The Batman

[Nico]

Spoiler

Ive seen it twice now and I did really like it, but it does drag a bit even though the story is well timed. Certain scenes, like Alfred in the hospital feel a bit slow. I love Brian’s point about the Riddler’s lack of puns - URL was fine, but not thumb drive level.

I think it points to some overall inconsistencies in character development - especially since the whole movie takes place over a week. The weird stutter/fear before Batman jumps off the GCPD roof makes sense because it’s followed by his poor landing. It looks like he has a fear of heights at first.

But then later in the movie he runs down the Batsignal building with a speed/force inconsistent with his other hesitation. I guess you can claim that his worries about Selina outweigh his fears of what GCPD would do to him. In the Alfred scene he explicitly tells him he has no fears about dying/or getting hurt - then why the initial stutter? But that’s definitely a nitpick.

I felt like the ending could really set up a sequel following the No Man’s Land storyline. Martial Law, power vacuum, even the fact that it was due to a flood. I would have loved to see some of that in the HBO shows, but it appears that those will take place during year 1.

 

[Bort]

Did they confirm the timeline as far as when these HBO shows will take place?

I got the impression that Penguin’s would take place right where this movie finishes, and kinda show the ascension from side character to full on villain?

In terms of a sequel, I think Reeves said there’s no character locked in place yet, so I could see multiple appearing now that there’s going to be a huge jockey for power.

 

[Nico]

Did they confirm the timeline as far as when these HBO shows will take place?

I got the impression that Penguin’s would take place right where this movie finishes, and kinda show the ascension from side character to full on villain?

In terms of a sequel, I think Reeves said there’s no character locked in place yet, so I could see multiple appearing now that there’s going to be a huge jockey for power.

Spoiler

Looks like you’re right. The Penguin origin looks like it’s starting off at the end of the movie. And the GCPD show that was to highlight year 1 has “evolved” into a show about Arkham.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

So I'll keep it to a brief: The Batman is not my favorite piece of Batman Media from the past few decades (The honor still goes to Telltale and perhaps the animated Long Halloween films). It's not even my favorite Comic book movie of all time.

But what it does right? It does incredibly right. The Batman feels like a crime noir/horror-thriller that happens to have Batman in it. And that's not to say Batman isn't needed--infact, he *is* needed, for this film does something fantastic that I wish more material did.

Dano stole the show, as did Zoe and Jeffrey. Pattinson did great and so did Colin--but I want to see more of them before I get a good feel.

8.5/10.

- The Dark knight (#1)
- The Batman (#2)
- Batman Begins (#3)
- BvS - Ultimate Cut (#4)
- The Dark Knight Rises (#5)

Spoiler

So, that ending. Batman just doing heroic things and seeing that he has to become a symbol for hope that Gotham needs, is a fantastic way to open the gates on this universe. Really hoping they do Robin (And I'm hoping they go for Stephanie, Duke, or Carrie), but my curioisty is on Penguin.

With the power vacuum now empty from Falcone's death, I wonder if The Penguin's show will be their way of doing No Mans Land. Martial Law is now in effect as of where we leave him--would only make sense if it's a story on his rise to power in the short period of time.

 

[Jerroddragon]

So I'll keep it to a brief: The Batman is not my favorite piece of Batman Media from the past few decades (The honor still goes to Telltale and perhaps the animated Long Halloween films). It's not even my favorite Comic book movie of all time.

But what it does right? It does incredibly right. The Batman feels like a crime noir/horror-thriller that happens to have Batman in it. And that's not to say Batman isn't needed--infact, he *is* needed, for this film does something fantastic that I wish more material did.

Dano stole the show, as did Zoe and Jeffrey. Pattinson did great and so did Colin--but I want to see more of them before I get a good feel.

8.5/10.

