The Batman

Detective Batman at its peak! Great storyline. Just as dark a universe as we've come to expect from DC. The gloomy, gritty, dark tone of this film is exactly what I wanted. When you think the movie is over, there's more. Beautiful cinematography. Great score.

Yet another iteration of Batman. One that, intriguingly, hasn't quite decided what Gotham needs him to be.

This makes for a story where the titular character feels less central and more like a piece within a larger game of corruption/crime. While that might sound disappointing at first, it's actually a fresh enough shift that allows the movie to focus on building a playground-world around him (if a Trilogy really is coming). With greater attention on Gotham's criminal families, Catwoman and a uniquely-twisted Riddler feel quite relevant to this version.. even if it is basically creating its own canon from the get-go. Some may appreciate the new coat of paint, some won't.

While I enjoyed Batman being forced to do detective work through a more prepared opponent that misread him, he doesn't seem particularly smart (aside from being observant). It also feels longer than it needs to be, with pacing issues that dull some of the impact! Not to mention the lack of excitement and memorable "eye-candy"! The script feels too grounded and basic. There not much to be excited about on repeat watching. No toys, cool tricks or scenes.. just efficiency.

Subjectively, I find the casting of certain important characters (especially the lead) to be disappointing! Some strange changes (Thomas) that move this into a direction I wouldn't have taken, or an "unnecessary" scene at the end that disrupts the flow, that feels like rethreading what Nolan did.

As a start, this film is a competent entry.

But, is it good because of its approach to adapting the franchise.. or because of so many previous disappointments!? Moving forward, I would prefer if they give it a couple of years between this and future stories to have more impactful moments. I may seem negative, but I quite liked it! It is not perfect.. and I've seen too much Batman over the years (games and all), and I know what it could be.

Ideally, DC could produce multiple Batman narratives in parallel, each with distinct creative voices. If they can't build a "Cinematic Universe," they could at least support many strong standalone stories. If nothing else, fans could take all the best pieces of each attempt to create a Frankenstein-patchwork of memorable Batman moments. At this point, I guess that's the best we are going to get..

The headline can be taken two ways. If you remove any hype or expectations, saying it's a good movie is positive. But if you are hoping for an amazing new Batman iteration, good means it wasn't great, let alone amazing.

This review will come off as negative but I did enjoy it. I love the tone. It's super dark and grounded in reality, even more than the Nolan trilogy. And it feels true to the character. Zoe Kravitz and Jeffrey Wright are great casting choices. It's a mostly well-made film and a good addition to the franchise. And the Bat suit looks awesome.

At the same time, nothing about this movie wowed me. I did not connect with the characters, especially the villain. The relationships seem undeveloped and not organic. I was not nearly as emotionally invested in the story as I should have been. It mostly feels surface level.

If you're a huge Batman fan, I think you will really enjoy it. But as a movie, I don't think it fires on all cylinders. The Nolan trilogy still reigns supreme. (1 viewing, fan early screening 3/2/2022)

3 hours hero movie... It might be quite an adventure for those who expect action-packed movies like Avengers or The dark knight.

The batman is not an action movie. It's a noir detective film.. Just enjoy the dark, moisty mood this movie has.

If you enjoyed movies like Zodiac, Se7en i'm sure you'll love it Go to the theatre immediately.

I was so hyped about The batman when it came out and i started watching it, the beginning part was amazing but then the movie had no lights so i had no clue what was going on, the pacing was way too slow and it was a 3 hour movie, and most of the movie Batman was at the club so we didnt really see his bruce wayne side and Bruce looked like an emo.