The Batman Spoiler Discussion Thread

[BMW 224]

I know it sounds like I have a problem with it...but it is better described as I prefer one method to the other. Trust me I didn't turn the channel when I watched the Joker scene 2 weeks ago

There are things about every film I love I would change or could nitpick...I usually only doing it in the context of a discussion of equal films. Think of it like this...if you have one of the two best players of all time on your team just because you might like aspects of the other teams player a bit more doesn't mean you hate your player or would swap them out if you could. It just means no one is perfect

Nah I get what you mean there's logic leaps in Knight that bothers me too even though in the moment I'm fine.

For example Bales Batman falls from a building with Rachel lands on a ****in car so hard he crushed but no he and Rachel are perfectly fine just out of breath a little lol.

From what I've heard Battinson actually gets hurt in his wing sutie scene which I prefer and appreciate more.

I understand exactly where you coming from I just disagree with the interrogation scene we were discussing.

Like you said no film is perfect doesn't mean you or anyone hates that film.

 

[Motown Marvel]

After having seen the film, he doesn't really apart from getting knocked out a couple times. I thought it could be a problem when I saw the trailers and it was.

so you're saying he doesn't get hurt....except for the multiple times he gets hurt?

 

[dhandler01]

He absolutely gets hurt and there are repercussions to the assaults he takes. The Winged Suit scene, the close up shotgun blast, the scars on his back...he is no more unbreakable than Bale was in Batman Begins.

BMW,

That scene where Batman saves Rachel and lands on the car is one of the few unintentionally funny scenes in TDK. In fact I always liked it because of that. It is so ridiculous it is almost Burtonesque in its weirdness. (think the end of '90 when they fall off the Tower) My only gripe was we just move on...I wanted to see Batman go after Joker right after that but I am sure Nolan had his reasons.

 

[Brother Jack]

so you're saying he doesn't get hurt....except for the multiple times he gets hurt?

He gets knocked out twice. Other than that he shrugs off damage without more than a stumble or two.

 

[Caped Crusader]

He absolutely gets hurt and there are repercussions to the assaults he takes. The Winged Suit scene, the close up shotgun blast, the scars on his back...he is no more unbreakable than Bale was in Batman Begins.

BMW,

That scene where Batman saves Rachel and lands on the car is one of the few unintentionally funny scenes in TDK. In fact I always liked it because of that. It is so ridiculous it is almost Burtonesque in its weirdness. (think the end of '90 when they fall off the Tower) My only gripe was we just move on...I wanted to see Batman go after Joker right after that but I am sure Nolan had his reasons.

I never felt anything for Rachel - sometimes I felt she was more of a distraction.

 

[BatLobster]

Small thing but was anyone else a little underwhelmed by the title reveal? The quick logos and the quick flash of the title.

I know Lego Batman parodied the "long...really, really long dramatic logos"...but I love that entry into a Batman movie.

Also the thought there could've been an opportunity for a cool title reveal after that Batman intro scene.

Just a creative choice, not a big deal.

 

[dhandler01]

He gets knocked out twice. Other than that he shrugs off damage without more than a stumble or two.

So I assume you have this issue with every Batman film then?

 

[dhandler01]

Small thing but was anyone else a little underwhelmed by the title reveal? The quick logos and the quick flash of the title.

I know Lego Batman parodied the "long...really, really long dramatic logos"...but I love that entry into a Batman movie.

Also the thought there could've been an opportunity for a cool title reveal after that Batman intro scene.

Just a creative choice, not a big deal.

Nah I am kind of over all that. I want the film to just go.

(see also: end credit scenes)

 

[SpideyZERO]

So this doesn’t drag?

It does not drag and makes good use of its 3 hour run time. But I feel some parts could have been cut off or shortened for better pacing. There are parts that I feel went on a bit too long and some plot elements that did not work very well.

 

[AndyTrevino]

So, someone who saw the movie compared Joker's face to the monster from "Slither". They compared it to a birth defect rather than a knife scar.

 

[Rod]

Pulled from general discussion thread:

The amount of books this entire team has called back to -- it warms my heart.

