I have not seen this latest Batman. But vehemently I disagree that comic book characters and popular entertainment are incapable of raising serious moral issues. That's manifestly not true. Philip K. Dick's not especially well-written sci fi pulp engrosses today because of the moral issues he raised. Similar could be said about Kurt Vonnegut's and George Orwell's work.
The greatest works of mythology including the Bible are fairly common and down to earth stories that endure because of their moral resonance. The Book of Mormon is pretty crude as literature, but the resonance to many of the moral issues it raises causes it to endure.
I might add, that the deeper, moral dimension of artistic works often takes time to be appreciated. This is why films such as Scarface and Apocalypse Now were not particlularly well thought of or popular successes when released but became cult classics.
__________________
Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be.
—Paul Auster
|