The Batman - Rate And Review Thread (Spoilers)

[Herofan]

Another thing that really bothered me and went against the supposed dark, mature style was Batman and Catwoman continuously talking to each other while she was undercover, that would blow her cover or at least really really risk it. I also really didn't believe that the Riddler would have nothing against, not even react to, Batman being the one answering the riddles he put to Colson.

 

[Mysteryman]

Another thing that really bothered me and went against the supposed dark, mature style was Batman and Catwoman continuously talking to each other while she was undercover, that would blow her cover or at least really really risk it. I also really didn't believe that the Riddler would have nothing against, not even react to, Batman being the one answering the riddles he put to Colson.

Well, it had to look like Batman was going to save Colson, Right Up to the Big Boom.

 

[Captain Tired]

The Riddler didn't mind that Batman was answering the riddles, as he was going to kill Colson no matter what happened. His mind was already made up.

 

[Herofan]

Why didn't Batman and Gordon consider, even to jokingly dismiss, that rata alada, winged rat, could have some relationship to bat? The association, possible/probable nickname meaning, is pretty obvious and common in real world.

 

[OnLeatherWings]

Why didn't Batman and Gordon consider, even to jokingly dismiss, that rata alada, winged rat, could have some relationship to bat? The association, possible/probable nickname meaning, is pretty obvious and common in real world.

Even Joker in '89 calls Batman a "flying mouse".

 

[cryptic name]

13 viewings in… initially it was an 11/10; and I want to keep cranking that score up.

It gets better every time. I watched it with the Reeves commentary again the other day.

 

[DeadlyWest]

Why didn't Batman and Gordon consider, even to jokingly dismiss, that rata alada, winged rat, could have some relationship to bat? The association, possible/probable nickname meaning, is pretty obvious and common in real world.

Because Riddler's whole schtick up to that point has been targeting people who are enabling the corruption within the system.

With that in context, "a stool pigeon" is what makes the most sense as the actual answer. It could be Batman, but there's a number of different possible answers. And there's nothing in the story which would indicate Batman as being the actual answer, he's literally a vigilante who is consistently condemned in the media. There's no connection between him and the corrupt officials, hence why it isn't even considered

 

[Gandhi]

Another thing that really bothered me and went against the supposed dark, mature style was Batman and Catwoman continuously talking to each other while she was undercover, that would blow her cover or at least really really risk it. I also really didn't believe that the Riddler would have nothing against, not even react to, Batman being the one answering the riddles he put to Colson.

Regarding the riddles, I imagine he didn’t bother about Batman helping because he knows the answer he’s most interested in (the identity of the rat), Colson would have to give up himself.

 

[antsman41]

It gets better every time. I watched it with the Reeves commentary again the other day.

Does my BR digital code work for the iTunes commentary, I have an Apple account... just don't want to pay again?

 

[Pittman4Two]

I have to say that I'm not quite as high on it as I was at release and those weeks afterwards. Hard to put my finger on why that is. Maybe it was the theater experience that gave it that extra oomph for me.

Just curious if this has happened to you or if you feel better/worse about it since your first viewing.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I have to say that I'm not quite as high on it as I was at release and those weeks afterwards. Hard to put my finger on why that is. Maybe it was the theater experience that gave it that extra oomph for me.

Just curious if this has happened to you or if you feel better/worse about it since your first viewing.

Worse. Still a really good movie, but it's dropped significantly for me in my rating. I give it a 7.5-8/10 now. Probabaly my 7th favorite Batman movie behind the Nolan films, Burton films and mask of the phantasm.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Still rally enjoyed on my 2nd viewing personally. Some stuff got worse but some other stuff got better for me.

 

[spideyfan77]

I have seen it 5 times so far and I can safely say it gets better with each viewing for me. My last viewing had me in tears. Definitely my favourite batman movie.

 

[JackWhite]

I have seen it 5 times so far and I can safely say it gets better with each viewing for me. My last viewing had me in tears. Definitely my favourite batman movie.

I've seen the film 4 times so far and yeah, I'm blubbering like a baby right when Batman lights up the flare; all the way to him looking up at the girl being airlifted away to safety.

It truly is an engrossing and emotionally resonant film.

 

[shauner111]

I've seen the film 4 times so far and yeah, I'm blubbering like a baby right when Batman lights up the flare; all the way to him looking up at the girl being airlifted away to safety.

It truly is an engrossing and emotionally resonant film.

The last time really got me with the flare too. It’s like finally this dude found his purpose and knew it was worth it. And also from their perspective too. God that music.

 

[DeadlyWest]

The last time really got me with the flare too. It’s like finally this dude found his purpose and knew it was worth it. And also from their perspective too. God that music.

