"If you ask me why the criminal chose to carry out the shooting during the release of The Dark Knight Rises, I can only say that it is inseparably related to the film itself."
On Saturday, many media outlets published similar reports, with their criticism directly targeting The Dark Knight Rises.
"This was the answer given by a Los Angeles police officer when asked by a reporter, 'Do you think the suspect in the shooting was influenced by the movie?' Similar questions had already been raised when Duke Rosenberg's second Batman film, The Dark Knight, was released. At that time, some critics expressed concern that Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was so realistic that it might inspire imitation among young people."
"Back then, Duke Rosenberg's response was, 'Young people have their own judgment.' This statement became the core of the severe criticism that some media directed at him. Experts and the police now claim that the massive, overwhelming promotional campaign built by Duke Rosenberg and Warner Brothers for The Dark Knight Rises indirectly incited criminal behavior."
"The promotional approach of The Dark Knight Rises is pure brainwashing—viral marketing at its most extreme. It constantly glorifies the confidence, evil, and darkness of the villains in Duke Rosenberg's films. Even Batman himself is transformed from a hero into a morally ambiguous man struggling in the swamp of Gotham's corruption... I believe that most moviegoers went to see how the villain would turn reality upside down. They were eager for a killer who could destroy Batman, because Duke Rosenberg made them fall in love with neurosis, vengeance, and anarchism."
"This deeply exposes one of Duke Rosenberg's issues—his Batman films differ from previous comic book hero movies. What he focuses on is not Batman or Bruce Wayne, but rather villains like the Joker or Bane. They are more three-dimensional and vividly characterized than Batman himself. This creative approach, combined with the film's pre-release promotion of its antagonists—under Duke Rosenberg, Batman has become merely a supporting figure. He spent $250 million building villains who 'break the backbone of Batman and society alike,' instilling in audiences a value system that leans toward evil. This is the most frightening aspect of Duke Rosenberg's films: he directly influences and distorts the audience's moral orientation."
"In the promotion for The Dark Knight Rises, the studio widely used viral marketing tactics such as releasing 'wanted' posters for the villains online to attract attention. This further blurred the line between fiction and reality. Similar methods once caused public panic during 1999's The Blair Witch Project, when a television survey found that 47 percent of respondents believed the footage in the film was real."
"Even more terrifying is that the overwhelming praise Duke Rosenberg received for the previous Batman film, The Dark Knight, may have indirectly contributed to this incident. Before the 'Dark Knight Rises shooting' even occurred, some fans had already threatened to 'make preview viewers who gave bad reviews die unexpectedly,' and Duke himself received death threats."
"Some media, citing eyewitness rumors, claimed that James Holmes committed the crime because 'he couldn't get a ticket to the premiere.' These speculations plunged the entire United States into terror!"
"It is time for us to reflect—and that reflection should begin by rejecting the values promoted by The Dark Knight Rises!"
Such opinions began to flood major media outlets in batches.
"In Tim Burton's hands, Batman's enemies were cartoonishly insane. In Duke Rosenberg's, they became realistic, complex terrorists like the Joker. They believe in anarchism; before turning into criminals, they were victims of the same cruel materialistic society as Batman—only they chose a completely opposite path from Bruce Wayne."
"This path aligns more closely with human nature. To fall is far easier than to uphold justice. Take James Holmes, who imitated the Joker, as an example: he trusted no one, not even his own subordinates, whom he could kill without hesitation. He didn't need money or power, but used both to toy with everyone. He feared neither death nor failure. All he wanted was to destroy the world that was as cold as himself."
"It was precisely such a person and such a character that led the 25-year-old James Holmes down a road of no return!"
"Since the earliest filmmakers discovered cinema's commercial and entertainment potential over a century ago, violence has been inseparable from film—and under directors like Duke Rosenberg, it has gradually evolved into a blood-stirring art form."
