Dark Knight and The Hero's Journey

Christopher Nolan's 2008 mega success about Batman's attempts to defeat a criminal mastermind known only as the Joker.
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fakescorpion wrote: Memento
The Main Hero (Leonard)'s Journey (that he believed he took)
-most are speculations, due to contradictory scenes and unreliable narrators-
1. The ordinary world............. The original life.
2. The call........................... The slam of the door, the death of his wife.
3. Being reluctant................. Unable (refuse?) to deal with his memory problem. Staying in an institution.
4. The encouragement........... The notes, the calls.
5. First threshold.................. "Remember Sammy Jankis."
6. The entrance.................... Escaping the institution.
7. Entering the special world.... The conspiracy possibility, the missing criminal records.
8. Tests, allies, enemies.......... The pursuit of John G.
9. The inmost cave................ The killing.
10. Second threshold............. "You lie to yourself to be happy." "Sammy didn't have a wife."
11. The ordeal...................... The truth, the insulin.
12. Take possession............... "Can I just let myself forget what you've just told me?" "Do I lie to myself to be happy?"
13. The reward..................... A puzzle that can never be solved.
-Repeat 7.-13.-
14. The road back to the ordinary world ...X
15. Third threshold............................. X
16. The resurrection........................... X
17. The transformation........................ X
18. The return................................... X
You know what's the funny thing? Most protagonists in franchise movies follow the same route as Lenny even without memory problems. They keep relearning the same lessons and retreading the same grounds, and their Journey ends up going forever: ex. Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman 89'-97', James Bond, Resident Evil, Transformers etc.
The reward is almost always "back to the Status Quo", it's even more obvious with the ones with voice-over at the end.

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Time to make a feeble attempt at connected the stages to Rises. Spoilers.


7. They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold -
End of The Dark Knight with being hunted down for Harvey Dent's murder.
8. where they endure the ORDEAL. -
Eight years of mourning and a wounded leg.
9. They take possession of their REWARD and -
Either the blank slate or the fusion reactor. Could be both.
10. are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World. -
Attempts to return to becoming Batman but is broken by Bane.
11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed by the experience. -
The pit and climbing back. Certain other parts commonly associated with the hero's journey such as the atonement with the father are played with here.
12. They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World. -
Freeing Gotham, giving his home to the orphans and using the blank slate for himself and Selina.
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Allstar wrote: Thoughts on Michael Fassbender?
no ur a assbender

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All major studios in Hollywood are declining to report box office figures this weekend, in light of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. Although some indies are reporting grosses for limited releases, full box office results will not be made public until Monday.

The mutual decision — which mirrors a similar one made yesterday — is the latest effort at sensitivity following the shooting, which left 12 dead and many more injured. Warner Brothers has already canceled premieres of The Dark Knight Rises in France, Japan, and Mexico.

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Now that most of us have seen TDKR, it's really obvious that Bruce Wayne completes his journey. It's the perfect trilogy in that sense.

****SPOILERS!!!****

1. THE ORDINARY WORLD. BB: Wayne Manor, Bruce as a child with Rachel.

2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. BB: The bats, the opera... then Joe Chill.

3. REFUSAL OF THE CALL. BB: Bruce's fear and desire for revenge.

4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR. BB: The League of Shadows and Ra's.

5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD. BB: Returning to Gotham, creating Batman.

6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES. Last two acts of BB. 1st act of TDK.

7. APPROACH. The Joker's masterplan.

8. THE ORDEAL. Batman being hunted, becoming a criminal.

9. THE REWARD. Gotham at peace. It's Bruce's "reward"

10. THE ROAD BACK. Selina and Bane's arrival in Gotham.

11. THE RESURRECTION. Bane breaks Bruce and throws him in the Pit. He rises.

12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. Bruce returns to Gotham with the will to live and saves the city.


Here are the ARCHETYPES of the trilogy:

HEROES

Bruce Wayne, John Blake

SHADOWS

Joker, Scarecrow, Bane

MENTORS

Ra's Al Ghul, Gordon, Fox

HERALD

The bats

THRESHOLD GUARDIANS

Bruce's fears and doubts

SHAPESHIFTERS

Ra's, Talia, Dent, Selina

TRICKSTERS

Joker

ALLIES

Gordon, Fox, Selina, Blake

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