Batman's car ("Batmobile"): making cars for films about Batman

Batman is one of the most popular superheroes of our time. Famous for the hero came in the distant 40-ies of the last century thanks to comic books. Since then, a lot of time has passed, and the Dark Knight from the pages of graphic novels moved to the big screens. Comics about Batman have been repeatedly screened. His vision of the superhero was demonstrated by such eminent filmmakers as Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan.

Why is Batman so popular?

In terms of fame and the number of adaptations, Batman does not give a single step to the Spider-Man. But what is the reason for this? For example, the love of viewers for Spaydi is quite easy to explain. The hero in red and blue leotards is attracted by the fact that, in addition to superhero activities, he is primarily an ordinary person. Spiderman often faces domestic problems, and this helps viewers feel the hero, begin to empathize with him. That is, the character takes for his soul by its simplicity. However, how does this work with Batman? Why would the Dark Knight want to empathize, despite his distance from the ordinary spectator? The answer to this question you will find in this article.

Firstly, the Dark Knight is a rather deep and interesting character. Batman's films take us to a completely different world and show us a rather unusual hero in an unconventional situation. It is for this reason that the film can not be torn off.

And do not forget about entertainment. Yes, the Dark Knight does not have a thermal vision, like Superman, he does not throw lightning a la Thor. Nevertheless, films about Batman are always saturated with ingenious action. And entertainment during the battle provides numerous gadgets. For sure, every spectator remembers betarangs or batpoys. However, the main and most recognizable attribute of the Dark Knight is the "Batmobile". It is about him that will be discussed in this article. Let's see how Batman moved through the streets of the city.

"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, it has a lot of extra functions. For the first time this attribute appeared in comics. However, the car repeatedly shone on large screens. In this article, we will look at various variants of the Batman machine and their implementation in various film adaptations.

The history of the superhero car

However, before looking at films about a person wearing a bat mask, you need to look to the origins. Want to know when "Batmobile" first appeared in comics? Then this article is for you.

Strange as it may seem, the concept of "Batmobile" itself began to appear in comics only in 1941. Interestingly, the car is not the first transport of an eared superhero. Before that Batman successfully fought against crime, using the "Batplein" (bat aircraft). After the debut of the Batmobile, the authors could not help themselves and continued to supply the hero with various vehicles. Thus, the Dark Knight got "Betziklom", "Batlodka", etc.

For many years the concept of the car evolved and evolved, like the hero himself. After the end of the silver age of comics, graphic works became more serious. This also touched our hero. Batman became more noir. And in order to emphasize the severity and seriousness of the character, the authors worked on the design of "Batmobile." The superhero car has become longer and more bulky, the car coloring used exclusively dark colors. Also one can not help noticing the abundance of sharp details, which, according to the idea of artists, should resemble the silhouette of Batman.

"Batman" (television series)

For the first time "Batmobile" on large screens appeared in 1966, thanks to the popular at that time television series "Batman". The role of the protagonist was performed 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 the "Batmobile".

To create a superhero machine used real cars. So, the "Batmobile" of 1966 was a car Lincoln Futura, which was modified by various gadgets. What was there only was not: the atomic engine, rockets, computer, telephone, radar, brake parachutes and so on. In general, the car looks good, yet from it and blows in the spirit of the 60's. In those days the superhero was not perceived as something serious. The characters of the comics, for example, Batman or Superman were perceived as destined for children. Therefore, the serial "Batmobile" looks somehow caricatured.

Relatively recently, the original car, which was used in the filming of the series, was auctioned. Batman's car was bought by one of the fans for 4.2 million dollars.

Tim Barton, who filmed Batman

In 1989, a full-length film about the superhero is released. To acquaint the mass spectator with Batman was entrusted to the talented director Tim Barton. He did quite a lot for the movie franchise about the Dark Knight. We can say that he set the tone for the narration not only for further films, but also for kinomics in general.

In the film, Barton also lit up a new "Batmobile". He 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" although with great difficulty you can find out Buick Riviera and Chevrolet Caprice.

The version of Barton is one of the most canonical "Batmobile", which simply can not but please the loyal comic fans. On exactly such a car, the Dark Knight was cut in the legendary comics of the "Crisis" era. Moreover, in modern graphic novels marked "New 52" when creating the design of "Batmobile" artists clearly inspired by the brainchild of Barton.

Joel Schumacher

At the end of the 1990s, Joel Schumacher took charge of the wheel. It was he who had to rethink Batman, make him more vivid and friendly. But, as you know, this idea ended badly. Schumacher for many years buried the franchise about Batman. The film "Batman and Robin" can be infinitely long scolded for stupid dialogues, raw plot, weak motivation of characters, caricature, miskast, etc. Nevertheless, it is necessary to give the director due. 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 there were no seating arrangements. This can be explained by the fact that Robin had his own vehicle in the form of a motorcycle. In order to create a new "Batmobile" eight-meter car equipped with a Chevrolet 350 ZZ3 engine. Thanks to this Batman's car in turbo mode could deliver speeds of more than 500 kilometers per hour.

Christopher Nolan

For many years, the franchise was in oblivion. To correct the situation was little known at the time the director named Christopher Nolan. He completely rethought the concept of a superhero and, it can be said, breathed new life into Batman. Nevertheless, in the films of Nolan there were quite a lot of controversial points that fans are discussing to this day.

The Batman machine was completely different from what we saw earlier. The new "Batmobile" was more like a tank than a car. This animal, in addition to imposing dimensions, had a decent arsenal of weapons. Toggle (this is the name of the car in the kinotrilogy of Nolan) is made of incredible solid army steel. It is for this reason that he does not fear bullets or explosions.

In accordance with the plot of the film, originally "Batmobile" was developed for military purposes. The car was created by the company "Wayne Intersprise", but nevertheless it was not in high demand because of what was "written off". However, Bruce Wayne drew his attention to the car and began to use it for his superhero activities. If you draw parallels with comics, something similar could be seen in the graphic novel "The Return of the Dark Knight." Some fans liked the new concept of "Batmobile". Others were simply furious. After all, the use of military developments contradicts the spirit of the superhero.

The film "Batman vs. Superman: At the dawn of justice"

In 2016, a new part of the hero's adventures appeared in the light, in which Batman with his car lit up. "The Batmobile" Zach Snyder in its conception resembles the Nolan variant. For example, Batman's car (2016) also has impressive dimensions and not a frail arsenal of weapons. Nevertheless, the differences between the Nolan and snider versions are noticeable to the naked eye. So, the "Batmobile" in 2016 has a more sporty design. Here, the features borrowed from Barton's film are clearly visible.

A game

Batman's machine also appeared in games. And in Batman: Arkham Knight, which was released relatively recently, the player is given the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of "Batmobile." Is not this the dream of every fan? With the naked eye, you can see that the developers were inspired by Nolan's films.

Thus, the gaming 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 conventional 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 the walls.

The result

"Batmobile" is one of the most recognizable attributes of the Dark Knight. The concept of this vehicle has evolved over the years. Moreover, the car can even track the development of Batman as a character (from bright and caricature to gloomy and serious).