The Batman

...I don't have quite as much to say about it as I was hoping I would, but that's not because I didn't like it; on the contrary, because I actually liked it quite a bit on the whole. Rather, my relative lack of thoughts is more a result of how familiar an experience the movie was at times, not just with the obvious inspiration it took from Nolan's Bat-trilogy (particular in a scene where another iconic Batbaddie broadcasts his sadistic hostage-taking), but also from David Fincher's murky "serial thrillers", and even the elaborate death traps of the Saw movies, which resulted in the film feeling more derivative than it should have, especially coming from a director as skilled as Matt Reeves has proven himself to be.

However, despite that, and the fact that its somewhat convoluted plot and nearly 3-hour runtime both could've done with a little bit of pruning, The Batman still succeeds as meaty, intelligent, and engaging blockbuster filmmaking throughout, the kind that's disappointingly uncommon in modern Hollywood, as Reeves fully showcases his knack for directing memorable, striking setpieces (particularly during a frantic escape scene from a police station), and fully leans into the rich iconography and symbolism that's made its central character such an enduring figure in pop culture, creating a moody, thrilling experience that ultimately proves to be (mostly) worth the afternoon I spent to watch it. And, while its creative choices can't help but keep it somewhat in the shadow of The Dark Knight, which still remains the franchise's high water mark to date, The Batman still manages to be the runner-up Batfilm for me for now, and a strong foundation to build higher upon for whenever the inevitable sequel comes out; let the cinematic battiness keep flowing, baby!

...I don't have quite as much to say about it as I was hoping I would, but that's not because I didn't like it; on the contrary, because I actually liked it quite a bit on the whole. Rather, my relative lack of thoughts is more a result of how familiar an experience the movie was at times, not just with the obvious inspiration it took from Nolan's Bat-trilogy (particular in a scene where another iconic Batbaddie broadcasts his sadistic hostage-taking), but also from David Fincher's murky "serial thrillers", and even the elaborate death traps of the Saw movies, which resulted in the film feeling more derivative than it should have, especially coming from a director as skilled as Matt Reeves has proven himself to be.

However, despite that, and the fact that its somewhat convoluted plot and nearly 3-hour runtime both could've done with a little bit of pruning, The Batman still succeeds as meaty, intelligent, and engaging blockbuster filmmaking throughout, the kind that's disappointingly uncommon in modern Hollywood, as Reeves fully showcases his knack for directing memorable, striking setpieces (particularly during a frantic escape scene from a police station), and fully leans into the rich iconography and symbolism that's made its central character such an enduring figure in pop culture, creating a moody, thrilling experience that ultimately proves to be (mostly) worth the afternoon I spent to watch it. And, while its creative choices can't help but keep it somewhat in the shadow of The Dark Knight, which still remains the franchise's high water mark to date, The Batman still manages to be the runner-up Batfilm for me for now, and a strong foundation to build higher upon for whenever the inevitable sequel comes out; let the cinematic battiness keep flowing, baby!