The Dark Knight--a cult classic!

Christopher Nolan's opus, " The Dark Knight", might break Hollywood's opening week all-time record of US$ 158 million. To date, the movie has raked in more than US$ 70 million when the movie premiered in theaters worldwide. Critics hailed it as the "best Batman movie of all time", and I agree. In fact, i'll go beyond that and say that it is the best superhero movie I have seen for a loong time.

Err...let me rephrase myself--this movie talks about heroes of a different kind. It centers not on Batman, but on the philosophical discussion on what really defines a hero or a superhero.

Do we need a hero when we face extreme social and economic difficulties? What defines a superhero? Why do we say that Batman or Spiderman are superheroes? What influences our thinking, our belief, of superheroes?

Between Spiderman and Batman, who do you think is the real superhero?

If you say, Spiderman, what made him a superhero? Was it his spidey sense? Or his ability to leap into buildings or survive mortal wounds? Probably. Most people would say that. If you watched the latest Spiderman movie, you'll know what I say here. That combat between the Sandman and his friend can be described as "mortal" combat. No ordinary human can survive those brutalities.

In the movie "The Dark Knight", Nolan presented Batman as who he really is--a human being in a highly sophisticated Bat suit. Batman is as real as you and me except that he has tons of cash to make himself a bullet-proof suit. He can be injured. He can die. What separates Batman from an ordinary fire fighter is his mask.

However, people don't realize that. People always depend on the masked crime crusader because they believe he has super-powers. People believe that Batman can't die. He can't retire. He can't fall in love. He can't be injured.

The movie shattered that. Batman can bleed. He can die. He can't climb buildings without his suit. He can retire if he wants to. He can sustain mortal wounds. And he can fall in love.

Between you and me, Batman is the real superhero. Because he has more than superpowers--his humanity. More on this in later blogs and a discussion on why it is pertinent for us to apply the lessons of the Dark Knight in our own situation.