I first saw “The Dark Knight” over a month ago. The film was captivating as few have the potential to be, not because of its intense action sequences, skillful acting, or remarkable artistic design, but because of its unflinching exploration of human nature and the depth of its moral dilemmas. The world had never seen a superhero movie like this before - a movie that challenged them intellectually and spiritually, that left them deep in thought long after the final credits. As the lights came up in the theater, I was struck by a sudden and indignant thought: where is our dark knight?
Science fiction and fantasy have mirrored superhero comics for far longer than most people realize. In the 1920s, they were essentially one and the same - fantasy first gained widespread popularity in the pulp magazines and “graphic novels” of that decade, not the written format that is most common today. Read any sophisticated comic book, and you will realize that the themes between the covers are almost identical to those in sci-fi/fantasy: pushing the boundaries of humankind, good vs. evil (and the true nature of each), fate, responsibility towards your fellow (wo)man, overcoming adversity to accomplish the impossible, and so on. Until recently, both fantasy and superhero comics were maligned arts (science fiction has fared somewhat better, in my opinion), considered to be appropriate only for children and the chronically immature. The popularity of movies based on these genres in the last few years has begun to open them up to a larger audience. But until this July, labels like “escapist” and “juvenile” still endured.
Then “The Dark Knight” came along, and everything changed - or at least started to change. Today, people are excited about comic book superheroes. They’ve realized that they can be something more - something deeper - than pure entertainment. Hopefully the release of “Watchmen” (one of Time magazine’s top 100 English language novels since 1923) next March will only continue to emphasize that message. But in fantasy land, we’re still struggling for recognition. Perhaps this is because fantasy films have yet to stray far from genre stereotypes (elves, dragons, massive battles, etc.). One notable exception is “Pan’s Labyrinth,” a fantasy film so atypical that even I didn’t know what to make of it on first viewing - and whose promise has yet to be echoed in any more recent films.
What do you think? Are we in need of a “Dark Knight”? And if we are, which authors, titles, or subgenres is he or she most likely to come from?
Before I give my opinions on the many topics you evoke, I have a few questions. How do you define Sci-Fi and Fantasy? Do you agree that they should be in the same category? Where the heck is my Green Lantern movie? Why won’t Christopher Paloni go away?
Paul,
I think sci-fi and fantasy are similar and have significant overlap, which is why they are often (deservedly) put in the same category even if they may have little to do with each other at the extremes (i.e., “hard” sci-fi). Both are speculative, dealing with topics that are not entirely real or even possible, unlike traditional fiction. If you want a strict definition, I would say that fantasy is fiction of what is known or believed to be impossible (magic, dragons, etc.), while sci-fi is fiction of what may one day be possible, but isn’t currently (technology, etc.). As for your last two questions: I don’t know, but hopefully it will happen soon.
I really don’t think that sci-fi or fantasy fell out of favor to the extent that comic books did. There is a new renaissance of classic superhero comics, driven by young moviegoers that, because of the end of the silver age of comics in the 70’s, have never experienced them before. Sci-fi and fantasy lived on in commonly available re-printings of classics and newly emerging authors, not expensive plastic wrapped first editions or in forgotten boxes in somebody’s basement. Comics lived on, but they went underground, in conventions and antiques shops. They fell from the public consciousness, dragged by the countless wretched Batman movies of the 80’s and 90’s. The dark knight is a success a long time coming, a fact which made the recent adaptation all the more spectacular.
Fear not, though. I have heard that Peter Jackson has acquired the rights to The Hobbit, and is working on the screenplay with Fran Walsh and the others. Cheers!
R.I.P, Mr. Clarke