I'm Reading Your Stuff: General News and Discussion Thread

[Mindreaper21]

Part II or Chapter II are the best choices. It stands out among all the other films.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Don’t hate me guys but I have to say my hype for the sequel keeps dropping.

I walked out of the theater loving The Batman, but have had virtually no interest in rewatching the movie ever since. I barely think about it, and can’t help but fixate on the things I didn’t like… including some design choices and the depiction of Riddler. It was a great movie but it felt like it should’ve come out 15 years ago. It didn’t really bring anything new to the table and wasn’t a game changer for the genre like TDKT was. It felt very inspired by those movies but didn’t transcend the genre like they did. Part II is just not hyping me up, because I know this series has a short shelf life. Additionally, the movie just didn’t have that much of an impact on pop culture like a lot of big comic book movies have had. That may be personal anecdotal evidence but it’s what i have noticed.

I really loved the movie but it’s one of those movies that loses me on the rewatches. It will be cool to see Freeze and Clayface if they’re in the movie, but I’m more excited for Brave and the Bold. WAY more excited. If Hush is in this, I don’t really care. I’m not a big fan really.

All that being said, if they do justice to Richard Grayson’s origin story in the sequel, I will be ****ing hyped as ****. Robin is my all time favorite superhero (look at my avvy)

 

[WayneMB]

:nerdy:

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

I think the problem is that we have so many different Batmen. I am so much more invested in the Keaton, Affleck, and Bale versions of Batman, and all of them have appeared on film as Batman at least once in the last 11 years. That’s just crazy to think about!

I LOVE Pattinson in the role, he is great, but this version of Batman simply doesn’t interest me as much as the 3 other Batmen. I wasn’t blown away by Affleck honestly, and Bale’s Batman voice was horrible, so I truly think Pattinson and Keaton are probably my two favorite based on acting alone. But you have to separate the actor from the portrayal, and now we’re getting a new version of Batman in Brave and the Bold that has some powerful momentum behind it, as it is a critical piece of Gunn’s overarching plan. The Batman’s version of the character being standalone the way it is has stifled the momentum and my personal excitement. It feels very finite and like we’re just waiting for the series to be over so we can get to other things. Some people may prefer that, but I’m not looking for that in a Batman series.

Even though Pattinson is tied for my favorite Batman along with Keaton, I would still rather see a fourth Bale Batman movie, or a Batman Beyond with Keaton, or Justice League 2 with Affleck. I’m not even a huge Snyder guy, I think he made a lot of mistakes but I’d love to see him finish his Justice League story with a Rock of Ages inspired finale. These other versions of the character possess sequel possibilities that simply interest me more than this movie. That’s not to say any of the hypothetical movies would be better than The Batman II, but the idea of them simply excites me more.

I am way more interested in a Batman interacting with the greater DCU than seeing another standalone Batman trilogy. Nobody wants to admit it but The Batman tread a lot of the same ground that Nolan did. If you squint enough, it can almost work as a sequel to Batman Begins.

 

[Invader Joker]

I don't think there's any chance in hell they'll do a Dick Grayson origin story in the sequel now unless the character is entirely different which he might be. Doing two Batman and Robin father-son stories in a row would be too repetitive, doesn't matter if they're different characters.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

The finite nature of The Batman series is what makes it vastly more appealing than the shared universe stuff to me. I want an actual proper, story with a beginning middle and end.

Excited for Brave & The Bold but it feels inherently less interesting and special to me. Especially at the moment when its a completely abstract project with no one attached and therefore nothing to really be excited for beyond it being inspired by comics I like.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Even Nolan had Robin in his series. I think having some sort of Robin presence in the series is necessary if it has any hope of feeling like a definitive portrayal. Obviously that is just my opinion as a big Robin fan, but I will still be disappointed if we don’t get Grayson in the sequel. I vastly prefer Grayson’s origin story to Damian’s.

If The Batman II uses Robin, I will be hyped but until then I’m feeling a bit meh about it all. I think I’m jaded from being d***ed around so much with the Snyder Batman. I came to appreciate that portrayal but god what a mess they made. So many mistakes there that just botched things for the character for a while.

In hindsight I really wish we could have gotten Bale in Snyder’s Batman. We could’ve avoided Leto entirely and left Joker alone for a while… oh well. what could have been

 

[SwordOfMorning]

See, the idea of Bale's Batman continuing into a shared universe would completely ruin those movies for me. They're a story with an ending. I have no desire to see Bale's Batman again. Let him keep his happy ending. It's way more fun to imagine what happens in that world next with Blake becoming Batman etc. than it is to see it.

