The Batman - Review Thread

James Gunn won’t disappoint

The Joker tease was the only thing I didn't like.

That was the only part of this movie that felt cheap to me. I want to give Matt Reeves the benefit of the doubt that he didn't want that scene in there, but was forced to by the execs so in case this movie did well (which I can't imagine there was ever any doubt about this) it would tee itself up nicely for a sequel.

But I agree with you Neverending that it's time to stop recycling the same villains. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises had the balls to go with villains we hadn't seen before (no, I'm not counting whatever the fuck version of Bane that was in Batman & Robin) and they did just fine at the box office. I don't want to see Joker anymore.

In this case at least Riddler was bereft of his gaudy green attire and basically looked like how I imagine listeners of Ben Shapiro to dress.

... glad we all agreed it was slightly disappointing. Repeat viewings will hammer this home for many of you.

I'll also say that while Joker is definitely over-exposed in movies, Riddler really isn't. Man hasn't been in a Batman movie since 1995, and before that since 1966. Penguin since 1992 and before then, again, 1966. The versions we got here are also worlds removed from the other movie versions of the character.

In recent years, movies like 2019's Suspira or 2021's West Side Story have reaffirmed that a great remake need not surpass the original, it just needs to tell its story powerfully and forge its own identity. The Batman accomplishes something similar. Is this the best Batman movie? No, probably not, but we've had a lot of great ones. Hell, even the worst Batman movies are still highly memorable. Watching the Caped Crusader's latest cinematic adaptation, I wasn't really thinking about where this fit in the canon and just enjoying what Matt Reeves and the film's talented cast and crew had accomplished. Namely, a damn good Batman story. The film foregoes the character's origin, but is still set early in his crime fighting career. The result is a Batman who is a lot less polished and a Bruce Wayne who's a lot more emotionally vulnerable. Batman Begins offered glimpses of a similar characterization, but Robert Pattinson's performance generally lacks the confidence of Christian Bale. This is not a criticism of Pattinson, or Bale for that matter, just an attempt to distinguish the characters.

Pattinson, to his credit, is great here. There's an understated, almost stoic quality to his performance but profoundly felt undercurrents of pain and longing. He also does great work physically within the set, particularly through his eyes, and slides into the titular role effortlessly. The cast on the whole is rather stacked. Paul Dano's Riddler is a sharp-left turn from previous iterations on the character and really commits to some bold choices, Colin Farrell is immensely fun to watch as the mom-oriented Penguin, John Turturro brings sinister understatement to Carmine Falcone. It's an awesome collection of rogues but Batman's allies might be the real treat. I absolutely loved the buddy dynamic but Batman and Jeffrey Wright's Jim Gordon and Zoe Kravitz is a mesmerizing Catwoman.

The actual mystery plotline is very engaging, with enough layers and tangents to keep you guessing even if in hindsight it's actually fairly simple. I don't want to say too much about the plot itself given the movie is still new but I will say I find the story incredibly compelling and strongly tied to character. To that end, Bruce's arc is really powerful. The place he ends feels like a substantial moment of growth and the path that gets us there is just about perfect. It certainly helps that along the way we're treated to a number of amazing action scenes, that Greig Fraser's cinematography is gorgeous in its precise lighting and use of shadow, or that Michael Giacchino's score is probably the best for any Batman movie since 1992.

Scene for scene, I was completely in love with The Batman. I've long maintained that Matt Reeves is my platonic ideal of a blockbuster director for his mix of fun escapist elements with real conviction in the storytelling and he brings that sensibility to my favourite superhero. Needless to say, I had a great time. I'm hesitant to overpraise this movie, in part because it's still early, in part because a late film tease is actively kind of bad, but I also can't deny how much fun I had watching this. Simply put, The Batman fucking rules.

A

Don't worry, bud, it's very entertaining.

Ahem. 

Your wish is Nic Cages command. 

Ah, yes! Of course I do! I remember that one. I watch Batman on TV show. That was so long time ago. I will watch it again. We have free TV show at home. 

Agreed, very nice movie The Batman was.

First thing I'm doing if i invent a time machine is giving that kid a swirlie.