I thought it was pretty good! I don't think it could have lived up to the hype in my head.
I personally don't think it was on the level of TDK, maybe on par with the other two in the trilogy for me. Though I will probably want to watch it again at some point to form a final opinion.
General Thoughts
+
Overall I really liked it but it is easier to complain about stuff than not. I will quickly highlight the things I really enjoyed then get into a couple gripes:
- Thought the Riddler was a great character. I thought Dano did a great job.
- Ditto to Kravitz as Cat Woman. Thought she could have been a little more "grey" in terms of morality but thought she was good.
- The soundtrack was a banger. I love the music in the background. Thought it fit really well.
- While there weren't a ton of fighting scenes the ones that were in the movie were incredible. My highlight was the one in the nightclub where the only light was coming from the gun fire. Really incredible sequence.
- As someone who enjoys the grittier comic book movies I thought this fit the theme well. There were a couple quips that didn't feel forced. Even though it was 3 hours long it definitely didn't feel like it dragged at all and I thought told a pretty cohesive story.
A few gripes:
- I really loved the idea of the Riddler viewing Batman as an ally and an inspiration. During the final attack when the baddie said "I am vengeance" I thought that really hit home. However in my opinion I feel like that wasn't perfectly portrayed in the movie.
- The car chase scene was the only part of the movie that I was like okay lets wrap this up. The explosion part was pretty cool though but definitely didn't care for it.
- I feel like it was mentioned a couple times but I feel like the lack of Bruce Wayne should have been addressed more times. Bruce was not in this movie at all and while I think Pattinson did a good job portraying a broken Bruce, I think that needed to be fleshed out a little more.
- I feel like they needed to make Thomas Wayne really crooked. All these politicians were tied with the mob and their sleezy lounge. "Oh yea Bruce's dad accidently got a reporter killed". I feel like they should have leaned all in and made him fully involved with Falcone.
Really like the universe, will be very interested in the HBO spin off shows when they come out.
"So, uh, what are we saying here? If we save LA from a nuclear bomb, then you and I can get together for dinner and a movie?"
Hard to even compare this to TDK since that's a sequel and this is just getting going, but there's a lot that this did better imo. TDK is still my favorite but it has more and more problems and some really questionable and borderline dumb moments and lines and editing choices on rewatch. It's great obviously and will be the most iconic Batman movie for quite some time but it's not exactly untouchable. This was CERTAINLY better than Batman Begins for me, no question. I'm really excited to see what they'll do with a sequel now
I thought this was a near perfect Batman movie really. 9 outta 10, I loved it and was pretty entranced the whole time. Felt like there was very little that could've been cut. Except for like a thirty second stretch during the car chase that I kinda couldn't believe they left in since it was starting to feel like I was watching a gif on repeat. Still a great sequence tho, loved the upside down shot so much
Love RPatz, thought he did so well. My favorite Batman I think. I'm no comic nerd but it felt the most faithful. The way he lumbered through crime scenes like a freak. I think what I liked the most about this is that it feels like the first Batman movie where Batman himself actually stole the show, not one of his villains. The opening with him possibly lurking in shadows was great. I loved anytime he slowly emerged from one. Felt Rorschach esque at the start
The score was perfect, Giacchino killed it. I keep listening on repeat. Reeved also crushed it. Cinematography was great, etc
Though all three villains were well cast and equally interesting. Turtorro might've stole the show for me but I love Dano's Riddler and the obvious Zodiac inspiration. Disagree entirely with you Cart about wanting Batman to outsmart Riddler in the end, that just feels so paint by numbers and expected at this point. I loved that this basically ended in a massive loss, more or less. Kinda nice to see the villain actually be as smart as they're supposed to be and get the W, but Batman/the city still ultimately winning by persevering etc etc. Refreshing change of pace and makes me even more excited for a sequel that picks up with Gotham in that state. Speaking of which, gr8 Gotham. Better than Nolan's Gotham
Kravitz>Hathaway by a mile. Agreed with Dyl that I would've liked to see her more grey, but she still had her moments. I didn't mind the romance, felt more like some good ole fashioned sexual tension between the two than a cheesy tacked on romance plot
Way way way above the average superhero movie and better than anything in the MCU. Second favorite superhero movie of all time maybe?? I'm not usually so high on movies after just one watch but the superhero bar is p low and the tone of this was exactly what I usually look for. Looking forward to rewatching when I can
Hard to even compare this to TDK since that's a sequel and this is just getting going, but there's a lot that this did better imo. TDK is still my favorite but it has more and more problems and some really questionable and borderline dumb moments and lines and editing choices on rewatch. It's great obviously and will be the most iconic Batman movie for quite some time but it's not exactly untouchable. This was CERTAINLY better than Batman Begins for me, no question. I'm really excited to see what they'll do with a sequel now
