Batman

Do not let the numbers fool you, like the number 154 million to be exact. That is the amount of money already siphoned into The Dark Knight dynasty, the wildly successful box office hit of the summer (maybe even the year). The critics are singing praises to the Knight, and worshiping Christopher Nolan like he is royalty.

Those staggering financial numbers have put me in a state of disbelief because I finally saw the movie tonight and I am not ashamed to say, I did not like it. No wait, to say I did not like it is like saying the sewer has an "earthy" aroma. It is a gross understatement. Actually, I loathed and hated every painful minute. I am probably the only person walking on the terra firma to admit this. But I am so angry about this movie and the amount of attention, positive reviews and absurdly high amount of cash flow it has generated.

This movie is simply a vehicle for Hollywood to glamorize blatant destruction of life and property. I can hear the directors now: "let's see how many senseless murders we can cram into 2 1/2 hours. Let's justify domestic surveillance, terrorism and torture. We'll throw in a weak story and a cool car and the public suckers will condone it all in the name of good vs. evil." The joker, an amoral sociopath, is especially disturbing, and yet he is the one providing comic relief!!

Besides the unending human slaughter and unabashed property destruction, the wretched film was a painful exercise in watching and waiting for hope to die. Although it never does completely, the film ends without a clear winner. Good does not definatively triumph over evil. And that smearing of the lines is just the type of blur that causes gradual acceptance of villianry.

As with many movies, there are political overtones. For example, none of the protagonists (Batman, Dent or Gordon, the policeman) can leverage his public image into the utopia they all seek. Each one suffers for his dreams and ambition. It seems that only the people can save the people, a timely democratic message, and perhaps one of the few reasonable messages to come from the movie.

I am really sick about this movie. I am sick my children saw it. I am sick that so many people LOVE it. What is happening to us? And why is is not rated R? This movie is as lawless, violent, evil and disturbing as it gets.