The Batman (2022)

[AngieBee1]

Surge pricing doesn't really help theater owners because the split on ticket sales is a sliding scale with the studio getting 90% in the first week and 10% to the theater. It reaches a 50/50 split in week five but how many people still care to see a film 5 weeks into its run? Especially now that the theatrical window has shrunk. People would rather wait for the film to hit streamers.

But I am a fan of the movie going experience and paid a normal box office price to see THE BATMAN and loved every minute of it.

[millennium]

The Batman will be streaming on HBO Max 46 days after its theatrical release.  Go to hell, AMC.

When is The Batman Streaming on HBO Max?

[Morrigan2575]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

The Batman will be streaming on HBO Max 46 days after its theatrical release.  Go to hell, AMC.

When is The Batman Streaming on HBO Max?

Huh. WB broke from the norm. 

[SeanC]

On 3/2/2022 at 9:12 PM, millennium said:

More evidence that today's runaway inflation is nothing but corporate greed.   And this fucking industry wonders why more and more people are staying home.

Ticket prices have risen more or less at pace with inflation, there is no increase in price separate from that.

[millennium]

2 hours ago, SeanC said:

Ticket prices have risen more or less at pace with inflation, there is no increase in price separate from that.

The ONLY movie being singled out for a price increase is The Batman.   IMO, the only thing that's in pace with is opportunism.

[Guest]

Looks like Regal is also charging more for The Batman. Tickets at the ones near me are charging $1 more. 

[scarynikki12]

19 hours ago, millennium said:

The Batman will be streaming on HBO Max 46 days after its theatrical release.  Go to hell, AMC.

When is The Batman Streaming on HBO Max?

Yay! I want to see it again asap but I don't own a car and my friends aren't rewatchers like I am so carpooling is out after the initial show. I can wait a month and a half before obsessively watching multiple times to get all the details.

I really enjoyed this. Everyone is different, of course, but it didn't feel like a three hour movie. It flowed well so whoever was in charge of the pacing deserves a bonus. 

Reeves did a wonderful job paying homage to David Fincher without seeming like he was just copying his style. You can tell he's watched Zodiac and Seven multiple times. 

Ok, since the movie's been out for a full day I'm not spoiler tagging anything so read at your own risk.

Dano was great as The Riddler. He did the scary voice well and when we finally saw his face he played scary psychotic perfectly. The opening murder when he appeared and his scene with Batman at Arkham were so creepy. Can't wait to see him again.

Colin did well as Penguin too. He got to bring some humor while showing the rising mobster ready to step into the power vacuum. He's getting a show right? I assume it will be about taking over Falcone's syndicate.

Falcone was a different level of creepy than Riddler. The way he was stroking Selina's face at 44 Below, yeeesh. He's lucky she didn't gouge his eyes out right there. When Bats and Gordon were looking for the rat I assumed it was Pengs like they did but then I forgot what Falcone means. Nice misdirect for those of us who didn't remember or know while giving a hint to those that did.

Before I get into Bats and Cats here's my favorite thing about this movie: it takes place in Year 2. It's early enough that Patty can play him for a while also having established the character just enough. 

Real quick, there is no flashback to the Wayne murders in this one. No roses, no pearls dropping like rain, no screaming child, none of what we've already seen. The murders still weigh heavily on Bruce and are important to the story but we didn't see the same scene that's already been shown multiple times in multiple movies. Bruce broke the day they died and that will always be a part of the story but there's no need to revisit that trauma in the same way.

Ok back to the story. By having Bats already be established we get to have gems like that last scene in Arkham. Joker already exists, has already wrecked havoc in Gotham, was caught by Bats, and has been locked up in Arkham ever since. We didn't need a bunch of exposition to get that information. Reeves giving us just the silhouette, the laugh, and the location was all that was needed. I know people are sick of Joker. I know that. I get why and I think the arguments against him are often well presented. I just don't care. I fucking love The Joker. Like the Wayne murders, what the character needs is a different approach rather than the same old "shows up and runs wild while Bats figures out how to stop him". So, with that in mind and how Dano and whoever that was played their characters, my hope is that the next installment will bring forth a version of The War Of Jokes And Riddles. Right now the two are getting along but that can change on a dime and the war begins. This movie tells me that Reeves would do that story justice.

Finally, Bats and Cats. Excellent individually and together. What Patts did really well was show how Selina instantly and increasingly got under Bruce's skin with small shifts in body language. Zoe got to be more expressive as Bats did the same to Selina but that's true to the character. I love them working together and him in her ear while she was in 44 Below was pitch perfect. At the end when they briefly raced their motorcycles before going separate directions was cute. Despite Selina's claim that Bats was already spoken for (by Gotham) I think she did pick up on him wanting her to stay but he needs to actually say it. Maybe he will eventually. 

