Part 2 of my review.
I really liked this being Year 2 - he's got a rep, he's got some experience, but he's still new at this. I liked it actually being a detective story. I liked Gotham being dirty, dingy, and corrupt (and having a Times Square!). I liked that they brought in the Falcone-Maroni rivalry.
I liked that I could tell that Gordon trusts Bats more than half (or more) of his fellow cops, so he breaks the rules for Batman. Martinez was a good example of how to use a minor character to show changes in attitudes over the course of the film. I disagree with those who said Gordon did little - without him, Batman wouldn't have had access to the crime scenes or evidence.
Turturro did a terrific job as the seemingly-sensible crime boss who's actually a psycho. I think he scared me more than the Riddler!
I appreciated that someone (Reeves?) really thought about Bruce's psychology. I very much bought that PTSD made him both a recluse and focused on vengeance. I also appreciated a Batman who looks more like a swimmer than a weightlifter, perhaps because I grew up with Aparo, Adams, and Giordano.
Can I squeal over the car? I think I actually did in the theater!
Then there's Catwoman. Wow. Someone commented on IMDB that "Selina Kyle uses the pet names 'honey' and 'baby' throughout the movie. When she doesn't trust people, Selina uses 'honey', but she doesn't mean anything by that name. She is using 'baby' when she trusts people and deeply cares about them." I hadn't caught that one, but little touches like that and the claw nails and boots-with-heels as Selina and sensible motorcycle boots as Catwoman and... yeah. Zoe blew me away.
I really liked the Bat and Cat relationship here too (I could almost feel Tom King gloating!). They don't know each other at the start but have mutual interests. He's attracted instantly to her, but she merely finds him useful. When she kissed him... I wondered if he'd ever been kissed and realized he had not. They gradually learn to like and trust each other, but they both know they aren't ready for more. Great chemistry between Pattinson & Kravitz too - apparently they've been friends for years.
I had no problem with the 3rd act. Cascading (pun intended) "oh shit" moments worked well for ratcheting up my tension.
I LOVED the character growth as Bruce realized that fear isn't enough. I look forward to seeing him (re)boot the Wayne Foundation in future films, as well as learning how to balance the 2 sides of The Batman.
Neither my hubby nor I found any real plot holes. I was glued to my seat for the whole runtime too.
ETA: This may be the first film score I buy since the 1989 Batman.
I can't wait to see it again on HBO Max this weekend!
