The Batman (2022)-Maggy's Movie Reviews

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The Batman (2022)-Maggy's Movie Reviews

Post by Ultra Magnus »

There have been many theatrical movies named or involving Batman. Some of them have been great. But, has there ever really been a great Batman movie?

To answer this, we would need to look at the character, his rich history, and define him. What is he supposed to be? Quite simply, he is the most over prepared, tenacious, uncompromising, and incorruptible force of justice that the DC Universe has ever seen. He is also principled, a tactician, and a detective. In some incarnations, he is quite fascistic, but that would not really be a defining characteristic. One thing is for sure, though. Nothing comes before the mission, and he does not quit!

So, let's look back on past attempts and think about the portrayals.

Keaton? Two great movies. Definitely not Batman. Even though this was an origin story, he carries his flaws into the sequel. This is a guy that removes his mask and compromises the mission every five minutes. He tells that Joker, He tells Catwoman and The Penguin. And he straight up kills people. Was he a detective? No. He sat at the computer while everything fell in his lap.

Kilmer? One mediocre movie. Definitely not Batman. Straight up killer and follows the paint by numbers path.

Clooney? I am going to forget you even asked that.

Bale's take? Reveals his identity multiple times. Relies on the "where does he get those wonderful toys?" Isn't able to detect what he is having for lunch after the third bite. Quits at the end of 2 out of three films, and offered to give up at the end of the other. Kills more people than the Joker. He was determined, and incorruptible, but definitely not a detective, and was a quitter. We got a good Joker, but Batman was generic and easily replaceable.

Batflec? Compromised, corrupted, and as sharp as a bag full of bowling balls. Just like Bale, he went on killing sprees and was a guy with a bunch of toys.

And let us not forget Conroy in Mask of the Phantasm. Really close. I mean so close it hurts... but ultimately falls just shy of the mark. He is a blunted version.

So, who played Batman in a manner that reflected the comics on screen? There is only one man to fill the tights in a convincing way.

Adam West. The Batman under the Comic's Code was Adam West's Batman. So, !966 was the last time the character walked off the page and onto the screen. We had a man that is capable, able to detect, has the toys as an add-on but not his entirety, and does not give up... regardless of emotional state and cost.. until the day is saved. He never reveals himself. He never needlessly endangers anyone. He goes on to fight another day. He is Batman. Fight me!


So, with this established, let's discuss the dude from effing Twilight. Robert Pattinson has finally made his debut. What can I say about PatBat?

What has every Batman movie to date have in common? It is a huge event! There are stakes beyond those ever faced before in a what would be a regular story for any Batman before! But is that a Batman story? I have read hundreds of comics starring the character. There have been thousands at this point. While there are occasional big events, most are pretty boiler plate challenges. So, here is something this movie does that I have not seen before. This is a Batman that is working the streets every night, and this story is pretty much just a Thursday. This is not Knightfall, or Return of The Dark Knight. But, it is easily a story on par with some of the greatest comic story lines ever told. I would easily say this is as good as The Laughing Fish. It avoids becoming "Hush!" which is good, because that story ultimately did two things.... It fell on its face, and it also relied on "You mean the new bad guy is that person that just re-entered Bruce's life?" Though the bad guy(s) in this movie are heavy hitters, it does not rely on that trope.

This movie is basically a week in the life of Batman. If you think that sounds kinda boring, think about that for a second. Do you really think superhero movies have to be epic events? Or, would you rather see the character being what the character is known for?

In this movie, we have something we have not seen on screen in over 50 years. We have Batman as a detective. He is doing leg work. He is spying. He and Jim Gordon track down clues, follow leads, and work the case. They have a good working relationship at the start of the film, and they are doing their individual jobs. He even does something no other Batman has ever done on screen. He puts on his costume....

What do I mean?

He is Batman, but every now and again he puts on the mask of Bruce Wayne to open doors that have locks Batman cannot pick.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an honest to goodness Batman movie.

Pros:

A mystery for a detective to work.

An uncompromising Batman the does not purposefully allow the death of even a true villain, if he can help it.

