The Batman finally dropped into theaters this weekend with a new look and a new vibe.
Matt Reeves entry into this storied property had its highs and lows but overall we weren’t disappointed (too much)
This incarnation sees Pattinson’s Batman take on the Riddler in one of his first outings as the cape crusader. The iteration is much darker and grittier than previous entries. While this is good and true to the Dark Knight comics, it also felt a bit too dark. While we didnt find this film the worst in the franchise it did has some flaws that we must make you aware of.
Here are the 4 worst parts of The Batman:
1. The “Dark” Knight
This movie is dark, Not only is it emotionally dark script-wise, its VISUALLY dark. Is almost TOO dark. The entirety of the film takes place at night. No matter where they are, every single scene is dimly lit. I get the overall direction choice and it does help to make the Dark Knight feel like the Dark Knight but some scenes you cannot even see. You’re hard pressed to make out a lot of the background and whats actually going on. Scenes were just washed out in darkness NO…MATTER…WHAT. I found it a style choice that just went too far
2. Catwoman
I tried to like Catwoman/ Selina Kyle in this film. I really did. However, I do feel like they missed an opportunity to make her great. At times she comes off as a “damsel in distress” or “weak”. It felt womanizing at times. She relies on Pattnson’s Batman a bit too much, lets her emotions get the best of her and just isnt “catlike”. Shes just a damaged girl, in need of help. I was hoping to see a dominant Selina like we know from the comics but she didnt hit the mark. I did think Zoe Kravitz did a good acting job in the role, it was the writing of the character that felt lack luster.
3. The Joker… er uh.. Riddler
I had a tough time not finding similarities between Reeves’ Riddler and Nolan’s Joker. They both appear to be the same charachter. A crazed criminal mastermind hell bent on causing chaos for no reason other than playing games with Batman. They both have a criminal fanbase, neither care about money or power, they both leave batman notes/riddles/puzzles to solve, they both wanted to get caught in order to accomplish their mission. They both felt the downfall of humanity will prevail in helping them complete their psychological torture of Batman. The Riddler in this movie did not feel like the Riddler we all know, but it DOES feel like the Joker. Its almost as if they wrote this script with the Joker in mind and changed the name to Riddler at the last second… then made him S and M.
4. Runtime
This movie runtime is just shy of 3 hours. Add in previews and its between 3-3.5 hours. Thats a loooong movie. I found myself losing my attention span seeing as the movie isnt constant actions. Its lots and lots and lots of confusing dialogue that feels thrown in just to make it seem “visceral”. after about 2 hours I lost track. I thought the movie could have ended there but it kept going, and going and going. Even after the climactic end…yup, another 15 minutes of dialogue. They could have edited a lot from this film and made it shorter and better in my opinion.
3 out of 5