So, yeah, excellent movie and I look forward to watching again on HBO Max.

Oh, if anyone gets popcorn when they see this try and get that bucket that's in the shape of Batman's head. It looks like you're eating out of his skull. 

[revbfc]

The ending was like 1973 movie Walking Tall:  it just wouldn’t end. Every time I thought we got to a natural conclusion in that final hour, something else would happen.  Aside from that, I really loved this movie, and I’d pay to see more of this Batman.

[sashabear21]

Did Selina just run off and leave all those cats? Rude! 

[SeanC]

14 hours ago, millennium said:

The ONLY movie being singled out for a price increase is The Batman.   IMO, the only thing that's in pace with is opportunism.

Yes, that is different, but that's not the same thing as inflation. Ticket prices in general are at about the same level, inflation-adjusted, as they were thirty years ago.

[AngieBee1]

11 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

Finally, Bats and Cats. Excellent individually and together.

This is the only incarnation of Bruce and Selina's relationship/attraction that has made sense to me. It makes sense that this Bruce-who is extremely serious about justice and doing the "right" thing could have a blind spot for Selina who traffics in the very world he despises. He sees a kindred spirit and someone who he can share The Batman with. 

 

[RedElf]

10 hours ago, sashabear21 said:

Did Selina just run off and leave all those cats? Rude! 

I assumed they all escaped out of the smashed in door and never came back.  She did have one with her when she left,

It kept bugging me that Riddler and Bats both jumped through the mayor's skylight while it was pouring rain but the carpet never got wet.

Is it canon that Martha was an Arkham?

 

[AngieBee1]

43 minutes ago, RedElf said:

 

Is it canon that Martha was an Arkham?

It is the Batman: Earth One run.

As for whether it's canon I am of the mind if it's written it's canon whether it's an alternate universe tale or part of Earth Prime. There's 80 plus years of Batman lore to pluck from.

[Trini]

'How Liverpool, Glasgow and London helped create Gotham City'

Quote

According to production designer James Chinlund, the film-makers were looking for locations with a sense of gloomy Gothic grandeur to fit the history of Batman's fictional home town.

"The idea [was] that in the 1920s and 30s, there was this incredible boom. So we wanted this base layer of crumbling, decaying ornament," he says. "And at various points in Gotham's history, the idea was that there were these attempts at revival and renewal."

While searching for places with suitably fading glory, Chinlund stumbled across St George's Hall on Google. "I was just blown away", he says.

"I started looking around that area and it started slowly revealing itself, how rich that world is and what an amazing city Liverpool is in terms of [how] it follows the story. It had this incredible boom period, and then it's fallen on hard times over the years, and the patina that existed in the buildings, and obviously the heavy weather... it all just fitted like a glove."

 

[Chyromaniac]

I liked “The Batman” well enough- and there was even a point where I thought it was shaping up to be the best Batman film thus far.  However, I think the ending was a little overdrawn.  I don’t know about the copycat Riddlers- they kind of dragged out the climax, and Bruce and Salina’s bike ride out of town felt redundant after their spoken goodbye.  And really- I don’t know if it’s just that it came at the end of a longish film, but I kinda just rolled my eyes at the Joker sequel setup.

But I think where the movie works is with the characters- these are generally interesting, different takes on them.  Pattinson is believable as Batman, and having Bruce as a haunted weirdo is a fascinating choice.  There are moments where he almost looks like Frankenstein’s monster, with the way he responds to people.

Selina mostly worked as a counterpoint for Bruce- I think she does a decent job of both reminding him that people like Annika deserve justice, while also  highlighting what “taking your vendetta too far” looks like.  Although, it’s a bit of a bummer that the only substantial female role is basically a fetish object- she’s either proto Catwoman, or slinky club girl.  And in either case, there are moments where Bruce treats her in a way that kind of feels gross coming from a “superhero.”

Riddler as Se7en is an idea that really appealed to me a decade ago after seeing how Nolan did Joker in Dark Knight.  The idea mostly holds up now, although I do think he gets forgotten in the late-middle of the story.  Also, I kinda would rather have him be the son of the murdered reporter, than some random orphan.  For me, that would have further personalized this interesting parallel for all three of them - not just as children of trauma, but also this specific event from decades prior.  Falcone would allegedly have been responsible for the deaths of all their parents- how they responded to that loss could have been the central focus of the story.

Otherwise, of all the Batman films, this us arguably the wateriest.

