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St. Paul, Minn.

Following the laws of physics in superhero movies

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In a summer full of superhero movies, "Batman: The Dark Knight" is perhaps the most highly anticipated. It opened at midnight, and it has already broken at least one box office record. One tracking firm says "The Dark Knight" took in $18.5 million in it's nationwide midnight opening alone.

Batman's summertime competition includes "Hancock" and "Hellboy II," and they were preceded by "The Incredible Hulk" and "Iron Man."

This latest Batman movie is getting good reviews for its realistic depictions of moral complexities and law and order issues. But, when fans of comic book movies go to the theater, it is the laws of physics they want to see stretched and broken.

MPR's Tom Crann talks to Jim Kakalios, who is a physics professor at the University of Minnesota and an expert on superhero physics. Kakalios is the author of "The Physics of Superheroes."