Spoilers The Batman (2022) - Review and Discussion Thread

[KennyB]

I loved the lower tech of the batmobile and batcave......plus the fact he was still learning to use things like his squirrel suit so his landings were less than graceful. Great detective story, that just happened to star Batman. Could have been 15-20 minutes shorter and I did HATE Bruce Waynes VERY 1980's hair. Long, over the ears......just not a good look. Other than that loved it.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Batman - REVIEW

This is a film that did not build or leave the impression that it had a reason to be--meaning if you're going to produce a good superhero film, at its heart has to be something so compelling that its worth telling, and it--being based on a comic book character--captures the personality and drive of the character from the source. The Batman did not achieve that. Its just "there" and to those who felt Robert Pattinson was not a good choice for the part--they were correct. Patt-Man (or writers Craig and Reeves) presented a Wayne who lacked basic spirit or any hint of the motivation of one who would dare to take on so dangerous a job. Patt-Man was often odd, slouching and not delivering a Wayne or Batman one would want to follow through this story. They did not know the character.

Some viewers have claimed that the film tried too hard to be a crime thriller and as a result, took Batman "away" from his essential type of storytelling. This is an absurd claim as Batman--to anyone who read the main titles from the start--knew his stories often merges with crime thrillers, horror, gothic mystery, era-specific cop dramas, etc. If The Batman is off of the track, it is not for its choice of genre as a story framework, but its handling of the character--two different issues.

Speaking of characters, Kravitz's Catwoman..ehh. Not much to make her standout as her printed counterpart had been over the decades. There was nothing particularly unique or fascinating about her characterization.

At the end of it all, The Batman felt like one of the lesser alternate universe comic stories, where it--to bring it back to an earlier point--was just "there" and nothing more. On the Batman/Wayne actor ranking, Bale and Affleck so perfectly captured Wayne/Batman at their respective stages/ages of the character's career, with their scripts knowing how to apply the best of what made the comic source a fantastic creation. On the other hand, Pattinson's standing in the role is quite low, somewhere on the level of Clooney and Robert Lowery, and that--obviously--is not good.

Thankfully, there's no stated intention to merge this film's world with the main DCEU.

GRADE: C, and that's for the cinematography more than anything else.

 

[STEPhon IT]

The Batman - REVIEW

This is a film that did not build or leave the impression that it had a reason to be--meaning if you're going to produce a good superhero film, at its heart has to be something so compelling that its worth telling, and it--being based on a comic book character--captures the personality and drive of the character from the source. The Batman did not achieve that. Its just "there" and to those who felt Robert Pattinson was not a good choice for the part--they were correct. Patt-Man (or writers Craig and Reeves) presented a Wayne who lacked basic spirit or any hint of the motivation of one who would dare to take on so dangerous a job. Patt-Man was often odd, slouching and not delivering a Wayne or Batman one would want to follow through this story. They did not know the character.

Some viewers have claimed that the film tried too hard to be a crime thriller and as a result, took Batman "away" from his essential type of storytelling. This is an absurd claim as Batman--to anyone who read the main titles from the start--knew his stories often merges with crime thrillers, horror, gothic mystery, era-specific cop dramas, etc. If The Batman is off of the track, it is not for its choice of genre as a story framework, but its handling of the character--two different issues.

Speaking of characters, Kravitz's Catwoman..ehh. Not much to make her standout as her printed counterpart had been over the decades. There was nothing particularly unique or fascinating about her characterization.

At the end of it all, The Batman felt like one of the lesser alternate universe comic stories, where it--to bring it back to an earlier point--was just "there" and nothing more. On the Batman/Wayne actor ranking, Bale and Affleck so perfectly captured Wayne/Batman at their respective stages/ages of the character's career, with their scripts knowing how to apply the best of what made the comic source a fantastic creation. On the other hand, Pattinson's standing in the role is quite low, somewhere on the level of Clooney and Robert Lowery, and that--obviously--is not good.

Thankfully, there's no stated intention to merge this film's world with the main DCEU.

GRADE: C, and that's for the cinematography more than anything else.

These adaptations of Batman is nothing like the intrigue I got reading and looking at the wonderful visuals by Dick Sprang. Even Adam West portrayed a character who loved what he did and there was a passion to solving mysteries, but with Hollywood its all about the EMO, gloom, crud, and lifelessness of the world. Nothing uplifting just dread and darkness, sadness, and more darkness. This crap been going on since Tim Burton, someone has to have some sense of imagination to have a different take on the mythos of Batman?

 

[JD]

I actually thought the end was pretty uplifting, in a way, since we saw him stop doing what he did just for himself, and actually start to help people.

The one big question I have is why they didn't go with the obvious reveal that

Spoiler

Riddler was the son of the murdered Journalist, this is why he ended up in a crappy orphanage and why he became so obsessed with "Uncovering the truth" and vengeance on the people who put him in that situation

I mean really, it would've tied things together rather nicely.

Since the reporter's last name was Elliot, they probably wanted to save anything to do with him having a son for if/when they decide to do Hush. For a second there, when they first said his name, I thought maybe they were going do a Hush/Riddler mashup, and were going have him be Tommy Elliot instead of Edward Nashton.

There is a character named Selina Kyle who we are all supposed to recognize as Catwoman. Other than the fact that she is a hot girl who wears a lot of leather and is really good at kicking people for some reason what connection does she have to Catwoman though? How does her backstory relate to the character we know as Catwoman?

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the whole thing with her being Falcone's daughter comes from some of the more recent.

Or a fat mobster who just happens to have the nickname "The Penguin"?

I'm not sure about his comics backstory, but the whole arc of him being a lower level member of one of the city's mobs, who takes over after his boss is taken out of the picture is pretty close to how they handled him in Gotham.

