Here's the strange thing: While The Batman is clearly a great movie, it's still not my favorite Batman movie. Of course, The Caped Crusader has been getting darker and darker every time he's appeared on screen since the 60s version. That's not surprising--especially with DC Comics movies, which for the most part still haven't figured out that dash of humor thing.
I like my Batman about halfway between the camp of the TV show and the relentless pain and drama of the most recent movies: My favorite was the 1989 version. It's probably no coincidence that the first Michael Keaton Batman movie also gave us my favorite Joker, in Jack Nicholson. But that's all a matter of taste, of course.
In this version Batman is just two years into his crime fighting career, and already questioning whether he's doing any good in a crime-ridden Gotham City. Most of the police hate him (with the exception of Detective Jim Gordon, well played by Jeffrey Wright). His seemingly only employee, Alfred, warns of the Wayne fortune's impending collapse, and now a serial killer is sending the Batman notes with strange riddles along with the bodies.
One of Batman's nicknames is "The World's Greatest Detective", a part of his persona often ignored in screen versions. But this movie is more a detective story (and psychological thriller) than a superhero flick, and we get to see Batman using his powers of observation and detective skills as much as his fighting abilities and cool devices. He allies with Gordon and the enigmatic Selena Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) to find answers he might end up not wanting to know.
It slows the movie down compared to most superhero moves. In fact, Batman often resembles more of a mix of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes, as he follows clues and questions suspects.
I'm not a fan of making superhero movies more "realistic" ... they're superhero movies. In particular I'd like the villains to be at least a little bit more like the originals, although you can't fault the casting (including Colin Farrell, John Turturro, and Paul Dano.) Many were surprised at how good Robert Pattinson is as Batman, but not me--I remember the same criticism of comedy actor Michael Keaton, who's still one of my favorites to play the role. As Bruce Wayne, not so much--Pattinson plays him as a single minded and perpetually downbeat mess--although, to be fair, that's exactly what the character would be like at this point in his life.
So there it is: I found The Batman too bleak and grounded for my taste, and yet it's a brilliant film, evidence that "comic book movies" have grown up. I hear there might be a TV series spinoff from this movie, and yes: I'd watch it.
Make sure you wear an adult diaper, though--a lot gets packed into a bladder-filling three hours.
My Score:
Entertainment value: 3 1/2 M&Ms out of four. From the fights and chases to the characters and Gotham City itself, it's a treat--although it's dark both figuratively and literally.
Oscar Potential: 3 M&Ms. It should be four out of four--The Batman is full of Oscar level work.
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I don't know, this Marvel and DC stuff is getting over stretched. I have given up on it some time ago. I get it that they want to keep the money making machine running, but that usually not how great film are made. Where is the innovation, the surprise element? It's like saying to da Vinci: "We give you loads of money if you paint a Mona Lisa every 6 weeks." That will give you a lot of potraits of women, but no really special masterpiece.
I rather look out for the unusual stuff, like the series "Upload" that I just posted about.
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Marvel and DC both are going downhill. The newest comics are Woke SJW nonsense. Both are now owned by the studios so Marcel is owned by Disney now. The comic sales are horrible since this change and only continuing because they can loose money on comic end with movies making money. But finally marvel movies lost money last year except for the newest SpiderMan which made bank. The Eternals for example didn’t make its budget back and will hardly break even. DC is making everybody different and killing Superman and Batman comics. I Read the comments below also so might. E commenting on some u said below also.
The new Batman wasn’t horrible at all but I wasn’t loving it either. DC comics is confusing the “normie/CausualFans” by doing 3 different Batman’s in a few year period. They are just trying to go so many different directions but the movie was ok. But there desperately copying marvels one success last year and shoehorning in an older Michael Keaton just to try snd get same effect for more $$$. The studios screwed the comic book scene and now that both age owned by the studios marvel especially the stories are woke nonsense now. It’s a bummer
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Well, I have never been a true "fan" of any comic, really. Also because I found them to be far too expensive.
