Is Batman realistic? Or just a comic book character?

[burtongenius]

My question- why read about batman or watch movies about batman if there is no way he could be real.  What is the point?  I mean, its fine to watch fiction but thats because you want to escape from reality.  Batman is supposed to be real.  Otherwise they would've given him super human bat powers or something like that.  You can't just watch something and then say, "Thats a good movie  but none of that could'ved happen."  Again, what is the point?  Either you watch or read something because it gets you away from reality, or it is something cool in reality.  Batman is the second.

[thecolorsblend]

My question- why read about batman or watch movies about batman if there is no way he could be real.  What is the point?  I mean, its fine to watch fiction but thats because you want to escape from reality.  Batman is supposed to be real.  Otherwise they would've given him super human bat powers or something like that.  You can't just watch something and then say, "Thats a good movie  but none of that could'ved happen."  Again, what is the point?  Either you watch or read something because it gets you away from reality, or it is something cool in reality.  Batman is the second.

Tons of movies depict utterly unreal subject matter.  And the unreality of them certainly didn't hurt their success.  The Matrix trilogy, whatever you may think of it, wasn't harmed by sci-fi nature of the visuals and story.  It's completely unrealistic with all the bullet time effects, super kung fu fights, Neo's powers, etc.

Star Wars is filled to overflowing with extreme environments, alien characters, super powered Buddhist monks, evil wizards, etc.  There's yet to be a Star Wars film that wasn't a smash success.

Those are just two examples from the past ten years.

History shows us that realism isn't not a pre-req for success.

As to Burton's films, again, there's very little reality to it.  Adults don't dress up in costumes, run out into the night and beat up criminals.  People don't fall into vats of acid and come out with looking like clowns.  The list goes on.

Bringing Batman into anything resembling a real world raises more problems than it could ever solve.  It is impossible that one man could dodge that many bullets per night.  Eventually he'd get the Alex Murphy treatment.  It's also impossible that a police force, no matter how corrupt, would ever partner with a vigilante (which is what Batman is).  Even if there was a short term partnership, the police would turn on him the minute things improved in the city.

Etc etc etc.

Batman's a fictional character and his world does and should adhere to a different set of rules than our real world does.  It's perfectly fine to have believeable conflicts for audiences to invest themselves in but bringing him strictly into the real world has thus far been a mixed blessing at best.

[burtongenius]

Matrix is meant to be real.  The dodging of the bullets is due to the matrix.  Didn't you see the movie?

Star Wars is set way in the future.  Of course there are aliens and different planets. 

Both of these movies provide plausible possibilities according to science.

[The Dark Knight]

My question- why read about batman or watch movies about batman if there is no way he could be real.  What is the point?  I mean, its fine to watch fiction but thats because you want to escape from reality.  Batman is supposed to be real.  Otherwise they would've given him super human bat powers or something like that.  You can't just watch something and then say, "Thats a good movie  but none of that could'ved happen."  Again, what is the point?  Either you watch or read something because it gets you away from reality, or it is something cool in reality.  Batman is the second.

I bet you don?t watch much of anything at the cinemas or on television, then. Not much material out there is real - so what's the point in watching it?!

Why watch the masterful Lord of the Rings trilogy when it?s based on a fictional book? Hell, why not burn the DVDs in disgust of the fantastical goings on?!

Because they are well made forms of entertainment. If people want to criticize the flying nazgul and such, go for it. Me? Not so much. I find it to be a pointless exercise that by and large misses the point.

But then again, everything is real to you. You'd interpret it some other way to make it real.

Batman is really no different to Superman. Batman is not meant to be real because he is not. Sure, he?s not an invulnerable alien endowed with super powers, but he, his villains and world are just as unrealistic.

It is universally known. He is a comic book character. Even when thrown into a realistic setting, you cannot escape that notion. Batman is escapist entertainment. Nothing more. Free your mind from the constraints of reality. That?s the biggest charm of this world and the characters that roam in it. Imagination has no boundaries. Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream.

If you don?t like that, well, Batman and every other costumed hero is not for you.

It seems to me that your head is stuck in the sand. To you, everything is real. Even The Matrix and Star Wars. (!)

Matrix is meant to be real.  The dodging of the bullets is due to the matrix.  Didn't you see the movie?

Star Wars is set way in the future.  Of course there are aliens and different planets.  

Both of these movies provide plausible possibilities according to science.

I am on the floor laughing at this one. I seriously hope you are joking.  

[thecolorsblend]

Matrix is meant to be real.  The dodging of the bullets is due to the matrix.  Didn't you see the movie?

I... almost don't know where to start with this.

The Matrix flicks are about a world completely overtaken by machines with humans trapped in fields and fields of pods by Terminator-like overseers who harness their bodily energy for fuel who, in turn, have the humans plugged into a neural interactive simulation of pre-machine society which is policed by shapeshifting Blues Brothers who, among other things, hunt down phase-shifting albino assassins and men who can fly.

Unless I've missed a metric crapton of memos, that ain't reality.

Star Wars is set way in the future.  Of course there are aliens and different planets.

