The Batman
Summary
Matt Reeves’The Batmanisone of the most celebrated Batman pic of recent yr , but upon further reflection , it has a few genuine blemishes that become more obvious year after . Not part of any pre - existing Batman continuity orthe approaching DCU continuity , The Batmanwas a moody , atmospheric criminal offence dramatic event that just so happened to asterisk Gotham City ’s iconic amusing book characters . As great asThe Batmanis , it ’s unacceptable to ignore some of its fault upon a rewatch two years afterward .
confessedly , there ’s a lotThe Batmandoes rightfield . The gorgeous cinematography and art department work craft an riveting and gloomymovie vision of Gotham City , and the all - star cast make for some of the most interesting incarnations of classic Batman characters in a farseeing time . ButThe Batmanis far from gross , and it ’s worth pointing out the area it pass short in despite its many solid factor .
Batman has taken many forms on the silver screen across decades of cinematic history . Here ’s how each movie stack up against the others .
10Batman And Catwoman Don’t Have Much Chemistry
Strong Individually, But Weak Together
Poor Robert Pattinson ca n’t seem to get a break with his movie romance . WhiletheTwilightmovieshelped establish his career , his chemistry with co - star Kristen Stewart was almost minus , thanks in no diminished part to the Christian Bible adjustment ' hapless direction .
While both Pattinson ’s Batman and Zoe Kravitz ’s Catwoman give not bad performances individually , as a romance , they do n’t have much chemistry . After discovering Catwoman , Batman spends most of his sentence give her ordering , only to become frustrated when the morally - gray stealer does n’t want to follow suit .
By the time they part ways in a supposedly heartbreaking scene near the end of the film , it does n’t experience like their workings kinship has developed into anything amatory . The Batmanseems to have Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle get together just because it ’s expected of them , not because their characters particularly seem to require to .
Custom Image by Alex Valentino
9The Batman Is A Little Bit Too Long
Matt Reeves' Epic Surely Could’ve Had Some Fat Trimmed
The Batmanisn’t capable to get away with its gargantuan runtime in the same way as films likeOppenheimer , which justify their lengths as necessary with every scene being crucial .
It seems as though blockbuster films have make longer and longer in recent year , andThe Batmanis one of the most glaring offenders . Clocking in at a staggering 2 hours and 56 minute runtime , The Batmanisn’t capable to get aside with its giant runtime in the same elbow room as films likeOppenheimer , which excuse their lengths as necessary with every scene being crucial . In the case ofThe Batman , the film surely feels like it ’s three hours long .
The Batmanfeatures several scenes that , while cool , seem to only exist to pad out the runtime with action sequences . Prescient examples include the Batmobile tantrum in the chase with The Penguin and the glider escape sequence at the Gotham City Police Department . An surplusage of moving parts , such as the Falcone sub - plot of ground , also contributes to the photographic film ’s glacial pace .
The Batman follows a young Bruce Wayne as he investigates a sadistic serial killer targeting key political figures in Gotham. As he delves deeper, he is confronted by the city’s hidden corruption and questions surrounding his own family’s legacy.
8One Of The Best Scenes Was Deleted From The Final Cut
Barry Keoghan’s Joker Deserved Screen Time
Paradoxically , among the scenes Matt Reeves did choose to leave on the editing elbow room base is one of the most engrossing moment of the integral story . In a deleted tantrum , Batman actually request some help from an one-time nemesishe’d already put behind bar in Arkham , none other thanBarry Keoghan ’s Joker .
The pair ’s relationship is similar to Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter inTheSilence of the Lambs , making for a engrossing power moral force as Batman attempts to glean some perceptivity into the Riddler ’s activity from his other villain .
It ’s a shame this scene did n’t make it into the final cutting . For one , it could ’ve teased a deep account for the nascent version of Batman , who has n’t been fight back criminal offense for all that long by the events of the movie . More importantly , it would ’ve been a engrossing style to showcase Batman ’s resource , not to mention show off Barry Keoghan ’s haunting Joker public presentation .
