Mezzo Culture is experiencing what could be a Batman-week it seems, but that isn't it at all. We just like Batman and happen to write some stuff about it, and it happens to all be coming out this week.
It was nearly four years ago that Christopher Nolan's epic Batman sequel The Dark Knight was released in theaters to near universal acclaim and high box office numbers. Then came the so-called Oscar snub and then the rash of critics and film fans alike who pointed out all the flaws the film has to offer. It is fairly safe to assume, I think, that no superhero film has been this divisive or scrutinized, something that works to the film's benefit as a cultural landmark. While some may differ on whether numerous comic book films are good or not and discuss them intensely, it seems unlikely any film will hold the significance that The Dark Knight possessed. The same can be said, also, of another film ...
It is often said that Steven Spielberg's Jaws was (along with Star Wars) the dawn of the blockbuster age that we are currently still immersed in at a Hollywood level. While many "blockbuster" event type films came out before it (Gone With the Wind, The Exorcist) and of course many after it, Jaws is still resonant in our culture. Granted, both of the films I mentioned above are just as deserving of iconic status when it comes to blockbusters (or in general), but then again so are Superman and Spider-Man in their genre. The first of which (Gone With the Wind, Superman) really began the idea behind each film, blockbusters and superhero films respectively. Then the second (The Exorcist, Spider-Man) revitalized the notion in some way in terms of quality. This is only the beginning of parallels that can be examined between the two films, The Dark Knight and Jaws.
The seventies saw, in many films, the rise of the counterculture ideal as a way to deal with the established order of things. It was a fresh voice and a genius way of expressing themes in the time. Jaws, while a Hollywood blockbuster by all accounts, shied away from this not in the slightest. Chief Brody is a man of the law, but city ordinances don't govern a roving mad Great White. The town government of Amity is as corrupt and flat out moronic as they come, much like another, we'll say "larger" government system. The same can be said of Gotham city in The Dark Knight. The mayor once again, while not a total dirtbag, isn't the sharpest tack. Much like in Jaws, one lone police officer seems like the only one capable of maintaining sanity. Plus, much as Jaws (forgive me) preyed on themes of government corruption, media spin, and generation gap, The Dark Knight sets about including inefficient government, Patriot-act invasion of privacy, and the blurred lines between law and justice. Both films fit their current times in masterfully, when they probably were not thought able to.
Now the characters of the film, and what is probably the second biggest likeness of the two films (the first comes later). Jaws is essentially, a story of three: Brody, Hooper, and Quint. It is these three men's interactions, motivations, and ultimate fates that make the film great, not the shark looming in the water. Each has their own element to bring to the story. Brody is our hero, a man out of his element who takes it upon himself (at the risk of his family) to protect his city from a disastrous threat. Sounds similar to a certain caped crusader, no? While Brody is literally from another place in New York, Bruce Wayne is from another place socially, born on the top of the mountain. Hooper is a man of reason and civility who trusts Brody but has initial doubts about the third man he is forced to share in his voyage with. Commissioner Gordon is a man of much similar qualities (give or take the sarcasm of Hooper) who has no problem budding heads with Harvey Dent early on. Then comes the final one I'm sure is obvious: Quint and Dent. Hey, they even rhyme. Quint is, in all respects, the exact opposite of Dent, but not of Two-Face. The villain is a man obsessed with vengeance, who has no problem putting others in harms way. Quint is much the same. Both films are about three men coming together on a mission, a mission in which one does not survive.
Then comes the final piece, the shark and the clown. Both are always signified by a terrorizing score, and both have their respective places in the ranks of chaos. The shark causes a town to go bizerk with panic, much like the Joker. The Joker and the Jaws (which I use only for the assonance) are both the ultimate wild card in the story.
While, of course, Jaws and The Dark Knight have things that set them phenomenally apart, I can't help but see those certain similarities in them. Recently, Jaws has had a more lauded critical praise than ever before, yet The Dark Knight is probably the most divisive blockbuster in recent memory. Fan boys (like Nolan Fans, clearly an objective outlet) love the film and sometimes claim it as the best of all time, which it probably isn't. More high brow critics and cinephiles have almost a sense of pleasure pointing out every conceivable flaw the film has, when no film claims to be perfect. In a way, or actually every way, talking and debating the Batman film is overdone. It's shared elements with Jaws, plus that whole billion dollar epic franchise thing, assures it will be spoken of for some time.
Oh, and by the way, The Dark Knight Rises comes out July 20th.
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