2008-12-18

Batfascist quickie

I just saw the film Batman Begins, and it's honestly the second most right-wing film I've ever seen. I know right-wing radicalism is supposed to be a feature of the super hero genre, but this is fucking extreme! Without revealing too much of the plot, basically Bruce Wayne joins a Nazi organisation, then leaves them because they're not conservative enough. Then he goes back to Gotham to fight the corrupt and probably socialist government, allying himself with a pro-vigilante, law-and-order policeman. (While being Patrick Bateman during the day.) Finally he defeats the main villain, The Elders of Zion.

Horrendous. I dread to watch The Dark Knight, which is next in my pile.

I much prefer this Batman:



(cf here and previously on the blog here.)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure I follow. I get that Raz's org is Nazi but Batman leaving because it wasn't conservative enough? And the govt as socialist? Could you elaborate?

Mike said...

Nearly missed your link to Watchmen there. (delete paragraph)

I think saying that he "eaves them because they're not conservative enough" is a bit of a stretch. And you didn't mention his love interest who I think is the most appealling of the the characters. Batman is an incredibly dark and right wing character, I think the film showed that. The cuddly camp 60s show really put him in a much better light than he deserves.

Be interested what you think of Dark Knight, without putting spoilers in, I can think of at least a couple of things that you'll balk at but I really enjoyed it as a film.

Birdseed said...

Yeah, the "socialist" thing is a wild exaggeration, I admit. (But the society in Gotham is fairly close to the kind of government-heavy dystopia right-wingers paint up, with all politicians corrupt and "liberal" policies by the likes of Bruce's dad failing. Also note the idea that "the depression" is caused by outside forces, pretty much the kind of accusation levelled at the Jews and The Illuminati, and exhonerating the Good Business Leaders.)

The reaction to the "Extreminate the decadent democratic society" message of the Dark Shadow I'd say is fairly typically Conservative - the group is too radical and suspiciously eastern, not upstandingly moral enough.

DocZeus said...

I don't know, man. Batman kind of leaves the League Of Shadows if anything because they're views are way too extreme not not because he doesn't think they're extreme enough of us. They want to eradicate Gotham, execute criminals and kill innocent civilians in their quest to "save" Gotham something Batman categorically rejects. I mean, let's remember Batman is a lot of dark things but he's not a killer.