A Reel Review: The Tumbler Tour

“Does it come in black?”

This Blogger was pleased to attend one of the nation-wide stops of the Tumbler Tour; a showcase of the Bat-vehicles used in Christopher Nolan’s BATMAN films.

In every BATMAN film, the design of the Batmobile has reflected the overall vibe of the film. Tim Burton’s vision was all about style, Joel Schumacher’s vision was all about pretty lights…and their respective Batmobiles were designed accordingly.

Christopher Nolan’s vision of BATMAN films have been regarded as the most grounded and realistic superhero films ever made, and the attached vehicle, referred to as The Tumbler, reflects just that. It only takes one glance to appreciate the design, and be awe-struck at its presence. Seriously; this bloody thing puts the fear of God (or the Bat) down into your cockles just from sitting there. It is menacing, yet grounded. The design allows for peeks under the wheel-well, which reveals a very true and believable working mechanism. All BATMAN films have always had a slight (or overdone) element of sci-fi, but this vehicle smells only of realism. And as far as criticisms of a lack of style goes, The Tumbler up close does indeed look like a bat with its wings folded.

While The Tumbler invokes fear, its offshoot, the Bad-pod, is equally impressive. The detail into the craftsmanship makes it completely believable that it would launch out of The Tumbler. No suspension-of-belief needed.

Overall, The Tumbler Tour is one of the best promotional tools ever put together for a film. It is a grounded marketing technique to push a grounded film, and one that is not likely to be imitated.

“…this baby works just fine.”