Batman Representation
“A darker hero for a darker time” is how Batman devolped as a charecter due to the war on terrorism, an important factor in American film making. This developed the iconic figure, a well known hero, into a crime fighting superhero that took justice into his own hands. This charecter development is what makes the Batman trilogy so different to other superhero films.
Using Siegfried Kracauer’s concept of film mirroring society at the time, we see how the impact of terror attacts like 9/11 has had on film. Films became a way for Americans to step away from their society and see an alternative, a society that faces the same threats but with an underlining messages. These alternative realities ranged from atmospheric referneces to replicating events, and pro-war themes. This gave Americans hope and a feeling of justice as film became a coping device for terrorism.
Batman Genre Analysis
Conforming to the Superhero Genre:
-Special vehicles and weaponry
-Secret lair
-Guy in the chair/The tech guy
-No parents/Sad origin story
-Super villain
-Secret identity/dual indetities
-Love interest
-city location
Suversions From the Superhero Genre:
-No sidekick
-No superpowers/supernatural elements
-Dark/gritty tone
-Corruption (theme)
-Runs away from danger
-Girl dies/Doesn’t chose him in the end
-Villain has no clear motive
-Superhero is not necessarily good
Conventions of Superheros
| The Corpus →
The Repertoire of Elements↓ |
Film1: Superman (1978) Donner | Film 2: Spider-man (2002) Raimi | Film 3: Wonder Woman (2017) Jenkins |
| Typical Locations | New York, mythical places, big cities, urban location, usually America… or space. | ||
| Characters / Groups | Typical hero with ‘powers’, group of heroes in conflict, dead family members, orphans, extremists, antagonist, sidekick – tech guys, love interest – the damsel in distress | ||
| Conflicts & Themes | Good overcoming evil, overcoming adversity, origin story, internal conflict, | ||
| Filmic Technique | Kaboom, CGI, big action sequences, cars chase, flashbacks, training montage, explosions, special effects, aerial shots, voiceovers, the costume reveal | ||
| Iconography / Mise-en-Scene | Cityscape, primary coloured superhero suits, vehicles, specific weapons, power prop, superpower, | ||
| Shape of the story | Opening action setting – origin story explained – characters introduced | Superhero is put in challenging situations – their arch nemesis tries to destroy the world. Achilles heel is tested | Superhero wins / saves the world – and the girl |