Stories should end. It gives them meaning.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

I don’t agree, that’s what I love about the comics is that it never really ends. I would love a Batman series that spans 9+ movies, because the story is there to support it. So many characters and storylines to adapt. But instead we keep getting a few movies here and there before we have to scrap everything and inevitably tread the same ground when rebooting. I’d rather they just stick with a version of the character and run with it.
I’m cool with a beginning middle and end for the character but over the span of at least two trilogies

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I don’t agree, that’s what I love about the comics is that it never really ends. I would love a Batman series that spans 9+ movies, because the story is there to support it. So many characters and storylines to adapt. But instead we keep getting a few movies here and there before we have to scrap everything and inevitably tread the same ground when rebooting. I’d rather they just stick with a version of the character and run with it.
I’m cool with a beginning middle and end for the character but over the span of at least two trilogies

See, reinvention is the whole point of these characters to me. Seeing them completely revamped and remixed by different creative teams. Even though the comics don't technically reboot with each new creative team I feel like the cycle of reboots emulates how that feels more than trying to maintain a strict continuity.

Don't get me wrong, I get a bit tired of the cycle sometimes. I have absolutely zero interest in another Bruce Wayne Batman at this point, I want Beyond or Dick as Batman. I would vastly prefer the legacy title treatment, I would be a million times more excited for DCU Batman if he wasn’t Bruce.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

I do enjoy a degree of reinvention but to me, Pattinson’s Batman hardly feels like a reinvention. It feels a lot like Nolan’s Batman with some of the kinks ironed out. I don’t know how to describe it, but the feel of the two franchises feels very similar to me, and like it’s retreading the same ground. Going from the 66 version all the way to Affleck’s Batman, everything felt pretty different and like you said, reinvented. I like reinvention too but Pattinson’s version doesn’t feel different enough. It’s all based on personal feelings though.

I understand that there are some major differences between the two series but the similarities are more notable to me. The differences have been pointed out ad nauseum and I get it… but the differences feel very surface level and with a bit of tweaking I think The Batman could fit in between Begins and TDK.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I do enjoy a degree of reinvention but to me, Pattinson’s Batman hardly feels like a reinvention. It feels a lot like Nolan’s Batman with some of the kinks ironed out. I don’t know how to describe it, but the feel of the two franchises feels very similar to me, and like it’s retreading the same ground. Going from the 66 version all the way to Affleck’s Batman, everything felt pretty different and like you said, reinvented. I like reinvention too but Pattinson’s version doesn’t feel different enough. It’s all based on personal feelings though.

I understand that there are some major differences between the two series but the similarities are more notable to me. The differences have been pointed out ad nauseum and I get it… but the differences feel very surface level and with a bit of tweaking I think The Batman could fit in between Begins and TDK.

It for sure feels heavily influenced by TDK but it is nothing like Begins or Rises beyond a superficially similar kind of grounding. The key thing is that Rob’s Batman has a completely different personality and characterization than Bale’s - they’re two entirely different people and performances.

I think it’s the similarities that are surface level and once you get under the hood and start examining the style of writing, storytelling, the characterizations and honestly even the world building it is pretty distinct.

I get why it’s frustrating if your preference is for a very classic comic booky Batman but I just truly think Reeves take is more divorced from the big epic James Bond movies Nolan made than you’re giving it credit for. TDK is the odd man out in that trilogy.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

I’m glad you enjoy it and feel it is distinct enough. But I just can’t say the same. I’m excited for the movie but I would be more excited for Batman Beyond or JL2. It just feels too much like Nolan 2.0 to me. And if you’re gonna do that, just give me Bale Batman 4. Just my personal feeling about it, people have pointed out the similarities and differences, but I personally feel like it’s a retread.

 

[Luke995]

I really don't get the thing "the movie didn't bring anything new to the table".

First, not every movie has to be revolutionary or instant classic.
Second, in an era where cinecomics are baked in only two years between pre and post production and are almost entirely devoted to mainstream entertainment with the classic hero's journey, The Batman was fresh air for me. I saw a world behind each character and that Reeves has many things to tell, but at the same time he understands that movies must have a beginning and an end. The intention seems to be to create a saga that reasons not so much on a single large plot, but on a simple trilogy with spin-offs in the form of films or series.
And I can't be happier about it.

Then obviously it's a matter of taste, but what innovations has the MCU brought to the cinecomic formula in the last - I don't know - five years?

Ultimately, for me The Batman has the great merit of having brought a cinematic breath back to the genre (what about the work done by Fraser?) and above all hybridizing it (respecting the 80-year history of Batman with a love and quotation equal to Tarantino towards western or Japanese cinema) with other genres - such as noir and new Hollywood. Similar operations have been done by other beautiful cinecomics like Logan.

This is the point for me today: to hybridize the genre, to give it new life by merging it with something else.
Everything has been done in cinema, the only thing that can be done is to recombine.

Then it's all a matter of focus, anyway: if you love more cinema or characters. And then it is clear that tastes differ.

Personally, I can't wait to see the sequel and I'm sure that - as it was for TDK - Reeves' vision will become clearer and more innovative after he frees himself from the "first film that should set the universe " anxiety.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

Brave and the bold has “momentum”? They haven’t even cast anyone yet.

