The Dark Knight Batsuit Discussion Thread

[Keyser Sushi]

I agree, it has the organic look Joel was going for. The logo I do not like so much either. It looks like a Clooney Suit.

Precisely. I don't ever want to see that on screen.

 

[El Payaso]

LOL. Nipples aren't the only thing that can make a bat-suit Schumacherian.

I know.

Clasps.

 

[Whack Arnolds]

Batman Begins suit > every other suit except the B89 suit.

 

[StorminNorman]

Baman Begins suit > every other suit especially the B89 suit.

 

[Super_Ludacris]

Batman Begins suit > every other suit especially the B89 suit

 

[Johnny Drama]

I think they should merge the 2. BB suit with B89 cape and cowl and bat emblem...

 

[regwec]

That would mean that Bale couldn't move his neck.

 

[Johnny Drama]

I never got why they couldn't just make the mask rubber but the neck fabric...

 

[BatScot]

Batman Begins suit > every other suit except the B89 suit.

I've always favored the BR suit to B89.

 

[DV8]

I never got why they couldn't just make the mask rubber but the neck fabric...

Exactly!! Especially for most of the movie, when Batman is moving around . . . if they want to maintain the whole piece for when he removes the mask, they could use a double . . .

The only thing that might be holding them back is that the rubber and fabric will clearly be different materials . . . but if only they could somehow combine the two . . .

 

[Keyser Sushi]

Baman Begins suit > every other suit especially the B89 suit.

Whack, you know you're my bro and all, but I gotta go with Norm and Luda on this one. The B89 suit just doesn't do it for me anymore.

I think they should merge the 2. BB suit with B89 cape and cowl and bat emblem...

No. Just... no.

No.

No.

I know.

Clasps.

LOL. Yeah, I knew that was coming. And I agree, clasps are schumacherian and I'm not crazy about them, but clasps are also not the defining element of a schumacherian bat-suit.

You know what is? When something is over-designed. When the bat-suit looks more like something in a Wal*Mart toy aisle than it does something that a man would wear while kicking people's ass in a back alley... it's schumacherian.

I know it's a fine line, because a bat-suit is inherently silly, but that's why the line is so important. Go too far in either direction and you lose something crucial to the character.

 

[El Payaso]

That would mean that Bale couldn't move his neck.

Did he move it?

 

[Hades]

i don't get how people can say the big yellow oval is pointless while
nobody seems to care that he has a big yellow utility belt.

GARh, it annoys me. Why would you want to draw so much attention to your belt? for one it would take away the mystic creature of the night view away from his foes when they see him wearing a big shiny belt.

 

[Knightsaber Priss]

Well, it wouldn't shock me they've decided to upgrade Batman's look in the sequel. Just so long as there is nary a nipple on the suit I'll be happy.

 

[DV8]

i don't get how people can say the big yellow oval is pointless while
nobody seems to care that he has a big yellow utility belt.

GARh, it annoys me. Why would you want to draw so much attention to your belt? for one it would take away the mystic creature of the night view away from his foes when they see him wearing a big shiny belt.

That's a great point . . . I was reading an old draft of the B89 script, and BM and Vicki Vale have a convo about the yellow circle . . . he explains how the yellow is a target for criminals, so that they're less likely to aim for the jugular or cranium

 

[Sandman138]

LOL. Nipples aren't the only thing that can make a bat-suit Schumacherian. They are just one of the most obvious things. Even without nipples, that is an incredibly Schumacherian suit.

Funny, outside of a few changes, the placement of the armor seems more like the Begins suit than anything else to me.

 

[Wams]

Another one...

Nothing about this suit is SCHUMACHER-ISH or Begins...
It looks like a staind glass window design.
Kind of appropriate for Batman being a cross between Deco and Goth.

 

[lujho]

That would mean that Bale couldn't move his neck.

There's no reason they couldn't make a 89-style or inspired cowl with better movement.

Really, I don't know why they just don't use softer rubber for the cowls - all of them.

 

[Katsuro]

That's a great point . . . I was reading an old draft of the B89 script, and BM and Vicki Vale have a convo about the yellow circle . . . he explains how the yellow is a target for criminals, so that they're less likely to aim for the jugular or cranium

Since when do criminals have perfect aim though? Why give them a target to shoot at, where they could a)miss the target and actually hit unprotected areas or b)get smart and shoot a few inches above. Doesn't it make more sense to not give them anything to shoot at in the first place?

 

[lujho]

Another one...

Did this first appear on the BOTB forum? Are you "1212121" over there?

Anyway, this is a nice design too. like the others I don't like every element of it, but I like the cowl (a lot) and the simplified suit details.

It's not particularly reminiscent of the Shumaker suits like some people are saying. Put the Begins suit logo on the chest and it wouldn't look much like it at all.

