Batman is one of the most popular superheroes of our time. The fame for the hero came in the distant 40s of the last century thanks to comics. Much time has passed since then, and the Dark Knight from the pages of graphic novels migrated to large screens. Batman comics have been filmed several times. Such a vision of the superhero was demonstrated by such eminent directors as Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan.
Why is Batman so popular?
In terms of fame and the number of adaptations, Batman is not one step inferior to Spider-Man. But what is the reason for this? For example, the audience’s love for Spydi is quite easy to explain. A hero in a red and blue tights attracts with the fact that, in addition to superhero activity, he is primarily an ordinary person. Spiderman often encounters everyday problems, and this helps the audience to feel the hero, to begin to empathize with him. That is, the character takes for the soul with its simplicity. However, how does this work with Batman? Why does the Dark Knight want to empathize, despite his remoteness from the average viewer? You will find the answer to this question in this article.
Firstly, the Dark Knight is a pretty deep and interesting character. Batman films take us to a completely different world and show us a rather unusual hero in an unusual situation. It is for this reason that it is impossible to take your eyes off the film.
And do not forget about entertainment. Yes, the Dark Knight does not have thermal vision, like Superman, he does not throw lightning a la Tor. Nevertheless, films about Batman are always full of inventive action. And entertainment during the battle is provided by numerous gadgets. Surely every viewer remembers betarangi or betpoyas. However, the main and most recognizable attribute of the Dark Knight is Batmobile. It is about him that will be discussed in this article. Consider how to move around the streets of Batman.
Batmobile
The fight against crime is not easy. To get to the scene and help people, you need to spend a lot of time. In order to facilitate his task, the Dark Knight got a special means of transportation - “Batmobile”. Batman's car is much faster than conventional cars and, in addition, has a lot of additional features. This attribute first appeared in comics. However, the car has repeatedly shone on large screens. In this article, we will consider various options for the Batman machine and their embodiment in various movie adaptations.
Superhero Car Story
However, before considering films about a person in a bat mask, it is necessary to turn to the sources. Want to know when Batmobile first appeared in comics? Then this article is for you.
Oddly enough, the very concept of "Batmobile" began to appear in comics about only in 1941. Interestingly, the car is not the first transport of an eared superhero. Prior to this, Batman successfully fought crime using the Batplein (a bat plane). After the debut of “Batmobile”, the authors could not restrain themselves and continued to supply the hero with various vehicles. Thus, the Dark Knight acquired a “Batzikl”, “Batlodkoy”, etc.
For many years, the concept of a car has evolved and evolved, like the hero himself. After the end of the silver age of comics, graphic works became more serious. This also affected our hero. Batman has become more noir. And in order to emphasize the severity and seriousness of the character, the authors worked on the design of the Batmobile. The superhero car became longer and more dimensional; exclusively dark colors were used in the car's coloring. Also, one cannot fail to notice the abundance of sharp details, which, according to the idea of artists, should remind Batman's silhouette.
"Batman" (television series)
The first "Batmobile" appeared on large screens back in 1966, thanks to the then popular television series "Batman". The role of the main character was played by actor Adam West. Despite the fact that the budget of the series was rather meager, the creators were able to make a decent version of Batmobile.
Real cars were used to create a superhero car. So, the 1966 Batmobile was a Lincoln Futura car, which was modified by various gadgets. What was there: a nuclear engine, rockets, a computer, a telephone, a radar, brake parachutes, and more. In general, the car looks good, but it still blows from the spirit of the 60s. In those days, superhero was not perceived as something serious. Comic book characters such as Batman or Superman were thought to be intended for children. Therefore, the serial "Batmobile" looks somehow caricatured.
Relatively recently, the original car, which was used when filming the series, was auctioned. Batman's car was bought by one of the fans for $ 4.2 million.
Tim Burton filming Batman
In 1989, a full-fledged film about a superhero was released. Batman was entrusted with the talented director Tim Barton to acquaint the mass audience with Batman. He has done quite a lot for the Dark Knight movie franchise. We can say that he set the tone for the narration not only for further films, but also for film comics in general.