- The Dark knight (#1)
- The Batman (#2)
- Batman Begins (#3)
- BvS - Ultimate Cut (#4)
- The Dark Knight Rises (#5)

Spoiler

So, that ending. Batman just doing heroic things and seeing that he has to become a symbol for hope that Gotham needs, is a fantastic way to open the gates on this universe. Really hoping they do Robin (And I'm hoping they go for Stephanie, Duke, or Carrie), but my curioisty is on Penguin.

With the power vacuum now empty from Falcone's death, I wonder if The Penguin's show will be their way of doing No Mans Land. Martial Law is now in effect as of where we leave him--would only make sense if it's a story on his rise to power in the short period of time.

Spoiler: Batman

I hope Penguin is at war with not only the mod but a costume villain. Black Mask, Great White Shark, Killer Croc.....someone who isn't just some mob boss

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Spoiler: Batman

I hope Penguin is at war with not only the mod but a costume villain. Black Mask, Great White Shark, Killer Croc.....someone who isn't just some mob boss

Spoiler

Black Mask being the central antagonist, alongside others like The Ventriloquist, Hugo Strange, and even the Arkhams would be a plus.

 

[Bort]

Spoiler: Batman

I hope Penguin is at war with not only the mod but a costume villain. Black Mask, Great White Shark, Killer Croc.....someone who isn't just some mob boss

Spoiler

Think his HBO show would be a great testing ground for characters that they may be worried about fully backing in a movie. Especially if they want to work on grounded takes of Shark/Croc/etc..

 

[chris.g]

Okay first off I wanna say, incredible film from a cinematic standpoint. But I really have to just laugh my butt off at the comments saying he is the best on screen adaption of Batman we've seen. I'm a hardcore Batman fan. It's easily the worst. Kravitz, Wright and even Farell's minor role carry this movie. I'm really just blown away by how disappointed I was considering how much high hopes I had for Pattinson. Is it just me, or is anyone else just tried of the "grounded" Batman? Nolan did it already, I'm past that. There is no separation between Bruce Wayne and Batman, it is literally so annoying seeing this man be straight up mopey on screen as his "alter ego". That's not who Bruce Wayne is. There is no emotional connection between him and the world around him, even with Alfred. The Batmobile is also freaking stupid, albeit, it does have a great scene.

I appreciate what Reeve's tried to do with Riddler but cmon man. He literally just ripped off Fincher's Zodiac with an obvious nod to it around halfway through the movie.

Right now I give it a 3/5. But the more I think about this movie as a Batman fan, the more I just feel let down.

 

[Brian G.]

There is no separation between Bruce Wayne and Batman, it is literally so annoying seeing this man be straight up mopey on screen as his "alter ego". That's not who Bruce Wayne is. There is no emotional connection between him and the world around him, even with Alfred.

That's the point... He can't separate the two until the realization at the end of the film.

The Batmobile is also freaking stupid, albeit, it does have a great scene.

O:

You're the first person I've seen rip on it...Why is it stupid?

I appreciate what Reeve's tried to do with Riddler but cmon man. He literally just ripped off Fincher's Zodiac with an obvious nod to it around halfway through the movie.

It's been stated that the Zodiac Killer was the inspiration :shrug:

 

[Freak]

Saw it twice. Is it wrong for me to say that I think this is just a hair better than the Dark Knight? This might be my favorite rendition of Batman yet.

What I liked about this is not really anything different from what everyone else is saying, but I loved how gritty and fairly grounded in reality this take on Batman was. Sure the Nolan-verse was great, but this rendition emphasized more of who Batman truly is: a crime fighting detective.

They also did a great job capturing the film-noir aspect. The color-grading and lighting were absolutely perfect for the film. The cinematography and the grittiness of it all reminded me a lot of Seven. Loved how they were able to incorporate some horror elements into it with the Riddler and the music.

I didn't think Robert Pattinson would do bad, but his role definitely "sold me" the most on Bruce Wayne. Casting was really good. Even Paul Dano made a fantastic Riddler.

