The Batman Spoiler Discussion Thread

[Kane52630]

I noticed watching it a 2nd time that the club bouncer running gag (which I loved) had Batman show up as Batman, as public persona Bruce Wayne, and somewhere inbetween.

 

[RaimiWebSpidey]

I don’t see how anyone could complain about run time. The pacing in this film was incredible. I was shocked it flowed so well.

 

[DKDetective]

By the way, did I misinterpret it, but did Bats accidentally stall the Batmobile after his initial revving intimidation? Maybe that is just what I got as a guy who drives a manual.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

By the way, did I misinterpret it, but did Bats accidentally stall the Batmobile after his initial revving intimidation? Maybe that is just what I got as a guy who drives a manual.

I wondered that as well.

 

[Kane52630]

Selina Kyle mentioning Bludhaven was really cool but I also noticed on the news cast that there's apparently an "Old Gotham" and Blackgate prison is on an island...which I can see some major sequel setting stuff.

 

[flickchick85]

By the way, did I misinterpret it, but did Bats accidentally stall the Batmobile after his initial revving intimidation? Maybe that is just what I got as a guy who drives a manual.

Oh I thought it was the car equivalent of this:

 

[DKDetective]

Selina Kyle mentioning Bludhaven was really cool but I also noticed on the news cast that there's apparently an "Old Gotham" and Blackgate prison is on an island...which I can see some major sequel setting stuff.

Speaking of comics Easter eggs, did anyone else notice that Wayne Tower is the spitting image of how it was drawn in Zero Year (right down to the Bat ears on top)?

Also, the last line of the movie is verbatim the last line of Zero Year. Just this time, Selina speaks it instead of Alfred.

 

[AndyTrevino]

Hmmm...you could be right, but I kind of hope they go in another direction seeing as Heath's Joker was very punk rock inspired.

I think they could push it a bit further here. Like a Joker who feels almost like a "rockstar" without any point to prove about humanity or whatever if that makes any sense at all

 

[Iceman]

I noticed watching it a 2nd time that the club bouncer running gag (which I loved) had Batman show up as Batman, as public persona Bruce Wayne, and somewhere inbetween.

The joke never got old lol.

 

[DKDetective]

Oh I thought it was the car equivalent of this:

That makes way more sense. I just thought it was another indication that the car was a prototype since it was still under construction in the cave before that scene.

 

[weezerspider]

I thought it was pretty average, I actually liked the third act best. I don't think there was a concrete narrative driving the film forward, just kind of going in and out of several stories and none of them particularly well established. I think they should have given more scenes to the Riddler in the first half so we can connect more with him, maybe some scenes with him talking to himself or online, we already don't have much with Bruce so it kind of feels like we don't really know anyone. Selina was the highlight for me.

Have you read any Raymond Chandler novels? I mean that genuinely, not like in a dick way. All of those detective novels are designed like this. There is always a bunch of threads that rarely ever come together in a meaningful way. That’s a pretty standard trope in noir detective novels to the point that The Big Lebowski and Inherent Vice both pretty much make that trope the whole gag of their respected films. John Huston couldn’t even understand one of the plot lines when he was adapting The Big Sleep that he called Chandler and asked him about it and Chandler said he didn’t know either. He just wrote it lol.

I think it’s very intentional( which doesn’t mean you have to like the film of course) that the film is structured that way.

 

[Erik Lensherr]

I am so confused about these set photos from Liverpool.

Where is Zoë Kravitz in the movie?

 

[Kane52630]

It had to be misdirection for leaks or there were changes in the script.

There were also some Superman and Wonder Woman Halloween costumes that didn't make it to the final film.

 

[weezerspider]

I am so confused about these set photos from Liverpool.

Where is Zoë Kravitz in the movie?

Reeves discussed this. He had her on set since Bruce is supposed to think it’s her. It was to help Rob’s performance be more authentic.

 

[Iceman]

I’d really like to see the numbers on how long Bruce was in costume versus out. I feel like this is the first Batman movie where Bruce had more time in costume than out.

