Eric Roberts Says THE DARK KNIGHT Didn't "Educate, Enlighten, Move, Comfort"

Eric Roberts Says THE DARK KNIGHT Didn't "Educate, Enlighten, Move, Comfort"

While reflecting on Christopher Nolan's Batman movies - particularly The Dark Knight which he appeared in - Roberts admits to enjoying it, but suggests we may be holding it to a higher standard than it deserves..

News
By MarkCassidy - Mar 26, 2012 09:03 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman
Source: Via The Playlist

Many consider Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight to be among the best, if not the best comic book movie of them all. And of course, many do not. Between the movie becoming something of a phenomenon and excitement for Nolan's third chapter reaching it's peak, there has been a very vocal group of fans who feel the movie is overrated. Eric Roberts played Sal Moroni in The Dark Knight, and while speaking with Detroit Free Press Julia's bro certainly seems to convey that he feels the movie might have been put on a bit of a pedestal. He says he enjoyed it, but his words suggest that he sees it as little more than a high end popcorn flick..



"What do you get out of a Batman movie? You get entertainment, that's true. But what do you get to take home with you in your heart or your mind? It's questionable for me. When a movie costs that much, so many movies don't get made that can educate, enlighten, move, comfort. Batman didn't do any of those things that I named, for me, anyway, even though I enjoyed watching it."


He is however full of praise for Nolan, adding - "He's a real winner and he knows what he wants every second of every day.". So what do you make of Roberts' comments? I'm going to sit this one out and leave it all to you guys to discuss!







CLAYFACE Movie From Writer Mike Flanagan Rumored To Be Moving Forward At DC Studios
Related:

CLAYFACE Movie From Writer Mike Flanagan Rumored To Be Moving Forward At DC Studios
BANE And DEATHSTROKE Live-Action Movie In Development At DC Studios
Recommended For You:

BANE And DEATHSTROKE Live-Action Movie In Development At DC Studios

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?
Want to contribute?
1 2 3 4
BlazinTexan
BlazinTexan - 3/26/2012, 9:03 AM
Wheres julia?
PaulRom
PaulRom - 3/26/2012, 9:05 AM
Pf. Marvelite.


;P
MarkJulian
MarkJulian - 3/26/2012, 9:08 AM
Someone needs to tell me whether he died or not!
batfan175
batfan175 - 3/26/2012, 9:11 AM
well, everyone has a different idea what the film was about, which created a discussion about the themes and ideas in the movie...and that's somehow a bad thing? It wasn't meant to give us one idea but to throw in many ideas that we all could reflect upon. Sorry that it was a studio product and i'm always rooting for independent cinema bur to somehow blame the dark knight for the fact that many people can't or don't want to work outside the studio system is rubbish. the film did not only entertain me but I felt enlightened and it made me hope that we might, finally, see the day of the intelligent blockbuster. Batman begins and the dark Knight are arthouse films trapped in the bodies of multimillion dollar blockbusters. But if Mr. Roberts didn't think that his intellect was challenged then that's fine but others might have had a different reaction.
batfan175
batfan175 - 3/26/2012, 9:15 AM
by the way, where's the source for this article?
StrangerX
StrangerX - 3/26/2012, 9:30 AM
@nailbiter- I agree with sounds like he's pissed they didn't ask him to return.
poop23
poop23 - 3/26/2012, 9:33 AM
Why does there always have to be a damn moral in movies? Movies should be about entertainment, I don't go to movies wanting the makers to teach me a lesson on whatever they think
marvel72
marvel72 - 3/26/2012, 9:33 AM
its good i enjoyed it,but i do think people do big it up more than it actually is.
rocky
rocky - 3/26/2012, 9:45 AM
Love it, somebody finally decided to speak the truth. Entertaining movie, that's it, nothing more.
revloveR
revloveR - 3/26/2012, 9:45 AM
agree with marvel72. and bats is my favorite superhero. i thought it was good, not great.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 3/26/2012, 9:47 AM
Somebody sounds upset Nolan didn't ask him to reprise his role for The Dark Knight Rises. Oh well, his career is doing well. Wasn't he on that Vh1 Rehab show. Perhaps if you could lay off the smack, Nolan would have asked you back.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 3/26/2012, 9:47 AM
poop23, there's a difference between having a moral or lesson in the story and forcing that lesson down your throat. A bit of depth just makes things more thought provoking, but too much can lead to preachiness. I prefer to watch a movie that engages my brain anyway, that IS entertaining to me.
StrangerX
StrangerX - 3/26/2012, 9:48 AM
Well I mean how much are you expecting to get out of a CBM anyway
RidiculousFanBoyDemands
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 3/26/2012, 9:49 AM
I don't think anybody thought The Dark Knight educated them, or comforted them. I think people were moved by the performances and some of the themes, but most people who saw it didn't look at it from a theoretical stand point. Most saw it for what it was, a great summer blockbuster.

