It started as an absolute geekfest. Earlier in the week Chip told me that our local theater was holding a Dark Knight marathon Thursday evening. Starting at 6:30 they would show Batman Begins, followed by The Dark Knight, and at midnight they would premier the new movie in the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. I had planned to see the movie anyway, and since I didn’t have to work Friday, I decided to go for it.
When I arrived at the theater at 5:15, it was already filling up. Borderland Comics had a table set up and was giving away free comics. The whole thing had a feeling of an episode of the Big Bang Theory. Chip arrived and we found our seats.
The first movie started with no previews. Likewise the second movie. There was just a brief intermission between the two – enough time for me to get, totally spill, then refill a large tub of popcorn. Seeing both of these back-to-back not only highlighted the continuity between the two, but the differences, such as have two different actresses play Rachel Dawes.
By the time the third movie rolled around there was a full-swing party atmosphere. Folks seemed to have bonded over the first two movies, and everyone seemed fairly friendly. However, there was a bit of an awkward situation when those few without marathon tickets came in for the premier, and had a hard time finding seats.
The Dark Knight Rises is brutal. Batman is put through his greatest challenges. While enjoyed the movie, it’s not the best of the series. The late Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker was so impressive that the third movie was somewhat of a letdown. The Bat Gadgets have always played a roll in the movie, but this time there seemed to be more physical bashing of each other. I won’t post any spoilers here.
Three movies in a row was a bit intense. I got home at 3:30 am, and was dead tired. At this time I was really glad I didn’t have to work.
Of course, others had a much, much more tragic time with their movies. In Colorado, a young man who fancied himself as The Joker open fired on a packed theater, killed 12 and wounding scores. The tragedy has left the nation shaken, and with lots of questions.
First there is the question about the violence in the movies. Violence is a part of the movies, but so are the concepts of redemption and rising above insurmountable odds. The debate about violence in movies is sure to come up again, especially since the perpetrator was allegedly emulating one of the movie’s characters.
Then there there is the question of gun control. The shooter had a 100-round magazine on a semi-automatic rifle. Is there any conceivable reason a private gun owner should have such a thing? I’ve also seen comments online asking why there were no CWP holders who couldn’t have stopped this guy.
Let’s think about this for a minute. Let’s say you’re a legitimate CWP holder and you’re legally carrying a weapon. Some idiot tosses a smoke grenade at the start of a movie marked by special effects and strange characters, and you hear popping sounds. Is your first thought going to be, “I need to shoot this guy!”?? If so, you’ve got no business carrying a gun. You need to stop going to movies and seek out a psychiatrist. There is too much confusion, and by the time anyone knows what’s really going on, it’s over, especially with rapid fire and high capacity magazines.
As for me, the tragedy has left me shaken. It could have happened anywhere – Greenville just as easily as Aurora, Colorado. It is domestic terrorism at its worst, making decent citizens feel unsafe in common surroundings.
I think I’ll limit my viewing to romantic comedies, at least for a little while.