Movie Review: The Batman (2022) *Very Minor Spoilers*

Movie Review: The Batman (2022) Very Minor Spoilers

When I first heard that director, Matt Reeves wanted to focus more on the 'world's greatest detective' aspect of Batman a little part of me went 'finally!'

The Batman is a complete reimagining of Batman and his rogues gallery, unrelated to any other Batman or DCEU film released thus far. Basically it's film one in this continuity.

Robert Pattinson is Batman/Bruce Wayne in his second year of donning the cape and cowl.

Batman's reputation is such that criminals can never be sure if he might just appear out of the shadows to deliver his style of 'vengeance' on crime.

Meanwhile, high profile murders begin to occur around Gotham city by a killer who leaves calling cards for the Batman containing riddles.

As the stakes get higher Batman and Detective, Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) work together to track down the Riddler (Paul Dano). Along the way they cross paths with Cat Woman (Zoë Kravitz) and the Penguin (Colin Farrell).

Overall this is everything people who like the more serious, gritty Batman would want in a Batman movie. The only thing you don't get is a fully formed 'playboy' Bruce Wayne. Which wasn't an issue for me but is something to look forward to in any sequels.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Batman, Jim Gordon, and the police force, which is very much a new angle for Batman live action films. Seeing him work alongside a police force where a good percentage of them think Batman is either undermining them or at least, is basically a criminal of sorts too. Jim Gordon acts as a kind of middleman creating a very uneasy truce while they investigate the Riddler.

While I did enjoy that we got so much Batman screen time and a good balance between detective work and action, at almost three hours long, I did feel there were definitely some slower moments that weren't entirely necessary. Not that they were bad. Not at all. I just think once a movie goes over two hours it begins to hurt how rewatchable the film is (I promise you I'm not rooting for Matt Reeves original four hour cut of The Batman even though I could probably watch it at home. I would like to see a Zack Snyder theatrical cut of Justice League capped at about two hours - and I liked his four hour cut).

Robert Pattinson's Batman is a little more 'regular man' and less towering wall of muscle which, I feel, makes the need for an armored suit and so many gadgets all the more necessary. Speaking of the suit, like all suits before it, this one has good and not so good points.

Robert Pattinson's Cowl versus HISHE Batman Cowl

For some reason Robert's Cowl kept reminding
me of Batman from the webtoon series 'How
It Should Have Ended".

Overall I like how it looks, there's just a weird profile between the cape's collar and the back and sides of the cowl stopping you from getting the classic Batman silhouette. I get the choice of having a collar to protect the neck, where the cowl is thinner so he can turn his head, but it just looks a little off. (For some weird reason I couldn't stop comparing it to the Batman in the web cartoon 'How It Should Have Ended').

The new Batmobile is pretty amazing just as a fairly impressive muscle car. I'm not sure I'd say it was my favorite (still team Batmobile 66 here) but it's great not to see some weird fantasy vehicle or virtual tank for a change. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more Batman accents to distinguish it as Batman's car in future films. Still great though.

Zoë Kravitz's Cat Woman really suits this version of Gotham city. I still think her weird, pulled down, beanie with a face hole cut into it, mask is kind of silly since it barely hides her face but otherwise it's a good performance and look.

I'm not sure if the romance angle between Cat Woman and Batman really had as much to it as it was implied by the end. Seemed a little one sided to me and I didn't really feel the attraction developing over the scenes they had together.

Most impressive is Colin Farrell's performance as Penguin. Not least because you know Colin looks nothing like that yet you never bump into the fact he's wearing a lot of prosthetics on his face. He completely sells it with the look, the voice, and he gets some of the few funny lines and moments in the whole movie.

Paul Dano's Riddler is very different to what we've seen previously. Unfortunately he spends the majority of the film behind his full face mask. While he does come across as creepy he really only gets one or two scenes out of the mask where you get a sense of who the actual person is. (I will say, out of the mask he reminded me a lot of 'PC guy' from the 'Mac vs PC' ads, with Justin Long as 'Mac guy' from over a decade ago). That said, he does make those moments out of the mask count.

I can't fault the action in this film. The fights are as good as you'd hope for a year two Batman. It's good to see he's not totally invincible but is sufficiently strong and capable enough to plow through a room full of bad guys.

There's a few moments in the film where in reality he'd probably be dead or at least spending a good deal of time in hospital but maybe his armor is just that good? It's kind of nuts how often he gets shot at close range with automatic fire weapons and none of those shots get in between his armor.