I thought this was a near perfect Batman movie really. 9 outta 10, I loved it and was pretty entranced the whole time. Felt like there was very little that could've been cut. Except for like a thirty second stretch during the car chase that I kinda couldn't believe they left in since it was starting to feel like I was watching a gif on repeat. Still a great sequence tho, loved the upside down shot so much
Love RPatz, thought he did so well. My favorite Batman I think. I'm no comic nerd but it felt the most faithful. The way he lumbered through crime scenes like a freak. I think what I liked the most about this is that it feels like the first Batman movie where Batman himself actually stole the show, not one of his villains. The opening with him possibly lurking in shadows was great. I loved anytime he slowly emerged from one. Felt Rorschach esque at the start
The score was perfect, Giacchino killed it. I keep listening on repeat. Reeved also crushed it. Cinematography was great, etc
Though all three villains were well cast and equally interesting. Turtorro might've stole the show for me but I love Dano's Riddler and the obvious Zodiac inspiration. Disagree entirely with you Cart about wanting Batman to outsmart Riddler in the end, that just feels so paint by numbers and expected at this point. I loved that this basically ended in a massive loss, more or less. Kinda nice to see the villain actually be as smart as they're supposed to be and get the W, but Batman/the city still ultimately winning by persevering etc etc. Refreshing change of pace and makes me even more excited for a sequel that picks up with Gotham in that state. Speaking of which, gr8 Gotham. Better than Nolan's Gotham
Kravitz>Hathaway by a mile. Agreed with Dyl that I would've liked to see her more grey, but she still had her moments. I didn't mind the romance, felt more like some good ole fashioned sexual tension between the two than a cheesy tacked on romance plot
Way way way above the average superhero movie and better than anything in the MCU. Second favorite superhero movie of all time maybe?? I'm not usually so high on movies after just one watch but the superhero bar is p low and the tone of this was exactly what I usually look for. Looking forward to rewatching when I can
Spoiler
+
I actually got way more Se7en vibes from this but I can see the Zodiac connections too
And idk, if they were trying to set up Batman as more of a detective in this one it would've been nice if they actually gave him some Ws here and there. I get that he's still learning but most of this movie was just things getting explained at him by Riddler/Penguin/etc. The only instance I can remember of him actually doing 'good' detective work was the crime scene in the beginning which I thought was setting the tone for the rest but apparently not
Hard to even compare this to TDK since that's a sequel and this is just getting going, but there's a lot that this did better imo. TDK is still my favorite but it has more and more problems and some really questionable and borderline dumb moments and lines and editing choices on rewatch. It's great obviously and will be the most iconic Batman movie for quite some time but it's not exactly untouchable. This was CERTAINLY better than Batman Begins for me, no question. I'm really excited to see what they'll do with a sequel now
I thought this was a near perfect Batman movie really. 9 outta 10, I loved it and was pretty entranced the whole time. Felt like there was very little that could've been cut. Except for like a thirty second stretch during the car chase that I kinda couldn't believe they left in since it was starting to feel like I was watching a gif on repeat. Still a great sequence tho, loved the upside down shot so much
Love RPatz, thought he did so well. My favorite Batman I think. I'm no comic nerd but it felt the most faithful. The way he lumbered through crime scenes like a freak. I think what I liked the most about this is that it feels like the first Batman movie where Batman himself actually stole the show, not one of his villains. The opening with him possibly lurking in shadows was great. I loved anytime he slowly emerged from one. Felt Rorschach esque at the start
The score was perfect, Giacchino killed it. I keep listening on repeat. Reeved also crushed it. Cinematography was great, etc
Though all three villains were well cast and equally interesting. Turtorro might've stole the show for me but I love Dano's Riddler and the obvious Zodiac inspiration. Disagree entirely with you Cart about wanting Batman to outsmart Riddler in the end, that just feels so paint by numbers and expected at this point. I loved that this basically ended in a massive loss, more or less. Kinda nice to see the villain actually be as smart as they're supposed to be and get the W, but Batman/the city still ultimately winning by persevering etc etc. Refreshing change of pace and makes me even more excited for a sequel that picks up with Gotham in that state. Speaking of which, gr8 Gotham. Better than Nolan's Gotham
Kravitz>Hathaway by a mile. Agreed with Dyl that I would've liked to see her more grey, but she still had her moments. I didn't mind the romance, felt more like some good ole fashioned sexual tension between the two than a cheesy tacked on romance plot
