of the summer -- but it would have been more gradual, perhaps. "You have to see The Dark Knight – the Two-Face is really sick!" or "Ledger really redefines The Joker – no one else is going to be able to play him now, it's that good." I wish that could have been, not only because Ledger would be basking in the hype and glory, but because the movie would be judged on its own terms. Of course, I'm not the first person to say this – Devin Faraci of CHUD and Moriarty of AICN have said much the same thing, with the added insight of having actually seen the movie. Faraci even admitted the adulation was making him feel quite contrary, indeed. And ultimately, that's where I see this heading. The Dark Knight's mainstream success could lead to a backlash the likes of which geekdom has never seen.

Or not. Frankly, I'm just dying to see it and judge for myself, worn out with hearing how good it is from those lucky enough to see it before me. I'm suddenly fearful I won't be able to get a ticket to a daytime showing, and feeling insanely annoyed at those waving their midnight showing tickets around. But I'm trying to quell the ugly geek within, who wants to be contrarian and sneer at those so plebian to see the movie just because it's the "in" thing. It's a rare thing when a movie, especially one with such a nerdy pedigree, captures the public imagination. While I wish the circumstances surrounding The Dark Knight were different, and it could rise or fall on its own merits, at least it's a film of quality. That much I can tell. And I would rather people fall over themselves to see a well-made film, and not something along the lines of Meet Dave.

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