Is “The Dark Knight” the new “Matrix”?
Years ago, Stan Grenz wrote about the theological implications of the differences between modernism and postmodernism. He used the original Star Trek (modernism) and Star Trek- The Next Generation (postmodernism) as examples. That use of well-known entertainment productions helped explain a major cultural issue and its impact on Christianity.
Likewise, when The Matrix came out, its theological themes provided plenty of opportunities to teach theology and culture through a widely known movie. Although the movie(s) came out years ago, some of the terms and themes from the movie (”Matrix”, “Neo”, reality, “red pill”, etc…) can still be heard in certain discussions.
We now have the The Dark Knight (no spoilers ahead), and although it is still early, it is already being widely used in discussions of postmodernism, culture, depravity, evil, etc… C Michael Patton over at Parchment and Pen provides one example of someone examining it for its cultural and/or theological implications.
Does it have the legs and material to provide fuel for numerous discussions and lessons over the years? It will be interesting to see.