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Spoilers The Batman (2022) - Review and Discussion Thread

Your Rating?

  • A*

    Votes: 9 13.6%
  • A

    Votes: 18 27.3%
  • A-

    Votes: 9 13.6%
  • B+

    Votes: 12 18.2%
  • B

    Votes: 7 10.6%
  • B-

    Votes: 2 3.0%
  • C+

    Votes: 5 7.6%
  • C

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • C-

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • F

    Votes: 3 4.5%

  • Total voters
    66
C-

The movie was very, very, VERY long, and I wish the director would've allowed Batman to figure the mystery out on his own without a character or characters giving him the answers to every plot point when he was so so so close to figuring it out himself. And really, did the movie have to share the same beats of SE7EN to a T; it went so far to mimicking the "John Doe" apartment scene where the Police documented and read the personal journals from the mind of the villain. At least the big reveal didn't have Martha Wayne's head under the wooden floor of the villain's apartment.

The Oswald character was a montage of Robert De Niro's best mafia characters combine, not even REMOTELY the character of the Penguin. A real joke of a character and was treated like one, probably the only comic relief of the movie.

Not a fan of the Batsuit, I wish the outfit appeared more like the comic book, I didn't like Zack Snyder's run of movies but I did appreciate how faithful his Batsuit was to any incarnation I'd seen with the honorable exception to Adam West. Strangely, the movie could blend with the Joaquin Phoenix' Joker film, with some tweaking it could be in the same universe, the character would obviously be a lot older because of the time differences. Yes, I know the actors were different, but the best way I can say it was the Joker was an unreliable narrator; his point of view was off from the moment I was introduced to him in the film.
 
A- from me. Very, very good in regards to story, casting, cinematography, action and soundtrack. The movie did feel a bit long however. Other than pacing, my only other complaint would be Pattinson’s physicality. He really could have used an extra 15-20 lbs of muscle. Overall its one of my favorite Batman movies and I’m really hoping it gets a sequel.
 
What was Alfred doing in opening up someone else’s mail? I hate when my family members open up mine. :)
 
Was going to wait to catch it on streaming, but a friend paid for my ticket so why not?

I give it a solid B. It was a refreshing change of pace, very much like watching seven in the Batman universe. I'm so glad that it starts in year two and we weren't forced to watch another version of his parents being killed. The director was wise enough to realize that we know the origin story and don't need to see it again just because there's a new actor playing the role. Everyone gave strong performances, with catwoman being the true standout. I know a lot of fans who are use to the more traditional look of Batman won't like the more hand me down batsuit, but it makes sense. It truly looks like something a guy would throw together and not something that looks like it was created by an assembly line. The movie could have used a little trimming, but it wasn't like I was checking my watch. The story had me glued to my seat the whole time.

I do have to question WB's insistence that the penguin can't smoke when we saw Joquein Phoenix smoking like crazy in Joker. Cigars and cigarette holders are defining feature of the character. And after listening to the wonderful soundtrack at home I have to ask, where was it? While I do prefer to keep dialog above music, there weren't many moments where the music had a chance to shine. The film could have used at least one moment of a "pick me up" number, something that gets the blood pumping when Batman pops in to kick butt. Both Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer had moments like that in their scores, but this one didn't have any.

And why oh why are parents bringing their children to see this? It's clearly marked with a PG-13 rating and being compared to movies like seven and the zodiac killer. It's rated PG-13 for “strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language and some suggestive material.” Those are not movies which will interest many 7 year olds. There was one guy next to me who brought his two children and all they did was squirm around and constantly talk. They were clearly bored and had no business being brought to this type of movie. They need to stick with Shazaam or Marvel until they get a little older.

All in all, a good start to a new run of flicks. I put it fourth behind Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Batman 89.
 
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Saw it this morning, and I loved it. This is pretty much my favorite Batman movie. It really a superhero movie, it was more of a serial killer, murder mystery movie, and that was a really nice change of pace after the other movies.
Batman actually wasn't quite as brutal as the trailers made it look, he really wasn't that far off from other versions like the Dark Knight trilogy version.
The story was pretty good with some nice twists and turns, and some stuff that really surprised me.
The whole cast was phenomenal.
I was surprised how big of a role Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman played, they almost could have marketed this as a Batman/Catwoman movie.
The actions were really good to, they kept them pretty grounded and believable.
Gets an easy A+ from me.
 