That entire 10 minute stretch of the flare scene and the "hopeful Something in the Way" scene genuinely reduces me to a sobbing mess everytime I watch the movie.

And I'm not someone who really cries at fiction. I just don't really. But because of the nature of my connection to the character of Batman, watching quite possibly the most addicted Batman I've ever seen still make the choice to turn his pain and rage into hope is just...

f***.

 

[I Am The Knight]

 

[Babillygunn]

I have to say that I'm not quite as high on it as I was at release and those weeks afterwards. Hard to put my finger on why that is. Maybe it was the theater experience that gave it that extra oomph for me.

Just curious if this has happened to you or if you feel better/worse about it since your first viewing.

Interestingly, I didn’t really care for the movie on the first viewing. Mostly, the characterization of Riddler really took me out of it and was jarring to me.
But after revisiting the movie and focusing more on Bruce’s journey, I like it a lot more.

 

[BatLobster]

A thought occurred to me on the last watch-- is it kind of weird that we go from hoards of officers chasing Batman out of GCPD to the next time we see them they're okay with working with him again? Also, what is the point of them all waiting outside the Iceberg Lounge? Couldn't they have just gone in and arrested him? I guess most of this can be handwaved with "they just did what Gordon told them to do", but I'm not totally clear on why all thought this was the best way to apprehend Falcone and why they're all cool with working with Batman again. And whether or not Macenzie signed off on that. I'm sure there's an explanation, just feels a little loosey-goosey for me or maybe I missed something.

 

[OnLeatherWings]

A thought occurred to me on the last watch-- is it kind of weird that we go from hoards of officers chasing Batman out of GCPD to the next time we see them they're okay with working with him again? Also, what is the point of them all waiting outside the Iceberg Lounge? Couldn't they have just gone in and arrested him? I'm sure there's an explanation, just feels a little loosey-goosey for me or maybe I missed something.

See, this is why I think I'm not as jazzed about this film.

The film in regards to acting, cinematography, tone, style, set design, shot-framing, atmosphere, and aesthetics are clearly so well done, thought out, and amazing.

But stuff like you mentioned - the writing - just doesn't feel like it had the same caliber of work put into it. And it's the glue that holds all the other things together.

Batman decked Gordon after assaulting an officer and being told he could be charged with XYZ, fled the scene, resisted arrest and illegally jumps off a building - yet yes, he's 100% okay with the GCPD in the next scenes they share.

In a film that is indulgently long (not complaining) - they didn't think to set aside a minute to explain that.

That can be written off as loosey-goosey, but in a film where literally nothing else about it is 'loosey-goosey' - stuff in the writing like this (and there are a lot of moments in the writing that leave me feeling iffy like the whole 'corrupt Waynes' subplot) sticks out like a sore thumb.

 

[BatLobster]

See, this is why I think I'm not as jazzed about this film.

The film in regards to acting, cinematography, tone, style, set design, shot-framing, atmosphere, and aesthetics are clearly so well done, thought out, and amazing.

But stuff like you mentioned - the writing - just doesn't feel like it had the same caliber of work put into it. And it's the glue that holds all the other things together.

Batman decked Gordon after assaulting an officer and being told he could be charged with XYZ, fled the scene, resisted arrest and illegally jumps off a building - yet yes, he's 100% okay with the GCPD in the next scenes they share.

In a film that is indulgently long (not complaining) - they didn't think to set aside a minute to explain that.

That can be written off as loosey-goosey, but in a film where literally nothing else about it is 'loosey-goosey' - stuff in the writing like this (and there are a lot of moments in the writing that leave me feeling iffy like the whole 'corrupt Waynes' subplot) sticks out like a sore thumb.

I think my issue is there's an easy way around this inconsistency-- simply don't have the Batman fleeing the GCPD scene. It's a cool scene, but it doesn't amount to much in the story. If you wrote it so that Batman is just nowhere to be found after the bomb explodes, I don't think the movie loses much in terms of the overall narrative. I guess there's a bit of an important plot point there with Batman ID'ing Kenzie, but there were plenty of other ways to get there. It feels like it's inserted there because the film needs a big action beat.

It's similar to how I feel about the Batmobile chase. It's a really cool and fun sequence, but also feels obligatory and not like the urgency of the story is driving it. Because this is a film where we've established that Batman knows where Penguin hangs out and can get to him if he wants.

These are forgivable flaws, but there are times in the movie that I feel the tension between the hard boiled detective noir film it's going for and fulfilling the obligations of being a big BATMAN movie.