Way way way above the average superhero movie and better than anything in the MCU. Second favorite superhero movie of all time maybe?? I'm not usually so high on movies after just one watch but the superhero bar is p low and the tone of this was exactly what I usually look for. Looking forward to rewatching when I can
Spoiler
+
I actually got way more Se7en vibes from this but I can see the Zodiac connections too
And idk, if they were trying to set up Batman as more of a detective in this one it would've been nice if they actually gave him some Ws here and there. I get that he's still learning but most of this movie was just things getting explained at him by Riddler/Penguin/etc. The only instance I can remember of him actually doing 'good' detective work was the crime scene in the beginning which I thought was setting the tone for the rest but apparently not
Spoiler
+
I thought he had plenty of small a ha moments when it came to putting the clues together. Finding that unseen blood stain in the opening murder, solving the lies still riddle, finding the envelope in the bat cage, figuring out the thumb drive, finding the car to get the thumb drive, figuring out the URL bit, telling the police the tool he found would match the murder weapon blood stain, ripping up the carpet and finding the grand plan and realizing the message was the password. The movie was full of em really. He even solved the final Riddler plan but was literally seconds too late
Hard to even compare this to TDK since that's a sequel and this is just getting going, but there's a lot that this did better imo. TDK is still my favorite but it has more and more problems and some really questionable and borderline dumb moments and lines and editing choices on rewatch. It's great obviously and will be the most iconic Batman movie for quite some time but it's not exactly untouchable. This was CERTAINLY better than Batman Begins for me, no question. I'm really excited to see what they'll do with a sequel now
I thought this was a near perfect Batman movie really. 9 outta 10, I loved it and was pretty entranced the whole time. Felt like there was very little that could've been cut. Except for like a thirty second stretch during the car chase that I kinda couldn't believe they left in since it was starting to feel like I was watching a gif on repeat. Still a great sequence tho, loved the upside down shot so much
Love RPatz, thought he did so well. My favorite Batman I think. I'm no comic nerd but it felt the most faithful. The way he lumbered through crime scenes like a freak. I think what I liked the most about this is that it feels like the first Batman movie where Batman himself actually stole the show, not one of his villains. The opening with him possibly lurking in shadows was great. I loved anytime he slowly emerged from one. Felt Rorschach esque at the start
The score was perfect, Giacchino killed it. I keep listening on repeat. Reeved also crushed it. Cinematography was great, etc
Though all three villains were well cast and equally interesting. Turtorro might've stole the show for me but I love Dano's Riddler and the obvious Zodiac inspiration. Disagree entirely with you Cart about wanting Batman to outsmart Riddler in the end, that just feels so paint by numbers and expected at this point. I loved that this basically ended in a massive loss, more or less. Kinda nice to see the villain actually be as smart as they're supposed to be and get the W, but Batman/the city still ultimately winning by persevering etc etc. Refreshing change of pace and makes me even more excited for a sequel that picks up with Gotham in that state. Speaking of which, gr8 Gotham. Better than Nolan's Gotham
Kravitz>Hathaway by a mile. Agreed with Dyl that I would've liked to see her more grey, but she still had her moments. I didn't mind the romance, felt more like some good ole fashioned sexual tension between the two than a cheesy tacked on romance plot
Way way way above the average superhero movie and better than anything in the MCU. Second favorite superhero movie of all time maybe?? I'm not usually so high on movies after just one watch but the superhero bar is p low and the tone of this was exactly what I usually look for. Looking forward to rewatching when I can
Spoiler
+
I actually got way more Se7en vibes from this but I can see the Zodiac connections too
And idk, if they were trying to set up Batman as more of a detective in this one it would've been nice if they actually gave him some Ws here and there. I get that he's still learning but most of this movie was just things getting explained at him by Riddler/Penguin/etc. The only instance I can remember of him actually doing 'good' detective work was the crime scene in the beginning which I thought was setting the tone for the rest but apparently not
Spoiler
+
I thought he had plenty of small a ha moments when it came to putting the clues together. Finding that unseen blood stain in the opening murder, solving the lies still riddle, finding the envelope in the bat cage, figuring out the thumb drive, finding the car to get the thumb drive, figuring out the URL bit, telling the police the tool he found would match the murder weapon blood stain, ripping up the carpet and finding the grand plan and realizing the message was the password. The movie was full of em really. He even solved the final Riddler plan but was literally seconds too late
Spoiler
+
ok fair (:
I guess I ultimately would've been more okay with it if I liked Riddler as a villain more. Like how Joker wins in a semi-similar way in TDK and obv can't complain about that
I do feel like I'll prob give it a rewatch at some point tho, all of my LBxd friends that have seen it so far have given it a 4.5/5 and I feel like I'm missing out!!
