'Dark Knight Rises' midnight screening shooting hits home
I stumbled into my home around 3:30 a.m July 20 having just seen a midnight screening of the final installment in the Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight Rises." I tip-toed into the bedroom and my wife woke up to ask if it was good. I explained my disappointment and we soon fell asleep.
I awoke this morning to see that dozens of people were shot in Aurora, Colorado during a midnight screening. Now, an estimated 71 people were shot and, for now, 12 are dead. A 24-year-old young man, James Holmes, is accused of the heinous action.
Throughout the day I haven't stopped thinking about how those people went into the theater with the same enthusiasm I did. Batman is a man who fights violence and injustice in an often cruel world. He fights brutal people such as Bane and the Joker because he believes in Gotham City.
There is something magical about going to the movies. The lights dim, the curtains part and the screen lights up. You might not know more than two people in a theater, but you're on the same wavelength with hundreds of people, especially with a pop culture phenomenon like "The Dark Knight." It's an incredible communal experience, especially a midnight screening of a new movie.
Real world violence captured the attention of those people in Colorado. No one saw that coming when the movie began at midnight. Movie theaters are a place for an escape from the real world. You can only imagine the horror they experienced and saw in that theater. Some of them of didn't get to go home to their parents, children, husbands, wives or friends last night. Some won't ever breathe again.
I went home to my pregnant wife and slept comfortably. I can't help but think about how lucky I am to write that and I pray for everyone involved in Colorado.
7/20/2012 4:09:46 PM
By Matt Palmer