Bruce Retreats To His Cave In The Batmobile
Unlike past film depictions of Batman, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice spends no time fawning over gadget development. This is not a James Bond movie, after all, and there are no scenes featuring clever Research and Development guys giving Bruce Wayne a tour of their latest inventions. He has the gadgets, but we don’t need to study their purpose or origin. Bruce Wayne and Alfred are often seen tinkering in the cave, but this is just background noise. The result is that, when Batman uses his gadgets, they have a greater impact.
The first real view of the Batmobile in action comes during a chase through an old abandoned port, and Batman seeks to intercept Lex Luthor’s ‘special delivery.’ It is a challenge for Batman, and it does not go perfectly, so he ultimately retreats to his cave to adjust his plan. It is the way in which he retreats that makes this a great moment, however.
We see the Batmobile come hurtling down a forested road toward a body of water, which suddenly parts as a secret entrance rises. The Batmobile, without slowing or pausing, slams into the tunnel opening and disappears beneath the waves – only to appear inside the batcave, beneath Bruce Wayne’s glass-encased residence. Without a shadow of a doubt, his retreat here is the Batman equivalent of a petulant teen flouncing off to their bedroom and slamming the door in frustration – and that is a perfect fit for the wealthy playboy.
