The Batman reviewed by Mark Kermode

[@ComicsFromScratch]

As a comic nerd I have to disagree with Simon. I've always wanted a Batman film with a proper narration, it harkens to Batman's roots in hardboiled detective noir so I'm glad they finally included it.

[@zengamer21]

Isn't it explained in the movie that he's writing a journal because he's losing track of what he does at night? So we're hearing him write his journal entries, essentially.

[@Br0therHO0dClan]

@@zengamer21 yes

[@DeepTitanic]

The reason people obsess about Batman is that in the comics the story is often told via narration. I.e when you read the comic YOU ARE BATMAN. "In the comic Batman R.I.P, Batman himself references his years of physical training. Having been buried alive, his thoughts are as follows: 'I’ve escaped from every conceivable deathtrap. Ten times. A dozen times. I can slow my breathing and metabolism to control panic and conserve air. Straitjacket’s kindergarten. Locks, too. Bench pressing a pine coffin lid through 600 pounds of loose soil that’s filling my mouth, crushing my lungs flat and shredding my dehydrated muscles? That’s harder. But far from impossible.'"

[@anthonymartensen3164]

The voice over felt lazy to me, writing wise, and failed to pull me in because there wasn't much reason to get into the character. My opinion.

[@crobeastness]

@@charlesgill1177 how was there not enough reason to get into the character because he narrated it?

[@klxh7139]

There was some great standout acting in this film but what I fear is that John Turturro as Carmine Falcone will go unnoticed, he absolutely nailed it in my opinion, He wasn’t just acting as a mob boss it genuinely felt like he was a mob boss and you could feel the subtle power he had over people with the simplest of actions or emotions, a simple smile or how he would put his hand on someone’s shoulder. It felt like he had genuine power. He had some real golden moments in this film

[@mikeadams7904]

He was a convincing sleazebag

[@Biscuits645]

He seemed the way he is in most films but just dressed as a mob boss. It was hard to take him seriously.

[@chrisclement6789]

@KIxH true!

[@DarrenBates]

He reminded me of Eddie Jordan

[@dagetheevil1]

@KIxH Exactly. I've never seen any movies with Turturro before, so this was my first true impression of his acting. Falcone felt very intimidating. You can tell he's not afraid of anything. Even if Batman were to beat him up, he'd probably just laugh at him. Falcone speaks with a soft spoken voice a majority of the time, which gives off a "he's in control" type of vibe. This adds a lot more to the scenes where he strangles women to death. You'd never know what his intentions are as he doesn't need to ask for permission. He's selfish and does what he knows will benefit him even at the expense of others. He's very clever with how he's able to maintain a STRONG control over his underlings to the point that even a DA would rather die than sell him out. He's not a guy you'd ever want to get involved with, unless you're the Batman himself

[@Mannie_Bothans]

Batman narration made the movie! This felt like the most comic accurate Batman to date. Absolutely adored the direction of this take on The Batman. Brilliant film.

[@matthewporter3048]

Agree, The narration was him writing his journals, so completely made sense to me - it gave context to the narration and totally fitting for the noir-ish genre of the film, maybe Simon didn't pick up on him writing the same words in his journal.

[@hellbach6268]

Most accurate? Three words, The Animated Series!

[@2402devin]

@@hellbach6268 exactly

[@vb8428]

No, it felt like a lazy crutch like in many films that force a voiceover in for no need. Completely unnecessary but at least the one at the end was slightly better.

[@abcd-xr1fh]

Clueless

[@MrMisanthrope84]

For someone who barely talks throughout the movie, Robert Pattinson conveyed SO MUCH in his performance. The funeral scene in the church he barely says a word and yet you can tell what he's thinking the entire time, and gets across the tragedy and empathy of the character. And as for spectacle, in the IMAX, the Batmobile firing up sounded utterly, gloriously satanic. The use of sound was excellent. The way in which both Batman and the Batmobile get introduced in this movie were just spine-tingling moments. As a lifelong fan of all things Batman this ticked all the boxes for me. It went from gripping to utterly riveting. Everyone in this movie smashed their roles. I couldn't have been any happier.

[@steveghawtin]

Wish I'd witnessed that Batmobile startup in IMAX. Even in a regular cinema, I was grinning like a little kid!!!!