"Looking over Duke Rosenberg's twenty-year directing career, we can see a clear pattern: no violence, no commercial success. The violent elements in his films satisfy restless hearts dissatisfied with reality, allowing the audience's heroic fantasies and destructive desires to find temporary release in the virtual world of cinema."
"At the same time, Duke Rosenberg's films have also familiarized audiences with crime, taught them crime, and even made them obsessed with crime. We must admit that movies do bear undeniable responsibility for the growing wave of social violence. Ask yourselves—who among those who've seen The Dark Knight hasn't been mesmerized by the Joker's madness and meticulous plans? Who can honestly say they didn't feel a fleeting urge to plant a bomb somewhere and then swagger away like the Joker?"
These harsh criticisms and deliberate public opinions were all within Duke and Warner Brothers' expectations. As if coordinated, Warner's own media outlets also began publishing articles commenting on the event.
Completely erasing the impact of the shooting was impossible—but creating a debate rather than a one-sided narrative against The Dark Knight Rises was still achievable.
Warner Brothers first brought forward several criminal psychology experts.
Michael Werner, a criminal psychology expert from the FBI, wrote in the media:
"Looking through a series of major shootings that have occurred in the United States, the perpetrators are almost always of one type—people who hate society, suffer from extreme delusions, and seek to make an impact through killing. James Holmes is a typical example of this. It has little to do with any film."
Jeffrey Swanson, a University professor studying violence and mental illness, stated:
"We shouldn't jump to conclusions about the killer's motives. Although major shooting perpetrators are usually young men with introverted tendencies who sometimes imitate movies, there are tens of thousands who fit that description—and almost none of them ever commit such crimes."
Steve Albrecht, an expert from the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, told reporters:
"The killer may simply have been a failure in many areas of life, attempting to solve his problems through violence. He speculated that the police's search for a specific motive might prove futile, and that more effort should instead go into preventing such crimes beforehand."
Although these people did not directly say that James Holmes's actions were unrelated to the Batman series, their statements were undoubtedly favorable to The Dark Knight Rises.
Perhaps because this incident benefited Obama's policy, a White House spokesperson representing the Washington authorities stated that there was no connection between the shooting and the film.
"The violent scenes in films that can be released on a large scale are extremely limited. The Batman series, in essence, is still a family-friendly movie—many children go to watch it," the spokesperson said during a routine White House press conference. "If you claim that movies are related to violence, then literary works also contain violence. People shouldn't make random associations. In fact, the core issue of this incident is America's gun control problem."
He even praised, "In The Dark Knight Rises, director Duke Rosenberg maintained a very high standard—he elevated the level and quality of superhero films."
Facing various voices questioning the Batman series, Duke's online supporters were once again mobilized, appearing on major film websites and social media platforms, directly refuting the views of some media outlets.
"Tell me, friends who have watched The Dark Knight, who among you wasn't fascinated by the Joker's extreme madness and meticulous plans? Who dares to say that after watching the film, you didn't feel a momentary urge to detonate a bomb somewhere and walk away swaying like the Joker? But did you actually do it?"
"No! Because you are rational. You can distinguish between fantasy and reality."
"But for some people, they have always lived in fantasy—or have been forced to live in fantasy. Let's turn our attention to the cold-blooded killer James Holmes. According to his neighbors, teachers, and classmates, James Holmes was a quiet, introverted, even withdrawn person. His classmates described him as 'a man of mystery.' His name could not be found on any of his classmates' social media friend lists."
"All these show that James Holmes, like the Joker, also had a shocking scar. But Holmes's scar wasn't on his mouth—it was in his heart. Criminology believes that criminal behavior is closely linked to one's childhood experiences. The impact of the real world on a person's psyche is the true root of criminal acts!"
To say that movies have no influence at all on real society—Duke himself didn't believe that. But Warner Bros. had to promote that narrative.
There is actually a saying that describes it perfectly—audiences know the truth: the world is simple, it is cruel, there are no miracles, and no magic. But if you can deceive them, even for a second, you can make them marvel—and then you will see something truly special. Don't you know what that is? It's the expression on the audience's face.
....
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