First of all, thanks for the extended reply. I prefer this kind of post rather than discussing the number of “good Batman movies”...
Second, you know... we're actually not really disagreeing.
I totally get that the film finds its dramatic backbone in the deconstruction of Bruce's cold quest for revenge, there's no question about that.
What I was trying to say is that, for about two acts of the film, the “rat investigation” remains the vehicle to move the story forward (and bring Bruce to the various stages of his evolution) and that I found this part distracting because of what I would consider clumsy articulations here and there. Each viewing, I find myself questioning the mechanics of the writing rather than appreciating the character's journey, and this create frustration as I otherwise have no notes on any other aspects of the film...
To sum it up perhaps in a better way: it's not so much a problem of content as of form, less a problem of story than the way it's told.
So yeah, in the end, I think we share the same opinion overall : The Batman is a film with its heart in the right place (which is the most important considering where the genre is...) but it would probably have benefited from a more effective script, especially in its second act (your description is exactly what I get from it, Bruce getting information about his family feels far too expositional and rushed, almost to the point of feeling like a forced detour when it actually touches the very heart of the story).
I share this sentiment.
Here again, I understand that the whole intention was to present a Bruce relatively closed to Alfred affection.
But the dramatic scenes between the two, though well acted, seemed to lack punch a bit as if they were build more on our knowledge of their relationship in general than on what is actually presented in the film. Hence that feeling of “missing scenes”.
But I fully expect this relationship to be well developed in the sequel. It's the logical continuation of Bruce's arc anyway.
I fully agree.
I add: I have the feeling that the original plans was to make all the conspiration plot more related to Wayne's murder - Arkham's family - Court of Owls, and then Reeves decided to make it more simple and postpone it for a sequel.
We must not forget that the Riddler's encrypted message is still almost completely unsolved. Bruce only followed the "DRIVE" track:
On the elrataalada website, plus right after the movie was released, there was this message:
Anyway, in this regard, I think all the TDK vs The Batman thing could be reduced to the fact they're two terrifying movies (for different reasons, mainly from the technical pov), but since TDK has his little script and pacing problems in its first act, The Batman has his weakest part in his exact center point (to me, exactly from right after the escape from GCPD to the end to Bruce and Alfred's scene at the hospital, so from 75 mins to 110 mins).
This is a problem in general, since the audience should be fully invested in the midpoint of a movie, and more for a character-driven movie (since the hero's inner cave moment is essentially some of a spin-off from the general plot).
TDK, on the contrary, has its best (and, let's say it, iconic and instant cult) part right in the midpoint: from 71 mins to 100 mins you can't breath, since all the narration is totally devasted from huge changes (the capture of Joker, Batman vs Joker in GCPD, Rachel's death and the birth of Two Face).
If that part wouldn't be so strong, I think the audience wouldn't have loved so much TDK. MAYBE it wouldn't even become a cult.
)