Patts and Kravitz were definitely the highlights. The villains...were mostly fine
I thought the first act was really enthralling and was super into it, but I felt like it kinda started to falter after that. The pacing definitely could've used some work
Would I see more from this universe? Yeah. Do I need to see more? Eh!
Spoiler
+
I do think Kravitz was good but man she's kinda wasted after the first half or so I think. The Bat & Cat romance feels super sudden and not that organic. I feel like if they would've honed in more on that this movie would've been much better for it cuz that at least had the strongest ELEMENTS. But there was too much else going on
Riddler was...unique. I didn't love it tbh, felt kinda just like a creepy Paul Dano performance turned up to 11. I think I would've much rather seen Jonah Hill take a crack at it
Also, would've liked to see Batman actually outsmart Riddler at all? In the beginning it felt like they were playing up the World's Greatest Detective moniker but Batman becomes p dumb after the first act. I really thought that's where it was building, that the Riddler would be constantly one step ahead until finally Batman cracks the case at the end and foils the final step of his grand plan
HATED the Joker appearance at the end. I mean obviously they were gonna go there again eventually but, c'mon. This is the 4th Joker in 14 years! And two of those were all-timer performances, and just based on the teaser this one seems very generic. Although with that said, that scene was awfully reminiscent of the way Telltale Batman introduces their Joker who I similarly hated at first, and later grew into a pretty great rendition once he got more of the spotlight. So perhaps this will end up the same way, perhaps. Still sick of these new Jokers tho
...POSITIVES:
Tuturro as Falcone was probably the best villain of them all tbh. RIP!
Noir atmosphere was good, liked the constant rain and night scenes
Pattinson was p believable as a weirdo loner billionaire kid. Would've liked to see him play more of the Bruce Wayne side of things
I kinda agree with Boc here. It started off so well but about 3/4 of the way through it felt like it dragged. Definitely better than most superhero movies out there today, but it's hard to top Dark Knight.
I will say it feels like a long story from the 90s animated series. Which in this case, is a good thing.
Deleted scene featuring that cameo, don't click if you care I suppose
Spoiler
+
What a nasty boi!
Keoghan looks to be a very good fit, I love his laugh at the end. Reeves apparently said he wants the angle to be that the Joker is a Hannibal Lecter/Ed Kemper type who advises while in Arkham. Fun path to follow if true, I would rather a different main villain. This and Ledger's and Joaquin's would all three feel different enough in terms of their roles. Performance wise..this obv feels close to Ledger but o well
I think Nolan wanted to use Joker in this same way in TDKR? I forget
I for one am glad they cut that scene (could've deleted the other one too) and think the rendition is really dull
Spoiler
+
I read an interview where Reeves said he's undecided if the Joker will even be featured in future movies and that the cameo wasn't meant as a MCU-style teaser and was only kept in to instill more of a reason for Bruce to stay in Gotham at the end cuz his job's only just begun etc
I hope he sticks to that! Give some others in the rogues gallery a chance ffs. But realistically, when that character can make a BILLION dollars with an R-rated standalone movie, there's no way the studio's not gonna be breathing down his neck to shoehorn him into future movie(s)