I must admit when I first heard Y1 and TLH referenced, my eyes twitched a bit. But thankfully they pulled from so much more.

Speaking of which, and was even going to point that yesteday, the Arkhams deaths seemed very much Court of Owls sus stuff. I wouldn't discard their involviment.

 

[fake]

It does not drag and makes good use of its 3 hour run time. But I feel some parts could have been cut off or shortened for better pacing. There are parts that I feel went on a bit too long and some plot elements that did not work very well.

There were definitely a number of scenes and shots which they let breathe for sure. Most movies would have cut those down. I am pretty sure I could cut this down by 25 minutes just through cutting like 30 seconds from each scene where other movies would have just wipe-transitioned to the next one.

One example is at the end where Bella Real is rescued, we see Batman reach out to her, and the camera holds on her a very long time till the kid decides to be rescued first. Most movies might have had the kid be rescued sooner and then Bella immediately after that. We hold on her for a good 20 seconds there.

Same thing with Bruce and Alfred at the hospital as well.

 

[Jekecy]

Speaking of which, and was even going to point that yesteday, the Arkhams deaths seemed very much Court of Owls sus stuff. I wouldn't discard their involviment.

It's actually pulled from the Earth One mini-series.

Martha's surname being Arkham (in normal canon it's Kane). As well as her parents being involved in a murder-suicide.

That plot point gets evolved in the third volume, though I don't know if it's a good one to adapt.

 

[Rod]

Btw, did they ever mention the Cobblepots in some degree of prestige? I can't recall it - tho, it would seem certainly be a shame to their family pride Oz is just some mid somewhat ascending criminal trying to still climb up ranks and not someone influential from the get go. Maybe Reeves does not plan to have them as being highly regarded in this version

 

[SpideyZERO]

So, someone who saw the movie compared Joker's face to the monster from "Slither". They compared it to a birth defect rather than a knife scar.

To be honest the scene was quite dark and I can barely see how Joker looks like. If I didn't know better I would think that it was Two Face.

 

[AndyTrevino]

"To me the description of him looking like the monster in the movie "Slither" was the most accurate, it didn't look like he cut himself up with a knife but more or less that it's a birth defect given you could see his teeth up all the way to the height of his nose, definitely something you can't really do medically"

 

[The Shape]

There were definitely a number of scenes and shots which they let breathe for sure. Most movies would have cut those down. I am pretty sure I could cut this down by 25 minutes just through cutting like 30 seconds from each scene where other movies would have just wipe-transitioned to the next one.

One example is at the end where Bella Real is rescued, we see Batman reach out to her, and the camera holds on her a very long time till the kid decides to be rescued first. Most movies might have had the kid be rescued sooner and then Bella immediately after that. We hold on her for a good 20 seconds there.

Same thing with Bruce and Alfred at the hospital as well.

This is one thing I loved about the film and what sets it apart from other CBMs. The movie is a machine that relentlessly chugs along, and yet, nothing is really rushed. Scenes linger on certain shots longer than you would expect. Like you said, they could easily just shave little bits off of certain scenes and shots to conserve time and movie things along more quickly, but they don’t go for the quick and easy edits.

This is what helps to really establish the film’s tone and atmosphere. It does make the film feel more immersive, cinematic, and fully realized.

 

[OtherwiseKnownAs]

Yeah.. it’s hard to say if Joker just exposed teeth, an elongated smile, or if he was just smiling considering how dark the scene was.

 

[SpideyZERO]

There were definitely a number of scenes and shots which they let breathe for sure. Most movies would have cut those down. I am pretty sure I could cut this down by 25 minutes just through cutting like 30 seconds from each scene where other movies would have just wipe-transitioned to the next one.

One example is at the end where Bella Real is rescued, we see Batman reach out to her, and the camera holds on her a very long time till the kid decides to be rescued first. Most movies might have had the kid be rescued sooner and then Bella immediately after that. We hold on her for a good 20 seconds there.

Same thing with Bruce and Alfred at the hospital as well.