 

[Boom]

Eerily quiet on the Batman front. Wonder where things stand with now given current circumstances.

 

[darkdefective]

Idk man, I feel like anyone that claims Nolan 2.0 watched the movie with their eyes closed. Realism in itself has so much scope, that even without taking into account the differing tone, aesthetic, direction and genre, I don’t really understand how you can come to that conclusion

 

[darkdefective]

I really don't get the thing "the movie didn't bring anything new to the table".

First, not every movie has to be revolutionary or instant classic.
Second, in an era where cinecomics are baked in only two years between pre and post production and are almost entirely devoted to mainstream entertainment with the classic hero's journey, The Batman was fresh air for me. I saw a world behind each character and that Reeves has many things to tell, but at the same time he understands that movies must have a beginning and an end. The intention seems to be to create a saga that reasons not so much on a single large plot, but on a simple trilogy with spin-offs in the form of films or series.
And I can't be happier about it.

Then obviously it's a matter of taste, but what innovations has the MCU brought to the cinecomic formula in the last - I don't know - five years?

Ultimately, for me The Batman has the great merit of having brought a cinematic breath back to the genre (what about the work done by Fraser?) and above all hybridizing it (respecting the 80-year history of Batman with a love and quotation equal to Tarantino towards western or Japanese cinema) with other genres - such as noir and new Hollywood. Similar operations have been done by other beautiful cinecomics like Logan.

This is the point for me today: to hybridize the genre, to give it new life by merging it with something else.
Everything has been done in cinema, the only thing that can be done is to recombine.

Then it's all a matter of focus, anyway: if you love more cinema or characters. And then it is clear that tastes differ.

Personally, I can't wait to see the sequel and I'm sure that - as it was for TDK - Reeves' vision will become clearer and more innovative after he frees himself from the "first film that should set the universe " anxiety.

Yeah I feel like having a cinematic universe with spin offs dedicated to a singular character in a world with the MCU, DCU e.c.t is revolutionary for the genre. It’s not bigger so it’s not seen as such, but it’s more focused and not many studios would want to forego the crossovers or even believe in a singular character to carry a universe by itself.

And while we’re on the topic of elevating the genre, Pattinson talked about TDK like 10 years ago. He said that he thought it would’ve changed the way people made these (superhero) movies, “But it didn’t” so in that respect did TDK elevate the genre if the genre was still level? Was it impactful as a piece of Art? Yes. But just food for thought in regards to comments I saw earlier in the thread

 

[Babillygunn]

I certainly think that The Batman is distinctly different from TDK trilogy. It certainly brought a lot of new things to the table. And while I did like it, I think that what it brought was so different from my head cannon that is the product of 45 years of reading comics that it is a little hard for me to accept as a preferred vision.

There are small things like: I prefer to think of the Iceburg Lounge as an upscale club and casino that would attract Gotham’s elite in a way that it is “the place to be seen” as opposed to a seedy nightclub where it is whispered that officials frequent more in secret.

And while the Riddler that we saw is probably more in line with what an arrogant serial killer would be like, I prefer him to be a little less unhinged and more driven by ego, with tons of panache and showmanship.

Things like that are symptomatic of why, although I like the film, it is far from definitive for me. I mean, I like my Batman stories to be darker in tone, but this is to a higher degree than I prefer. It’s like buffalo wings. I like them spicy, but while I might order “desert heat” or mango habanero from a local B-Dubs, I will be less satisfied with a dozen intense blazin’ wings. It’s not that I don’t like my wings spicy; I just prefer them toned down a bit. And it is the same way with Batman. He is a character who lends himself to a darker tone and Gotham is a more seedy city, but I just prefer it with a little less ugliness than what I was given in the film.

That said, I will be there for part II and for Brave and the Bold and for those of you who like your wings blazin, Bon appetitte!

 

[TheSmoothKnight]

 

[solidsnake86]

Brave and the bold has “momentum”? They haven’t even cast anyone yet.

They don't have a script yet and won't have one for a long time. Between the strike and Marvel's current box office (although great in my books) that hasn't been hitting the highs of before, I'm not entirely convinced we will see it anytime soon. I'm not sure the market can handle two versions of this character at the same time.

 

[DeadlyWest]

 

[Erik Lensherr]

The Batman Part 2 filming starts in 6 months =

Superman: Legacy starts filming in 8 months = Casting work is in full swing with big media coverage.

Something's wrong here...

 

[Boom]

I suspect it'll get delayed due to the strike. Probably won't start shooting until 2024.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

The Batman Part 2 filming starts in 6 months =

Superman: Legacy starts filming in 8 months = Casting work is in full swing with big media coverage.

Something's wrong here...

Almost like there’s a massive industry halting strike going on and one of these two projects is the start of a shared universe with an entirely new cast. The Batman, Part II’s casting work is not going to be as significant or get anywhere near the level of coverage it did the first time around because most of the cast is established.