The biggest difference in this version than the others is how socially awkward Bruce Wayne is. You can tell he hasn’t been around many people in his life. Prefers to be by himself and gets uncomfortable around other people who aren’t Alfred.
He desperately needs a friend. Where’s Clark when you need him? :)
 
Yeah, that was pretty different, but it looks like that might be starting to change at the end thanks to Selina and Gordon.
 
Was going to wait to catch it on streaming, but a friend paid for my ticket so why not?

I give it a solid B. It was a refreshing change of pace, very much like watching seven in the Batman universe. I'm so glad that it starts in year two and we weren't forced to watch another version of his parents being killed. The director was wise enough to realize that we know the origin story and don't need to see it again just because there's a new actor playing the role. Everyone gave strong performances, with catwoman being the true standout. I know a lot of fans who are use to the more traditional look of Batman won't like the more hand me down batsuit, but it makes sense. It truly looks like something a guy would throw together and not something that looks like it was created by an assembly line. The movie could have used a little trimming, but it wasn't like I was checking my watch. The story had me glued to my seat the whole time.

I do have to question WB's insistence that the penguin can't smoke when we saw Joquein Phoenix smoking like crazy in Joker. Cigars and cigarette holders are defining feature of the character. And after listening to the wonderful soundtrack at home I have to ask, where was it? While I do prefer to keep dialog above music, there weren't many moments where the music had a chance to shine. The film could have used at least one moment of a "pick me up" number, something that gets the blood pumping when Batman pops in to kick butt. Both Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer had moments like that in their scores, but this one didn't have any.

And why oh why are parents bringing their children to see this? It's clearly marked with a PG-13 rating and being compared to movies like seven and the zodiac killer. It's rated PG-13 for “strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language and some suggestive material.” Those are not movies which will interest many 7 year olds. There was one guy next to me who brought his two children and all they did was squirm around and constantly talk. They were clearly bored and had no business being brought to this type of movie. They need to stick with Shazaam or Marvel until they get a little older.

All in all, a good start to a new run of flicks. I put it fourth behind Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Batman 89.
Same at my viewing. I couldn't believe how many kids were in attendance. That would of been far too intense for my 6 year old.
 
The one big question I have is why they didn't go with the obvious reveal that
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.
 
My wife and I saw it last night. She really enjoyed it. Me? Not so much. I guess I think that after Joker and the Batman filmmakers have really lost the plot with the whole Batman concept. It comes down to whether you think Batman works best as a vigilante or a superhero. 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. Filmmakers simply want to make an urban dystopia film, and as long as you have a brooding, mumbling guy in a weird suit surrounded by depression and corruption you have your Batman movie. I still think there is something to be said for the Superhero concept. I realize that with the exception of the DCEU, Batman has always taken place in a world where there are no paranormal abilities. You don't need people flying through the air, but I do think you need a world that is off kilter enough where it allows the traditional Batman mythos to be incorporated though.

That is one of the big problems I see with this film in that it allows the filmmaker the luxury of borrowing freely from the Batman mythos without really drawing any connection to it at the same time.The characterization in this movie is a perfect example of that. 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? Or a fat mobster who just happens to have the nickname "The Penguin"? Most of all I got the strong sense that there was a character names "Batman" in the movie, but none that there was character named "Bruce Wayne", and you are not going to be able to understand Batman without understanding Bruce Wayne. Filmmakers are starting to take that for granted though that we all know the story so I don't have to tell it again, but you do if the story you are going to tell bears little relation to the original.
 
I went into The Batman with reservations, perhaps deep reservations, due to the brutal nature depicted in the trailers. I had faith in Matt Reeves would direct an excellent film and achieve the goals that he wanted, but the question remained whether it would be a film that would appeal to me.

While the brutality is present throughout the film, to the level that I'm not comfortable with coming from Batman himself (even if there is comic precedence), Reeves accomplished something that even the Nolan films did not: Presented Batman as a detective foremost and a fighting vigilante second (even if a brutal one).

Even if with the contrived conveniences that would make the Ledger Joker proud, the film unraveled a fascinating mystery that sent not just Batman down a rabbit hole, but also Jim Gordon, in a true partnership that has never been depicted on screen before (maybe in the animated world but not in the cinematic).

This film also achieved something that the Nolan films never quite managed: This Gotham felt corrupt, felt dirty, felt impossible to save. The viewers saw how deeply broken the system had become, how hope had disappeared, instead of simply being told that was the case.

I'm hard pressed not make the obvious comparison that this film is a cross between The Dark Knight and Se7en, both thematically and visually, but I think that it may have managed to surpass that initial set-up. I can't say for certain if it did until I watch it again and see how well the mystery and themes hold up on their own.
 
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