[NotMySekrit2Tell]

There are going to be people who say it's the worst Batman movie so far, or the greatest Batman movie so far...I think the consensus that will form is that it's at least better than the Adam West one, the two Joel Schumacher ones, and the last Christopher Nolan. So, it will be up there with Tim Burton's two and Christopher Nolan's first two with the hardcore fandom and the general audience. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by NotMySekrit2Tell

[tv echo]

Also, more CW TV spots for The Batman...

Getting Personal | The CW
The CW Network   Mar 4, 2022

Role Models | The CW
The CW Network   Mar 5, 2022

 

[SallyAlbright]

Saw it last night, absolutely loved it. It really is more like a detective story, reminded me way more of Seven than any superhero movie. Pattinson was great, I think Zoe Kravitz is stunning but not the strongest actress. Paul Dano is a fabulous villain, as usual. I was worried about the runtime but it never really dragged at all. 

One thing I will note is that this is NOT a movie to take children to. There were several in my screening (including a child who looked about four years old) and this movie is dark and disturbing in some parts. I couldn't believe the parents didn't take them out! 

[Enigma X]

I am not downplaying any other actor's role in the movie but found Colin Farrell great. It was more than the prosthetics rendering him unrecognizable. I could not see or hear Farrell in the role.

I will say that I found the Riddler to be just okay. His weird speech pattern seemed force.

[ICantDoThatDave]

On 3/5/2022 at 1:31 PM, AngieBee1 said:

This is the only incarnation of Bruce and Selina's relationship/attraction that has made sense to me. It makes sense that this Bruce-who is extremely serious about justice and doing the "right" thing could have a blind spot for Selina who traffics in the very world he despises. He sees a kindred spirit and someone who he can share The Batman with. 

 

Not to disparage this movie's take on Batman-Catwoman at all, but that was literally the central theme of Batman Returns with Keaton/Pfeiffer.  How Bruce Wayne could interact with Selina Kyle & also Batman try to stop Catwoman.  Penguin, Walken's Max Schrek?  Not the central plotline.  Bruce/Selina was.  The final scene with Selina & Schrek was nothing but that.

EDIT: The two "Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it. But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it" parallel scenes illustrate this perfectly.

Edited March 7, 2022 by ICantDoThatDave

[ICantDoThatDave]

11 hours ago, NotMySekrit2Tell said:

There are going to be people who say it's the worst Batman movie so far...

I don't think there's any danger of that as long as Batman Forever & Batman & Robin exist.  I have a soft spot for the 1966 Adam West movie, because of the pure camp of it (Bat-Shark Repellant! ftw!), so I feel like it should be in its own separate category.

[Colorado David]

the 1966 batman is classic. there's never a place to run when you gotta get rid of bomb - hysterical!!

[Tenshinhan]

Yeah, and I think I prefer the Schumacher films over the Burton ones.  They were more faithful to the source material.

[Guest]

I absolutely loved the first two-thirds and absolutely hated the last third. It ended up giving me Wonder Woman and Man of Steel finale vibes. The intimacy of the mystery was so good that the too large jeopardy of the flooding and snipers just irritated me. Plus I just can’t get past the sheer number of people and animals who would have died. I did love Selena saving Bruce and the imagery of them riding off in opposite directions  

The highlight for me was the relationships. Batman and Selena, Batman and Gordon and Bruce and Alfred were all perfect. I alsoloved they kept Bruce’s parents in the forefront without the tired imagery of the past movies. We don’t need to see the murder repeatedly to feel the impact. The use of the mayors son was far more effective than seeing that necklace break again. 

On 3/5/2022 at 4:54 AM, sashabear21 said:

Did Selina just run off and leave all those cats? Rude! 

Would they have survived?

Edited March 7, 2022 by Guest

[scarynikki12]

22 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

 Also, I kinda would rather have him be the son of the murdered reporter, than some random orphan.

The only thing about that is the reporter was named Edward Elliot, and we saw "Hush" imposed over Thomas Wayne's picture during the video reveal about his (Edward's) murder, both of which are nods to comic villain Hush. Hush is Tommy Elliot and he hated his father so he's not going to be seeking vengeance against his killer. 

Plus Riddler's point was that billionaire Bruce Wayne became an orphan and everyone rushed to sympathize and support while the rest of Gotham's orphans were ignored since they were poor. They could have done that kind of specific vengeance story but they'd have had to leave out the point about how the orphans were mistreated. Since it was a part of the story, Riddler needed to be a nobody before putting on his mask.

[ZoqFotPik]

I thought it was a good movie, but it didn't need to be 3 hours long.

I thought the cast was good especially Pattinson, Serkis, Dano, and Farrell who I didn't even recognize until the credits.

I liked that it showed Batman being a good detective, but still having room to grow. Missing the El/La thing and focusing too much on what's in the pictures and not where the pictures were taken.

