Theater-goers in Albany, New York, file into "The Dark Knight Rises."
I saw the Batman movie at the Imax last night with two grandsons in their late teens and a son-in-law.
During the movie, a man in the theater caused a little consternation by jumping up and rushing down the aisle, a startling reminder that the long shadow of the Aurora, Colorado, massacre had reached Tulsa.
And Aurora is not the only shadow over the Batman movies. The untimely death of actor Heath Ledger, who died of an accidental drug overdose after playing the Joker in the earlier Batman movie, also tainted the pure entertainment value of the film.
We talked afterward about whether we should feel guilty about going to the movie, whether that somehow detracted from the gravity of the horrific recent events, or failed to respect those who died.
In the end, we concluded that the guilt, and the blame, and the responsibility for the senseless slaughter of 12 people in Aurora belong with the man who made the decision to buy firearms and ammunition, leave the theater though an exit door, blocking the door open, and then return to open fire on helpless men, women and children whose only crime was to go to the movies.
Americans in general, and the media in particular, are quick to point the finger of blame whenever tragedy occurs. Some people blamed weak gun control laws, others blamed Hollywood, or the general decline in moral values, and still others blamed the movie itself. We can’t seem to resist using someone else’s tragedy to further our own political agenda.
For those who haven’t seen it, the Batman movie itself is not evil. It’s one of the loudest, fastest-moving action movies you’ll ever see, especially in an Imax theater. But it is a classic tale of good versus evil. And good prevails, through the commitment, loyalty, determination and love of one misunderstood man determined to save millions of people from annihilation. The movie is, in fact, a good deal less dark than the earlier film that some say contributed to the death of Heath Ledger.
By the way, I don’t buy that either. One of my grandsons speculated that Health Ledger so immersed himself in his diabolical character that he could not extract himself; that his artistic commitment was so strong it somehow led to his death, a kind of noble sacrifice to his art.
Yes, he was a great talent, and yes, his death a great tragedy, but there’s nothing noble about accidentally taking so many prescription drugs that you die.