Sounds like he needs to lay off the drugs,again.
HelaGood
HelaGood - 3/26/2012, 9:51 AM
he needs to stop with the plastic surgery
RidiculousFanBoyDemands
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 3/26/2012, 9:55 AM
However I do think the movie does ask a lot of philosophical questions if one were to peal back the layers and look at it from an anthropological standpoint. I have had people studying psychiatry who are much smarter than me engage me in pretty decent dialogue in regards to what they took away from it. I have a doctoral thesis paper that my wife's friend sent me, where she cited The Dark Knight as well as a handful of other films.

You take away what you want from a movie. Like a million people have said movies are all subjective. Nobodies right or wrong, and can be moved in many different ways. I still think Eric Roberts is a little bitter, because his career didn't exactly take off after The Dark Knight. In fact besides being in the Expendables one could say his career went in the opposite direction. Unless you consider going from a supporting characters in one of the biggest movies of all time, to Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew a step in the right direction career wise.
jaycr
jaycr - 3/26/2012, 9:55 AM
Shut up Maroni
JackBauer
JackBauer - 3/26/2012, 9:55 AM
He's correct. It was a good movie but not the end-all be-all of entertainment. We wouldn't be having this ongoing debate if Ledger hadn't accidentally killed himself.

Everyone could've just enjoyed a good movie that would've made $500-600 million internationally without the hype machine.

There also wouldn't be any of this Marvelite vs. Nolanite nonsense.

I say this as someone who really enjoyed Batman Begins and who thinks TDKR looks really good, even with a midget Bane and a slightly unsexy Catwoman.
IronDean2099
IronDean2099 - 3/26/2012, 9:55 AM
If Heath Ledger was still alive, it'd be just another sequel. Better than your average sequel, sure, but that's not saying much when you really think about it.
ComradeGrey
ComradeGrey - 3/26/2012, 9:56 AM
I felt it was a very enlightening story about the way in which we worship law as a holy power, when ultimately the only keeper of freedom and justice are the people.
NeoBaggins
NeoBaggins - 3/26/2012, 9:56 AM
You we're entertained because it was a good movie. Not an essay on humanity. You have money. The Dark Knight made you, like this. Make an educational film where you have creative control and YOU are the director. Otherwise, pick a better spot.
IronDean2099
IronDean2099 - 3/26/2012, 9:57 AM
X Men 2 had just as much, if not more to think about than The Dark Knight.
JackBauer
JackBauer - 3/26/2012, 9:59 AM
The part that almost ruined the movie for me was the convicts on the ferry not blowing up the other ferry. I guess murderers, thieves and dealers have hearts of gold.
MOVIELORD101
MOVIELORD101 - 3/26/2012, 10:00 AM
[frick] ERIC ROBERTS! He's just pissed that he got killed off. You don't see Nolan mentioning the infamous Doctor Who TV movie Roberts was in to his face, now do you? Why? Because Nolan's more mature than that. That said, I have this to say to Mr. Roberts: STFU and leave Nolan's films alone.
JackBauer
JackBauer - 3/26/2012, 10:02 AM
@nailbiter111 - Best of the Best rocks :)
RidiculousFanBoyDemands
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 3/26/2012, 10:03 AM
@JackBauer