The Batman ’s closing razz a future film , and The Batman 2 has certain enough been confirm . Here ’s everything we know about The Batman - Part II .
7Paul Dano’s Riddler Is More Silly Than Scary
His Intimidation Factor Erodes All Too Quickly
From the first step aspect , Paul Dano ’s the Riddler starts off the motion-picture show with a chilling sequence , slow carrying out his churn up crimes with a callous methodical joyousness . As the first live - legal action pic incarnation of the Riddler since Jim Carrey ’s goofy pajama - clad performance inBatman Forever , The Batmanpromises to do the character justice with a echt threat to Gotham City .
regrettably , by the clock time Paul Dano ’s Edward Nygma is unmasked , he utterly lose all sense of intimidation or agency . It ’s revealed that the Riddler believed himself to be on the same " side " as Batman at first , punishing Gotham ’s leading in the same way Batman punishes its crook .
But his temper tantrum upon figuring out that Batman is n’t a fan veers a piffling too far from dangerous insanity to silliness , make an accidentally queer scene . The knavish , expressive faces of Dano ’s performance further diminishes his scare broker , resulting in memes like the " Does He get laid ? " YouTube thumbnail to arise mocking the grapheme .
6Colin Farrell’s Penguin Makeup Is Kind Of Unnecessary
Great As An Actor As Farrell Is, His Presence Is Almost Distracting
Colin Farrell is a brilliant actor , and no mistake can be made about how impressive it is that he ’s able-bodied to lose himself in the character of The Penguin . Many viewers did n’t realize that Farrell was the one behind the crooked nose and marred face until the credits rolled , the Irish actor being an unadulterated chameleon thanks to some impressive prosthetics .
But once the freshness of the execution tire out off , it begs the question as to whyThe Batmancouldn’t have just cast someone who looks more like the Penguin in the first spot . Farrell ’s marquee value is lay waste to in a persona that obscure his expression , and the extra effort of 60 minutes in a makeup chair to reach a flavour that a lesser - acknowledge actor might ’ve already had seems like a wasted exertion .
Yet Matt Reeves drive to get more mileage out of his performance withthe upcomingThe Penguinserieson HBO . Farrell ’s over - the - top New York Italian accent already makes The Penguin seem like enough of a impersonation of himself inThe Batmanwithout the cartoonishly magnified feature article .
5Batman’s Skills Are All Over The Place
The Batman Can’t Decide If Its Hero Is A Good Fighter Or Not
The Batmanfeatures perhaps the greenest movie Batman to ever put on the mantle and bonnet outdoors of perhaps Christian Bale ’s reading inBatman Begins . As such , it ’s graspable to believe he does n’t have every aspect of crime press fully image out yet , arrive at a noticeably big number of bumble blocks compared to his other cinematic counterparts .
YetThe Batmancan’t seem to find a consistent skill level at which Robert Pattinson ’s incarnation operates . In some scenes , Batman is a complete tank car , wad through automatic gunfire like it ’s nothing as the bullet bounce off of his lawsuit and even taking a almost point - white bomb blast while out of costume .
But bewilderingly , Batman also gets clipped by a random Riddler follower with a slower - fire weapon in the climactic last battle , which seems to almost permanently hurt him . Batman ’s path record in scrap and the consistency of the punishment he can take is visibly discrepant on a rewatch .
4Robert Pattinson Is The Weakest Bruce Wayne By Far
Batman Isn’t The Only Important Aspect Of The Performance
Among the wider scope ofmovie Batman actors , Robert Pattison shows off a phenomenal performance . Capturing the broodiness and bound of a more new - traumatize Batman whose worst days are still penny-pinching at hand , Pattinson effortlessly draw off the look and smell of the Caped Crusader .
