In the IMAX theater in Chicago, James Cameron stood with one arm crossed and his other hand supporting his chin, countless thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant. Duke Rosenberg, like him, was a typical commercial film director except that Duke was a very prolific one.
In James Cameron's eyes, The Dark Knight was also full of commercial elements. Having watched all of Duke's films, he could tell that this movie, like The Matrix, achieved an almost perfect blend of commercial appeal and philosophical depth.
Even though he didn't usually pay close attention, he could see the reflections the film inspired, such as the simplest premise—justice versus evil.
No matter how extreme evil becomes, it is naturally restrained and countered by legal systems and social morality.
But justice is not like that.
Justice aligns with the law, and in many cases, the law has no innate motive to restrict actions that start from justice. Because justice aligns with law and morality, it wears a layer of disguise that confuses people's judgment. The vigilance of law and morality towards justice is far less than towards evil. So when a person wielding ultimate justice loses self-restraint, the destructive power they unleash can be even more terrifying than the peak of evil.
As a super fan of Spider-Man, and once wanting to direct a Spider-Man film himself, Cameron naturally connected this to superheroes.
This represents the predicament of superheroes they hold great power to enact supreme justice, but whether this power is abused depends solely on the superhero's own moral constraints.
In a well-developed legal society, almost all potential destructive forces are regulated, balanced, and offset by the law. Therefore, superheroes born to uphold social justice ironically become the most fragile element in this system because no one except themselves can restrain them.
Pulling back his thoughts, Cameron refocused on the film.
Batman won his personal battle against the Joker but lost the battle for Gotham's soul. The consequences of Harvey Dent's fall were grave. To redeem everything, Batman took upon himself the blame for killing Harvey Dent, becoming an outcast hated by the people, and truly becoming the Dark Knight.
The righteous Batman ended as a fugitive bearing guilt, while the two-faced man who lost his true nature was mourned as a hero. Even the notoriously vile Joker ended his story in arrogant triumph.
Never before had a superhero movie ended on such a dark note.
Watching the limping Batman retreat, Kyle felt a pang of sorrow. Being a superhero was truly no easy job!
Joker's ultimate evil could act without restraint, but Batman had to morally constrain his utmost justice. Because he knew his morality was the only safety lock restraining his power; if he crossed that line, he might become no different from the Joker, perhaps even more dangerous.
For Gotham, Batman could become anyone. And indeed, he did so.
Having watched movies for many years, and being a big Batman fan himself, seeing Batman's departing silhouette and recalling the scenes just watched, Kyle was deeply moved.
The Joker said to Batman, "You make me complete."
But to Kyle, the sad truth was the opposite—Joker's existence perfected Batman's existence.
Because ultimate evil can exist independently of ultimate justice, but ultimate justice cannot exist without ultimate evil. Justice has never given evil a reason to exist, but evil's existence completes justice.
This line should actually be Batman speaking to the Joker.
Suddenly, a thought popped into Kyle's mind: perhaps this line was also what Bush wanted to say to Bin Laden?
"Those who punish evil within the law are hailed as heroes, but those who possess power above the law and restrain themselves with morality can only be knights."
A self-murmured voice came from nearby, "Batman is destined never to be a hero of the bright world. Only when darkness falls can he appear, cautiously and restrained, sweeping away darkness, helplessly becoming a knight born of darkness."
Kyle nodded and replied, "Unrestrained ultimate justice is not the happiness of superheroes, but their original sin."
This The Dark Knight brought surprisingly profound reflections! He couldn't help but sigh.
The film was reaching its end. Kenneth had already detached himself from the plot, more so unfolding his own reflections.
Despite various media hype beforehand, after watching The Dark Knight, he truly lamented Heath Ledger's early death. Ledger had indeed perfected the role of the Joker.
Compared with Heath Ledger's Joker, Jack Nicholson's version was like a "circus clown." It wasn't that Ledger's acting was necessarily superior, but Duke Rosenberg's Joker had far more intriguing layers than that one.
In Christian legend, the devil Satan wins the world by capturing human souls, and the Joker uses the same logic. He cared nothing for money, even burning piles of cash, saying, "This city deserves a criminal with taste." He told Batman, "You should know, I don't care about money. I'm not that kind of person. Don't reduce me to that."
What Joker cared about was imposing his logic on the surrounding world.
"A great director creates an outstanding character, and that character makes the director's work even greater!"
Having said this internally, Kenneth, like the others around him, stood and applauded. This magnificent film absolutely deserved the applause.
In the IMAX theater in Chicago, though a few viewers left early, it didn't stop thunderous applause after the credits finished. Unlike Duke's previous films, the audience's faces showed less excitement, more exhaustion and contemplation.
This was a superhero movie that wasn't a typical superhero movie, but it was definitely not a popcorn flick!
Most viewers who finished watching The Dark Knight shared this thought.
Seemingly worn out by the film's heavy themes, the applause did not last long before gradually fading away. Countless people moved toward the front, offering their congratulations to Duke and the crew.
"Duke, the IMAX experience is incredible."
Standing opposite was James Cameron, who seemed to still be recalling the IMAX shots from The Dark Knight. "The visual impact it delivers far exceeded my expectations."
Duke shook his hand and suggested, "You might want to consider using this technology in Avatar."
"I'm already thinking along those lines," James Cameron said with clear determination.
Just as James Cameron left, a tall young woman approached and extended her hand, "Congratulations, Duke. Although this isn't my favorite genre, it is indeed very powerful."
"Thank you." Duke gently shook Taylor Swift's hand.
With the screening concluded, the brief curtain call over, Duke led the entire crew into the press conference where a large number of reporters were waiting.
The question-and-answer session had just begun, and the questions immediately focused on Duke.
A reporter from The New York Times was the first to ask, "Director Rosenberg, what inspired you to create such a 'humanized' Batman?"
"As everyone knows, in DC Comics, Superman represents the ideal—possessing all of humanity's virtues; Batman, however, is much more humanized. He doesn't have many noble qualities, ideals, or moral shackles. He's also a morally ambiguous character."
Duke paused briefly and added, "His actions are very humanized and sometimes carry a political undertone. That's precisely why I prefer Batman over Superman. Wherever Batman appears, there's no clear good or evil, no black or white. I wanted to use that kind of setting to explore some issues — namely, that in reality, no one can place themselves above the law, not even the 'vigilante police'."
As the lead actor, Christian Bale was also a key interviewee.
A reporter from The Washington Post asked, "Mr. Bale, as an actor, do you really find anything meaningful amidst the dazzling special effects and deafening explosions? And twice in a row?"
Bale seemed not to catch the underlying provocation and replied, "The main reason is that I enjoy working with Duke. He fully understands that a movie cannot be made by special effects and explosions alone. To be precise, the story is the foundation, and throughout the process, many spectacular moments happen. Do you see what I mean? Even if all these conditions are met, whether a movie can be made ultimately depends on the director."
"What makes you so confident?"
Having hit a dead end with Duke's answers, the reporters shifted their focus to Christian Bale. "Will there really be a third Batman movie?"
"Beginnings is just a start; we created it together. Although the outcome isn't fully in my control, I was involved throughout. When I began to understand the story told in The Dark Knight, I especially hoped Batman could conclude with a trilogy."
At this point, Christian Bale looked toward Duke. "The question now is, if there really is a third film, will Duke Rosenberg still direct it? Because for me, I can't imagine a Batman movie without Duke!"
The Dark Knight premiere concluded. Although it stirred a strong reaction among the premiere audience, whether it would truly succeed depended on market acceptance.
....
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