The Batman Has The Most Beastly Batmobile Yet
This post contains minor spoilers for "The Batman."
Everybody has a dream fictional car they'd like to own. Maybe you're a fan of the DeLorean from "Back to the Future" — so what if it can't actually fly or pierce the space-time continuum? Or maybe you'd pick a Camaro because it reminds you of Bumblebee in "Transformers"? But the Holy Grail for most folks has to be the Batmobile, Batman's main form of transportation. And "The Batman" features what is perhaps the gnarliest take on the vehicle yet.
Unlike Joel Schumacher's intensely phallic Batmobiles from "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin" or the more militaristic take from Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, the Batmobile that Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader drives is a muscle car — which happens to have a rocket engine welded onto its back. And even though it's slimmer and more practical than its predecessors, this Batmobile still features things you wouldn't have in your car, including armor-plating and bulletproof windows.
It's rad.
Like a bat outta Hell
The new Batmobile debuts toward the middle of "The Batman," as Batman and Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) attempt to corner Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) to learn what secrets he knows about Carmine Falcone. Cobblepot attempts to escape via car, which prompts Batman to chase after him in the Batmobile. A white-knuckle chase scene ensues, and it rivals even the craziest stunts from the "Fast and the Furious" franchise.
The Batmobile weaves in and out of traffic. It smashes through obstacles like they were little more than paper. And in perhaps the highlight of the film — thanks to Matt Reeves' steady direction and Greig Fraser's stunning cinematography — the Batmobile rams right through an oil tanker, flying through a wall of flame and crashing headfirst into Cobblepot's car. The Batmobile also feels less like a car and more like a beast spawned from the pits of hell; the roar of its engine sent a jolt through my heart every time, and bullets barely penetrate its armor and windows — it's a battering ram on wheels, and something a rich guy who moonlights as a vengeance furry would build.
The image of Batman striding upside-down while flames crackle in the background behind him is worth the price of admission alone.
The Batmobile begins
The Batmobile's sleeker look may draw from a comic that tackled Batman's earliest years — and put its own spin on the Batmobile.
"Batman: Zero Year," from writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, reimagined the Dark Knight's origin from the ground up. The Batmobile received a sportier look under Capullo's pencils; it features exhaust ports that looked like the wings of... Well, a bat! It could even shift its tires to gain a lead during a car chase, which feels like a mix between the Batmobile we see in "The Batman" and Adam West's flashy ride (especially that sweet color scheme.) Reeves has said he's a fan of Snyder and Capullo's work on Batman, and it shows: both men are credited in the "Special Thanks" section of the film's credits (plus, "Zero Year" saw Batman facing off against the Riddler, the main villain of the new film).
Pattinson also shared an affinity for the Snyder/Capullo run to the point where he suggested the Court of Owls (villains who were born during that comic run) as foes for a potential sequel. With the mystery and horror elements that ran throughout that storyline, one can imagine a frenetic car chase between Batman and the Court's talons, vicious henchmen assassins who are Batman's equal.
In the end, the Pattmobile has earned its place among my favorite fictional vehicles. It looks sleek, it's scary, and I hope it comes back for potential sequels.