 

[thribs]

The message of this movie was weird. When he realises he should also be seen as a symbol of hope to Gotham and come out of the darkness. That’s Superman’s thing.
If anything the message should have been that he needs to do more as Bruce Wayne. I thought that what it was leading to with the mayor during the funeral.

 

[KennyB]

I guessing not not many of you have read The Long Halloween or Year One a LOT of the visuals and origin story of Selina Kyle come straight out of those two comic series. Even her look is right out of Year One.

 

[ichab]

I guessing not not many of you have read The Long Halloween or Year One a LOT of the visuals and origin story of Selina Kyle come straight out of those two comic series. Even her look is right out of Year One.

View attachment 26653

Yep. Both are available to watch on HBO MAX because at this point most of the Batman stories have been made into animated features. I highly recommend them both.

I thought the movie told enough about Selina that I knew what her motivations were and why she was doing what she was doing. There wasn't a need to waste more screen time on it as this is not a Selena Kyle story, it's a Batman story. And we've seen Bruce's parents killed how many times in the movies? One of my biggest gripes with Amazing Spiderman is they wasted so much time retelling an origin story that everyone by that point new. I already know why Bruce Wayne does what he does. We've seen that story already. It was called Batman Begins. It's still my favorite Batman movie, but I'm not paying to watch it again.

 

[KennyB]

Yep. Both are available to watch on HBO MAX because at this point most of the Batman stories have been made into animated features. I highly recommend them both.

I thought the movie told enough about Selina that I knew what her motivations were and why she was doing what she was doing. There wasn't a need to waste more screen time on it as this is not a Selena Kyle story, it's a Batman story. And we've seen Bruce's parents killed how many times in the movies? One of my biggest gripes with Amazing Spiderman is they wasted so much time retelling an origin story that everyone by that point new. I already know why Bruce Wayne does what he does. We've seen that story already. It was called Batman Begins. It's still my favorite Batman movie, but I'm not paying to watch it again.

Agreed.......there's only so many times I wanna see the stand of pearls break in the alleyway.

 

[thribs]

I got more a Batman Earth One from it.

 

[Skipper]

Agreed.......there's only so many times I wanna see the stand of pearls break in the alleyway.

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine (an absolutely intelligent and cultured person) who was vaguely interested in seeing this movie as there was so much talk about it. Well, she had no idea who Batman was (except vaguely that he was one who dresses up as a bat) or that the Joker was one of her enemies. I didn't know whether to give her a quick recap of Batman History because I was afraid of appearing g too nerdy.

 

[KennyB]

Well, she had no idea who Batman was (except vaguely that he was one who dresses up as a bat)

That is impressive......are you sure she's not an alien? My wife is horrid at pop culture and she even knows those two.

 

[Skipper]

That is impressive......are you sure she's not an alien? My wife is horrid at pop culture and she even knows those two.

These people exists. And when I mentioned Spider-Man ... well, she was a bat-expert by comparison . However, consider that we are in Italy so perhaps the penetration of a certain type of popular culture is not as deep as in the USA.

 

[Starkers]

I think that Poison Ivy's ability to talk with plants and to emit pheromones in Batman and Robin could be considered "paranormal" :-)

Also Clooney namechecks Superman in B&R, and as for the paranormal it's strongly implied in Batman Returns that Selina dies in that fall and is resurrected by the cats. (I appreciate it can be read that she's just really lucky instead)

 

[KennyB]

These people exists. And when I mentioned Spider-Man ... well, she was a bat-expert by comparison . However, consider that we are in Italy so perhaps the penetration of a certain type of popular culture is not as deep as in the USA.

I used to live in Friuli up north. Miss Italia.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Also Clooney namechecks Superman in B&R, and as for the paranormal it's strongly implied in Batman Returns that Selina dies in that fall and is resurrected by the cats. (I appreciate it can be read that she's just really lucky instead)

I've always read that scene as resurrected by cats...because, come on! That's fantastic!*

*Says the cat person.

 

[Admiral Archer]

A+

Best DC Comics movie since Superman 1978, and the best Batman movie ever.

I do have to wonder, at the end when he gets shot and is lying there and it looks like he might die, Batman injects something into himself and goes berserk, instantly rejuvenated and kicking the crap out of one of the Riddler thugs, until Selina and Gordon intervene. I was wondering, did he just inject himself with Venom!? Is this a Bane reference??? What was going on there?

 

[thribs]

It was just adrenaline. It was nothing exciting

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, I just figured it was adrenaline.

 

[Ovation]

The greenish hue of the liquid seems to have spawned the "Venom" and "Bane" speculation, but there's nothing in the entire movie that suggests any such connection.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Filmmakers always prefer the vigilante route because it allows a grittier, more realistic film. That's the problem though, Batman is becoming increasingly divorced from anything that spawned it.

It was spawned by the pulps, the Shadow, the Green Hornet and maybe a touch of the Phantom. A lot of grit in there.

I realize that with the exception of the DCEU, Batman has always taken place in a world where there are no paranormal abilities.

In the movies or the comics? I think we've seen "paranormal" in both. Freeze rays. Mutant man/penguins. Plant ladies..

There is a character named Selina Kyle who we are all supposed to recognize as Catwoman. Other than the fact that she is a hot girl who wears a lot of leather and is really good at kicking people for some reason what connection does she have to Catwoman though? How

She likes cats. She's a thief. Likes masks with pointy ears. Sounds like Catwoman to me. The version seems to owe a lot to Miller's Year One.

Or a fat mobster who just happens to have the nickname "The Penguin"?

He's been a mobster in the comics for a while now. Here's an article discussing Penguin's "mob ties".
When Did The Penguin First Become a Mob Boss?