In many ways, the idea of the super-hero is a pretty ludicrous one. With costumes derived from circus strongmen, plots from the pulps (and later from soap operas, thanks to Stan Lee) and a heaping helping of self-importance, stories of costumed adventurers run on The Rule Of Cool. Superman’s ability to ignore physics, The Flash’s reality-breaking speed, even the question of where in the blue hell the X-Men get the energy to power their mutant powers (Cyclops alone should have to consume enough fuel to power a small city), the only question that truly matters is, ‘Is it awesome?’ So, when the movie implies that Eric Draven carved out a crow shape, filled the trench with lighter fluid and ignited it to make a point that only helicopter pilots and people who lived on upper floors could see, it only works because of how incredible the visual is, which leads us to today’s plot-driven query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) honestly found the Crow scene to be acceptable with the quasi-mystical elements in play, but had massive problems with the same scene being cribbed for Ben Affleck’s ‘Daredevil’, asking: Which superhero moments would be utterly ridiculous if not for the Rule of Cool?
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Is it fair to say the exact same scene when it was used in The Dark Knight Rises?
The sheer amount of ridiculous things Flash can do with his super speed. Half of them are preposterous, and yet they are still kinda cool.
The Time Travel is the best.
Absolutely
I can think of three that may not fit exactly but have gotten a little old and unrealistic:
1. Slow motion walk away from an explosion
2. Wait your turn while I fight the other henchman
3. The super-hero landing pose