A dark film that feels epic, but is really just a day in the life of Batman.

A hard sci-fi film where any "impossible" tech is something that theoretically is only a matter of time. (The batmobile is not a jet that has been weighted down with wheels or a tank with a rocket. It is a lifted suspension American Steel muscle car with a nitro-buring Funny Car engine basically duct taped to where the trunk was... it was definitely not bullet proof and there were no miniguns.... this will make a bit more sense later in the review).

I can tell you exactly where in the comics this story would fit (more on that later).

And here is the big thing. In another moment not done in a Batman movie in over fifty years... You never once see Martha's pearls.

Let me repeat that.

They do not do the death of the Wayne parents scene. Their death is referenced. But you do not have sit through the scene. In fact, there were three points in the movie where I rolled my eyes, sure that they were going to cut to it. But, it never did. Why? Because this was not a Batman origin/introduction story. This was Batman going to work, like he does every single day.

Batman never reveals his identity to anyone. No, "Tell me Bruce, are we going to try to love each other?" nor "Dude who dresses like a Bat.... I can dig it." The mission comes first. And at the end of the film, the mission will continue.

Cons:

This movie is like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. It ended 8 times. Every time you think it is over, there is just one more thing. It causes a small amount of tonal backlash.

That is it. That is really the only con to the movie. However, even in that, it actually deals with aftermath. Just because you caught a bad guy does not mean that dominoes are not going to fall and the day is not necessarily saved yet. Batman does not fuck off to France just because it was convenient. There is still a job to do. A lesson from Clooney, Conroy, and West? Wait... this movie is so good, it helped me even find a good moment from the Clooney one in retrospect? How is this movie so good?

So, that leaves one question to answer. Even though this Batman is ripped straight from the page of the comics.... which Batman comics?

Many are saying "This is the Arkham Series Batman on screen!"


Bullshit.

It is revealed to you in the opening voice over self narration....

Set let me set the table.

There was a brief period of time, many consider Batman comics to be the most pure take on the character. Just after The Crisis on Infinite Earths, there was a universe reset. Every hero needed a new Origin. Frank Miller gave us a four issue story published in Batman issue #'s 404-407. It is known as Batman Year One It redefined Batman to this day. Every universe reset since then has relied solely on this set of events. If that was its own ongoing story, outside of the main storyline, this would be easily plugged into what would truly be Year 2 (not referencing to the comics by that name... they would fall short compared to this film).

Batman is well trained, and he is prepared. He is outfitted for almost any situation... but he still lacks polish and field experience. While somewhat established, and street thugs are starting to run if they see the signal in the sky, no quite all of them are afraid... yet. Only one cop on the force trusts him, but the forensics photographers still know full well they better follow him him around to take pics of the things he notices. Instead of origin story, we get "still new enough to run into new things, and be surprised, but has a reputation he has earned." And, honestly, there are moments where you actually believe Batman may die.

As much as I hate to admit it.... BatPat knocked it out of the park.

Final note... there is something after the credits, but you do not have to wait around in the theater. It is basically a glorified soundless GIF. Nothing worth those ten minutes. It is not a scene. It is not sequel bait. PM me, and i will tell you, but it is not even worth that effort. Wait until you are at home and can fast forward to it.


My rating? Get to the theater. Leave the kids at home (this is not for them). See this film. I am just as surprised as you are.

Not a comics fan, so you do not know if this would suit you? I have an easy solution. There made a straight to DVD animated movie called Batman: Year One. It is a fairly loyal retelling of the above mentioned comics. Watch that, and if you think you would like to see a well shot, well acted, actual realistic look at the character that could easily have been just a continuation of that cartoon, then get to the theater. I still recommend the movie, even without the homework, but I know how hard it is to decide if you want to put the money on the counter for theater tickets these days. This is a way to help you make the decision in just an hour of your time and it should be easily findable online.

Thoughts? Complete difference of opinion on my hottakes regarding past Batman films? Disagree with my recommendation on this one? Feel free to yell at me in the comments below!
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