As I mentioned in the beginning 'detective batman' is something I was really looking forward to. I felt I really got a good amount of that here and was pretty satisfied with it until I heard some other people's take on the film.

Specifically they pointed out that, while Batman does do a lot of detective work, ultimately he has very little influence on stopping the Riddler's overall plan... and they're kind of right.

Hopefully in subsequent films there can be a little more of Batman actually spoiling or diverting the villain's master plan along the way.

That aside, I did enjoy this film and look forward to any sequels within this continuity. This would be a great Batman to add in a Robin who is more comics accurate age-wise (no 20 plus actors trying to convince us they're wayward ward's of the state please).

Even though this is yet another 'realistic' take on Batman I still think it would be a great challenge to bring in at least Superman and Wonder Woman, if we get further than a trilogy (and not to do another version of BVS either... let's be friends first maybe?).

The Batman is definitely in the top level of great Batman movies with plenty of new ideas and visuals to make it a fresh take on the character. It's still not quite my Batman (I really want a Robin and Justice League in there too) but it's pretty darn close. Definitely worth seeing in a theatre.

Comments

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Guest Post: New Novel - Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return

A lmost a year ago I featured Go West Girl , Book 1 of author, Kit Mackenzie's Alias Jeannie Delaney series. Now, the next book in the series, Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return , is soon to be released in August, and is available for pre-order on Amazon. If you love a powerful female lead in a traditional western packed with action and adventure, this is the novel for you. The story centers on Cowgirl Jeannie Morgan who grew up in Coyote Creek, Wyoming, where she became persecuted for her lethal gun and a sexuality that swings both ways. Tomboy beautiful and tough as the nails in a miner's boots, she is on the run with a bunch of boys who would die for her. Her snake strike gun, soul-slicing gaze and dangerous magnetism leaves a trail of intense emotions, killings and would-be death threats in her wake. Heading south, she finds herself becoming a legend. She's in deep trouble, but her home town demands her return and they pin a badge on her. It'

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

I'm Joining the Illuminati Brotherhood By Personal Invitation of Hiltom Rothschild... Wait, What?

How special am I to have finally come of age (53 years young) and am now eligible to participate in building the world alongside other members of the Illuminati Brotherhood... Yes I've received the call by way of an email, which I'm sure is real because I had to translate it from the Dutch language and it was personally written by Hiltom Rothschild, one of the non-existent members of the Rothschild family (or perhaps deep undercover because Google has never heard of them?). A Transcript of the email below: To: etourist From: Illuminati Brotherhood Subject: Illuminati Broederschap (Illuminati Brotherhood) I am Hiltom Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family, one of the 13 families of the Illuminati brotherhood. I'm here to let you know that you've come of age and are eligible to participate in building the 🌎 world. It is a calling and a privilege to honor him with pride and gratitude as not everyone will ever be chosen by the LIGHT, many are called but few are ch

Robot Uprising Update: Robot Waiter, Fasta Pasta, South Terrace, Adelaide CBD, South Australia

On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

Four Years into a Post Pandemic World and Secondary COVID-19 Might be a Thing?

Social distancing 2020 style. A fter not being too far from COVID-19, potentially patient zero in Australia back in 2020. Four years later my partner finally tested positive for the virus. Then I inevitably caught it as well. You might think, so what, but I'm honestly surprised we've lasted this long. My partner works at an aged care facility that has fought off numerous outbreaks over the years, and continues to do so. Workers at her facility take RAT tests daily so you know pretty quick if you test positive. Workers then have to isolate at home for at least seven days until they're clear. COVID-19 symptoms can vary in intensity and you may not get the full range (at least to my knowledge and experience). My partner seemed to get it fairly bad with tiredness, aching joints, loss of taste and smell, along with cold and flu like symptoms (sore throat, congestion etc). While we did try to social distance, keeping our distance, hand washing, and not sleeping in the same room

The First US Presidential Debate 2024 - America You're Standing In It

M ost of the time I get my fill of American political news from clips of The Daily Show , which I know many people accuse of being more political left leaning than balanced with its humour. As such it was my first port of call when looking for commentary on the recent, first US Presidential debate for 2024. I say first because I don't know if they'll do another one. I'd strongly advise they don't. Getting your news from a comedy show isn't ideal, even one as arguably intelligent as The Daily Show, because they're focussed on what can be laughed at, more than serious analysis. As such their coverage very well could be making both candidates look more foolish than they may actually be. As such I decided to watch the full replay of the debate so I could get more of a sense of who both candidates are and how they come across in, what should be, their ideal platform - debating the opposition. Before Donald Trump became President I was a fan. I watched every season o

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog