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Articles on Batman

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Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker. Alamy

How 9/11 changed cinema

In a time of increasingly complex geopolitical entanglements and moral failings, these films articulate a yearning for unsullied heroism, effective leadership and appropriate responses to crises.
Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019): the Joker’s humour-filled rebellion has typically contrasted with Batman’s dour moral self-righteousness. Warner Bros

The Joker’s origin story comes at a perfect moment: clowns define our times

Culturally, the joker turns socially significant places into spaces of carnival, revealing cracks within the social order. He is an enduring character – and a common figure in 2019.
The lynch-pin of the marketing for the new ‘Titans’ TV series is a line in which Robin says “F@#k Batman!” Warner Bros. Television

Titans on TV: The life-changing magic of ‘F@#k Batman!’

In the trailer for the new DC TV series, Robin answers ‘F@#k Batman!’ when the bad guys ask about the Caped Crusader. This is a hopeful move to necessary character changes in superhero storytelling.
Jason Mamoa as Aquaman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman are the best things about Justice League. Atlas Entertainment, Cruel & Unusual Films, DC Comics

Wonder Woman and Aquaman are the only charismatic leads in Justice League

The makers of Justice League embed the film in a post-9/11, post-global warming, post-Brexit, post-Trump context. But it is loud and disappointing with some genuinely unimaginative action sequences.
The Lego Batman Movie. Warner Bros.

Lego Batman: the darkest knight yet?

The Lego Batman Movie is a worldwide box office smash – but have the filmmakers delved too much into the character’s more ‘toxic’ elements?
Superheroes – and villains – are more popular than they’ve ever been.

Why the world needs superheroes

From Wonder Woman to Doctor Strange, superheroes are at peak popularity. As political orthodoxies across the world fall away, these flawed, but good-hearted characters speak to modern anxieties.

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