"The Batman" - NO SPOILERS

[Silver Nemesis]

Does anyone fancy providing a review to place in the site's features?

SN may want to do that. I'll type my thoughts down in any case.

It might be better if you go ahead and write the site review, TDK. I'm hoping to see the film as soon as possible, but it won't be for a few more days yet. You're the first site member to have seen it and it sounds like you've got a lot of thoughts on the movie. So I think you're best qualified to pen the site review.

[Paul (ral)]

Does anyone fancy providing a review to place in the site's features?

SN may want to do that. I'll type my thoughts down in any case.

It might be better if you go ahead and write the site review, TDK. I'm hoping to see the film as soon as possible, but it won't be for a few more days yet. You're the first site member to have seen it and it sounds like you've got a lot of thoughts on the movie. So I think you're best qualified to pen the site review.

Apologies that I don't have the backend admin section operating yet for adding features. After the hack I decided to re-organise the code... and it's been a pig trying to work out how I wrote it before (even with annotations I left myself throughout it!).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thecolorsblend]

I have seen The Batman and I've been busy digesting my thoughts.

The film has the spirit of Batman but is presented through a very different lens. Nothing in the existing back catalogue feels quite like this. It is very much a slow burn story that requires the full three hours to unravel itself. Prior to sitting down I had seen commentary that the final act was one step too many, and I can't agree. Without the last segment The Riddler's plot would lack ultimate payoff and Batman's character arc would be reduced.

The film has a near perfect balance of Batman having a feared reputation while also being a more visible operator inside the Police Force and on the streets of Gotham. Batman is able to interact with a variety of people while still guarding his emotions and holding on to his privacy. His threat level doesn't feel reduced in any way. A big well done on that - the way it was presented feels like a breakthrough achievement for the franchise.

I'm confident enough to say the relationships with Gordon and Selina are the most fleshed out we've seen so far in live action. While still being early days, Gordon and Batman feel like an established team who have built the foundations of mutual understanding and respect. Batman and Selina clearly have romantic feelings for one another, but Reeves knows how to balance that out. They have similarities but come from different worlds. They work together but ultimately remain individuals. I like where the film leaves them - it feels appropriate.

Pattinson is great as Batman. He has the brooding elements down and I'm excited to see his portrayal expand over the course of the coming films. The suit itself looks incredible in motion (I'd keep it exactly the same, including the Batmobile), as does the world he inhabits. Gotham feels like a real city while not being any one specific city, which I think is an important element to nail. Not to trash the past to justify the future, but n his trilogy Nolan inserted a variety of sight gags and quips that I felt didn't hit the mark. Reeves goes for none of that, and I believe the tone is better for it. We receive full immersion in this very specific atmosphere.

All in all, a very strong start to this new continuity. I see it as the beginning of even greater things to come.

Sounds intriguing. Thank you for the vagueness, btw.

Good to know our faith in this movie paid off.

[The Dark Knight]

So did you like it? lol

How would you rank it with the other live action movies?

Yes, I liked it. But what I think you and others will likely understand is that it's a film that needs to wash over you for a while. It's three hours long and has a lot happening within its runtime. It may be a broken record, but this is nothing like the other Batman films in the franchise. And that's a good thing. It's almost in its own category. It has a number of references to the West show (there was a minor but surprising element we haven't seen since the debut of that series).

It simultaneously has elements of other portrayals of Gotham: the otherworldly seediness of Burton, the neon of Schumacher and the real world grit of Nolan. The opening montage communicates this vibe. In terms of what Reeves brings to the table I believe it's a claustrophobic sense of being trapped inside a city that is nearly always raining, and due to Batman's bigger presence in the film's runtime, perpetually at night. Outside of Furst's Gotham I think this is the best one.

Sounds intriguing. Thank you for the vagueness, btw.

Good to know our faith in this movie paid off.

I respect this crowd too much to spoil anything. It's one thing to tell someone what happened. The Batman is a film an individual needs to experience themselves. I think you will find it very intriguing - it's a win for those who are burnt out on the commonality of modern superhero film formula. The Batman bravely stands against that and wins. There's hard action but it's not the centrepiece here. The mystery and atmosphere is. Simply being in the world that Reeves has created.

Does anyone fancy providing a review to place in the site's features?

SN may want to do that. I'll type my thoughts down in any case.

It might be better if you go ahead and write the site review, TDK. I'm hoping to see the film as soon as possible, but it won't be for a few more days yet. You're the first site member to have seen it and it sounds like you've got a lot of thoughts on the movie. So I think you're best qualified to pen the site review.

Apologies that I don't have the backend admin section operating yet for adding features. After the hack I decided to re-organise the code... and it's been a pig trying to work out how I wrote it before (even with annotations I left myself throughout it!).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll keep jotting things down. Looking forward to what all you think of the movie yourselves soon.

[Silver Nemesis]

I think you will find it very intriguing - it's a win for those who are burnt out on the commonality of modern superhero film formula. The Batman bravely stands against that and wins. There's hard action but it's not the centrepiece here. The mystery and atmosphere is. Simply being in the world that Reeves has created.

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. I can't wait to see it and get stuck into some spoiler discussions.