I agree. This movie is fantastic in building atmosphere but some scenes definitely lingered on too long. There were too many creepy Riddler investigations build up that it got slightly dragged in the middle.

I enjoy the 3rd act but it definitely feels like it was quite forceful and came out of nowhere. Was there any hint about Riddler trying to bomb the city water reservoir or something? I remember there was one mention about rebuilding dam project or something very early into the film.

Despite its problems, the third act has the Batman being the hope moment and to me it's best part of the movie. The score was very on point. Wish the trailer didn't spoil it.

 

[BMW 224]

How does everyone feel about Riddler's costume now that you've seen the movie ?

 

[BatLobster]

So, with Selena being Falcone's daughter and Falcone potentially being responsible for the Waynes' murder, I guess there's a bit of tragic irony in Bruce/Selena's relationship that feels very noir. Has that angle ever been explored in any of the comics before?

 

[ThatOneWolfDude]

So does the film tell how old is Bruce and what year does it takes place in?

 

[BattleAngel]

Just saw it, lots to love, lots to like, some meh, and a bunch of stuff I couldn’t stand.

Loved Pattinson. Awesome to see Bats get real screen time. Gordon was great. This is probably the best use of teamwork and side characters in a Batman film. Penguin stole the show, but there were lots of great little roles.

Also the best approach to Bat-Gadgets in any film, hands down. Grateful they utilized lenses that obscured his eyes and nodded to next gen tech while keeping everything handmade and weighty. The Batmobile ruled. The adrenaline spike etc. All the gear was great.

Finally, LOVE Wayne tower design and Gotham design. Superficial but welcome.

On the liked but not loved side - I didn’t think Zoe Kravitz had real star power in the role compared to the others who have played it. She was fine. But her character was great - excellent use of the character.

I feel Reeves gave us a noir detective movie, but not the Worlds Greatest Detective movie - but I gathered by the end that was intentional - not only does Bats have to become a beacon of light, but he has to use his intellect to see the big picture.

I did like the use of humor - also grounded and not at all like Marvel, while still making for a dynamic full spectrum emotional experience.

On the meh side - the Rata Lada stuff was rough. And I don’t think the beats with Alfred landed at all for the audience I saw it with, which was a shame.

Overall, a good Chinatown-like story should have an unexpected twist - the twist here was that Riddler didn’t know Batman was Bruce Wayne. Interesting, but didn’t feel like that twist was really connected to the mystery. I love mysteries, and this wasn’t really a mystery.

Also for me on the meh side… I hate to say it but I actually wasn’t totally on board with the overblown and constant anamorphic lens/fisheye warping, although it’s totally a valid choice for the film.

Last meh thing - didn’t dig the dialogue all that much. A few good lines, but not the classic banter of a truly great noir.

Now for the stuff I couldn’t stand…

The “unseen prisoner” scene was a dumpster fire to me and took me WAY out of the film. Riddler’s beats had already been successfully hammered home and it felt like cable TV level villain stuff. “Riddle me this?” Really? Yuck. This alone took the film down half a star for me.

And the Wayne scandal stuff… I guess it wasn’t as bad as Keoghker, but to me it felt like they were really winking at lore in this self-aware way. Any time the movie actively subverted Batman, I felt like it swerved really hard. They could have Renewal be a failure without getting in the dumpster with the Falcone stuff.

Btw, did y’all not see the huge capitalized HUSH money bit during Riddler’s Wayne expose? That was their nod to Hush and I’d be surprised if there’s more over the trilogy.

I also had a really hard time swallowing Batman’s invulnerability to automatic gunfire. To me, it spoiled the grounded element.

So for me? 7.5/10 - A really great start to a new Bat trilogy, but it came in solidly below my too-high expectations.

 

[AndyTrevino]

How does everyone feel about Riddler's costume now that you've seen the movie ?

I always loved it. If they wanted to go the stylish route I'd rather they have saved that for Joker

 

[BattleAngel]

I always loved it. If they wanted to go the stylish route I'd rather they have saved that for Joker

agreed, it was great, and love how the Ridcels talked about explicitly on the chat forum. Best use of a “themed gang” in a Batman film, I think.