The defining characteristic of the Schumaker suits to me is the highly stylised (and innacurate), super-detailed human musculature (yeah, and the nipples). The detailing on this suit is more abstract than that, and far less detailed. It's more organic than the Begins suit but not really that close to human anatomy.

Slap a plain bat-logo on the chest and a traditional cloak (I don't like how the cape just comes out of nowhere from his back) and it'd look sweet. It looks all line-y but that's because it's a line drawing. It's not over-designed at all.

Christ, I wish I knew who the artist is.

 

[Whack Arnolds]

Really, I don't know why they just don't use softer rubber for the cowls - all of them.

They did use soft rubber. What some of you dorks don't realize, is that he is always going to have something on his head AND his neck...you can't move your head like its fully natural. You can't move your head as natural as possible, even in a football helmet, so enough with the damn complaints. It's barely noticeable in the first movies. In fact, I never had an issue or even noticed it until I came here and started reading fanboy gripes about it, back in 2003. I was like, what are they talking about? Bale moved his head plenty while in the BEGINS suit. It really isn't a big deal.

 

[lujho]

They did use soft rubber. What some of you dorks don't realize, is that he is always going to have something on his head AND his neck...you can't move your head like its fully natural. You can't move your head as natural as possible, even in a football helmet, so enough with the damn complaints. It's barely noticeable in the first movies. In fact, I never had an issue or even noticed it until I came here and started reading fanboy gripes about it, back in 2003. I was like, what are they talking about? Bale moved his head plenty while in the BEGINS suit. It really isn't a big deal.

He couldn't twist his neck. That goes for all the films. And it's totally obvious and silly looking when he has to twist his body to look to the side where you or I can just rotate our heads. It's not naturalistic.

I can turn my head pretty much 90 degrees from a straight-on position and it can't possibly be such a huge technical challenge to create a cowl that does the same or something approaching it. The material used simply has to be more like pliable flesh. It can't be that hard to do, and while it might not be a "big deal" it's still a legitimate concern.

 

[Whack Arnolds]

No, it isn't... lol

Not to mention, Bale was turning his head all the time in the movie. You're saying you want someone to turn their heads 90 degrees...but who does that? When you turn to something...you will turn, and still move your torso. So that makes the reasoning and logic for needing something where you can exorcist style turn your head, completely useless. No one turns their head that much, and you're only going to be allowed so much movement with something like that on your head / neck / and shoulders. It simply isn't as big of a deal as you guys make it out to be. No one complains about it, except YOU guys. No one even notices it, besides you guys. He still fights, acts and is Batman. So he can only turn his head alittle bit less than when someone who has nothing on their head or neck can. It's no big deal. You costume nuts are ridiculous. People naturally turn their body, even while turning their head.

 

[lujho]

No, it isn't... lol

Not to mention, Bale was turning his head all the time in the movie.

I'd love to see an example where his head is turned anything more than slightly. Even when Bale twisted his head slightly the cowl would actually become asymmetrical on his face with the nose pointing to one side.

You're saying you want someone to turn their heads 90 degrees...but who does that? When you turn to something...you will turn, and still move your torso. So that makes the reasoning and logic for needing something where you can exorcist style turn your head, completely useless. No one turns their head that much,

Yes, they do. When you're driving, and you look at the person next to you, your body doesn't turn at all. There was a scene in the batmobile where Batman had to turn his torso to look at rachel. It looked completely unnatural.

When you're just casually glancing at something that's beside you, you turn your head in relation to your body. You do it all the time with LOT more movement than Bale's cowl allowed. Quickly turning your head is far quicker than turning your whole body, which is why turning your whole body when you're just looking at something looks un-natural. You won't naturally turn your head 90 degrees from straight-ahead, but you can easily turn it 60-70 degrees without strain, for a total angle (side-to-side) of 120-140 degrees. And you use that freedom of motion every day.

and you're only going to be allowed so much movement with something like that on your head / neck / and shoulders. It simply isn't as big of a deal as you guys make it out to be. No one complains about it, except YOU guys. No one even notices it, besides you guys. He still fights, acts and is Batman.

But why not improve on it? It's something people have been noticing for 15 years - I'm glad for you that it never bothered you but it really obvious to a lot of people and it looks silly. The cowl in the comics has always been portrayed as a second skin - why can't it move like one (if just the neck) in the films? The actual head can still be armoured.

So he can only turn his head alittle bit less than when someone who has nothing on their head or neck can.

No. A lot less.

It's no big deal. You costume nuts are ridiculous. People naturally turn their body, even while turning their head.

But they still turn their head in relation to their body, with a wide degree of freedom that the cowl doesn't even begin to approach.

 

[BatScot]

Bale moved his head plenty while in the BEGINS suit. It really isn't a big deal.

The Begins cowl is not nearly as flexible as some would have others believe. Is it better than what came before? Yes. But the Arkham scene where Batman is seen running through the hallway/blasts through the inmates cell clearly shows just how limiting the Begins cowl actually was.