I wish the guy Batman saved at the beginning of the movie had been guy at the end instead the random guy from the funeral. It would really hammer home the idea that not only was Batman not helping, he was actually making things worse.

 

[thuganomics85]

I thought it was very good to great, although not quite the masterpiece or "10 out of 10!" I've heard in other places.  Still has a shot at being in the top three of the Batman films for me, behind The Dark Knight (which I don't think will ever be topped for me) and Batman Begins (rewatched it recently and I still think it holds up pretty well.)

Definitely enjoyed how the majority almost did feel like more of a crime thriller in the style of Seven or Zodiac, and actually being Batman being the "world's greatest detective."  I enjoyed the interplay early on with Bats and Gordon, and Selina was a good fit as well, once she came aboard.  Not surprised that it would get a bit topical with The Riddler's victims being rich or corrupt politicians/law enforcement, but it made it believable that he would attract followers because of that (even Selina at one point was almost agreeing with him.)  I did think it got a little overstuffed at the end, but I thought it made for a fun crime thriller (if you took away all of the superheroing!)

Also really liked that this took place during the second year of Batman's mission, so while it skipped all of the origin story stuff, he wasn't the experienced crime fighter either, so we not only see him make some mistakes from time to time, but the GCPD and a lot of Gotham's citizens still don't know what to make of him and almost think he's just as bad as the criminals in his own way.  I also liked how Batman isn't quite as showy yet: instead of bursting through windows or ceilings, he's content to just simply knock on the doors of places like the Iceberg Lounge, and physically force his way in if need be.

Robert Pattinson made for a good Batman/Bruce, even if right now both Bats and Bruce are almost exactly the same.  I'm curious to see if we'll ever see his version of the "playboy persona/act", or if this Bruce will always be like this.  Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in this role going forward.

Zoe Kravitz did good work as well and thankfully seems to have pretty good chemistry with Pattinson, which probably helped make this one of the better iterations of "The Bat & the Cat" so far.  Jeffery Wright is already a contender for my favorite Jim Gordon if he keeps this up (although it will be tough to top Gary Oldman.)  John Turturro was effectively creepy as Carmine Falcone.  Colin Farrell was probably the standout as Oswald/Penguin.  Was always a fan of his, but I'm glad that the industry seems to have finally realized he's more of a character actor and have quit trying to shove him into leading roles that don't appeal to his strengths.  Glad that he seems to be having a bit of a comeback these past few years.

That said, I have a somewhat unpopular opinion of not being as wowed by Paul Dano as others have.  I thought he started out pretty strong, but the more The Riddler talked and then finally got unmasked, the less interesting I found him.  I get that they were purposely trying to make him like one of those obnoxious internet trolls at the end, but it just didn't land with me.  And while I tried my best not to make comparisons, the big monologue/showdown in holding cell reminded me too much of the interrogation room scene with The Joker in The Dark Knight and I thought it suffered because of it.

Not sure if I fully accepted Andy Serkis as Alfred, but it's always good to see him in human form!

The directing and cinematography were on point.  Matt Reeves knows what he's doing!

The score was great.  Or at least Batman's theme was.  Certainly got that stuck in my head the past few hours.

A few pacing issues and it might have been a bit too long, but it still held my interest for its long running time.

Despite all of the remarks about the darkness, I actually thought it had some decent humor: especially with how awkward Batman was around everyone like him getting in the coroner's way during the first crime scene.  Or his initial interactions with Selina, where he seemed to not know how exactly to response to someone that was clearly flirting with him.  And then there was the "thumb drive" gag that got a laugh due to Gordon's "Oh, great.  We've got a fucking comedian here!" reaction to that reveal.  This is only the beginning for you, Jim!

Glad it had a good opening weekend at least and I have to imagine we'll at least get another one.  Think they've got a lot of potential here.

[tv echo]

Box Office: ‘The Batman’ Scores $128 Million, Second-Biggest Pandemic Debut
By Rebecca Rubin    Mar 6, 2022
https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/the-batman-opening-weekend-second-biggest-pandemic-1235197193/ 

Quote

Robert Pattinson’s pitch-black superhero adventure “The Batman” collected a mighty $128.5 million from 4,417 North American theaters in its box office debut, marking the best opening weekend of 2022 by a landslide. More impressively, it’s only the second pandemic-era movie to cross the $100 million mark in a single weekend, a feat first achieved by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and its huge $260 million launch in December.
*  *  *
“The Batman” also likely benefitted because the comic book adaptation is playing exclusively in theaters. For Warner Bros., which opted to debut its entire 2021 theatrical film slate simultaneously on HBO Max, “The Batman” marks a deviation as the studio’s first movie since Christoper Nolan’s twisty thriller “Tenet “(which coincidentally also starred Pattinson) that’s only available to watch in cinemas. “The Batman” lands on HBO Max in 45 days.
*  *  *
Since “The Batman,” directed by Matt Reeves, notched a PG-13 rating rather than R, the film was able to capture the key demographic of younger males, who have been fueling the domestic box office’s wobbly recovery. More than 65% of opening weekend crowds were male, and more than 60% were between 18 and 34 years old. “The Batman” did especially solid sales on Imax screens, which accounted for $22.3 million of the film’s global total.

