I was cautious about "The Batman", as it had the potential to be the best DC film in a long time or yet another pretentious flick. I'm happy to say it's the former, as "The Batman" went ahead and surpassed my expectations, squashing any doubts I might have had. Matt Reeves' arteur approach and understanding of the character's mythos blend together to create a crime thriller unburdened by the clichés of superhero cinema.
Robert Pattinson was an interesting choice to play the titular vigilante, one I had a feeling would go on to become the definitive live-action rendition, and so he did. His Batman flows smoothly between aggression and stoicism, with the former being more prevalent as we see a man completely absorbed by a futile crusade. A major theme is Batman's methodology in dealing with crime, and it's clear that the two years he has spent fighting it have done much damage both to himself and to Gotham. Bruce Wayne is hardly of any importance, this being a conscious choice. I should mention that the edgier portrayal of the billionaire might throw some people off a little, but I've yet to see someone go out of their way to complain about it. It seems that most of us revelled in the broken person that he is here, and we are likely to see his growth as the film series continues.
Gotham is another main character, the best realised version of the fictional city yet. A blend between the theatrics of Burton's and the grittiness of Nolan's movies, it's dripping in its own filth. Rain is a common companion, city lights haze amidst the shadows. Crime lurks everywhere, and so does Batman. A perfect parallel to him, the worst enemy of Gotham is its own people. Musically, "The Batman" utilises horror film cues, minimalistic melodies, and a few moodier licensed tracks. "Something in the Way", one of the best Nirvana songs, was prominently featured in trailers and the same is true for the film itself. I wasn't big on the overblown trailer rendition, but it's perfect as a backdrop to decadency of the city. Besides its tunes, "The Batman" has excellent sound design. One of my favourite moments was when the Batmobile showed up and the theatre bass went crazy.
"The Batman" is unique in that it is the first live-action film adaptation to put focus on our masked hero's title of World's Greatest Detective. The action remains at a smaller scale, the real thrills come from the mind games set forth by the incredible rendition of iconic villain the Riddler. A serial killer whose clues are all carefully planned out to put him at an advantage, it's enticing to see how the plot unravels. Each thread is carefully placed and plot conveniences are never an issue. The story took quite the risks, all while maintaining believability.
Plenty of subplots reside beside the main mystery and connect with it. "The Batman" is layered and rich, in my opinion justifying its lengthy runtime. Perhaps it could have cut down on some ten-twenty minutes, but it's not a major issue as each scene had its place and evoked interest. Zoe Kravits was great as Catwoman, perhaps the best we have seen on the screen, and her tale was gripping. Criminals like the Penguin and Falcone played a major part in the story and everyone around them brought details to Gotham's underworld. Andy Serkis played a great Alfred, while Jeffrey Wright was a fantastic Gordon.
I'll go as far as to say that "The Batman" is my second favourite Batman film. It does a great job at telling a proper Batman story, embracing the character's lore, while also adding many of its own strokes and being able to wrap up all of its themes in a satisfying manner. A must-watch for Batman fans and sceptics of superhero cinema. I cannot wait for the sequel, and am fully invested in what else Matt Reeves and co have planned.
It's a cracker, no doubt about it!
Matt Reeves did a great job with 2022's 'The Batman'. It's difficult not to compare this to other Batman films, though that's DC/Warner Bros. fault for featuring him so much in recent times. I'll get this out the way early: I'd say 'Batman Begins'/'The Dark Knight' are superior, not by much, which is a similar case for the character performances too.
Robert Pattinson is a terrific Bruce Wayne, though Christian Bale still edges him out in my eyes. Zoë Kravitz is probably the best Catwoman I've seen, though the rest - from the Riddler to Penguin to Alfred - have been portrayed better; aside from Commissioner Gordon, with Jeffrey Wright being excellent. Paul Dano is the least enjoyable performer, for me, here, I found his showing to be a bit 'meh' - effective, but meh. Barry Keoghan makes a cameo, I won't say as who, but I don't hold high hopes for him in that role; though, apparently it won't be anything that happens anyway. For the best!
Anyway... the above sounds way too negative - as I did thoroughly and absolutely enjoy this film, hence the very positive rating. The pacing is very good, the cinematography is brilliant (Gotham looks fantastically bleak!), the story is engrossing and the dialogue is on point. The scenes with Pattinson/Kravitz and Pattinson/Wright are my favourite moments. It's a film that I'd consider as 'outstanding'.
It'll be cool to see what Reeves does with this trilogy (should it happen, of course).
I was not prepared for such a goddamn casual reveal. HOLY SHIT. What an absolutely fantastic episode! I'm still in shock.
Okay, what the fuck. That was so fucking unexpected for me. And I love how casual he just drops the biggest revelation of the series. The last few minutes were some of the most intense and amazing I've ever seen in an anime.
