Why so serious?

When we were assigned to review a static image this week I instantly knew what I wanted to review. I decided that I wanted to review a movie poster from one of my favorite movies of all time. So I choose the “why so serious” poster from Batman The Dark Knight.

What I like about this poster is that there is repetition displayed in it. For instance if you look at the white bricks that make up the background, you will notice that they are all relative to the size of the horizontal bricks that are to the left and right of that brick. I also like the use of the color red in this poster. The color red in this poster is used to show the batman symbol, which appears to be made blood, and it completes the happy face symbol that represents the Joker, who is the main villain of this movie. I also like the simplicity of the movie poster in its colors and text. By using only three colors, the viewer is able to look at the poster quickly and understand what it is for and what it means. Also, with the text it stands out and is easily read while at the same time it does not have a major presence in the poster. The final aspect of the poster that I really like is how the eyes and the batman symbol are drawn. They are in a style which appears as though they were painted with fingers. This works really well not only with the background which is tattered and damaged but it gives you a feeling that the Joker himself drew it.

However, there are two aspects of the poster that I do not like. The first is that right above knight there are two black splotches that appear to be peeling paint. In my opinion this detracts from the over all background and creates a distraction from the rest of the poster. The final aspect of the post that I don’t care for is the major blood drop in the middle of the batman symbol. While I do like the smaller ones in other areas of the symbol the big one seems over done and it takes away from the over all symbol.

Beyond that I love this movie and the poster. I still find it funny that if you say “why so serious?” to someone they will more than likely know exactly what you are talking about.