Have you seen The Batman with Robert Pattinson? What did you think? Here's the place for discussion, with spoilers ahead!
I didn't expect to like this. I honestly wasn't even sure I'd go see it. But I'd been hearing good things about it, and they were largely borne out. It might not be the Batman I wanted to see, but it's a good Batman... and he actually has a character arc, which is kind of rare for a Batman movie.
Anyway, if anyone else has seen this, I'd be happy to talk some spoilers below. There's a lot of good stuff in this one, and some of it is even (gasp!) fun!
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OK, here are some thoughts:
I wasn't expecting to like this movie, as the previews suggested it was presenting a type of Batman that I've grown tired of: humorless, vengeance-driven, and pitted against a sadistic lunatic. And, well...it IS all these things, but I liked it anyway. For one, it really examines the use of vengeance as a motivating force, and Batman comes out of the experience changed. So in a sense it's saying, "Here's the Batman you don't like...and we're agreeing he's inadequate."
Also, it emphasizes Batman's detective skills. This is more of a mystery than most other Batman films, and I really appreciate it. And even as grotesque as the Riddler gets, his riddles -- especially the first one -- were clever and interesting. (The multiple layers to the first one did a really good job of getting me on the movie's side.)
It holds off on the Batmobile, and keeps it in the dark. When it arrives, it's a great moment.
There's some interesting nods to Batman history. There's a wink at the HUSH storyline...and also twin bouncers at the Iceberg Lounge that, to my mind, are Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
I liked all the performances; Pattinson and Dano are the standouts, but Zoe Kravitz is an excellent year-one style Catwoman, and I wish Jeffrey Wright had more to do as Gordon. John Turturro is great as Carmine Falcone.
But my favorite moment involves Colin Farrell's Penguin. At one point he's apprehended, put in handcuffs and leg cuffs to keep him from running. And then Batman and Jim Gordon abandon him, and there's this great long shot of him chasing after them so they won't leave him there. And because of the restraints, he's doing a little penguin waddle. It's great.
I saw it a couple of days ago, and just finished reading all of the observations from Den of Geek, etc. The length of the movie helps to give us more time to explore the characters. The casting was uniformly great, and Bruce's change of heart at the end was welcome. A sequel seems to be assured. Suggestions for the next villain(s) were made. I think the Joker should stay in the background. .
I noticed the waddle too, Rob! And it made me laugh!
My wife and I watched it Saturday night on HBO Max, as we still aren't going to theaters. And we really enjoyed it.
This is a pretty grounded Batman, who doesn't swing around on a rope all the time (although he does use the grapple/winch thingie to yank himself out of trouble). At last we have a Riddler who isn't a joke, and can overwrite Jim Carrey's appalling version in my brain. Selina Kyle is essentially a co-star, which works surprisingly well, without violating her character. (That's good writing.)
Oh, and I really appreciated this Batman's narrative arc, where he learns that being "vengeance" is kinda psycho -- hey, the villains love saying it, too! -- and maybe being a symbol of hope is a better way to help his city than being a terrifying hobgoblin. Batman and Riddler were clearly supposed to be narrative twins -- think of all the times someone was surveilling or sneaking around, and it was impossible to tell which character it was -- but one of them ended up in Arkham and the other ended up being Hero of the City by rescuing people all night. Surprising uplifting, despite being super-dark.
I was a little moved when the woman on the stretcher reached up for Batman's arm, needing his reassurance. That completed his arc from someone who inspired fear to someone who inspired hope. I thought "Frank Miller's Batman just grew up."
All the performances were good, although, as has been said, Jeffrey Wright didn't have enough to do. And I just want to mention that John Turturro, while so artfully good here, is also currently in Severance, where he is as good or better, with an entirely different character.
Rob said: "I wasn't expecting to like this movie, as the previews suggested it was presenting a type of Batman that I've grown tired of: humorless, vengeance-driven, and pitted against a sadistic lunatic. And, well...it IS all these things, but I liked it anyway."
Spot on, and really, that says it all.