More than three weeks after watching "The Dark Knight", its haunting theme still lingers in my head for it was, by far, the best Batman movie I have ever seen. It was an experience, something that I lived through inside that dark movie theater - wide-eyed, probably with my mouth open most of the time, lapping up every scene and eagerly anticipating what was to unfold next. And when it was over, I walked out of that theater with a grin even the Joker would envy! He he.

I have a confession to make, however. I was never a Batman fan before this movie. Sure, I saw almost every major Caped Crusader film ever made (except the one with George Clooney), but I am first and foremost a Superman fan. And I think most of us are. We grew up filled with fantasies of superhero strength, wisdom and, most of all, flight! Playtime when we were kids involved stealing one of Mom's bedsheets or curtains, draping it over our shoulders and desperately
pretending to fly like the Man of Steel. We were all Supermans then, and I don't recall any of my cousins or playmates ever pretending to be Batman, or even Robin. Superman was our hero, and every kid on the block had a cape that mildly fluttered in the wind as he ran. Needless to say, we saw Christopher Reeve's Superman movies many times (VHS and Betamax versions included).

With my current Dark Knight obsession, however, a reality check was in order. I had to ask myself and check if I have been converted to the Batman fold after watching this movie. Have I traded my red cape for a black one? Do I now prefer the Bat Mobile and cool gadgets from a utility belt over X-ray vision and the gift of flight? Is "The Dark Knight" now my favorite comic book movie after years of worshiping Christopher Reeve's personification of the Man of Steel? The answers to these required quite some thought (together with several cups of coffee) but I think I have resolved the issue.

"The Dark Knight" is a magnificent movie. It has all the ingredients any a superhero buff would love - tons of action, stunning sequences and unforgettable characters. However, there are factors that prevent me from choosing it as my favorite superhero movie. For one thing, I don't consider it as a superhero movie at all, but a super villain one. Yup, it was more of the Joker's movie! He upstaged the Caped Crusader with the tremendous performance of Heath Ledger, lighting up the screen in every scene he was in. And without him I think this movie wouldn't have been as effective.

There was also a missing ingredient in "The Dark Knight" that I was looking for, the 'child factor'. A superhero movie should be child's movie, something that should feed the child in all of us as we watch our hero champion the cause of the weak and stop evil in its tracks. It should be an escapist's adventure that brings to life the stories, situations and sketches we read from comic books. "The Dark Knight" didn't deliver this. Instead, what I saw was an "adult film" (no, not that kind of adult film), an action flick centered around comic book characters that didn't connect with the child in me. Sure, I was wowed by it all, but that was Monaco, the adult, talking.

Superman, on the other hand, remained true to its superhero roots. It captured every kid's imagination with its wholesome presentation of a superhero adventure flick. Watching the first Superman movie with Christopher Reeve in the title role, I was transported back to my childhood - to the days when we ran around the neighborhood with capes hanging from our shoulders, pretending to fly across the sky like our hero did.

There was also something magical about the power of flight that captured our attention (and fantasy). Whether it was to catch a crashing helicopter, speed across the Earth, throw a nuclear bomb into outer space or just float across the night sky with Lois Lane, it was as if I was I was flying as well. It was the realization of every kid's dream to see Superman fly and this movie made it all possible. Sure, we saw Superman "fly" countless of times before in cartoons but that was nothing special. Everybody can fly in cartoons - the cat, the mouse, the grumpy dog, even a pot-bellied pig! But watching Superman fly in the movie was something special. And it looked so real too, thanks to special effects of course.

Another big factor was Christopher Reeve as Superman. He was an excellent choice for the role. The Man of Steel finally had a face that everybody could identify with, not just a comic book sketch or a mask that anybody can wear and call themselves a superhero! And it was a face that was perfect for the character - wholesome, handsome, compassionate, modest and strong as Superman, and nerdy as Clark Kent. Come to think of it, the Clark Kent angle of Superman's life was another come on for me, something that I (we) could identify with. Haven't we all felt like a bumbling idiot at one time or another and wished we were otherwise, like a superhero perhaps?

"The Dark Knight" may be today's box office champion, the movie that everybody wants to see over and over again because of its haunting theme, special effects and, of course, because of the Joker. But if there's a superhero/comic book movie that remains everybody's favorite (at least to my generation), nothing beats Superman! (Image courtesy of greenarrow331/photobucket)

This is an entry to Penstalker's FaveMovie Writing Contest.

If you like this post, then please consider subscribing to my RSS feed. You can also subscribe by email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.

torn between two capes: a superhero fan's predicament

Recommended Reading

You may also want to check out the following:

My SideBar: Ads, Search Bar and Widgets

television round up

Popular Posts