The Batman (2022) Comic Influences (SPOILERS)

[BatmanFurst]

Was reading a couple of comics recently and there were some familiar scenes.

[The Dark Knight]

Unless I've missed some other comic influences, Reeves went in a different direction with his Batman's modus operandi. The changes may seem minor in passing but they're rather significant. When I ponder some of them they're not my preference.

Hearing every footstep as he approaches criminals: I get the reason for this - it's to create a horror atmosphere, but is this how Batman should be operating, opposed to pure stealth? Keaton's boots crunch gravel when he's about to attack the rooftop punks, but by that time he had already silently approached. We hear how Pattinson walks around throughout the movie (such as approaching Penguin's crashed car) so it's not an isolated incident.

Not having total recall: They added this in to justify the journal narration and contact lenses. However it's not in line with the comics where Batman remembers everything, regardless of how much sleep he's getting.

Brushing off direct machine gun fire: It looks cool, and again, it's done to create the vibe of an unstoppable monster. It's not an approach I'd be using though. If this is how Batman would be routinely presented there's effectively no difference between him and someone like Superman.

[thecolorsblend]

Unless I've missed some other comic influences, Reeves went in a different direction with his Batman's modus operandi. The changes may seem minor in passing but they're rather significant. When I ponder some of them they're not my preference.

Hearing every footstep as he approaches criminals: I get the reason for this - it's to create a horror atmosphere, but is this how Batman should be operating, opposed to pure stealth? Keaton's boots crunch gravel when he's about to attack the rooftop punks, but by that time he had already silently approached. We hear how Pattinson walks around throughout the movie (such as approaching Penguin's crashed car) so it's not an isolated incident.

Not having total recall: They added this in to justify the journal narration and contact lenses. However it's not in line with the comics where Batman remembers everything, regardless of how much sleep he's getting.

Brushing off direct machine gun fire: It looks cool, and again, it's done to create the vibe of an unstoppable monster. It's not an approach I'd be using though. If this is how Batman would be routinely presented there's effectively no difference between him and someone like Superman.

Agree across the board. Even in B89 where his boots scrape the gravel, I've always assumed Batman did that on purpose to startle the thugs.

Also, while Batman storming the Penguin's club and getting into fights does make for some cool moments, I don't believe he would intentionally put himself into such an unknown situation against so many adversaries. I like the Marv Wolfman idea of Batman pretty much always controlling the circumstances where he goes into battle to minimize the risks to his personal safety as much as possible.

[The Dark Knight]

Lately I've found myself turning on The Batman. I watched it again on a plane trip and found myself at odds with a number of things, some of which I have already listed. The movie is not built for rewatchablity in the way Burton's two are, and while some aspects are much more to my liking (Gotham's aesthetic, for one) I'm now not convinced it's better than Nolan's three holistically.

The slow burn style works well for the first couple of times, but anything after that becomes a blah boring chore that makes me feel it's average to forgettable and just kind of exists. I'm a little surprised to type this, but those are my real thoughts right now. At this point I'm going to say the Reevesverse lacks a spark that other versions of Batman have.

[thecolorsblend]

Lately I've found myself turning on The Batman. I watched it again on a plane trip and found myself at odds with a number of things, some of which I have already listed. The movie is not built for rewatchablity in the way Burton's two are, and while some aspects are much more to my liking (Gotham's aesthetic, for one) I'm now not convinced it's better than Nolan's three holistically.

The slow burn style works well for the first couple of times, but anything after that becomes a blah boring chore that makes me feel it's average to forgettable and just kind of exists. I'm a little surprised to type this, but those are my real thoughts right now. At this point I'm going to say the Reevesverse lacks a spark that other versions of Batman have.

I've seen The Batman once, back when it first hit theaters.

It's been on streaming and Blu-Ray for a long time now. I can watch it again whenever I want. But I haven't. Zero desire. I'm attaching some significance to that.

But to those who are still in love with the movie, that's great, I'm happy for you and I hope the sequel is everything you're dreaming of.

[Silver Nemesis]

I've also only seen this film once. I got the Blu-ray for my birthday earlier this week, so I'm planning to watch it again soon. But I understand what you two are saying. I enjoyed The Batman when I saw it on the big screen, but I haven't felt a strong compulsion to re-watch it since then. Maybe it's the three-hour running time, or maybe it's because we're spoilt for choice with the number of Batman films now available to us. Or it could just be the humourless tone. It's an impressive film in many ways, but perhaps not as fun as some of the earlier Batman movies. I've got a feeling I won't enjoy my second viewing as much as my first, but we'll see.

