Batman Begins started Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, launching one of the most successful DC Universe franchises yet, although it nearly did so without one of the most important features of the character. Recently, some behind-the-scenes details from the Batman films have surfaced, outlining how different the celebrated trilogy could have been. With Batman & Robin leaving the Batman franchise in perhaps the worst state ever, Nolan had enormous creative freedom on his trilogy, but it seems there was one major recommendation from the studio he decided to follow.
The Dark Knight trilogy has been lauded since release, and many of the Batman scenes have only grown better with age. With a grounded world, and some of the best iterations of memorable Batman villains yet, the films cemented themselves as some of the most successful superhero films of all time. The balance between being faithful to the source material and diverting to realism helped to create a unique vision of the hero and, thankfully, one of Batman’s most famous toys made it into the film late in development.
Why The Batmobile Is So Important To Batman Movies
The Vehicle Is An Extension Of Bruce’s Power: Money
The Batmobile caused some discussion about being used in the films, which is interesting to consider when reflecting on how important the vehicle is to Batman and his films. More than just transportation, the Batmobile has been important to scenes in the franchise for years. While it has had some tacky moments, including Batman saying “chicks love the car” in Batman Forever, and Robin saying “chicks dig the car” in Batman & Robin, other films and series have done much better work with the iconic vehicle.
Of the ranked Batmobiles, Tim Burton’s was used in several creative ways as an extension of Batman’s skillset and of his symbolism to Gotham’s criminals. The Batmobile made a statement: not only of Batman’s terrifying access to resources, but also how prepared he is to fight villains on the streets. Whether it’s in tank form or a gothic supercar, the Batmobile is an extension of Bruce Wayne’s agenda to strike fear in his enemies.
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With Batman being the creation of a billionaire, the powers and tools associated with that can be accomplished directly with his vehicle. This led to iconic scenes in Batman, that have since been influential on the more grounded takes on the vehicle in the later films, including The Batman. However, the Tumbler from Batman Begins still may be the best version of the vehicle yet.
Christopher Nolan Almost Didn’t Use The Batmobile
The Vehicle Was Not Part Of Nolan’s Original Batman Begins Plans
Shockingly, the Tumbler Batmobile almost didn’t appear in The Dark Knight trilogy, as Christopher Nolan initially had no plans to use the vehicle. In a behind-the-scenes documentary shared to YouTube, a great number of insights into the film’s production were shared. Nolan noted that he “couldn’t perceive of any way at that stage to get the Batmobile into the film,” deeming it too “fanciful”. However, when Nolan asked Warner Bros. Pictures President of Production Greg Silverman what elements were needed in the film, Silverman noted the importance of the Batmobile.
Nolan took this as a challenge and worked hard to find a way to fit the Batmobile into the story that he was already developing. While it was not a requirement to include the vehicle, which speaks to the freedoms that the filmmaker had, Nolan said “it was clear that just emotionally, you know, it wasn’t going to be Batman for them without the Batmobile.” The filmmaker fortunately found a natural way to fit his important Batmobile into the film, crafting one of the best takes on the vehicle yet.
Why Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy Is Better With The Batmobile
The Vehicle Is True To The Spirit Of The Trilogy And To Batman’s Historic Identity
Nolan’s trilogy, which was always rumored to deserve a fourth Batman installment that never happened, walked a fine balance with the Batman character. Nolan did away with some of the heightened Batman story features and replaced them with realism. However, using the Batmobile in the fashion that he did, as an upgraded military Tumbler, was the perfect amalgamation of those two versions of the character. The car felt true to the comics, and it also felt true to the realistic world that Nolan had created.
The world of Nolan’s Batman was largely modeled after real-life Chicago, but it also filled its roster with iconic Dark Knight villains and gadgets. Without going too big with the outsized action, the film found a way to balance realism with the fantastical elements of Batman’s lore. The Batmobile, and the chases that it contributed to throughout the series, were one of the most effective ways that this occurred, creating iconic action sequences that hold up as some of the best in the entire DC franchise.
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Batman’s car is an important part of his story, and based on these comments, it is fortunate that the Tumbler was introduced so early in Nolan’s trilogy. Christian Bale’s take on Bruce Wayne was a unique and effective one, crafting a trilogy that feels cohesive and satisfying. Beginning this with some of the most important character tenets and gadgets in Batman Begins was an essential contribution to this. Thankfully, the Tumbler was included, beginning one of the greatest Batman stories of all time.
Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman’s origin story sees Christian Bale take up the mantle of the Caped Crusader. Batman Begins follows young Bruce Wayne who, reeling from the murder of his wealthy parents, decides to become a vigilante in order to save Gotham City. This pits him against the mysterious League of Shadows, an organization intent on destroying Gotham with the help of the villainous Scarecrow and his powerful fear toxin.
- Release Date
- June 15, 2005
- Cast
- Ken Watanabe , Liam Neeson , Gary Oldman , Tom Wilkinson , Linus Roache , Christian Bale , Katie Holmes , Mark Boone Junior , Michael Caine , Rutger Hauer , Cillian Murphy , Morgan Freeman
- Runtime
- 140 Minutes