In the film, Barton also lit up the new Batmobile. It was radically different from the serial version. In the movie "Batman Returns" the car looked more restrained, which generally corresponded to the concept of films. This car was built on the basis of two models. In the “Batmobile”, albeit with great difficulty, you can find Buick Riviera and Chevrolet Caprice.
The Barton variant is one of the most canonical "Batmobiles", which simply cannot but please the loyal comic fans. On exactly such a car, the Dark Knight dissected in the legendary comics of the "Crisis" era. Moreover, in contemporary graphic novels marked "New 52" when creating the design of the "Batmobile" artists were clearly inspired by the brainchild of Barton.
Joel Schumacher
At the end of the 90s, Joel Schumacher took the helm. It was he who was supposed to rethink Batman, to make him more vibrant and friendly. But, as you know, such an undertaking ended badly. Schumacher for many years buried the Batman franchise. The movie "Batman and Robin" can be blamed for an infinitely long time for silly dialogues, a crude plot, weak character motivation, caricature, miscast, etc. Nevertheless, it is worth paying tribute to the director. Schumacher was able to develop a pretty good design for a superhero car.
In “Batman Forever”, “Batmobile” looked pretty stylish and gloomy. The Schumacher variant is an open plan machine in which no seating was provided. This can be explained by the fact that Robin had his own means of transportation in the form of a motorcycle. In order to create a new “Batmobile”, an eight-meter car was equipped with an engine from the Chevrolet 350 ZZ3. Thanks to this, Batman's car in turbo mode could give out speeds of more than 500 kilometers per hour.
Christopher Nolan
For many years, the franchise has been neglected. A little-known director at that time a director named Christopher Nolan was able to rectify the situation . He completely rethought the concept of a superhero and, one might say, breathed new life into Batman. Nevertheless, in the films of Nolan there were quite a lot of controversial points that fans discuss to this day.
Batman's car was completely different from what we saw earlier. The new Batmobile was more like a tank than a car. This beast, in addition to impressive dimensions, had a decent arsenal of weapons. The toggle switch (that’s what the car is called in the Nolan movie trilogy) is made of incredible durable army steel. It is for this reason that he is not afraid of either bullets or explosions.
In accordance with the plot of the movie, initially the Batmobile was developed for military purposes. The car was created by Wayne Enterprises, but nevertheless it was not in great demand because of what it was "decommissioned". However, Bruce Wayne turned his attention to the car and began to use it for his superhero activities. If you draw parallels with comics, something like this could be seen in the graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. Some fans liked the new Batmobile concept. Others were just furious. After all, the use of military developments is contrary to the spirit of a superhero.
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice
In 2016, a new part of the hero’s advents was released, in which Batman with his car was lit. “Batmobile” Zack Snyder in its concept resembles the Nolan version. For example, the Batman machine (2016) also has impressive dimensions and a not-so-weak arsenal of weapons. Nevertheless, with the naked eye, the differences between the Nolan and snider versions are noticeable. So, the Batmobile 2016 has a more sporty design. Here, features borrowed from the Barton film are clearly visible.
The game
Batman's car also appeared in games. And in Batman: Arkham Knight, which was released relatively recently, the player is given the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Batmobile. Is this not every fan’s dream? With a naked eye, you can see that the developers were inspired by the films of Nolan.
Thus, the game car resembles heavy military equipment. But it is worth noting that this variation of the “Batmobile” demonstrates incredible potential. Batman's machine from the game has two modes. The first is a regular armored car that can accelerate to incredible speeds. In combat mode, the car turns into a real tank, which is able to maneuver in a limited space and even climb walls.
Total
The Batmobile is one of the Dark Knight's most recognizable attributes. The concept of this vehicle has evolved over the years. Not only that, you can even track the development of Batman as a character in the car (from bright and caricature to gloomy and serious).