Arkham Asylum: The Thread for Debating the Insane Topic of Batman Realism

[Deck Rickard]

One thing (and this goes for all Batman movies and even some comics) is why the hell he seems to forget he has like a million grappling hooks whenever he REALLY needs them. In TDK, he dives off a skyscraper to catch Rachel and then… they just plummet down to the roof of a car. In this film, he gets knocked off the catwalk a couple times towards the end and then just dangles there until he can pull himself up. Dude, what are all those grappling hooks for if you’re not going to use them?

 

[DeadlyWest]

One thing (and this goes for all Batman movies and even some comics) is why the hell he seems to forget he has like a million grappling hooks whenever he REALLY needs them. In TDK, he dives off a skyscraper to catch Rachel and then… they just plummet down to the roof of a car. In this film, he gets knocked off the catwalk a couple times towards the end and then just dangles there until he can pull himself up. Dude, what are all those grappling hooks for if you’re not going to use them?

To be fair, to properly use the hook he probably needs to be on a stable surface. If he used the grapnel gun and then let go of the ledge the sudden change in force would probably rip his shoulder out of his socket.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

I'm not really an expert in these topics. Not a physicist or an engineer. So mostly just commenting for fun.

But I feel that this film and Nolans trilogy had similar realism. I mean the big items seem to be comparing the capes/wingsuit and the batmobile.

The tumbler and the memory cloth from Nolans movies obviously stretched reality. But honestly never took me out. Seemed plausible.

Meanwhile the less militaristic less "tanky" batmobile in the batman seems less likely to have survived the abuse it was put through than the tumbler. Even if the jumping aspect of the tumbler was straight fiction, it *seemed* more durable and more capable of what it was doing onscreen.

I think the fight scenes in both seemed fairly realistic in choreography and how Bruce approached the battles. But if I had to pick one of the suits to fight in it'd be Reeves. Seems to have way more mobility.

In the end I feel both movies had subtle realism sins but were overall very cool and fun and mostly believable. Like, neither seems less realistic than say the first Iron Man or Black Widow (most realistic MCU movies??) And I think that puts it right where I want it.

 

[Yellow Cyclone]

I have no problem with the wingsuit/car chase but that DA bomb is just so hard to get around lol

 

[TheGDBatman]

Honestly, the only missed opportunity (imo) was showcasing some battle damage, and then using that as a reason he becomes more methodical/stealthy in his approach to fighting people.

 

[antsman41]

Honestly, the only missed opportunity (imo) was showcasing some battle damage, and then using that as a reason he becomes more methodical/stealthy in his approach to fighting people.

Well, the suit shows it. The chest plate is so pock-marked from Falcone's penthouse attack and the GSG scene... plus, the cowl shows weathering and damage throughout.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

I have no problem with the wingsuit/car chase but that DA bomb is just so hard to get around lol

He could’ve at least put his hands up.

 

[DeadlyWest]

He could’ve at least put his hands up.

He does


I think Matt just removed a very quick cut where he puts his hands up for the sake of the flow of the whole scene

 

[BatLobster]

It's kind of funny how both Batman and Alfred survive a bomb to the face in this film. Pays to be a main character!

 

[Blade Hoarder]

Hollywood has neutered the destructive capabilities of bombs so much.

 

[DKDetective]

He does
View attachment 53820

I think Matt just removed a very quick cut where he puts his hands up for the sake of the flow of the whole scene

Correct me if I am wrong, but I'm pretty sure that shot was in the film. I seem to recall an actual shot ofBatman lifting his hands to protect his face right when the bomb is going to go off. It was a quick cut though.

 

[DeadlyWest]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I'm pretty sure that shot was in the film. I seem to recall an actual shot ofBatman lifting his hands to protect his face right when the bomb is going to go off. It was a quick cut though.

Just checked and yup it is, but not only is the shot very short (I'm talking 1 second at most), he only gets his hands up for literally the last quarter of a second at the absolute most. I'm talking if you blinked at the wrong time you probably missed him putting his hands up. I saw the movie twice and I just never saw it

I wouldn't really call that a fault of the movie though, if the shot was any longer it would've ruined the tension of the entire scene because it'd just be

Spoiler

Batman holding his hands up for like 2 seconds and not literally right as the bomb hits zero.