Spoiler: spoilers

Only thing I'm a little unsure of is the Joker. What little we saw of him looked great, but I don't know how he'll turn out. I guess we'll see.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Saw it twice. Is it wrong for me to say that I think this is just a hair better than the Dark Knight? This might be my favorite rendition of Batman yet.

What I liked about this is not really anything different from what everyone else is saying, but I loved how gritty and fairly grounded in reality this take on Batman was. Sure the Nolan-verse was great, but this rendition emphasized more of who Batman truly is: a crime fighting detective.

They also did a great job capturing the film-noir aspect. The color-grading and lighting were absolutely perfect for the film. The cinematography and the grittiness of it all reminded me a lot of Seven. Loved how they were able to incorporate some horror elements into it with the Riddler and the music.

I didn't think Robert Pattinson would do bad, but his role definitely "sold me" the most on Bruce Wayne. Casting was really good. Even Paul Dano made a fantastic Riddler.

Spoiler: spoilers

Only thing I'm a little unsure of is the Joker. What little we saw of him looked great, but I don't know how he'll turn out. I guess we'll see.

I'll have to wait it more....it's kinda so different from Nolan's film its hard to say which is better

While I think Riddler is great in this film....Joker is still one of the best acting in any film...its just amazing

I like this film but Nolan's feel more original the Two boats/Two Face stuff is more original then another disaster and yes I know the ending ties into the themes of the film but i just never once felt they were in danger while the tension in the boat scene is just amazing.

I think Gotham and Batman are better in this film but do love Nolan's villains they are just fun and Nolan just has so many quotable lines. I hope the next film is just shorter....or make a TV series which this movie proved to me how bad we need a live action batman show on HBO in its own universe.

 

[chris.g]

O:

You're the first person I've seen rip on it...Why is it stupid?



It's been stated that the Zodiac Killer was the inspiration :shrug:

1. The idea of the bat mobile being some modded muscle car just doesn't sit right with me. It's an icon, it's supposed to be this gran machine, even in his early years, that is a symbol of his gadgetry and presence in Gotham. Sure, it had a great scene, but as an actual "Batmobile", it falls short for me. Even the tumbler feels more impressive than this.

2. Yes, I know. My problem is that Reeves' decided to make changes to Riddler for the sake of a dark film that absolutely didnt fit the characterization of Riddler, but hey, grounded realism is the thing that attracts people to Batman these days. Nothing about Dano felt like the comics' Riddler to me, but that is not to dismiss his performance which was really good.

I really find myself just hating this film as a Batman movie. It is impressive and great as a movie, but other than that, it's a vigilante dressed in a Batsuit (which I also found to be the worst).

 

[HalfGlass]

I really didn’t like the film either. It’s oozing with mood and looks amazing….but it’s so damn depressing. Also - Batman’s arc is so weak. When you watch Batman Begins, Bale’s rendition of the character is very solemn, he doesn’t want to be the playboy either, he just wants to fight crime. Yet, I felt for the character. I understood his motivations and his flaws better.

In this film, Pattinson just mumbles his way through everything, zero expression outside of occasional anger. I didn’t connect at all with him.

Dano and Farrell were great, but I disliked that they were both so grounded in reality. Like Penguin just having a little bit of a hook nose and other than that, just acts like a Sopranos character. Dano is frightening, but he just seems like any other serial killer from a Fincher film.

I know my dislike of the direction in this film is personal preference, but I found it to be too realistic. It never felt like a Batman movie to me.

Also - the lack of levity throughout was grating since the film was 3 hours. I’m not saying I need to laugh a lot, but even the Nolan films had some jokes and quips.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Spoiler: Batman Deleted Scene

While long...this would have been cool as a post credit scene or maybe part of this scene is in the second film somehow

 

[ghostsarejerks]

I really didn’t like the film either. It’s oozing with mood and looks amazing….but it’s so damn depressing. Also - Batman’s arc is so weak. When you watch Batman Begins, Bale’s rendition of the character is very solemn, he doesn’t want to be the playboy either, he just wants to fight crime. Yet, I felt for the character. I understood his motivations and his flaws better.