I think in essence its the success that is killing the whole comic thing. Comics are a underground, niche product by nature. Thats how they started, and thats when they were at its best. They started off as a new art form, made by artists who wanted to create something different, a new way of story telling bach in the 30s and 40s. And they had a pretty hard time at first. But it slowly grew and got bigger and bigger, and it was still ok as long as the old artists and the old spirit was driving the production. Up until the 80s or so.
But then it began to smell like big money, so the big investors got interested in the business. The ones, who invest in whatever they think promises profit, without having a clue what the products really are, and they don't give a fuck.
That almost killed the printed comic books, because they just did the same back then what they are doing today with the movies - making more and more of them, to make more and more money. Quantity over quality. But it doesn't work like that on the long run. However they don't care, if the ship is sinking they leave and invest in toilet paper or anti tank missiles or chewing gum, whatever is profitable at the time.
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Most of the superhero stuff coming out is still of pretty high quality, and they've been innovating in ways that sometimes even surprises hardcore comic book fans. I think the problem is that many people see a silly costume, and just assume that all the silly costume movies are the same. I can understand that: I don't like to watch crime movies because they all seem the same to me, but I'm sure there's plenty of variety within those movies.
I ran into this same problem with some people when I mentioned "The Walking Dead". "Oh, it's just another dumb show about zombies." Um, no, it's not--it's about people, and how they deal with a world coming apart. But to someone who's not a fan of horror shows, of course they would seem all the same.
In the end I figure people should go to whatever entertainment makes them happy. Except reality TV. The Kardashians are evil.
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Well, I guess you have a good point there. Its not that the superhero movies are poorly made - I mean, they don't have to struggle with low budgets at least. I did watch one or the other, more by coincidence, and they are entertaining in a way. Its just the innovative story thats usually missing. But this is not the only genre that is struggling with this problem, of course.
I think its more the producers fault, who basically want a new story - but nothing really different to what made them good money previously.
The Kardashians... are they still in business? Are they not slowly getting too old? Or else been booted out for other reasons? Usually that happens after a while. Do you remember the show OCC - Orange County Choppers? The Teutuls with their motorcycle workshop? They have totally fallen apart, as I saw in a video the other day. The old man tries to pretend to be a star still, but that doesn't really work. His older son is not speaking to him anymore, and the younger son went bust with his art gallery and is on the booze now. Thats showbizz I guess...
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Speaking as an author with my own stories, I do wish people would embrace original stories more, myself! Although I'm toying with an idea for my own superhero story, something ... different.
Yeah, the Kardashians are still around, and I still hate that particular reality genre with my entire soul. Whenever it's on you can just feel the IQ points being sucked out of the room.
I remember OCC, but I never watched it. I'm not much of a garage guy; the closest I've gotten to that is Top Gear, which I find hilarious even though I don't know a clutch from a spark plug. I suppose it's hard on everyone who becomes a celebrity, then finds it fading.
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There are some different super hero films, but then its mostly going in the direction of spoofs. And they are not made by Marvel or DC of course.
Like the series "The Tick", with a super hero who is likeable but not the brightest candle on the cake. But even in that the story is what it always is: the good heros against the evil villain. Just funnier than usual.
And yes, the fame can have a sudden end in show biz. Especially in such reality shows. After a few years people get bored with the theme - like building choppers - and then the guys in the show are toast. They cannot even do anything else, like other actors. So Teutul sr. did try to continue the show as his own production, but did not find enough investors to do that.
Thats why I'm surprised that the Kardashians are still in demand. It must be 10 years that they appear on TV, so don't people lose interest?
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Well, I like good vs. evil. But for a good look at Marvel and DC doing it differently, I'd point to Deadpool and the new DC series, Peacemaker. To me it's all about the characters: They may have different powers and different levels or humor and/or violence, but like any good story, it's about the characters who inhabit it.
As for the Kardashians, I don't get it, either. Maybe it's like a train wreck--some people just can't look away.
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This guy breaks down my thinking on it pretty much.
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