‘The Batman’ $128M+ Opening Reps Warner Bros’ Biggest During Pandemic Era, Best Debut For Matt Reeves – Sunday Update
By Anthony D'Alessandro  March 6, 2022 
https://deadline.com/2022/03/the-batman-box-office-1234970969/ 

Quote

A shorter version of Batman was tested. However, that cut didn’t test as well as the 2-hour, 55-minute version.

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by tv echo

[MaggieG]

We watched it last night. I enjoyed it. I agree that it had more of a crime thriller vibe. You could have plucked Batman out of it and it would have worked. The police dealing with a creepy serial killer while the mob fights for control of the city. I loved the scenes with Batman walking into the crime scenes with Gordon.

I thought Paul Dano was great, he creeped me out from his first scene.

I liked the opening scenes with the various criminals doing bad things, seeing the Bat signal and immediately getting scared and looking down every dark alley because they're afraid Batman is coming for them. And then he comes out of the dark like Darth Vader.

Did anyone else think Edna Mode when Batman was fighting the Riddler lookalikes and they dragged him by his cape?

[Lantern7]

Watched it yesterday. I wasn't in love with it, but I think it comes off as a slightly fresher Batman for movie audiences. Someone outside geekdom (or lack of a better word) would have to go in with an open mind. Yeah, Batman is intense and growly, but now you have the addition of cops standing uncomfortably as a dude in fancy body armor goes over evidence at a homicide scene. I mean that in a good way, though.

As someone who watched the season finale of Batwoman, I feel compelled to ask: Where was the Bat-Blimp???

I'm thinking there's a draft where Selina calls Batman "Darkness," but then the behind-the-scenes people were afraid of releasing a new flood (no pun intended) of memes featuring Dave Chappelle as Rick James.

Okay . . . so on HBO Max, they're doing series on the GCPD and Penguin? Cool. I will connect that to a pet peeve I have reading "Batman History stories . . . no appreciation for Gotham. Yeah, it went off the rails, but it did so spectacularly. I will anticipate police headquarters being invaded far, far less on HBO Max.

[tv echo]

'The Batman': Is There a Post-Credits Scene?
Sean Keane    March 7, 2022
https://www.cnet.com/news/the-batman-is-there-a-post-credits-scene/ 

Spoiler

We don't get any kind of post-credits scene setting up a sequel, but there is one last reference to the Riddler's deadly campaign -- perhaps hinting that it'll continue in the future. We see a typed "?" followed by "GOOD BYE" (bye Riddler, it's been so much fun), and www.rataalada.com flashes up on the screen briefly. 
*  *  *
During the movie, the villain's puzzles send Batman and Gordon on a hunt for an unidentified informant known as El Rata Alada -- Spanish for The Winged Rat -- that was instrumental in taking down former Gotham crime kingpin Sal Maroni. It sounds like a reference to a bat, but it's revealed that Riddler is hunting for a snitch whose name is derived from a bird.

If you go to that URL, it brings you to a viral marketing website where you can chat with the villain and answer a series of riddles. They've changed a few times, but here's the Friday, March 4, set:

• I am first a fraud or a trick. Or perhaps a blend of the two. That's up to your misinterpretation.
• What was new, is new again. Rebirth. Restoration. Reformation. 
• Fear he who hides behind one.

The answers are below, but we're gonna put them behind a SPOILER warning in case you've done today's Wordle, Worldle and Squabble and want to try your luck against a supervillain. We'll also dive into some plot details that you should avoid if you haven't seen the movie.
*  *  *
The answers are Confusion, Renewal and Mask.

Getting them right lets you download a password-protected zip file named "What_Am_I." The password is "Promise," and entering it lets you watch a video called "Thomas_Wayne_Lies."

It's a short TV promo for the mayoral campaign of Bruce's late father, Thomas, who's among the people Riddler blames for Gotham being a cesspool. The video, which is available on YouTube if you don't want to play games with a supervillain, has "Hush!" and "The Truth about Gotham" scrawled over the footage, along with Schubert's Ave Maria and some creepy breathing from the Riddler.
*  *  *
This site has existed for a while and the riddles have cycled multiple times, but here's the set from the days leading up the movie's release.