 

[OnLeatherWings]

I think my issue is there's an easy way around this inconsistency-- simply don't have the Batman fleeing the GCPD scene. It's a cool scene, but it doesn't amount to much in the story. It feels like it's inserted there because the film needs a big action beat.

It's similar to how I feel about the Batmobile chase. It's a really cool and fun sequence, but also feels obligatory and not like the urgency of the story is driving it. Because this is a film where we've established that Batman knows where Penguin hangs out and can get to him if he wants.

These are forgivable flaws, but there are times in this movie that I feel the tension between the hard boiled detective noir film it's going for and fulfilling the obligations of being a big BATMAN movie.

Forgivable flaws, I guess so - but I think for me, again, what makes it harder to overlook is how much thought was clearly put into everything else in the film that even the forgivable flaws look more glaring than they normally would.

They could've found ways to explain these things like why GCPD were cool with him after because they had the runtime to do it, but they didn't. And that's just surprising to me, given the effort everywhere else.

I'd agree about them needing an action beat and I feel the same way about the Batmobile chase. Penguin and Co. were not in a vehicle at the time, they were out in the open and Batman getting into the Batmobile gave them reason and time to get in theirs, making it harder to catch them and putting lives at danger in the process.

And again, Batman knew where to find Penguin, anyway.

 

[J.Drangal]

@OnLeatherWings @BatLobster

I quite agree with both of you here.
Despite how much I'm impressed and under the charm of Reeves vision for this universe (the atmosphere, the tone, everything), I've always had reservations about the writing. Not the overall plot but the details or more specifically, some story articulations.
I avoided sharing this too much because I didn't want people to jump at my throat ahah, but in my opinion, even if the script has some true instant classic scenes, it would have benefited from an eye outside Reeves and Craig to smooth out some things. Besides, the director doesn't really make a secret that the writing was laborious, and honestly, I feel it in several places.

Of course, I was able to put aside these nitpicks when I saw the film 4 or 5 times at the cinema...
I mean, it's easy to excuse because it's a first movie, everyone needs to find their steps and also because, as it been said, everything else is just damn excellent. But ironically, that's also why these little things become all the more frustrating and, over the months, prevent me a bit to revisit the movie in its entirety, I must admit.

Anyway, I hope I don't sound too negative. For me, the film is way above what the genre usually produces and the franchise is, more than ever, in good hands. My only wish for the sequel is a more polished writing, and I'm glad to know that Reeves has already found a new partner for the task anyway, so... Bring it on !

 

[Gothamsknight]

@OnLeatherWings @BatLobster

I quite agree with both of you here.
Despite how much I'm impressed and under the charm of Reeves vision for this universe (the atmosphere, the tone, everything), I've always had reservations about the writing. Not the overall plot but the details or more specifically, some story articulations.
I avoided sharing this too much because I didn't want people to jump at my throat ahah, but in my opinion, even if the script has some true instant classic scenes, it would have benefited from an eye outside Reeves and Craig to smooth out some things. Besides, the director doesn't really make a secret that the writing was laborious, and quite honestly, I feel it in several places.

Of course, I was able to put aside these nitpicks when I saw the film 4 or 5 times at the cinema...
I mean, it's easy to excuse because it's a first movie, everyone needs to find their steps and also because, as it been said, everything else is just damn excellent. But ironically, that's also why these little things become all the more frustrating and, over the months, prevent me a bit to revisit the movie in its entirety, I must admit.

Anyway, I hope I don't sound too negative. For me, the film is way above what the genre usually produces and the franchise is more than ever in good hands. My only wish for the sequel is a more polished writing, and I'm glad to know that Reeves has already found a new partner for the task anyway, so... Bring it on !

First off, why do you feel like you have to watch what you say around here? You are entitled to your opinion just as everybody else is and as much as I enjoyed The Batman, I've made it pretty clear there are things about the movie I feel people are overlooking because it's aesthetically what a lot want from a Batman movie.

As for the rest of your points, I agree. I do think this is where the 3 hr runtime is not something I think was totally needed. For me, the parents angle is something I had the biggest issue with. The sequel needs to be tighter, in my mind. Still, great movie for the most part, but I hope Reeves takes the time to fix certain things as most directors do after the first entry.

 

[BatLobster]

To me, if I'm criticizing something like that, it means I think the movie is good enough that it warrants that type of discussion. I don't even bother getting that into the nitty gritty of the plot mechanics or execution specifics of most superhero films at this point, cause I don't even think they're warranted that type of thoughtful analysis haha. So even if you disagree with the criticism, just take it as a positive sign that I'm engaged with the film enough and am trying to hold it to the high standard that it's aiming for.