This is surely the biggest split in favour of Batman over Bruce we’ve had in any of the films. Just as well Pattinson’s Batman is great but I’d like to see more of his Bruce too (especially after a haircut ).

 

[DKDetective]

This is surely the biggest split in favour of Batman over Bruce we’ve had in any of the films. Just as well Pattinson’s Batman is great but I’d like to see more of his Bruce too (especially after a haircut ).

The hair really grew on me and I think it did a great job of making Pattinson look younger. He immediately looks much more mature and less boyish with the shorter hair seen at the premiere.

 

[TheVileOne]

Same energy.

 

[Lautox]

Was William Kenzie inspired by Captain McCluskey of the godfather?

 

[TheVileOne]

I don’t see how anyone could complain about run time. The pacing in this film was incredible. I was shocked it flowed so well.

I think it started to slosh in the second half. The key to Gotham's corruption and the Riddler plot veered off the rails. Felt like they were mimicking beats from the Nolan trilogy but everything is out of sync.

 

[BobJM]

Just saw the movie, really enjoyed it. What a return to form for the character. Not since The Dark Knight have I enjoyed a Batman film so much.

Some thoughts for now…

Gotham City.

I loved the way the city looked, especially towards the beginning when Bruce is riding on his motorcycle back to the cave following the mayor’s murder. It just felt…choked in a sense. And when it rains, it really rains.

The Batcave.

Loved the Batcave entrance and visual. The bats screeching and flying overheard as Bruce pulls up on his motorcycle through an abandoned Wayne terminal…awesome. And the computer banks (and how often Bruce used them) was a fun visual too. Loved seeing him replay footage from his contact lenses and keep war journals.

Comic book nods.

• Bludhaven! I swear when Batman asked Selina where she’ll go I thought there’s no way she says Bludhaven but Reeves didn’t fail to deliver.
• Falcone’s scar! Loved seeing that too
  
• Falcone’s backstory (Thomas Wayne operated on him while young Bruce watched)
• Arkham! Loved the acknowledgment of Martha’s surname

 

[BobJM]

I thought Riddler’s gang was going to be Reeve’s version of the Red Hood Gang, and one of the masked men at the Gotham Square Garden would fall into the water when the electrical wire cable was dangling and that would be the Joker origin. I even thought for a moment that the scarred man who says “I’m vengeance” might have been Keoghan under prosthetic like Farrell.

I can’t wait to see again on Sunday to get a better look at the Joker tease.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

Am I the only one who had a hard time following the Batmobile/Penguin chase?

It was hard to grasp the routes taken, the sense of location of the vehicles at different points and couldn't tell where they were going.

No, you’re not the only one. I was following it ok at the beginning, but in the middle of it I thought “what’s going on here?”

Honestly, that chase felt like a studio note. You could remove it from the movie and not much changes.

 

[BobJM]

I think a stronger presence for Falcone in the beginning would have helped make the reveal that he’s the rat and he’s basically the mayor of Gotham more impactful.

Him not showing up until Selina spots him in the club I think is a mistake. I get he’s a recluse but maybe news footage or some such.

 

[BobJM]

I liked this Gordon too. Like Batman, he felt young. But not unrecognizable.

I suspect the new Mayor may want a police commissioner she can trust. Especially if half of downtown is still flooded.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

Now that I've seen it twice, I absolutely loved how Matt Reeves manage to have a sense of population in Gotham. A lot of movies tend to have the main cast be the focus of the movie and have dialogue and not the tertiary characters. You just see a lot of the extras in this that feel like they're apart of the story and not just background characters. You see it in his Planet of the Apes films and Cloverfield and you see it in here.


Also I think Rob's Batman has probably the most "eye acting" out of all the Batmans on screen. There's a lot going on in the quieter moments when nobody is talking.

Hmmm, definitely a toss up between he and Keaton in that department. I always appreciated that Keaton’s Batman spoke very little and instead conveyed a lot through a look. It was nice to see another interpretation get back to that.