• From birth to death. From boy to man. All things change but this is one thing he will always be. 
• The end is in the middle, twice. Test your mind and try not to get baffled by me. 
• A man worth billions, in a manor of speaking.

The answers to these are Son, Puzzle and Wayne. Getting them right led to a series of pictures, including a shot of the Wayne family in happier times.

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by tv echo

[Sakura12]

I enjoyed that it was a film about the Batman more then Bruce Wayne. We actually get to see Batman's beginnings when he isn't as polished and makes mistakes. 

And for movies for me this was the best interactions between the Bat and the Cat. You can see why they would work together. 

I also liked not seeing the death of his parents. We all know that story so I appreciated them telling another story about Thomas and Martha. Going with Martha being an Arkham does make it interesting especially since they changed the Gotham PD show into a show about Arkham Asylum. 

Having watched Gotham and enjoying that iteration of the Riddler, this one felt more like a serial killer. And I guess they were going with the anyone can be Batman with anyone can be a villian. Because I also thought he was the reporters kid not a random orphan. But I guess the reporters kid can show up in another movie if he's Hush. 

I'd be interested in seeing Reeve's take on the Joker since what I read he's thinking of him more like the Elphant Man, as someone with a disfigurement that believes the world played a cruel joke on him. 

[bluvelvet]

I watched it this weekend, I have to say I really enjoyed it, can’t say I loved it though. I did love the Batman theme, that was epic. I did enjoy the detective vibe that they had going but I thought it was way too long. Certain points I checked my watch which I rarely do in the movie. 
 

I enjoyed Pattinson as Batman and I would watch other films with him.  He had great chemistry with Selena, and he was a much better Batman than Ben Affleck. 

[tennisgurl]

While its not quite Dark Knight territory of amazing Batman movies, I thought this was really good. For such a long movie it didn't feel draggy, and I am so happy to get a Batman movie that really feels like a detective story. Batman is famous for being the worlds greatest detective but so many of his movies just have him beating up bad guys and lurking in shadows, while this one really did feel like a crime thriller that just happened to star Batman. You could really feel that Fincher energy, you just know that Matt Reeves watched Zodiac about a billion times while making this. It had the constant rain, the dark lighting, the creepy score, it really gave the movie a heavy atmosphere that felt appropriate. I liked that the mystery became so personal in the end and really tied into Bruce's own history, and I think that could lead to some interesting things in the future, especially Martha being an Arkham in this continuity. Good luck unpacking that legacy, Bruce. I will probably watch it again soon, there is a lot of great stuff here, I would say its pretty high up there for Batman movies. 

I could do without the mid 00s emo hair, but I thought that Robert Pattinson did a really solid job as Batman. I like that we skipped the origin story but are still only two years into his Batman career, its a unique place to pick up his story. He is still finding his way and it will be interesting to see how much he changes as Batman and as Bruce Wayne. Will he end up moving more towards his party boy/titan of industry Bruce persona at some point? How long will it take for him to really embrace everything we know about Batman as the Caped Crusader? 

Zoe Kravitz was a great Catwoman and she and RP had really solid chemistry. This also seems to be pretty early into her thieving career, so I am excited by what happens next with her when she comes back after she realizes that Bluthaven is even more of a shithole than Gotham, she had that slinky quality that all good Catwomen should have. I also loved Jeffery Wright as James Gordan, before he became the Commissionaire, I really like how he was really able to get into the action more and created more of an odd couple dynamic with Batman. In general I thought the cast was great, I always like Paul Dano and while I tend to prefer my Riddler a bit more wacky than psychotic, he was a really compelling villain, but I think my supporting cast MVP was Colin Farrell as Penguin. I have really enjoyed seeing him have something of a comeback in recent years, now that Hollywood is finally letting him show his stuff as a character actor. He seems like one of those actors who's good looks got him pigeonholed into leading man action roles, which never seemed to be something he was all that interested in, and only now is he getting to really show his stuff as a character actor, who he seems to be really enjoying. His penguin was a real scene stealer, threatening but also giving us a few much needed laughs, like when he corrected the Spanish translation of one of the crews and then made fun of Gordan and Batman for their shoddy Spanish skills. 

The score was excellent, I love the "I'm Batman" music that played as his main theme, it was so moody and also so badass. I also really appreciate how much Gotham felt like a real character in and of itself in this, the Fincher style direction gave it this very noir gothic style vibe that I loved, while still feeling very much like a major city, the best of the hyper realistic Nolan films and the more fantastical gothic sets of things like Gotham. 

