Why Batman?

As you may have guessed, I will be trying to use this blog as a journal through which to analyze the views and constructions of mental illness in film, with the Batman trilogy as my main scope. This is in coordination with an assignment for a university course on crime in popular film. Many aspects of criminological study can be discussed in the world of the Bat, but for this project I am narrowing my focus to constructions of mental illness and how mentality affects crime.

Now the popular question might be: Why Batman?

It's a legitimate question. After all, Batman isn't the only superhero out there. Especially in recent years, there has been a multitude of superhero movies hitting the big screen. The theme of superheroes saving the world from super-criminals and villains is always going to occur in a superhero movie. So why should Batman's world take center stage?

Essentially, the answer is realism. Batman's world is realistic in comparison to other superhero realms. In the film trilogy, Christopher Nolan takes extra steps to ensure that the setting is as realistic as possible, which leads to alterations of the characters Ra's al Ghul and Bane. Batman himself does not possess superpowers, resorting instead to a combination of intelligence, martial arts training and technology. With a few rare exceptions, his villains are the kind of criminals you might find in today's society- mob bosses, serial killers, assassins, slightly-mad scientists. The abilities of Batman and his villains are all within a realistic grasp, in the setting of a city that has fallen into a poor economic state and is dominated by crime and corruption.

Batman's world is one that mirrors what a poorly-run city can become and can reflect on how his villains can take advantage of this world to suit their needs. That fact that this world is realistic in comparison to other superhero stories makes it a much better scope through which to analyze different aspects of criminality.