Sunday, August 10, 2008

Did I ever tell you how I got my scars?

Most people agree that, while it is brilliant, engaging and beautifully done film, The Dark Knight is not meant to be a feature film for children. Some people, on the other hand, are still willfully insistent/naive enough to think "Batman" = "children's film" and thus force their screaming, crying children to take in a two and a half hour film where *SPOILER!* people are brutally murdered in the throes of nail-biting psychological tension. A lot. I didn't have to deal with any crying kids at my IMAX screening but I've heard horror stories.

I only wish that I were joking. Beyond the anecdotal evidence, I actually came across a comments section on CNN where people argued that it was "stupid" to think Batman wasn't a kid's movie. Swear to God ("SWEAR TO ME!!!"). I couldn't find that link (if I could, I'd forward it to Get Off The Internet post haste), but I did find the following -



While this video was awfully freakin' adorable (Battyke on Tricycle FTW!), I don't know how I feel about kids seeing a flick as, well, dark as The Dark Knight. Of course, kids will watch want they want to watch and there's way, way worse films for them to see (I've seen people with toddlers in R-rated horror films. No kid under 8 should be taken to Grindhouse, fer crissakes). Of course, the guy who read Kraven's Last Hunt when he was, like, 11, probably should just shut the hell up and stop throwing stones.

But hey, at least this way, kids will learn at least one of two important lessons about life.

1. The world is more often than not a messy, ugly place full of moral ambiguity - a place that can only be overcome via obsessive dedication to one's ideals, an unflinching moral code and constant attempts at self-improvement.

2. Or, y'know, that Batman is totally freakin' awesome.

Whichever.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

they sell toys for this movie therefor it's a children's film.

K. D. Bryan said...

That is exactly one of the "arguments" used by one of the good folks on Cnn.com. Good man. Your trolling skills are strong. Jerkface.