Those who didn't know: HOLY SHIT
Those who read manga: Oh so that's how it happened
Those who were spoiled: FUUUUUUU
Coming to episode, the part where it gets all silent just before the storm + the background music. The animation department fucking nailed it! Perhaps you won't see any intense moments in an episode like this in any of the anime.
This was so unexpected. I literally had to stop watching for a moment and process what I just witnessed lol I was like “okay, did I just hear you correctly?”
It's not only gross negligence on behalf of Boeing it's downright criminal. People should have gone to jail. Muilenburg should be in prison instead of receiving a 62 m $ farewell present. But as usual corporations just pay fines and are off the hook. And even the 2.5 billion are not hurting them as much as one might think. Yes, their gross profit stumbles in 2020 but their overall from 2018 to September 2021 is still over 20 billion $. And it will continue to climb.
Sadly this doesn't apply only to Boeing. It's like that all over the world. There is no responsiblity from manufactures, it's not about making the best product. Everything revolves around money, shares, stock prices, payments of boni.
It's a cancer that will be our downfall.
This world…is just so broken man
Ignore the comments. This was a pretty good movie that moves fairly quickly and keeps the viewers interest. All performances shined and the touch of humour in the movie helped me like it even more. A great watch
Sandra Bullock acting brings all the pain to reality of the character and it gets its highest when she comes face to face with Viola Davis. The deliver an intense and amazing scene. Directing is a perfect fit to the entire mood and drama. The down part is some elements on the script that makes it a less powerful movie. You can tell there is a plot hole when something happen by accident. This is what separates this movie, from a great movie.
Sandra Bullock was incredible in this. I thought the story and pacing was very well done. I really got sucked into this, it’s heavy if you have a soul. Unbelievably sad and satisfying at the same time.
The moment you get to know the truth it's going to hit you hard and every human emotion you possess will erupt ...and that's when you reach out for tissues and release those trapped tears you've been aching to shed for a while.
I came to this with very differing reviews from others.
For my 5 cents I felt this was utter genius and deserving of an Oscar.
I can see why some people didn't like it. It's funny, but not. It's uncomfortable and irreverent, It engenders diametrically opposed opinions, but that is it's very point.
When faced with existential crisis the human race fails catastrophically to pull together, instead politicising everything to polarised conflict, be it nationally or internationally. Opinions on this movie are no different, and I can't help think that's part of the point itself.
What I found really struck (forgive the pun) for me with this was that, for all its chaos, under the surface the flow of the movie is actually very clever, as the cast move through the different stages of grief, at different speeds, and handle them in their own way; making the end extremely poignant, warming, heartbreaking, terrifying and darkly funny all at the same time.
totally called the pedo thing. another amazing episode.
Was SO uncomfortable watching this for the whole episode. The tension, all the way through! At first sympathising with Kenny, and then of course REALLY not!
I think the episode worked so well because they force you to identify with Kenny, and then you feel dirty for feeling that way when you find out he's a paedophile.
Fantastic acting!
Wow didn't expect that image at the end, nice. Nice twist aswell.
Ironically I watched this episode on a free streaming software
Oh my god this is so dark, but damn this was a good episode.
moral of the story, never download untrusted software from internet, and for the love of god, cover your webcam and phone's camera.
Never thought a troll face would be this menacing.
Out of all the Black Mirror episodes, this f**ked me up the most. Just...holy sh*t! Without giving away spoilers, but the way it concludes left me stone cold. I rooted for the wrong person.
i have a big list of people that i want to force show this episode
The sad part is that this is kind of how it is right now without the in your face rating.
I'd probably be the lady in the truck...no no, I'm pretty sure I'd be the lady in the truck.
Shit I'd probably be exiled and sent to a camp where I'd plot to over throw the system...or just say fuck it leave them in the matrix lol.
It is a fake world! The amount of negativity and humiliation in this episode is tremendous. However, I like the idea of holding a rating over the actions of someone, but it needs to hold more truth and not just fake it to get some starts.
From "White Bear" to a blue bear, I didn't really enjoy this one as much. What I did get out of it was it seems like every other episode of Black Mirror, there would be people doing it. I was also eating blue M&M's while watching this one, coincidentally.
Incredible show. Even if you don't know shit about League's lore or characters, this is still a masterpiece on its own.
There's a few nods to the game's characters, but it seems that this story is evolving on its own.
Incredibly hyped for Season 2, and am basically begging for the next chapter in everyone's journey.
Articulate, full of depth, a visual masterpiece that heightens the experience. This story is cruel and full of regrets and despair but also shows we aren't alone in struggles. One of the best OSTs I’ve heard in a show and it’s got so much potential