[scarynikki12]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

His penguin was a real scene stealer, threatening but also giving us a few much needed laughs, like when he corrected the Spanish translation of one of the crews and then made fun of Gordan and Batman for their shoddy Spanish skills. 

That was great. One day he'll sit in a prison cell fuming about getting caught but he'll always know that his Spanish was better than the Bat. 

[arc]

On 3/6/2022 at 7:30 PM, Dani said:

I did love Selena saving Bruce

I read somewhere—maybe in one of William Goldman’s books?—that most male actors won’t let their character be saved by a woman or if they do, only if they save the woman right back. So I was cringing waiting for that shoe to drop and then … yep, there it was.

I also liked that the attack on Gotham and its elites felt more plausibly motivated than the ecoterrorist accelerationism thing I vaguely remember from Batman Begins. But the attack on the entire city did feel more nihilistic than the Riddler’s original rampage against elite corruption.

The one major nitpick I had with the movie was that it felt like from the geometry of the scene where Bats had Selina wear a wire into the club that he would have been perfectly situated to see Colson get caught.

My more general but smaller nitpick was that the movie was both well written and not: really solid plotting and mystery solving, but dialogue was often clunky.

The Riddler having a following who would dress up in homage to him and be his personal gang/army is reminiscent of the Nolan films, when Joker started off with a clown crew, and later Batman inspired his own hapless copycats. And then earlier, in the 1986 comic The Dark Knight Returns, the Mutant gang had a specific fashion style and then when the Mutants were defeated, they splintered into smaller gangs who adopted other iconography, including Batman’s.

Edited March 12, 2022 by arc

[Lantern7]

Catwomen invade Zoë Kravitz‘s SNL monologue:

Please Don’t Destroy guys get Zoë a cat. Mayhem ensues. Featuring a quick pop-in from another star from the movie:

 

[JAYJAY1979]

Bloated movie.  At least 30 minutes could have been cut out.

[Chyromaniac]

On 3/6/2022 at 9:47 PM, scarynikki12 said:

The only thing about that is the reporter was named Edward Elliot, and we saw "Hush" imposed over Thomas Wayne's picture during the video reveal about his (Edward's) murder, both of which are nods to comic villain Hush. Hush is Tommy Elliot and he hated his father so he's not going to be seeking vengeance against his killer. 

Plus Riddler's point was that billionaire Bruce Wayne became an orphan and everyone rushed to sympathize and support while the rest of Gotham's orphans were ignored since they were poor. They could have done that kind of specific vengeance story but they'd have had to leave out the point about how the orphans were mistreated. Since it was a part of the story, Riddler needed to be a nobody before putting on his mask.

That’s interesting about Hush.  I mostly know the character from what Batwoman did a few years ago- but it does strike me as odd then, that they would make that kind of reference in this film.  Because honestly, if you took a group shot of Batman’s rogues gallery, and asked a general audience to pick out the villain of this film- I kinda think that a not insignificant number might pick Hush instead of Riddler, based off the outfit. (I am aware that this Riddler look is somewhat based on the sketch of the Zodiac killer- he just doesn’t really look like the Riddler as a result.)

Otherwise, I understood the point Riddler was trying to make- although “look at how much attention the little rich orphan got” is kind of a Hush-ian argument, now that I think about it.  But beyond that, they could have just not made the orphans’ treatment an issue.  Like I said in my original post, I think I would have liked this movie more if there was 30 minutes or so less of it.  Maybe the orphan bit could have been part of the cuts.  The main point was just that Falcone and company were ripping off the trust, which all tied back to the murder of the reporter anyway.  Now, it just feels like a loose thread, for me at least.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Chyromaniac

[Colorado David]

Enjoyed it. Nice and dark and brooding. Like Seven meets American Psycho meets Watchmen. My favorite right after the Bale ones.

[dkb]

On 3/5/2022 at 6:43 AM, revbfc said:

The ending was like 1973 movie Walking Tall:  it just wouldn’t end. Every time I thought we got to a natural conclusion in that final hour, something else would happen.  Aside from that, I really loved this movie, and I’d pay to see more of this Batman.

 

On 3/6/2022 at 12:27 AM, Chyromaniac said:

I liked “The Batman” well enough- and there was even a point where I thought it was shaping up to be the best Batman film thus far.  However, I think the ending was a little overdrawn.  I don’t know about the copycat Riddlers- they kind of dragged out the climax, and Bruce and Salina’s bike ride out of town felt redundant after their spoken goodbye.  And really- I don’t know if it’s just that it came at the end of a longish film, but I kinda just rolled my eyes at the Joker sequel setup.

