The Dark Knight backlash

After months of viral marketing, cryptic trailers and impatient waiting, “The Dark Knight” is almost here. The film and the buzz surrounding it are virtually everywhere as we enter the final marketing stretch. Everyone is talking about it, describing it as possibly the best comic-book movie ever and even a solid candidate as a “great film.”

    But in all honesty, I’m a bit a worried; at least as worried as you can be about a film that’s about to make lots of people very happy and lots of people very wealthy. But still a little worried. Can “The Dark Knight” truly live up to the hype?

    This film has so many things going for it. It’s a sequel to “Batman Begins,” one of the most critically acclaimed comic-book films ever, and the film that restored the character of Batman to his rightful, dark place. The cast is as good as it gets, including the additions of Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart this time around. And it’s quite possible that no other film like this has ever used viral marketing quite the way “The Dark Knight” has. The marketers behind this film have been ringing that creepy “Why so serious?” tagline bell for almost a year now and their target demographic, Internet-savvy fanboys, are still salivating like Pavlov’s dogs.

    Since the summer movie season began, people frustrated with this year’s crop have gone to “The Dark Knight” in an attempt to restore their faith in the blockbuster. Whereas “The Incredible Hulk” or “Speed Racer” disappointed some, this new Batman epic is something we could all anticipate. And with various early reviews coming out stuffed with hyberbole about “Knight” being a “masterpiece” and “revolutionary,” everyone is looking forward to this film.  

    All of this means that some people are going to hate it.

    Too many people are expecting this film to change their lives, restore their faith in Hollywood, or cure deadly disease. But as good as this film may be (and chances are it is truly pretty freaking good), at the end of the day it’s still just a movie; a movie about a fairly one-dimensional character who dresses up in a cape and cowl. And when this film doesn’t deliver on the exact expectations of those fans who’ve been running around major cities in Joker makeup, the backlash might be as epic as the hype.

    In another instance, certain non-fans who see the film might hitch on to the idea that the role of the Joker killed Ledger. We could see people complaining about how certain aspects of his performance drove him to overdose on prescription medications. Chances are also good that there will be a parental outcry over the violence in the film, even though it’s rated PG-13. With a movie this large, there’s always someone with a bone to pick. 

    The box office numbers of “The Dark Knight” are going to be overwhelmingly positive, but the backlash could, and probably will, come. Those disappointed with the film must ask themselves one question: Why so serious? It’s just a movie.