The Dangers of Film's Dark Side

When I led my review of the new Batman film July 15 by noting that "the real-world threats of terrorism, anarchy and economic instability make deep incursions into the cinematic comic book domain in The Dark Knight Rises," there was no way to imagine that gruesomely real-world violence soon would assault an actual audience. Although moviegoers still turned out in large numbers, clearly some people who intended to see the film on opening weekend stayed home; at least for a while, it will be hard to go to a movie theater and not look around for suspicious characters, check the location of the exits or, during violent scenes, be reminded of the massacre in Colorado.