But it ’s his wide daytime appearance that leave something to be desired . Bruce Wayne ’s public persona is typically more of a mask than Batman is , with most Bruce Wayne interpretation being debonnaire , selfish playboy that no one could ever distrust of being Batman .
But Pattinson ’s Bruce Wayne is a sequestered shut - in with the exact same public - facing part as Batman , making it hard to consider no one had ever estimate out his secret identity . Every other Batman player makes some effort to mark Bruce Wayne , but Pattinson feels like the same exact character , just without a masque .
3The Batman Is Style Over Substance
Dialogue And Development Take A Backseat To Visuals
If there ’s one thingThe Batmanshould be praised for , it ’s the visual guidance . Matt Reeves is a genius at craftedbrilliant shots that wordlessly say a story with breathless icon , from the upside - down nip of Batman wading through the flaming wreckage of his cable car following with Penguin to the slick , reflective surfaces of the rainy Gotham city , The Batmanis a true visual feast .
However , it ’s the more intangible areas in whichThe Batmanfalls a lilliputian short . The dialogue ofThe Batmanleaves something to be desired , with line like"I am vengeance",delivered directly in a gravelly whispering , only being excusable because of how stunning Robert Pattinson seem when sound out them .
Without its visual themes to back it up , it ’s secure to say critic would n’t have been as genial to other aspects ofThe Batman .
The mystery - thriller nature of the plot of ground can also promptly crumble forth in area upon stuffy examination , and the plastic film ’s operation are literally buried beneath masks , shadows , and the amour propre of the dreary neo - noir style . Without its ocular themes to back it up , it ’s secure to say critics would n’t have been as kind to other aspects ofThe Batman .
Batman has one of the richest histories in comic strip . presently , there are plenty of key and entertaining Bat - books that deserve a read from fans .
2Batman’s Gadgets Are Kind Of Lame
Matt Reeves Doesn’t Allow His Batman Many Fancy Toys
Batman ’s movie gadgetsoften blur the communication channel between scientific discipline fiction and superhero stories , with Bruce Wayne ’s wealth and influence allowing him to stay on the cutting edge of applied science . But withThe Batman , Matt Reeves ingest a much more subtle glide slope , ground Batman ’s utility program belt further in realism than ever before .
Barring the blazing exclusion of the video streaming contact lens system , most of Batman ’s technology in the picture show could easy exist in real life . It ’s not like the universe ofThe Batmanis too grounded for more fantastical appliance theme , with over - the - top characters like the Penguin and the Riddler feel properly at home next to elaborate high - tech equipment .
It ’s just voiceless to get excited about Batman deplume a single blockish batarang out of his chest to throw once or take ten minutes zipping up the naturalistic squirrel causa he uses to glide from rooftop to rooftop . At least the Batmobile is one of the coolest designs to ever make it to the movies .
1The Batman Has Too Many Villains
One Or Two Of The Film’s Antagonists Could’ve Been Cut
If there ’s one Graeco-Roman blunder that adversley affects superhero movies more than any other genre , it ’s having too many villain . Ever since Sam Raimi ’s infamousSpider - Isle of Man 3 , plenty of comic book movies have fallen into this same pitfall , chock up their runtime with as many villainous faces as potential .
Unfortunately , The Batmanfell prey to this same classic pitfall . Between the Riddler , the Penguin , Falcone , and , to a lesser extent , Catwoman , The Batmanis packed with villains and anti - Italian sandwich that Batman has to contend with .
The end result is an incredibly lengthy film that does n’t get to properly develop any one of its antagonists , a dangerous scene for the first in a new world of Batman motion-picture show . Hopefully , a sequel toThe Batmanwill have a tight focus , leave in a more substantial narrative and more fair runtime .
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Cast
The Batman follows a young Bruce Wayne as he look into a sadistic serial killer targeting central political form in Gotham . As he dig deeper , he is confront by the city ’s hidden corruption and interrogative sentence surrounding his own fellowship ’s legacy .