 

On 3/12/2022 at 12:53 AM, arc said:

My more general but smaller nitpick was that the movie was both well written and not: really solid plotting and mystery solving, but dialogue was often clunky.

 

Gotta agree it was good, until it went on too long. There were multiple times I was like, ok that's the end, oh nevermind there's more, ok now it's done, nevermind there's more.

The more times it happened the more the people in my theatre were audibly sighing. It was pretty late on a Tuesday but still.

Also someone upthread talked about The Riddler and the performance of Paul Dano and agree with that too, he was definitely giving me internet troll vibes. I also just found everything he did and said hilarious, but no one else did. Every time he spoke I had to contain my giggles.

I really liked the shot of Batman coming into the first crime scene with all the cops giving him side eye.

Also does anyone know what the riddle Joker told Riddler in jail was? I couldn't understand half the dialogue in that scene.

There was a guy in our showing that was really really not into it, he was on snapchat multiple times during the movie, and checking the time constantly.  

[scarynikki12]

3 hours ago, dkb said:

Also does anyone know what the riddle Joker told Riddler in jail was? I couldn't understand half the dialogue in that scene.

"Riddle me this: the less of them you have, the more one is worth"

The answer is "a friend".

[tv echo]

The Batman Eyes April HBO Max Debut
By Matt Webb Mitovich / March 16 2022
https://tvline.com/2022/03/16/where-to-watch-the-batman-hbo-max-april/ 

Quote

As noticed by fans and reported on by sites such as Deadline, a “glitch” on an HBO website accidently, briefly, and apparently accurately revealed that the Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz-starring The Batman will make its HBO Max premiere on Tuesday, April 19, then hit HBO proper a few days later.

The speedy segue to streaming is in keeping with a release strategy laid out by WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar in October 2021. Coming off of a mid-pandemic dabbling in day-and-date releases of new movies to both (any open) theaters and HBO Max, Kilar said that starting in 2022, certain feature films would have “exclusive theatrical runs of 45 days. Then, they will go to HBO Max.”

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by tv echo

[BooBear]

On 3/6/2022 at 12:27 AM, Chyromaniac said:

I liked “The Batman” well enough- and there was even a point where I thought it was shaping up to be the best Batman film thus far.  However, I think the ending was a little overdrawn.  I don’t know about the copycat Riddlers- they kind of dragged out the climax, and Bruce and Salina’s bike ride out of town felt redundant after their spoken goodbye.  

Yes I thought early on this was going to be amazing but they got bogged down in the ending. 

Now I feel like I know why they did that. I feel like for most of the movie Batman was essentially a detective like any other person and I feel like some studio guy said, hey we need to have a scene where we show off what he can do. But for me the final climax didn't do that particularly well.  Batman didn't kick any arse or stop anything the Riddler did to Gotham. I knew going in the lesson was going to be that he had to be a symbol of hope but I didn't feel the ending conveyed that particularly well. If the citizens of Gotham or Selena had been inspired to fight the Riddler's minions based on Batman, and thus maybe showed a glimmer of hope that people themselves had been inspired to end the corruption,  maybe .... but someone clutching him in the middle of a disaster... nope..

I also felt there were too many people in this move. The Penguin was totally unnecessary in this move and should have been just a cameo. More time should have been spent on Selena and Alfred.

With the time they took with the ending bike ride I would have liked in some way for us to get the nod that Bruce now understood the good that his Bruce Wayne side could do as well... and seen some pay off to that, ie.. years of sitting in his mansion obsessing over vengeance was selfish... perhaps he could have helped people like the Riddler.. or at least be seen as someone trying to help, which could have been the symbol of hope. 

[BetterButter]

 

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by BetterButter

[BetterButter]

 

[ICantDoThatDave]

Finally saw this on HBO MAX. Just a long, dull, long, plodding, long movie.  Probably the worst Bruce Wayne portrayal ever, & I'm including Adam West! Way too many coincidences for me & plot inconsistencies (Falcone was literally "in the light" for hours at that funeral).

I did enjoy the Bat-Armor of Inconsistent Protection that provided however much or little protection to Batman as the plot needed for any particular scene.

[jah1986]

I saw this on HBO last night and I liked it. I thought there was good interaction between Batman and Catwoman, they had chemistry. I loved that we didn’t see the Wayne’s murder again. The end did seem to meander a bit, like they didn’t know how to end it and the final result felt inadequate. Loved Jeffrey Wright as Gordon and his friendship with Batman. Didn’t buy the Bruce/Alfred relationship until the hospital scene. Will watch again before HBO takes it down. 

[Lantern7]

Getting the HISHE treatment . . .

 

[wanderingstar]

Why does everyone in this movie mumble their dialogue?

Edited April 24, 2022 by Gillian Rosh