It's just hard to see blink and you miss it details like that in a cinema

 

[BatLobster]

Might've been a better idea to grapple hook away or at least start distancing himself by the time the countdown was in its last 5 seconds and it was clear Colson had accepted his fate.

I get it, they wanted to make it a 'moment' and maybe it's a statement about how reckless Batman still is at this point. But overall, I do think Batman felt a little too indestructible in this film. It clashes a bit with the younger, inexperienced Batman who is still has to gulp before he leaps off a building. Just my opinion.

 

[DeadlyWest]

Might've been a better idea to grapple hook away or at least start distancing himself by the time the countdown was in its last 5 seconds and it was clear Colson had accepted his fate.

I get it, they wanted to make it a 'moment' and maybe it's a statement about how reckless Batman still is at this point. But overall, I do think Batman felt a little too indestructible in this film. It clashes a bit with the younger, inexperienced Batman who is still has to gulp before he leaps off a building. Just my opinion.

Sure, but I also think the movie's main focus was on Batman's emotional limits rather than physical. I'd assume the point of that is the assumption that Batman already figured out the physical in his first year, ala Year One, Earth One and even Begins. From then on, he's basically the Terminator. And I like that, because one of my favourite aspects of Batman as this terrifying myth is that he just never stops coming. He may not kill you, but you will never escape him, you will never stop him. And I think making him so physically formidable really adds to that, especially with the

Spoiler

emphasis on him as this terrifying entity lurking in the shadows. I feel like the fact that Bruce seemingly is invincible would add so much to that and in turn results in it making complete sense that people think Batman is this unstoppable force of nature. Because with his physical resilience combined with his armor, by all accounts he is. And I'm fine with them letting the test on Batman's physical limits take that backseat if it adds that much more to his mythology and allows them to better explore Bruce's emotional turmoil. We've already had movies where Batman's physical limits are tested, but we've had far fewer that tested his emotional limits like this one does.

 

[BatLobster]

Sure, but I also think the movie's main focus was on Batman's emotional limits rather than physical. I'd assume the point of that is the assumption that Batman already figured out the physical in his first year, ala Year One, Earth One and even Begins. From then on, he's basically the Terminator. And I like that, because one of my favourite aspects of Batman as this terrifying myth is that he just never stops coming. He may not kill you, but you will never escape him, you will never stop him. And I think making him so physically formidable really adds to that, especially with the

Spoiler

emphasis on him as this terrifying entity lurking in the shadows. I feel like the fact that Bruce seemingly is invincible would add so much to that and in turn results in it making complete sense that people think Batman is this unstoppable force of nature. Because with his physical resilience combined with his armor, by all accounts he is. And I'm fine with them letting the test on Batman's physical limits take that backseat if it adds that much more to his mythology and allows them to better explore Bruce's emotional turmoil. We've already had movies where Batman's physical limits are tested, but we've had far fewer that tested his emotional limits like this one does.

That's totally fair.

 

[antsman41]

While Bale and Pattinson have that classic Alex Ross "battle wound" scenes...

Pattinson's felt more honest with how his suit absorbs bullets and stuff, instead of merely deflecting seeming indestructible like the BBegins/TDK suits did.

This suit is a force to be reckoned with, yet isn't perfect by any means.

 

[DeadlyWest]

While Bale and Pattinson have that classic Alex Ross "battle wound" scenes...

Pattinson's felt more honest with how his suit absorbs bullets and stuff, instead of merely deflecting seeming indestructible like the BBegins/TDK suits did.

This suit is a force to be reckoned with, yet isn't perfect by any means.

Spoiler

Yeah, if anything the battle damage at the end of the movie reminded me of how the Arkham Origins suit gets scraped up by the end too. Which I prefer over the suit outright getting cut to ribbons like the Asylum suit as it makes more sense as to how Bruce can wear the suit without having to spend 12 hours repairing it after every night

 

[Brother Jack]

If they had the suit degrade over the course of the film, and shown the physical toll it was taking on Bruce's body, it would've sold the damage he takes a lot more. I'm honestly not sure why they didn't do that outside of the stadium climax. It would've been a perfect visual tool for the narrative to show (not tell) how Bruce's obsession was destroying him.

