Batman Begins is by far the best batman movie ever. Taking a hint from the X-Men movies, they’ve taken batman away from the over-the-top Spandex and placed it in the “real world.” Absolutely amazing. The Scarecrow and his drugs were truely creepy and they taken out most of the cheezy one-liner that were the cause for more groans than smiles. Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson in a Batman movie? How cool is that?
The movie did make me think about something. In one of my English classes we talked about old English literature and about the knight’s need to have a “lady” in which they placed their undying noble love. I think there is a need for that in modern men – something that is manifest in superhero stories. The love of a lady inspired the knights to noble deeds. Yet , like their medieval counterparts, the love of their lady is unattainable. Unlike Sir Gawain, whose lady belonged to another. Modern super-knights are denied love out of fear of the lady’s safety.
This also moves me along to my Human Development class (it’s nice to know my schooling isn’t wasted). In human development class we learned, and to many it was an eye-opener, that studies show that it is men who are more romantic. I agree. Men want to save the damsel in distress. They want to sweep her off her feet and fight for her honor.
So, be it caped crusader or conventional Crusader, I think many men secretly dream of being a hero to their Lois Lane or Mary Jane Watsons. But in a modern world where women don’t seem to want to be saved (from whatever), there doesn’t seem to be much of a way for men to be heros. Let guys be superheros. We need it.