[@mattycollins8711]

“Satanic” is such a beautiful description of the sound of the Batmobile in this movie

[@masterwindu1234]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jonalexdennis]

He just looked bored and needing direction 😂

[@MrMisanthrope84]

@@jonalexdennis That's not funny 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@acabboltz2040]

The narration literally says the date at the beginning. It’s his diary.

[@williamfrancecamera]

I loved it. Greig Fraser made every frame a moody painting, Cast was terrific and story was constantly engaging. Problem I have with you comparing it to Nolan movies (although I agree it is the standout example and clearly the strongest inspiration bar the comics) is that it doesn’t try to be a Nolan movie. This distinctly feels like Reeves, and the whole Apes trilogy team putting their stamp on the character and it works an absolute treat for the story and filmmaking

[@kenhuntley0707]

Yes, Reeves is a great filmmaker, the Apes trilogy was fantastic!

[@s.g.7572]

I loved the subtle campness of it. Like, they knew they were going for grimdark hardboiled noir and just went absolutely all in on the vibe. Jeffrey Wright especially, just gloriously grizzled from beginning to end, and the way that everything was taken so absolutely seriously by all the characters. Paul Dano singing Ave Maria will stick with me till the end of time.

[@mikejohnston8275]

I do think they balanced the weird snd absurd aspects of this world with a grounded detective story

[@s.g.7572]

which complemented both! it's a legitimately good noir film while also being a serious crime thriller and also a work of lovely grimdark camp

[@enochroot9438]

I went in a doubter and came out a convert...Lifelong fan of Batman Comics and movies and I have to say this was a great adaptation. The Noir tone, the Detective Batman focus, the cinematography & soundtrack, great Villain performances....the different batman many didn't realize we needed. I enjoyed the inner monologues voicing and appreciated the tone and lighting. The blurry frantic combat scenes added some grit compared to the clean choreographed Marvel style but this out-of-focus camera style detracted from the car chase sequence. The Batmobile was an epic and unique new styling. Definitely recommended

[@stupididiot6993]

Disagree with you on the car chase, that was one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Had me feel like I needed to put a seatbelt on in my theater seat

[@larry2281]

By Marvel style do you mean CGI? Lol. I was sold on this movie the second I saw the trailer. I was hooked and couldn’t wait. Especially the 2nd trailer.

[@DeanTaylor38]

Loved it. I feel this was tonally more akin to Se7en, with the constant rain, city of nightmares, and an antagonist on a mission who's toying with his pursuers. The narration gave it an even more noir feel, taking it closer to Frank Miller's work, and made sense in terms of a Batman who is working through who he has created and capturing a record of it. I felt it could have been 20-30 minutes shorter, with most of that coming off the third act which was not as strong as the first two.

[@Pengi_SMILES]

Se7en was the film I had in mind when I was watching it too.

[@edwardbalboa5528]

It was chit

[@DarkPhantomSky]

Right on, had similar feelings towards the film.

[@ZeroMalarki]

Definitely could have been shorter and less exposition filled

[@yoerijonker846]

Perfectly put. Se7en is remarkably analogue to this Batman, for as far as one can go with the current spectrum of superhero movies. Great job and a big thumbs up for this comment

[@tylerblair318]

Simon's complaint of the narration I found interesting because I thought it was such a nod to Paul Schrader's lonely men that often lead his filmography. I keep seeing people compare this film to 70's cinema and I don't think that's really the case at all. 70's cinema is much much slower. I found there to be much more comparisons to the scenes in Silence of the Lambs where Clarice is being looked at in certain ways within the FBI and trying to figure out who Buffalo Bill is. It's also really really similar to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in the way the central relationship builds with multiple strands of plot woven throughout. This film really impressed me a lot. I found it to be a reflection of the past decade in cinema with the technical aspects being as good as "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Blade Runner 2049" and reminiscent of mid level budget movies from that time like "Sicario". Is it as good as any of those three? Probably not. Was it the most fun I've had in a theater this decade? Probably. I think Possessor and Spencer are probably better movies from this decade but I kind of can't get this interpretation out of my head. This is what I want from blockbuster big budget maximalist cinema.

[@Mike-gd4zd]

Also, the thematic aspects to Bruce Wayne’s ‘self-therapy’ (i.e - his notebook) lends well to the idea that he is in constant dialogue with himself. He is constantly wrestling with this idea of legacy, and the narration accompanies this well.