I think it would have been a moot point anyway. My feeling is that both boats were rigged to blow if anybody pushed the button. I think that was weighing in the back of everybody's mind.
StrangerX
StrangerX - 3/26/2012, 10:05 AM
Best of the Best was a cool movie. I hated II, cus they killed Travis.
CPBuff22
CPBuff22 - 3/26/2012, 10:08 AM
I agree with this. It ended very dark and that is okay for a movie. The problem was that there was nothing to learn or make you feel good about that dark ending.

At least Batman Begins focused on the fact that one person can make a difference and left you feeling good at the end as Bruce decides to rebuild his families home to look the way it did showing he had come to grips with his past.
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 3/26/2012, 10:09 AM
yeah,I did not exit the movie thinking about society problems and moral ambiguity,all I could think was "damn! the Joker was f*cking awesome!"
ThaMessenger07
ThaMessenger07 - 3/26/2012, 10:13 AM
The context of the interview was probably a bit off. But he is right. The Nolan Batfilms are far from art house. They just have a theme that is sub-verse the plot. Every Blockbuster has an underlined theme, Nolan just did a better job at making his more interpretive and apparent.

BB, TDK, TDKR

Fear, Chaos, Order

Nothing Roberts said is wrong...so calm your titties.....
peppy
peppy - 3/26/2012, 10:13 AM
It was a good movie , I enjoyed it , ledger was great as joker ( that's the only reason I watched it )
Was it the best CBM of all time .... No and I believe it's highly overrated .
But the oldman is great as commissioner Gordon as was Aaron eckhart as two face
ColonoscopyKid
ColonoscopyKid - 3/26/2012, 10:14 AM
God I’m so sick of this whole argument. Fact of the matter is ALL of these movies (Marvel and DC) are way over rated. They are all meant to be popcorn fluff and nothing more. Why the hell can’t these movies just be fun? Stop trying to make them more than what they are “guilty pleasures”. Holly [frick] some of you cheese dicks really need to buy, barrow, or steal a life. Really boys and girls, the subject matter of these movies are about grown men and women wearing goofy costumes with super powers. WTF is the problem? If you want to see a great movie that deserves all the hype well, I recommend “The Artists”. Now that was a great film! And as for Eric Robert he is entitled to his opinions. Keep those great movies coming Marvel and DC. Thanks for all the much needed escapism. I LOVE COMIC BOOK MOVIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KISS MY ASS CHEESE DICK HATERS.
SotNatt
SotNatt - 3/26/2012, 10:19 AM
Ultimately, a film is meant to entertain, and The Dark Knight did that exceptionally well.

But I would agree, to an extent, that people place TDK up on a pedestal.

If I got any real message from the film, it's that one man must take extreme measures into his own hands to fix societal issues, because the society itself is moronic and corrupt.

That message itself does a great disservice to the real world, which is filled with people willing to work together on social issues but can't because those with more money, power, and influence think they know what's best for us and take matters into their own hands.

Much like Batman.

I love Batman, don't get me wrong, but let's just say I wouldn't want to see him in the real world.

Let's stick to fiction, where his antics and the [frick]ed up world he's from is a form of entertainment, and, really, that's all I'm looking for.
RealGothamite
RealGothamite - 3/26/2012, 10:20 AM
1 2 3 4
Related Headlines
Latest Headlines

Hot Headlines Hot Headlines

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Anime & Manga

Gaming

Horror

Cartoons & Animated Features

Action Movies & TV

Pro Wrestling & MMA News
View Recorder