When the Siver Screen Turns Red: Opinions on Movie Violence : ‘Batman the killer is not a hero for our times...’
Yesterday my hero died.
Yesterday I went to see the movie “Batman.” I left upset because Batman killed people.
Most of grew up with two immortal symbols of heroism--Superman and Batman. Superman was the embodiment of our highest ideals. He soared through our imagination defeating aliens and other-dimensional menaces; protecting truth, justice and the American Way. Batman, on the other hand, was our conscience. He prowled the back alleys of our soul, dragging the darker elements of our humanity into the light of justice. Batman’s purpose in his “war” against crime was to bring criminals in so that they could be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.
To me, having Batman kill people is as much as admitting that our darker sides can swallow us up; that once we commit any crime, we will descend a hopeless path of evil until we die.
Batman was never meant to be judge, jury and executioner. He was meant to point out our weaknesses and how we could rise above them. Batman the killer is not a hero for our times: He is the herald of our society’s collapse.
BILL MAXWELL
Woodland Hills
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