It's set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away populated by telekinetic Buddhist monks with laser swords and evil wizards imprisoned in iron lungs.

Unless I've missed a metric crapton of memos, that ain't reality either.  There is no mystical energy field created by all living things which surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the universe together that certain of us can manipulate to obtain visions of the future or telekinetically manipulate inanimate objects.

These things are not realistic.  They're not intended to be.  They're meant to take place in a very stylized world where up isn't always necessarily up and down isn't always necessarily down.

Realism is perfectly fine for certain subjects.  But not for everything, and certainly not always for comic book superheroes.

A strong sense of verisimilitude (a mode of telling a story; making the conflicts, narrative and characters relateable to an audience) works for a lot of stories but placing a given story strictly in the real world does not always best serve the subject matter.

If Star Wars was absolutely realistic, there would be no sound effects in space and even travelling at light speed wouldn't affect the rapid system of transportation that we see in the Star Wars films.  In all likelihood, years (or decades) would pass in the real world while the characters traversed the stars.  It's not realistic but we accept it because the film is itself already a fantasy.

I am on the floor laughing at this one. I seriously hope you are joking. 

Honestly?  I kind of am too.

[burtongenius]

 1) Your right.  The lord of the rings isn't meant to be real.  We watch it for the action and fantasy escapism.  Star Wars is meant to be action and futuristic fantasy escapism.  Batman is supposed to be about a regular crime fighter (no super powers) who stops bad guys in Gotham.  Nothing fantasy about that.

2)  The Matrix is realistic.  Ever heard of artificial intelligence?  The movie is set way in the future so it is plausible.  And the only reason Neo can dodge bullets is because he is IN THE MATRIX which is again scientifically plausible.

3) Explain to me Nolan's realistic Batman.

[The Dark Knight]

1) Your right.  The lord of the rings isn't meant to be real.  We watch it for the action and fantasy escapism.  Star Wars is meant to be action and futuristic fantasy escapism.  Batman is supposed to be about a regular crime fighter (no super powers) who stops bad guys in Gotham.  Nothing fantasy about that.

2)  The Matrix is realistic.  Ever heard of artificial intelligence?  The movie is set way in the future so it is plausible.  And the only reason Neo can dodge bullets is because he is IN THE MATRIX which is again scientifically plausible.

I don't know where to start here. I can't believe I'm actually having this conversation.

Star Wars and The Matrix are no different to The Lord of the Rings. We watch that for escapist entertainment as well. It is not plausible and not meant to be real. Everybody gets that, except you. They do not need a disclaimer before the start of the film stating what follows is entirely fictional. It would be a massive insult to everyone's intelligence and it would be stating the blindingly obvious.

Yes, we buy into the world presented to us, but we don't buy it as reality. Especially with films such as The Matrix and Star Wars. As you say, bullet time and such can only be achieved in the simulation that is the Matrix. That's the reasoning provided by the film so those antics can be performed. The Matrix does not exist. It's never going to. Maybe in another trillion years or whatever. Just because it is explained, does not make it real. You buy into what the film maker says way too much.

Artificial intelligence does not exist. Nobody knows if it ever will. I'm doubtful. And if it does, I doubt machines are going to plug is into a simulated reality that is presented in the film. Nobody knows what the future holds, but come on.

The Matrix is not a documentary pondering what the future holds. It is a movie designed for entertainment. They could put a giant yellow monster in a film, and you'd buy that as real because it's set in the future. That's your logic.

3) Explain to me Nolan's realistic Batman.

It is semi-realism and it can only go so far. There is no way they can do Clayface, Mr Freeze, Killer Croc and those types to their full unalterted potential in such a setting. They cannot be ripped straight from the page to the screen. Because if these things were walking around in Nolan's Batman, well, it would be flat out impossible. Because in reality, these types of things do not exist.

The Joker can be done, and has been done very well. Even then his origin had to be altered from his source material - but his core being was retained. His alterations are not as radical as the other villains would be.

Nolan's Batman is more real, but it's still the world of comic book. We've got black tanks flying across rooftops, microwave emitters, sonar cell phone devices, taking fingerprints off shattered bullets..(!) - and so on. When it all comes down to it, you've still got a grown man running around at night dressed up as a bat, dodging gunfire.

And to tell you the truth, realism can get dull. Sooner or later, people will tire of it and will want a different take on Batman. It's restricting.

[thecolorsblend]

TDK, it's all you.  I can't take any more of this.

[Gotham Knight]

Matrix is meant to be real.  The dodging of the bullets is due to the matrix.  Didn't you see the movie?

I... almost don't know where to start with this.

The Matrix flicks are about a world completely overtaken by machines with humans trapped in fields and fields of pods by Terminator-like overseers who harness their bodily energy for fuel who, in turn, have the humans plugged into a neural interactive simulation of pre-machine society which is policed by shapeshifting Blues Brothers who, among other things, hunt down phase-shifting albino assassins and men who can fly.

Unless I've missed a metric crapton of memos, that ain't reality.

No, no, Colors it IS real...REAL....the truth is out there colors....truth lives...

the Matrix has you....

[phantom stranger]

As realistic as it gets: