*** The Batman (spoiler thread) ***

61,630 Views | 864 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by TCTTS
The Porkchop Express
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Here's hoping in the sequel he's Bruce Wayne for 95% of the movie.
veryfuller
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The guy stunned him, then Catwoman saved him. Then she is talking to him and kisses him or something and another guy comes up behind her and starts attacking her and winning. Batman gets pissed, injects himself with adrenaline or whatever, and then goes CRAZY on the guy. I think its important because it shows that there are 2 people in particular that he has grown to care about a great deal in the story -- Alfred and Catwoman. He cares enough about them to go into a blind rage when they are in danger...so although he has grown to see himself as more than vengeance, he still is kind of insane and definitely not ready to lose another loved one.
Petrino1
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helloimustbegoing said:

So, here goes. That movie was like the law of diminishing returns for me. I loved the beginning and was still into at the middle and then sort of just wanted it to be over.

A lot of it seemed like a redux of the Dark Knight. Batman beating guys up in a dance club on a walkway to get to the bad guy. The main villain capturing people alive and broadcasting the video of him taunting the public and the victim simultaneously, Corruption going to the very top, and everyone seeming surprised by it. The main villain setting up fantastically elaborate assassinations of public figures. A bunch of fanatical followers opening fire in a public place, the massively complex plan that is only unleashed after the super villain allows himself to get caught.

This is probably the most spoiler-free I've gone into a superhero movie in a decade. Just too busy with other stuff and wasn't expecting the chance to see this one so early in its run. Other than who was playing what character, I didn't know a single thing that happened outside of the non-spoiler posts.

Thought Pattison was great as young Batman, but felt I barely saw him as Bruce Wayne.

Best parts of the movie for me were Farrell, Turturro, and Kravitz. She was super sexy and sympathetic. Farrell was unbelievable as the Penguin, although why they needed to hire him to put on the fat suit and do the accent is still confusing. I thought Turturro was unreal. Made me feel bad for him being in all the damn Transformer movies. I thought the movie peaked when he got arrested and Farrell outed him as the rat.

I am sure I am in an extreme minority, but I didn't like Dano as the Riddler. His first scene killing the Mayor was scary and violent but after that it just lost me. I didn't find him intimidating and he just seemed to be yelling a lot.

Soundtrack was great. The menace of the main theme is instantly recognizable and hypnotic.

Underused/misused Jeffery Wright. He seemed really dumb compared to Batman. Was just Mr. Exposition a lot of the time.

I liked the first Batman/Catwoman fight scene. He was so much better a fighter than she is. She didn't land a single hit, the way it should be.


Was way too long. The flood at the end made no sense. The city full of skyscrapers is flooding so let's all go hide in the arena built under street level? Did the stairs at all those tall buildings not work? Female mayor was annoying. Unsure how she didn't die, looked like she got plugged in the head.

Definitely put me in the case of Riddler knowing the Wayne/Batman connection. I thought he didn't say it was him because he loved the exclusivity of knowing something most people don't.


Rank it well below all three of Nolan's movies.


I watched it yesterday and this was pretty much my take. Solid movie, not great. Way too long. I like the Nolan Batman movies better.

The last 45 minutes or so I kept looking at my watch wondering when it would end.
Petrino1
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Aggie_Journalist said:



Didn't love the cinematography on the car chase. I couldn't tell where the cars were in relation to each other half the time. And what's with Batman and Gordon just letting the penguin go after they see him cause a massive car wreck that sent a fireball into the sky and probably killed a dozen people? Hey Gordon! He probably broke a law there! It's ok to arrest him for that!

I was thinking the same thing while watching it. Hard to keep up with the cars with the cinematography.
InternetFan02
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I also rolled my eyes at the flood like everyone else…so what would have been the best idea? I loved the WHAT DID YOU DO?!? WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!? scene so they needed to pay it off with something. Assassinating the mayor was a good start but needed more. Maybe something like Southpark where everyone's internet search histories get released?
Texaggie7nine
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veryfuller said:

The guy stunned him, then Catwoman saved him. Then she is talking to him and kisses him or something and another guy comes up behind her and starts attacking her and winning. Batman gets pissed, injects himself with adrenaline or whatever, and then goes CRAZY on the guy. I think its important because it shows that there are 2 people in particular that he has grown to care about a great deal in the story -- Alfred and Catwoman. He cares enough about them to go into a blind rage when they are in danger...so although he has grown to see himself as more than vengeance, he still is kind of insane and definitely not ready to lose another loved one.
Ah, thank you. Makes more sense now. I was thinking the way they unmasked him maybe it was like the guy that killed Bruce's dad or something.
7nine
country
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I'm not a movie critic like so many of you have the talent for. It always amazes me to read through threads where people that actually know and enjoy breaking down movies converse. Sometimes I learn more from reading yalls reviews than I did from watching the actual movie.

That said, here is my review from a casual movie fan…..this movie was way, way too long. Felt like a typical DC movie in comparison to a Marvel movie. Marvel has a plot, rolls through it, ties it up in a nice bow, and ends. DC always seems to be wondering in the dark trying to figure out how much of a story to tell and how to end it. I'll skip all the other times the movie could have ended and go straight to the actual ending….3-4 minutes of catwoman asking Batman to leave, realizing he won't, almost kissing again but not, dramatic background, etc. All that followed by another minute or two of playing cat and mouse on motorcycles before finally (excruciatingly) going their separate way. I don't know….it just felt to me like when will this SOB end.

I actually enjoyed the story and really liked the detective aspect. Just hated how many different information dumps we got, how many mega/final fights we got with so many different guys, etc. I just feel like if you have to keep people in a theatre for 3 hours, you aren't a very efficient story teller. I think people loved this so much because they haven't been going to theaters for so long. Had this come out three years ago I think it gets roasted for its length.

Anyway, I really enjoyed reading the thread and agree with nearly everything in it.
FL_Ag1998
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country said:

I'm not a movie critic like so many of you have the talent for. It always amazes me to read through threads where people that actually know and enjoy breaking down movies converse. Sometimes I learn more from reading yalls reviews than I did from watching the actual movie.

That said, here is my review from a casual movie fan…..this movie was way, way too long. Felt like a typical DC movie in comparison to a Marvel movie. Marvel has a plot, rolls through it, ties it up in a nice bow, and ends. DC always seems to be wondering in the dark trying to figure out how much of a story to tell and how to end it. I'll skip all the other times the movie could have ended and go straight to the actual ending….3-4 minutes of catwoman asking Batman to leave, realizing he won't, almost kissing again but not, dramatic background, etc. All that followed by another minute or two of playing cat and mouse on motorcycles before finally (excruciatingly) going their separate way. I don't know….it just felt to me like when will this SOB end.

I actually enjoyed the story and really liked the detective aspect. Just hated how many different information dumps we got, how many mega/final fights we got with so many different guys, etc. I just feel like if you have to keep people in a theatre for 3 hours, you aren't a very efficient story teller. I think people loved this so much because they haven't been going to theaters for so long. Had this come out three years ago I think it gets roasted for its length.

Anyway, I really enjoyed reading the thread and agree with nearly everything in it.


I appreciate your view and yeah, although I personally loved it and wasn't bored, there is some fat that could be trimmed I suppose.

But I will disagree on one point....I live in Florida, the bastion of freedom during the pandemic. I was watching reshowings of old movies during the height of it, lol. So missing the theater experience was not my excuse for loving it. I love it because its a beautiful movie.
AgfromHOU
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Marvel does NOT tie things up and end them. They keep everything going. Every movie is a sequel to the previous one, with fans dying to see cameos and extra credit scenes, wondering how each movie or show fits into the next and the previous ones. They make it seem like the story ends, but either the ending scene or the credit scene(s) keep the narrative going (and totally works for the MCU). I say that as someone who loves the MCU.

I honestly think The Batman could stand on its own without any sequels or spin-offs (even though we are luckily getting both). It was vastly different than the MCU and DCEU, which made it really refreshing to me. I've seen the movie three times now and it honestly has gotten better to me. I know it isn't flawless by any stretch, but really what is? As a huge Batman fan I got the most comics accurate Batman to date, with a sprawling Gotham City and it wasn't another origin story. We got a Batman movie without the Wayne's dying and/or Bruce revealing his identity to someone. The level of passion Reeves has for Batman is highly evident in every second of the movie.

I do totally respect your opinion, though, and completely understand that towards the end it seemed like it should have been over a few times, for the record. I also really do agree with most of the gripes I've seen on this thread and other reviews around.
BenFiasco14
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Saw it yesterday. Loved every minute of it. Didn't see a single trailer for it so it was all new to me. Great thread though. Thought Pattinson was a good Batman if a bit of an emo Bruce Wayne.

Andy Serkis as Alfred? Never would've guessed that but liked it. Loved the Riddler. I thought it was very well done and the scenes in Arkham reminded me of the Batman Arkham video games.

Collin Farrell as the Penguin was weird. He was completely unrecognizable. Liked Catwoman.

Excited to see where the series goes next but agree with many here Joker is kind of played out at this point. I'd like to see someone new or someone we haven't seen since the 90s.
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AgfromHOU
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BenFiasco14 said:

Didn't see a single trailer for it so it was all new to me.


This is my goal for the sequel
AgfromHOU
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The Rata Alada website is currently counting down to next Thursday for some kind of announcement. Hope it's not a let down like last time.

I wonder how long they'll keep the website going.

TCTTS
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It's set to hit HBO Max on April 19, HBO cable on April 23, and Blu-Ray at some point in June, but none of those dates have been officially announced yet, so maybe that finally happens. Or, maybe they officially greenlight the sequel.
AgfromHOU
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Not sure. It could just be a countdown to the next Riddle.

DC did announce a Riddler: Year One comic written by Paul Dano shortly after todays riddles went live.
Texaggie7nine
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AgfromHOU said:

Not sure. It could just be a countdown to the next Riddle.





7nine
fig96
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Late to this after seeing it last weekend, and I'm sure what I'll mention has already been said but I'm not reading 11 pages

Best Batfilm ever IMO, we finally got the world's greatest detective. I liked Pattinson as Batman but his Bruce Wayne leaned a hair emo for me. Zoe Kravitz was great and I would've liked to have seen a bit more of Andy Serkis as Alfred, Dano was nails as the Riddler and Jeffrey Wright is never not amazing. Gotham was well done though I would've liked to have seen a bit more gothic/deco influence, and that Batmobile was incredible.

Overall just freakin' loved it and can't wait to see where Reeves takes this series.
fig96
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And some Batmobile porn for you, more at https://altcinc.com/work/batman








TCTTS
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fig96 said:

Late to this after seeing it last weekend, and I'm sure what I'll mention has already been said but I'm not reading 11 pages

Best Batfilm ever IMO, we finally got the world's greatest detective. I liked Pattinson as Batman but his Bruce Wayne leaned a hair emo for me. Zoe Kravitz was great and I would've liked to have seen a bit more of Andy Serkis as Alfred, Dano was nails as the Riddler and Jeffrey Wright is never not amazing. Gotham was well done though I would've liked to have seen a bit more gothic/deco influence, and that Batmobile was incredible.

Overall just freakin' loved it and can't wait to see where Reeves takes this series.

Great to hear.

And yeah, I definitely wanted more Serkis as Alfred as well. This version of Alfred is apparently who trained Bruce, and I would have loved to have been given more of a glimpse of that. Maybe in the sequel...
fig96
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Definitely, my thought/hope is that they're saving some of that for the sequel. I really liked the tech in this one too, felt like a natural evolution of what he can with some real world grounding (like the contacts).

Related, one of the Batman animated series explored the idea of a younger more capable Alfred, I think "The Batman" but not positive. (I'm sure someone can correct me if needed.)
AgfromHOU
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Yes, Beware the Batman (2013). It's completely CGI and only lasts one season. Had a lot of the lower tier Gotham villains in it, too. It's on HBO Max.

The Batman (2004) cartoon is pretty good as well. It is very different from BTAS and makes a lot of changes to the villains, but overall tells a really good story.
fig96
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Gracias, I didn't think it was one that lasted too long.
Iraq2xVeteran
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I just saw the movie today, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Robert Pattinson was a good actor for Batman but a bit weird for Bruce Wayne. Zoe Kravitz was a great actress for Catwoman. I am excited to see where this series goes next.

Brian Earl Spilner
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$300M domestic.
BenFiasco14
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TCTTS said:

fig96 said:

Late to this after seeing it last weekend, and I'm sure what I'll mention has already been said but I'm not reading 11 pages

Best Batfilm ever IMO, we finally got the world's greatest detective. I liked Pattinson as Batman but his Bruce Wayne leaned a hair emo for me. Zoe Kravitz was great and I would've liked to have seen a bit more of Andy Serkis as Alfred, Dano was nails as the Riddler and Jeffrey Wright is never not amazing. Gotham was well done though I would've liked to have seen a bit more gothic/deco influence, and that Batmobile was incredible.

Overall just freakin' loved it and can't wait to see where Reeves takes this series.

Great to hear.

And yeah, I definitely wanted more Serkis as Alfred as well. This version of Alfred is apparently who trained Bruce, and I would have loved to have been given more of a glimpse of that. Maybe in the sequel...


Definitely is. Alfred says in this movie, when ridiculing Bruce and feeling bad about not doing more, he says "I could teach you to fight …" but otherwise helpless. Didn't even think twice about that till this thread.
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TCTTS
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Brian Earl Spilner said:

$300M domestic.

- Third weekend at number one, with $36.8M.
- Third best third weekend for any movie in Warner Bros. history.
- Apparently eying an $800-850M global run.

Pretty damn impressive...
Aggie_Boomin 21
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Brian Earl Spilner said:

$300M domestic.

Didn't really think about it until now, but the timing of the movie's release coinciding with covid fading into irrelevancy worked out great for it.
The Porkchop Express
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A truly unique circumstance in the box office world. The Batman sits 91st in domestic earnings. The movie just ahead of it is Twilight: Eclipse, starring Robert Pattinson. The movie just behind it is Twilight: New Moon, starring Robert Pattinson. The two movies on either side of those two are both Harry Potter films. Pattinson wasn't in either of those, but he was in another film in that franchise.


TCTTS
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This weekend also saw a full (new?) moon, and vampires are often depicted as turning into bats.
AgfromHOU
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A couple of details I didn't catch in my first watch because I was so enthralled, and some from Reddit.

There's a shot where they're overlooking the train tracks in front of the Iceberg Lounge. On the left side of the screen there's an apartment building, and the top floor window has a shadowy figure. It's the same window Riddler shot Falcone from.

At the beginning of the movie, Batman comes out from the shadows after the monologue saying fear is a tool and everyone is scared of him, to the track "It's Raining Vengeance". He's on a selfish crusade for himself.

At the end of the movie he saves people at the garden by being willing to sacrifice himself so they don't get electrocuted. After his fall, he gets up and lights a flare. He is now the light for the people he's saving. This is all to the track "A Bat's True Calling".

Nothing ground breaking, and the overall point has already been discussed plenty.
Gigem314
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Late to the party but finally got around to seeing this last night.

Wow.

While it's hard to ever top Heath Ledger's performance in the TDK, to me this was the best Batman film ever made. You get enough of the action, but seeing him as a detective and the rawness behind his early vigilante mindset really makes this the most complete Batman movie yet, IMO. And it goes without saying the cinematography was nothing short of incredible.

Pattison killed it. By far the best 'Batman voice' of any of the films. I see that some are critiquing that he wasn't "Bruce Wayne" enough, but I think that was kind of the point of this film...he's more 'Batman' than Wayne when we find him in this movie. More blind rage. Overcome with vengeance. He's all but abandoned who he is as a Wayne. But then at the end he's pulled back. His humanity returns. He changes. That's what I took away from the story.

Kravitz was incredible as Catwoman. She clearly made it her own. Serkis did a great job as Alfred and I look forward to more development there moving forward. They kind of pivoted toward Alfred having a more 'hands on' action role with Irons' version in BvS...and this seems to continue that (Alfred saying he trained Wayne). Wright was the perfect pick for Gordon. Farrell was completely unrecognizable in image and voice as The Penguin...outstanding performance. And Turturro was a great pick for Falcone. Really amazing cast.

But what really sold it for me? The music. Wow. It made this movie. Perfectly set the tone. The Nirvana song, the piano theme throughout, some Craig era Bond-like spy themes at various points as well...just incredible. It deserves some awards.

This thing had a LOT of hype...and it lived up. What a fun experience.
Texaggie7nine
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I'm curious if all or most of those that thought this was the BEST or close to it of all Batman movies were also readers of the comic.

I'm wondering if that is why I still don't think this movie touches Nolan's versions. I never read a single comic.
7nine
Gigem314
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I never read the comics, so I'm definitely not a purist when it comes to Batman. Loved Nolan's versions. I think The Batman is a deeper, darker, look at the character while maintaining the 'real world' feel of what made the Nolan series so great.
AgfromHOU
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I'm an avid comic reader, and you can tell the amount of knowledge and passion Reeves has for the characters. The cast all read a lot of classics and deep cuts in prep for the movie, which gave this such an amazing layer that I felt Nolan's trilogy was lacking.
TCTTS
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Gigem314 said:

I never read the comics, so I'm definitely not a purist when it comes to Batman. Loved Nolan's versions. I think The Batman is a deeper, darker, look at the character while maintaining the 'real world' feel of what made the Nolan series so great.


Exactly my thoughts/situation.
fig96
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Texaggie7nine said:

I'm curious if all or most of those that thought this was the BEST or close to it of all Batman movies were also readers of the comic.

I'm wondering if that is why I still don't think this movie touches Nolan's versions. I never read a single comic.
You may be onto something (comic reader here) though seems some of the non comic readers really loved this one as well.

I thought Nolan's films were great movies and really enjoyed them, but I didn't think they were great Batman movies.
 
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