Re-watch value was one of the great strengths of the old Batman movies. It helps that they all clocked in close to the two-hour mark.

•   Batman: The Movie: 1 hour 45 minutes
•   Batman '89: 2 hours 6 minutes
•   Batman Returns: 2 hours 6 minutes
•   Batman Forever: 2 hours 2 minutes
•   Batman & Robin: 2 hours 5 minutes

It's only when you get to the Nolan films that they start stretching beyond that range. Brevity is the soul of wit, wrote Shakespeare, and I think a lot of modern filmmakers need to learn how to 'kill their darlings' and tighten up their movies. Some films are justified in running for three hours or more, but most aren't. I certainly don't think it should become the standard for Batman movies.

The Dark Knight Rises is a good film, but whenever I watch it – which isn't that often, tbh – I tend to divide it across two evenings. That approach is not as satisfying as watching an entire film in one go, but sometimes I'm just too tired to stay up late. If I'm in the mood for a Batman movie after a long day, I'm far more likely to just watch Batman Returns or the 1966 film, or even Joker, which clocks in at a satisfying two hours and two minutes.

Based on my first and only viewing of The Batman I thought it was a good film. But if the sequel can successfully incorporate Mr. Freeze and the Court of Owls, perhaps add a little more humour, and keep the running time closer to the two hour mark, then I think it will surpass its predecessor. It should certainly do better at the box office.

[Travesty]

Nope, still love it. One of the best.

[The Dark Knight]

Based on my first and only viewing of The Batman I thought it was a good film. But if the sequel can successfully incorporate Mr. Freeze and the Court of Owls, perhaps add a little more humour, and keep the running time closer to the two hour mark, then I think it will surpass its predecessor. It should certainly do better at the box office.

Do I think it's terrible? No.
Do I think it's overrated? Yes.

I'm not really a fan of how the Batmobile sequence is shot. We barely get to see the car itself for the entire duration of the chase and the majority of the scene is shot via closeups of windscreens or the wheels spinning. Batman survives a bomb to the face without a scratch, is taken to the Police station and not a hospital - no one takes off his mask during this time, only when he's about to wake up.

The foundations are still strong enough to make something worthwhile, but Reeves needs to inject vitality into the sequel. I support Pattinson's casting and the his future potential, however in this film he's sedated and passive. He uses silence in a similar way to Keaton, but I don't feel he has the same level of presence. For long sections we have lots of whispering which trains the brain to monotony.

The lack of variation thus lessens the connection we feel to the characters and our investment in the relationships they have. The bedside conversation Alfred and Bruce have is a good example of that. Bale may have overdone the Bat voice, but you can't deny the energy he brought to the role and the strength of his Alfred and Lucius dynamics. Reeves really needs to open things up and flourish across the board, otherwise I'm just not feeling the same level of investment or cultural mark.

[eledoremassis02]

Unless I've missed some other comic influences, Reeves went in a different direction with his Batman's modus operandi. The changes may seem minor in passing but they're rather significant. When I ponder some of them they're not my preference.

Hearing every footstep as he approaches criminals: I get the reason for this - it's to create a horror atmosphere, but is this how Batman should be operating, opposed to pure stealth? Keaton's boots crunch gravel when he's about to attack the rooftop punks, but by that time he had already silently approached. We hear how Pattinson walks around throughout the movie (such as approaching Penguin's crashed car) so it's not an isolated incident.

Not having total recall: They added this in to justify the journal narration and contact lenses. However it's not in line with the comics where Batman remembers everything, regardless of how much sleep he's getting.

Brushing off direct machine gun fire: It looks cool, and again, it's done to create the vibe of an unstoppable monster. It's not an approach I'd be using though. If this is how Batman would be routinely presented there's effectively no difference between him and someone like Superman.

Agree across the board. Even in B89 where his boots scrape the gravel, I've always assumed Batman did that on purpose to startle the thugs.

Also, while Batman storming the Penguin's club and getting into fights does make for some cool moments, I don't believe he would intentionally put himself into such an unknown situation against so many adversaries. I like the Marv Wolfman idea of Batman pretty much always controlling the circumstances where he goes into battle to minimize the risks to his personal safety as much as possible.

This, this is Batmans reasoning to a flaw. He has a need to control fate, to control others fate.

[The Dark Knight]

A visual similarity from Batman Absolution: