I had waited for this movie for 2 years. 2 years of going online everyday to check for updates, downloading new teasers/trailers, the works. And on the 18th of July, I finally saw ‘The Dark Knight.’ I went alone because I wanted to believe that this movie had been made for me. For more than 2 hours, my only companion was a bucket of stale popcorn, and yet it was worth it. All my time, the money was insignificant to the wonder of those couple of hours. But as I walked out and sat in my car, a shadow of doubt fell upon me. Was the movie really that good…? Was it one of those rare situations where the hype meets the substance…? Because if it was, then why did I feel a tinge of sadness? Why was I still waiting for more?
The Dark Knight was more than just a movie for me. It was something to look forward too. When I was thinking about it, everything else seemed meaningless. The boredom of everyday life was replaced with a restlessness I hadn’t felt in years. I would spend hours trawling through Wikipedia, just to get a glimpse of what the Joker would be like. I watched the first six minutes of the movie shot on a mobile phone with the enthusiasm of a seven year old. No task was too tedious, no download too large.
“You’ve changed things, forever. There’s no going back,” is what the Joker tells the Batman. I feel that this is me talking to the movie, that if I ever go out to see another movie I will always remember The Dark Knight. And, that will force me to question my decision to watch a second-rate Bollywood flick. Ayn Rand wrote that “…the person who loves everybody and feels at home everywhere is the true hater of mankind… I mean the person who loves Joan of Arc and the salesgirls in dress shops on Broadway–with equal fervor.” So if after this I see ‘Ugly and Pagli’ or ‘Singh is King’ and appreciate them, what does that make me…? I finally understand what that statue meant to Dominique Francon.
The Dark Knight was more than just a movie for me. It was something to look forward too. When I was thinking about it, everything else seemed meaningless. The boredom of everyday life was replaced with a restlessness I hadn’t felt in years. I would spend hours trawling through Wikipedia, just to get a glimpse of what the Joker would be like. I watched the first six minutes of the movie shot on a mobile phone with the enthusiasm of a seven year old. No task was too tedious, no download too large.
“You’ve changed things, forever. There’s no going back,” is what the Joker tells the Batman. I feel that this is me talking to the movie, that if I ever go out to see another movie I will always remember The Dark Knight. And, that will force me to question my decision to watch a second-rate Bollywood flick. Ayn Rand wrote that “…the person who loves everybody and feels at home everywhere is the true hater of mankind… I mean the person who loves Joan of Arc and the salesgirls in dress shops on Broadway–with equal fervor.” So if after this I see ‘Ugly and Pagli’ or ‘Singh is King’ and appreciate them, what does that make me…? I finally understand what that statue meant to Dominique Francon.