[The Dark Knight]

I think you will find it very intriguing - it's a win for those who are burnt out on the commonality of modern superhero film formula. The Batman bravely stands against that and wins. There's hard action but it's not the centrepiece here. The mystery and atmosphere is. Simply being in the world that Reeves has created.

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. I can't wait to see it and get stuck into some spoiler discussions.

You get that in spades. The Batman takes its time and will be a shock to the system for anyone expecting anything remotely resembling the Marvel or DCEU machine. But it remains undeniably heroic in its presentation of Batman. He's a focused man but not a bad one.

There's an encounter between Batman and Nashton which we see in the trailers, the "what have you done?" dialogue, that makes this Riddler for me. Without it I believe there wouldn't have been enough meat on his bones. I won't go any further (that will be for the spoiler thread) but it taps into certain psychological themes that benefit both characters, making the clear distinction between hero and villain, and our own perceptions of reality.

The score works, too. This is not an action film and the music reflects that. It's a soundtrack tailor made for the viewing experience first and foremost. Every Batman gets the sound he deserves, and Pattinson has his.

[thecolorsblend]

I respect this crowd too much to spoil anything. It's one thing to tell someone what happened. The Batman is a film an individual needs to experience themselves. I think you will find it very intriguing - it's a win for those who are burnt out on the commonality of modern superhero film formula. The Batman bravely stands against that and wins. There's hard action but it's not the centrepiece here. The mystery and atmosphere is. Simply being in the world that Reeves has created.

As you probably know, I've been looking for something different. Anything to escape the banality of most comic book films these days. The way you're describing this movie makes it sound like it takes a lot of the essential formulas of modern comic book cinema and throws many of them away. That sounds fine by me.

Your comment about the slow burn nature of the movie is esp appealing. I enjoy all previous Batman movies. But at the same time, the main conflict tends to be established and in full swing by the fifteen minute mark. The idea of something that unravels slowly over three hours is a breath of fresh air.

Looks like I'll be seeing the movie on Saturday. I'll pop over to the spoiler thread (which I haven't even opened yet; it's still marked Unread in my browser) and dash off some thoughts about the movie.

Never would've thought we'd end up here with a movie like this. But I'm perfectly happy with how things have worked out.

[The Dark Knight]

Never would've thought we'd end up here with a movie like this. But I'm perfectly happy with how things have worked out.

It's the real deal in terms of being a slow burn. The Batman would go over a youngster's head and I have no doubt they'd be bored. I'm not saying I disliked the movie initially. Far from it. But the more I think about it the more my appreciation grows. I dig the pacing. We get about an hour or so of Batman doing his thing, with Bruce barely at home or talking to Alfred. So when he does appear in public as Bruce Wayne you know where his mind is at. Scenes are allowed to breathe in ways a two hour film cannot.

Traditional Batman elements are there but feel organic and not forced. Where is the Batmobile, you begin to wonder. It eventually appears, and memorably. Then it's gone. The Batcycle is there, too. But minimally. In the context of the Reeves universe things feel undeniably different and unique. Batman beats people down but isn't depicted as an invincible superhero at all times. It's a movie you feel as much as anything.

[BatmanFurst]

Idk what to think about it as a whole quite yet. I'd like to see it again. For me it's no Dark Knight, and it has less action than you're probably expecting. However, this has to have the most Batman screen time in comparison to the other live action movies. Surprisingly Bruce Wayne is the character that's barely in it.

Only big complaints I had were Paul Dano's performance as Riddler. I felt like he didn't fit with the rest of the movie and there are moments where he's trying to act crazy and it had me cringing. Also, his final plan didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I'm curious to know what you guys think. Everyone seems to love it.

[The Dark Knight]

Idk what to think about it as a whole quite yet. I'd like to see it again. For me it's no Dark Knight, and it has less action than you're probably expecting. However, this has to have the most Batman screen time in comparison to the other live action movies. Surprisingly Bruce Wayne is the character that's barely in it.

You're right it's no TDK. People were trying to say the closest series it could be compared to is Nolan's trilogy. But The Batman doesn't fit in with any pre-existing Batman movie. Given that difference, some will find it jarring. As ViewerAnon tweeted, at a screening the "crowd was expecting to cheer and holler like it's No Way Home and instead they got #TheBatman, a long slow-burn detective story."

It's like listening to Michael Giacchino's score beforehand and wanting epic Zimmer action cues everywhere. After seeing the movie I truly get what The Batman is about. Right now, the understated and sparse references to Giacchino's main Batman theme are the best because they capture the vibe. I particularly love 'Hoarding School', and the scene that accompanies it would be a top Batman moment for me. And it simply involves Batman and Gordon walking through a certain environment with flashlights. Embracing the silence and the darkness is to embrace The Batman.

Only big complaints I had were Paul Dano's performance as Riddler. I felt like he didn't fit with the rest of the movie and there are moments where he's trying to act crazy and it had me cringing. Also, his final plan didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I have something more to say here but will save it for the spoiler thread. I will say his plan is more straightforward than Ledger Joker or Hardy's Bane, but no less devastating. I liked that element, because while it required planning, it had less plot convenience. Another reason I liked the final act is that with Zodiac types when you think the ride is over, it isn't. Riddler could be a one and done villain in this universe and I wouldn't be dissatisfied. He got his point across.