In this film, Pattinson just mumbles his way through everything, zero expression outside of occasional anger. I didn’t connect at all with him.

Dano and Farrell were great, but I disliked that they were both so grounded in reality. Like Penguin just having a little bit of a hook nose and other than that, just acts like a Sopranos character. Dano is frightening, but he just seems like any other serial killer from a Fincher film.

I know my dislike of the direction in this film is personal preference, but I found it to be too realistic. It never felt like a Batman movie to me.

Also - the lack of levity throughout was grating since the film was 3 hours. I’m not saying I need to laugh a lot, but even the Nolan films had some jokes and quips.

I don't feel like I watched the same Batman as some people here. I thought the tone of the movie was inspiring by the end, and Batman's arc was going from menacing vigilante to a hero that the people of Gotham to look to in times of crisis.

This version of Bruce has just been utterly subsumed in his quest for vengeance, it's what he calls himself until the end of the movie when he monologues about how he needs to become more. It also mirrors Selina's arc where he saves her from killing Falcone and she's ultimately better off for it, same as he is by expanding the scope of what it means to be Batman.

Farrell and Dano were highlights, but I feel like calling them grounded or nothing special diminishes what makes the characters work so well. Farrell's Penguin is still coming up in the Gotham underworld, so he hasn't had time to fully become the Penguin we were all expecting. But he also provided some of the best comedic moments in the film. Dano's Riddler was a direct foil to Pattinson's Batman: they're both orphans traumatized by their childhoods who become vigilantes to fix Gotham in ways that work outside of the bureaucratic systems in place. Riddler has a serious case of arrested development, as evidenced by his infantile-like tantrum when Batman rejects his notion that they're somehow partners. Riddler also provided some low-key humor like his aforementioned tantrum or his "Hey guys thanks for subscribing" livestream. He's also always two steps ahead of Batman and almost completely succeeded in killing off all of Gotham's major players in the finale.

I didn't think it was super realistic at all, it felt like a nice pastiche of crime noir, superhero camp, thriller, and melodrama. I like that Gotham has this anachronistic feeling, where if you ignored the computers and handful of cell phones seen in the movie, it could feasibly take place in any time period.

And lastly, where is everyone saying this movie was ultra grim and lacking any levity? Gordon and Batman were always playing off each other, lots of visual gags like Batman eating poop after escaping the police headquarters, all the comedy was derived from character interactions and clashing personalities, not quips fired off with a big Marvel pause so the audience can do their laugh track.

Overall I loved this movie and plan on seeing it again.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I don't feel like I watched the same Batman as some people here. I thought the tone of the movie was inspiring by the end, and Batman's arc was going from menacing vigilante to a hero that the people of Gotham to look to in times of crisis.

This version of Bruce has just been utterly subsumed in his quest for vengeance, it's what he calls himself until the end of the movie when he monologues about how he needs to become more. It also mirrors Selina's arc where he saves her from killing Falcone and she's ultimately better off for it, same as he is by expanding the scope of what it means to be Batman.

Farrell and Dano were highlights, but I feel like calling them grounded or nothing special diminishes what makes the characters work so well. Farrell's Penguin is still coming up in the Gotham underworld, so he hasn't had time to fully become the Penguin we were all expecting. But he also provided some of the best comedic moments in the film. Dano's Riddler was a direct foil to Pattinson's Batman: they're both orphans traumatized by their childhoods who become vigilantes to fix Gotham in ways that work outside of the bureaucratic systems in place. Riddler has a serious case of arrested development, as evidenced by his infantile-like tantrum when Batman rejects his notion that they're somehow partners. Riddler also provided some low-key humor like his aforementioned tantrum or his "Hey guys thanks for subscribing" livestream. He's also always two steps ahead of Batman and almost completely succeeded in killing off all of Gotham's major players in the finale.