 

[antsman41]

If they had the suit degrade over the course of the film, and shown the physical toll it was taking on Bruce's body, it would've sold the damage he takes a lot more. I'm honestly not sure why they didn't do that outside of the stadium climax. It would've been a perfect visual tool for the narrative to show (not tell) how Bruce's obsession was destroying him.

The cowl definitely does, has some pre-Halloween night damage. But, is more messed up post-explosion at City Hall.

 

[DeadlyWest]

If they had the suit degrade over the course of the film, and shown the physical toll it was taking on Bruce's body, it would've sold the damage he takes a lot more. I'm honestly not sure why they didn't do that outside of the stadium climax. It would've been a perfect visual tool for the narrative to show (not tell) how Bruce's obsession was destroying him.

I don't really think the movie was trying to show the physical toll that Bruce's war was having on him though. It was exclusively focused on the mental toll. He very obviously doesn't look mentally well. As I've outlined previously, in this movie which

Spoiler

takes place over a week long period, I saw ONE opportunity for the dude to actually sleep 8 hours. ONE (this being the time skip from the funeral scene to Batman confronting Gil and even then that's just an opportunity). The war isn't physically destroying him, but it is mentally destroying him. That much is apparent with how downright existentially nihilistic the journal entry at the start of the movie is. He doesn't even think he's making a difference yet he just can't stop going out there every night. We've already seen movies where Batman has a severe physical toll, but I can't say I remember any movie from the past where his obsession took this much of a cerebral toll. To the point of where even if he's not actually contributing anything he still has to go out and beat the **** out of criminals. The implications there for Bruce's mental state are downright haunting. And in my opinion, those implications are far more effective and interesting than a damaged batsuit or body ever could be

 

[Brother Jack]

They aren't mutually exclusive. The exterior physical damage visually would reflect the interior mental damage. Physical scars a metaphor for mental and emotional ones. It dovetails so naturally with the themes Reeves was playing with with regards to Bruce's arc and that's why it strikes as odd that he didn't do it. Seems like a missed opportunity there.

 

[TheWallCrawler]

In many ways this was an excellent movie, but him surviving a bomb next to his face was flat out dumb to be honest, and it soured my experience for the rest of the movie. From that point forward I no longer had a tangible feel for what was or wasn't possible in this reality. It took the weight of consequence out of all the following action scenes.

And not just that. This Batman was supposed to be really intelligent, yet he didn't take those last seconds on the clock to get any distance from the explosion, when it became clear the guy wasn't going to answer Riddler's last question. No, using his hands to shield his face doesn't excuse it. If anything, that just makes it sillier.

 

[titansupes]

The bomb thing was weird. At least try to escape and get caught in the blast, like how Alfred at least threw his bomb into the corner (behind a desk?).

While Bale and Pattinson have that classic Alex Ross "battle wound" scenes...

Pattinson's felt more honest with how his suit absorbs bullets and stuff, instead of merely deflecting seeming indestructible like the BBegins/TDK suits did.

This suit is a force to be reckoned with, yet isn't perfect by any means.

Only seen it once so far, but I think you've got these the wrong way around? Bale's Batman dodges/runs from all gunfire, and the one time we do see him take a single bullet from a handgun-- from Two-Face-- it knocks him down and out for a bit, with him holding his side in pain after... Pattinson's Batman strutted into a hail of multiple machine gun fire and it all bounced off him with no issue.

 

[antsman41]

The bomb thing was weird. At least try to escape and get caught in the blast, like how Alfred at least threw his bomb into the corner (behind a desk?).



Only seen it once so far, but I think you've got these the wrong way around? Bale's Batman dodges/runs from all gunfire, and the one time we do see him take a single bullet from a handgun-- from Two-Face-- it knocks him down and out for a bit, with him holding his side in pain after... Pattinson's Batman strutted into a hail of multiple machine gun fire and it all bounced off him with no issue.

I meant that Bale's suit never shows damage, ever. Other than the mask getting broken from Bane.

 

[titansupes]

I meant that Bale's suit never shows damage, ever. Other than the mask getting broken from Bane.

Aaaaah okay, gotcha.