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Reviewed by Nicole Reardon  Since his comic book debut in 1939, the character of Batman has been constantly redefined.
The DC comics gave us a super hero without any superpowers, but who was intelligent, powerful, and violent to the extent that he would use torture to wage his war on crime in Gotham city. It was this very human side to Batman's nature (as well as the fantastic gizmos and gadgets he carried — and the Batmobile of course) that made him so interesting. But the lack of darker human qualities in the 1960s television rendition of the character was also the reason he became somewhat cheesy. Tim Burton let a glimmer of Batman’s darker side come to light in his 1989 Hollywood blockbuster, Batman, and its 1992 sequel. Unfortunately this was overshadowed with the poor scripts, poor acting and poor character construction of Burton’s later films. But with Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan was on to a good thing and in his latest film, The Dark Knight, Batman returns in an array of dark glory and destruction. Although you smirk when the man dressed in black rubber, cape and a helmet with bat ears appears on the cinema screen, you can’t help but be impressed by the remarkable action sequences, the extensive physical combat scenes and the high-tech weaponry. But for all the fire and explosives it was the characters of Bruce Wayne (Batman) and of the Joker that kept audiences entranced. Both are dark, twisted men who take power into their own hands. But whereas Batman ultimately breaks society’s rules to save the city of Gotham, the Joker simply kills for the purpose of creating chaos. What makes these characters so alluring is that for all the fear and havoc they inspire, there are streaks of humanity within them that the audience can relate to. You feel for Batman as he takes one blow after the next, gradually getting tired but still fighting on. Strangely, you also feel compassion for the sickeningly mad and destructive Joker as you watch him talking to himself — convincing himself he is not crazy. The hype and praise that has been dolled out to this latest version of Batman is well deserved. By illustrating both the outstanding villainy and courage of Batman and the Joker, while also exploring the darker, twisted but ultimately human side of their natures, Nolan has given us a super-villain that we loathe, fear but also strangely care for, and a superhero we love but do not accept. The role of the superhero is changing: courage and endurance outweighs powers and abilities. As one of the last lines in the film states, "Batman isn’t a hero — he is whatever Gotham needs him to be".
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