I didn't think it was super realistic at all, it felt like a nice pastiche of crime noir, superhero camp, thriller, and melodrama. I like that Gotham has this anachronistic feeling, where if you ignored the computers and handful of cell phones seen in the movie, it could feasibly take place in any time period.

And lastly, where is everyone saying this movie was ultra grim and lacking any levity? Gordon and Batman were always playing off each other, lots of visual gags like Batman eating poop after escaping the police headquarters, all the comedy was derived from character interactions and clashing personalities, not quips fired off with a big Marvel pause so the audience can do their laugh track.

Overall I loved this movie and plan on seeing it again.

For me....and I know its a fake movie

Its hard to see the word as it really is and be like....we need hope

Like when your a kid sure, you want heroe's as you grow up and see how grey the world is to me we need a mean Batman. We need fear to keep bad people in line not hope

 

[ghostsarejerks]

For me....and I know its a fake movie

Its hard to see the word as it really is and be like....we need hope

Like when your a kid sure, you want heroe's as you grow up and see how grey the world is to me we need a mean Batman. We need fear to keep bad people in line not hope

That's so cynical, also that's what Ben Affleck's Batman was all about. Branding people with the bat symbol and trying to kill his enemies. I like optimism in super hero movies sorry if that offends people's sensibilities.

 

[Nick]

Finally watched this now that it's on HBO Max. This probably would've been great in a theater, but none of my friends who I normally see movies with cared enough to see it. I knew it was coming on HBO Max after 45 days, so to me, I just sort of always thought of that date as the release date anyway. I have a good sound system with surround sound, so I actually really enjoyed watching it the way I did and was glad I had the option to hit pause to go to the bathroom

Moving on to what I thought - this is my second favorite Batman movie, only after The Dark Knight. I loved this movie from top to bottom and fully expect the movie to rake in a bunch of those technical category Oscars that Dune won next year.

There's so much that could be done in this supposed Batman shared universe that they're doing. I'd watch the hell out of a Zoe Kravitz Catwoman movie and also, I wouldn't be surprised if by the third movie after Joker is fully introduced in the second and possibly someone like Lex Luthor, it's possible this whole thing ends with Batman facing off against a group of the villains, similar to the Injustice League.

Oh, and if this is your first time seeing or hearing about a Pattinson movie since Twilight and you enjoyed this movie, you'll enjoy some of his other work, especially the film Good Time. The Lighthouse and High Life are also films i'd recommend. All three of those films were from the gold mine that is A24 and Pattinson really did a career recovery and rebranding during the time he spent making those three films.

 

[LieutLaww]

I watched this the other day and thought it was an excellent Batman movie, def a proper Detective version of the Dark Knight, Kravitz was great as Catwoman and I hope we see more of her down the road.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

With the caveat that I have no knowledge of the Batman comics (or movies outside of The Dark Knight trilogy and Batman v Superman) I thought it was a great movie on a technical level but left a lot to be desired in the writing. There are a lot of good ideas here that really go nowhere (like Bruce Wayne as a target or the street-level cops standing up against crime in spite of their dirty desk job counterparts).

It feels like a pastiche of really great scenes without a strong thread connecting them all…for example, Batman losing his cool interrogating the Riddler is a good scene on its own (derivative of TDK as it may be), but in the context of the movie there’s really no reason for Batman to get so angry. The Riddler clues were a little simplistic too. I guess I just feel like a lot of great ideas were undermined by not feeling earned.

There were also some more obvious issues like every character’s insane invincibility and Gordon’s hammy video game-level dialog. Even the opening monologue could’ve used a rewrite or two to make it less tween angst edgy and less predictable.

With that being said, this is the best world-building of any Batman movie I’ve seen and I would gladly spend another three hours just absorbing the visuals and the music. For that reason alone, I’d still rank it second just to Dark Knight.