People who know me know that I love the MCU and Marvel and I give DC a hard time (not without reason though). I love the Christopher Nolan Batman's, of course, I mean it's Nolan!
I was approaching all three hours of The Batman with a slight apprehension. I mean, it's a long, dark, DC film! Well, that apprehension was pretty much wiped away right from the start and I found myself settling in for the Batmobile ride.
For some reason, for me anyway, the darkness of the film, both in the literal sense, as a lot of it is set at night and in the rain and also in the darkness of the character himself just drew me in and enveloped me in this world. That, together with the size and darkness of the IMAX screen engulfed me and drew me right into the film, until I felt like I was following along in Gotham with them.
Let's talk about Pattinson. I'm not a Batman aficionado, of course. Right back in the 80s Michael Keaton was the first Batman I experienced and he was 'my' Batman for years. I think my top Batman, before this film, was been Christian Bale, but now I'm undecided. Pattinson is excellent as this brooding, tortured soul. He's everything you want from a Batman and it just works.
The fight sequences were pretty spectacular too and probably mostly why it's a 15 I would say. You never see much blood or close ups but it is pretty clear what is happening and he doesn't take any prisoners!
Then the Batmobile started up. I don't know if it was because of the IMAX screen, but from the sheer sound I nearly gasped. I'd heard that there was a good car chase sequence and I wasn't disappointed. It was pretty damn good!
Gadgets are also few and far between in this film. They're not needed though and it's a nice change to see this more grounded Batman in a way. Not to say that he doesn't have the gadgets, but they're not the focus of the film.
The supporting cast were all very good. Great to see Andy Serkis as Alfred, although my one gripe is that I would have liked to have seen much much more of him. I enjoyed his scenes and would have happily sacrificed a couple of other scenes for more with him.
Jeffrey Wright is brilliant, as always, as Lt. James Gordon, Batman's sort of side kick/assistant/supporter in all of this mayhem. I also liked Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman. No cheesy lines here, another person with a score to settle.
I really liked the fact that this was 'Detective Batman' trying to beat the Riddler to his next target. A disturbed detective trying to solve the puzzle.
You don't see too much of Bruce Wayne in this version, however, what you do see is a very tortured soul, hidden away in the mansion and the darkness. It's not a spoiler but there's a nice touch when during the daytime (there is some daylight!) Bruce shades his eyes from the light and then puts sunglasses on.
Now if you haven't read up on the entire cast list for the film or read any reviews or reports, then wait until you've seen the film and look up the cast afterward. I usually make sure I know very little before seeing any film and I was honestly so surprised by one actor on the list. Amazing. You'll see!
The length? I honestly didn't really notice it. I mean, yes, it could have easily lost 20 minutes or so but it wasn't noticeable. I was enjoying myself so much in Gotham that I was happy with the amount of time I got to spend there and, dare I say it, I didn't really want to leave!
It is a dark film and a very serious film for the superhero genre. There are a couple of laughs yes, when I say a couple, I think perhaps around 3? So yes, perhaps around a couple more wouldn't have changed the tone or feel of the film but would have given the audience a bit more of relief as it's a lot to take in. That is me being harsh though, as whilst it didn't have more humour, it wasn't exactly warranted or needed as the all the action, puzzle solving by 'Detective Batman' and chases were more than enough to keep me fully engaged and drawn in. Would I see it again? Oh yes!
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