My review of the Batman
Intro: The Batman is an animated series from 2004. It centered on Bruce Wayne/Batman's early years as the cape crusader as he meets his allies and foes for the first time. This series is dull because... (My editor corrected me and told me that I'm reviewing the movie, not the cartoon.) OK, it's official, we have so many movies and TV shows that we can't come up with original titles.
The Batman: This movie is centered on Bruce Wayne/Batman, who has been fighting crime for the past two years. One day, someone called the Riddler is trying to get his attention, he does this by leaving him clues that will expose a secret that will not only affect Gotham but Bruce Wayne as well. The Riddler has dropped bodies to expose this conspiracy. So, Batman has to figure out what the Riddler is trying to expose before he takes things too far.
This is one of those movies that's solid but left more to be desired. (I hope the extended version of this movie will fix that.) I'm happy that we finally get a mystery where Batman's detective work is on full display. The action scenes are much better than the ones we got in the previous films because we can see them for the most part. You can tell that the director took inspiration from other films like this and incorporated elements from the source material into the movie. The movie pushes the boundaries of the PG-13 rating, but it didn't go far enough, if you ask me. Gotham City in this movie is the best-looking Gotham City we've had since the 89 movie. The city looks gothic and modern at the same time.
I can see why people would compare this to The Dark Knight because this movie borrows scenes from that movie; the movie is realistic and deals with escalation. The movie has many themes, like trauma and masks. We see how trauma affects our three main characters, and the movie doesn't do anything new with the mask metaphor. I like the movie's soundtrack because it uses beats from the other Batman films and does its own thing with it. Heck, the movie even uses the 1966 Batman theme without ruining the tone of the movie. The movie is shot in a way where you're by the main character's side with point-of-view shots and close-up focus shots. I'm fond of the way this movie ended because it set up one of two Batman stories from the comics that the writers could do.
Batman in this movie is the Batman that people know and love, as far as being a tortured character that's brutal and brooding. I don't know what the director meant when he said he's going to give us something different with this character. Besides focusing on the detective aspect of this character, the director didn't break any new ground here. I like that we get narration from him because that helps us get inside his head, plus, he barely speaks. I don't like that we don't get much of Bruce Wayne in this movie because he's putting himself at risk of being exposed as Batman. I get that being Bruce Wayne is not a priority for him; however, that doesn't change the fact that this could blow up in his face. Plus, this was handled better in the comics.
My grievance with this character is that we don't see his compassionate side for the most part. This is a trait that defines the character, and there are scenes where he could have displayed it. Sadly, he's not that smart in this movie. I mean, he didn't figure everything out on his own. Someone has to point him in the right direction; he's at the right place at the right time, or things have to be spelled out for him, World's greatest detective, my butt. Look, I don't mind Batman getting help; however, the supporting characters shouldn't look like they are holding his hand. Do I really have to comment on his bulletproof suit? Also, it's hard to appreciate that Bruce Wayne is full of anger because the actor playing him comes off as emotionally stunted. Plus, Batman: Arkham Origins did a better job at this.
I like this movie's take on Selina Kyle because she's more noble and fierce than the other version of the character we have so far. What bugs me about her is that the director could have done a better job of bringing her into the story. She could have worked as a love interest for Batman if the attraction between these two wasn't one-sided. Plus, it would make the ending better. Come on, this is the third time we get this character on screen, and you can't get that one simple aspect of their dynamic right. Her mask drives me nuts because it looks so cheap. I also can't stand her long, ghetto behind nails!
Lt. Gordon is kind of the same character that we got in Mr. Nolan's Batman trilogy. He and Batman have a good working relationship, even when they're backed into a corner. This complaint is not about Gordon; it's about GCPD. I wish that they were conflicted about Batman working with them.
The movie hasn't done anything new with Alfred. That's a shame because I thought that he was going to be like his Earth-One counterpart, doing that would give us something different with the character. Besides one tender scene between him and Bruce, they don't have a father-and-son relationship like they did in the past. Also, the movie should have given us more of him.
Edward Nashton/The Riddler (the main villain) is the scariest version we've got of this character in live-action. He reminds me of the Zodiac Killer, Jigsaw, and Ghost Face from Scream. That's one of the many issues I have with this character; the writers tried to do so much with this character that it's not balanced out well. Will the marketing team behind this movie please explain to me why they try so hard to hide his face!?!
I was let down that he didn't give Batman more of a challenge in solving his riddles. Really, I'm surprised that the words no more lies wasn't a clue because we see it on all of his victims. My gripe with him is that his backstory failed to make him sympathetic because we don't know his full story. Plus, he endangered others. He also needed more screen time because he almost felt like an afterthought. Also, his plan to expose this secret wouldn't have worked if he hadn't overlooked the details.
I don't have much to say about OZ/ The Penguin because he's barely in the movie. When we do see him, he's entertaining. That's the problem; he shouldn't be in the movie because he only serves as a red herring. Sidenote, I hope this movie gets nominated for best makeup because I didn't recognize the actor who's playing the penguin.
Carmine Falcone is disappointing in this movie. He may play a bigger role in the story, but he was more menacing in Batman Begins. On top of that, he put himself at risk of being exposed of wrongdoing.
One of the things that bothers me about this movie is the secret that the Riddler is trying to expose. It wasn't bad, it just didn't tell us anything new about Gotham. Plus, that was a huge selling point of the movie. With that said, I'm not crazy about how this secret affects Bruce because it kind of undermines his crusade. Plus, the movie doesn't give the people of Gotham a chance to process the reveal. I have mixed feelings about this movie addressing class warfare. On one hand, the movie wasted it, and on the other hand, I'm glad that they did because this is something that the creators should have saved for Bane.
There are plot points that don't get resolved and some scenes in the movie that comes off as either stupid or unintentionally funny. Speaking of funny, the movie could have benefited from some levity because this movie is too moody for my taste. I'm not saying the movie doesn't have jokes, but they are either subdued or overshadowed by the movie's tone. I was outraged to see that (censor) is in this movie because this character had his or her own film, not too long ago; it's too soon to bring this character back. A minor complaint is that the sound effects don't complement the fight scenes the way the trailers did.
Overall, I don't consider this the best Batman movie, but it's a good one. I would recommend this if you like thrillers and Noir detective films.
Rating = Worth Seeing
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