Japanese poster for Dark Knight (obviously)
Random Observation/Comment #96: I’ve watched the Dark Knight eight times. What a freakin’ awesome movie. I didn’t think Heath Ledger was that type of actor, but he did a legendary job and I don’t think there can be any replacement for him. The revelation of the Joker’s character was carefully planned by luring the audience into false conclusions with the early snippets of unclear intentions. At the point when we admired him for his brilliance as a mastermind, we were shown his twisted cynicism. This was no longer a simple Dick Tracy film about corruption and justice – it had evolved into a struggle of balance and a sacrifice of honor for a greater cause. A city of mobs screwing up the underground economy becomes a city of chaos lead by a lunatic that wants nothing more than to witness the fall of society. He was a genius of plot twists, and he was purely insane. What story do you believe? Why So Serious?
Like everyone else, I tried to rationalize the Joker’s character by reading into his actions and hints of origins. It’s very difficult to just accept that one of these villains doesn’t have a logical motive. I’ve been reading comic books enough to see some type of cookie cutter method of creating a villain. First you need an evil puppet master leading the bigger picture and convincing his henchmen (P.C. – henchpeople) to do his dirty work. The motive of the boss is the key to his evil and needs to make sense in a twisted-villain way. Think of all of it as a war and people are just taking sides for and against humanity or justice or some humane ideal. Here are some very common types of villains:
- “I want to rule the world!” – These types of villains will stop at nothing to conquer their land and kill everyone that gets in the way.
- “Give me all of your money! … so I can rule the world” – The common thieves and bank robbers that plague every neighborhood actually become very good at this job due to their super powers and invulnerability towards human soldiers that don’t seem to learn.
- “I’m going to take justice into my own hands… all will be good if I rule the world” – Through some odd transformation of character, these villains feel like the terrible things done to everyday innocent people are being overlooked. To boost their ego and wear tight costumes, they kill the everyday scum. Unfortunately, they are misunderstood and become chased as one of the bad guys.
- “I dun care, I do wha I want” – The acquisition of new super powers makes them above everyone, thereby opening some special privilege of accomplishing all of their unattained goals.
- “::shakes fist:: I’ll get you for this!” – Payback is a b*tch, when you’re on the receiving end. This vengeful fervor often leaks into the heroes’ end and makes them turn into villains. Usually the masterminds will not be driven by something this simple.
- “I just want to see the world burn.” – This one might be an underlying motive, but it is rarely the driving one. Sure, some people enjoy seeing chaos, but for the most part, it is to meet a specific end. In the case of the Joker, he does it because it’s fun. The best part about it is that he’s good at it and he has no need for a special power.
There is no rationalization, and that’s what makes it brilliant. He is a villain waiting to die, but he’s taking society down with him. It is cynicism at its best. You want to find out the beginning, but his stories of being a good husband or abused child are all just lies. What story do you think he would have said to Batman?
“Do you want to know how I got these scars?” My parents and younger sister made the ideal family. We would take trips to town for music lessons. The clash of cymbals and roar of the drums were the sounds of my dreams. One day when we were driving our normal route, a drunken truck driver runs a red light and makes the most unforgettable music. I crawled out of the wreckage with limp bodies in my arms. From that day on, I couldn’t smile. To hide my sorrow, I put a razor in my mouth and did this to my face. Now I’m always smiling… (damn I really got lazy at the end of that – oh well)
~See Lemons he he ho ho ha ha
