Billionaire Playboy vs. Billionaire Playboy

On my last day of work this summer, I was talking to the managing editor about summer movies, specifically "Batman" and "Iron Man" (I know Batman's technically called "The Dark Knight" and Batman's basically a side character to everyone else, but that's not the point here, also, it takes less time for me to call TDK Batman than to call it TDK, anyway), and how while we both thought that "Batman" was one of the better movies of the summer (if not year), I said that I think Iron Man will be remembered more fondly because it's a whole lot more fun then Batman. Don't get me wrong, I love Batman, I love it so much I wanna stare at it from across a bar while I'm hanging out with my friends. However, it's very dark, and the Joker is legitimately scary, so much so that I think the brighter (in lighting and tone) Iron Man will be seen as just as good a movie (if not a little better) than Bats, if only because you left smiling, and not terrified of clowns again.

Let's go into this some more, because I think I might have confused some people (myself included). Batman rocked. With the Batpod, the zoomy zoom, the awesome, the Gary Oldman, and the deliciousness (I know it's a visual medium, but hot damn that movie is delicious). But it's so dark, like I'm trapped in a windowless room in my basement during a starless night during a power outage. It's good, but I'm horrified of waking up with a clown anywhere near me, lest he perform the pencil trick on me. Sheesh, I get the back shudders just from thinking about it.

Anyway, on the other end of the spectrum, we've got Iron Man. It makes with the fun almost right away, and even when it gets darkish, it doesn't go so far as to scare the pants off of you, and make you afraid of clowns if you never had that fear (look, the Joker was fucking scary, and he still haunts my dreams, that's how fucking scary he was, okay? So I'm gonna keep talking about it). It's like being stuck inside some kind of room that is covered in light bulbs that never go out.

So back to my original thought. Because of the light and the fun and the good of Iron Man, I think it'll be thought of as better is because you left feeling good about yourself and about the world, whereas with Batman, you feel like you're gonna get a pencil jammed into your eyesocket. But I still love them both, and asking me to say which one I liked more is basically "Sophie's Choice," only in this case, it's a fanboy's choice. Yay ham-fisted metaphors.

Christine Everheart: Mr. Stark! Christine Everheart, Vanity Fair magazine. Can I ask you a couple of questions?
Hogan: She's cute.
Tony Stark: She's alright? Hi!
Christine Everheart: Hi.
Tony Stark: Yeah. Okay, go.
Christine Everheart: You've been called the Da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?
Tony Stark: Absolutely ridiculous. I don't paint.
Christine Everheart: And what do you say to your other nickname, the Merchant of Death?
Tony Stark: That's not bad. Let me guess... Berkeley?
Christine Everheart: Brown, actually.
Tony Stark: Well, Ms. Brown. It's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we got. I guarantee you the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals.
Christine Everheart: Rehearse that much?
Tony Stark: Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime.
Christine Everheart: I can see that.
Tony Stark: I'd like to show you firsthand.
"Iron Man"

Alfred: I suppose they'll lock me up as well. As your accomplice...
Bruce: Accomplice? I'm going to tell them the whole thing was your idea.
"The Dark Knight"