"The Batman" - NO SPOILERS

[The Dark Knight]

I managed to pick up The Art of The Batman book recently. It's not as in depth as I would've liked, but it's worth adding to your collection. We see concept art for portable nunchucks and batarangs, neither of which appeared in the film - so it'll be interesting to see if they appear in the sequel, and in that form. I definitely think batarangs need to appear at a minimum.

The taser gloves are a very nice new addition to the suit (they're used during Battinson's first fight). They're not as devastating as the Arkham Origins gloves but I think going that route would've been too far. Traditional fight choreography is what we still want to see. The Batman's gloves are an occasional finishing touch if a particular goon requires it.

There's also concept art of what seems to be a more debonair Bruce Wayne which we could possibly see in the future. I liked the commentary from Pattinson throughout the book, such as his description of the Drifter persona being a grungy version of Clark Kent entering a phone booth to switch identities. They're also very clear that Selina is not yet Catwoman and the suit would evolve going forward. It's a journey I'm eager to see across the board for all the characters.

[Travesty]

Yeah, I picked up the book about 2 weeks ago when it was on sale for $20, but I haven't had time to really delve into it properly. I just flipped through a few pages.

[The Dark Knight]

Flicking through the book confirms The Batman's strong interior design.

These two stick out for me:

Wayne Tower is anciently Gothic inside.


Maroni's loft is stylishly seedy, looking out onto the city as Grissom did.


All I need to see from Reeves and company is more of this. They're on the right track.

[Travesty]

I picked up the 4k disc for $15 today on Amazon Prime Day. I'll finally get to watch those extras.

[The Dark Knight]

When I say I'd like lighter elements in the sequel it's mainly in relation to the portrayal of Bruce which has started from ground zero. Meaning a friendlier relationship with Alfred and an expanded public profile. I'm totally fine with the depiction of everything else, namely the tone of Gotham, the underbelly and depiction of action. The way Bruce communicated with Selina at length in the first movie could be transferred to Alfred now that he's recommitted himself to the war on crime, literally leaving Selina in his rear view mirror. And to make things interesting, I'd have them at odds with each other when she returns.

[Edd Grayson]

I loved it. Right now I'd rank it just below Batman (1989) and Batman Returns.

[The Dark Knight]

I loved it. Right now I'd rank it just below Batman (1989) and Batman Returns.

Other films have touched upon this, but something the film conveyed really well for me is how Batman is just one man operating in a huge city and can't be everywhere at once. There will be criminals who successfully carry out their crimes during the night, be it property damage or theft. There isn't going to be a perfect liberation of Gotham City. It's instead about choosing which fires to put out, and creating enough doubt in the criminal's mind that he may be around the corner even if he's actually fifty blocks away.

[Edd Grayson]

^ Agreed.