[@MrTyree0117]

Also- comics. Batman year one.

[@nectarinedreams7208]

I was disappointed the narration wasn't present for the entire film

[@matayolandas]

Yeah. In fact, you can see some similarities with the 'The Card Counter.'

[@AA-qb7ni]

The narration was so fitting for this film. I loved it.

[@fufumanfufuman2387]

The narration is amazing it gives a very impactful insight into Bruce Wayne’s psyche and where he views Himself as Batman compared to how he is greeted by other characters. In my opinion it creates a brilliant contrast between dehumanising him and his narration showing the human side

[@davidjones9183]

In a perfect

[@annaczgli2983]

Couldn't have said it better.

[@unipachu]

I thought it fit the detective story vibe.

[@Texus8]

100% I've always wanted to see a Batman movie with Bruce Wayne narration. It's also straight from comics like Dark Knight Returns.

[@himynameis3664]

I havnt seen it yet. But the trailers gave me Watchmen vibes and I think narrative suits that style. And did the guy who didn't like the narration see the movie? Cos other people have said that it's explained he is reading a journal and that's why there's narration. This guy seemed completely flabbergasted by it

[@andrewbaggett8664]

The Batmobile reveal shot is my favourite cinematic moment this year to date. Tremendous

[@mandelbot5318]

Absolutely. The size of the grin on my face as that beast started powering up. 😁

[@andrewbaggett8664]

100% goosebumps, especially after seeing it in various stages of construction round the 'Batcave'

[@tppdc1495]

It was slow and talk-ey. He didn't seem agile or anything like that. Batman Begins at least had him swoop in like a demon and vanishing like a ninja. That version made him terrifying. This version has a lot of Clint Eastwood moments in 'Unforgiven', i thought.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ7LeIx4abOXj8U And better car chases were seen in Mad Max: Fury Road.

[@EM-wd2vg]

Mine too, when I saw the car for the first time I wasn't convinced but changed my mind once I saw the movie. Obviously a car that he built himself that looked totally realistic.

[@davidlloyd2594]

So the best thing you've seen in the last 10 weeks. High praise.

[@BenM.Davies]

I actually loved this more accurate take on the comics, "worlds greatest detective", as opposed to a big action star in a cape, is what Batman has been in the comics for a long time now. This is much more like The Long Halloween comic than it is the 60s Batman, and that is mainly down to the aesthetic and the noir style narration.

[@a.madison9625]

I think the audience all agrees we love the narration. Pattinson nails the voice and it draws us in and gives us a chance to feel connected to the character, more than just watching him. It's like he's speaking directly to us. Also loved the chase sequence and there were some long shots so you could see the highway. All the supporting characters were great but Pattinson carried this film on his shoulders.

[@novaprime3647]

Couldn't disagree more, his voice is irritating and too soft and I hated the narration too emo whiny

[@vb8428]

Narration was unnecessary. It's such a lazy fallback in post by many directors.

[@weeeeehhhhh]

Loved Pattinson in this. Fantastic actor who fit the role well. I understand the doubters, but they've been proven wrong so many times. Keaton, Ledger and Pattinson have proved fans wrong.

[@cosmic4795]

@@vb8428 Nope, it wasn't..

[@brachiator1]

I did not care for the narration. I don't think it was lazy, but I disagree with the artistic choice to use it. I thought that Pattinson delivered it well.

[@hellbach6268]

For me, the essential and definitive bat-man is...... "Batman, the animated series". That's where Nolan (in my opinion) took the inspiration in the darkness of the series, not to mention the music. The animated Batman and his gallery of vilians will always be, what every movie should strive to be. And the narration? Come on man, that's bat man's world in the comics.

[@nectarinedreams7208]

Colin Farrell was doing an impression of Robert DeNiro doing an impression of Al Capone in The Untouchables and I loved it

[@007Fusiion]

I didn’t even recognise him in the role. That’s a compliment.

[@peterlenham3180]

You probably didn't recognise him because he was covered in makeup.

[@tonyparkin3379]

Just watched it. 9/10. Dared to be different to the Marvel saturation.

[@ThatMarkGilroy]

Just came back from watching it and if you like your detective noir stories, it’s a full blown masterpiece. I’m a comics fan and this caters for both Batman fans and a more generic thriller audience.

[@mrcoatsworth429]

Ever since The Long Halloween have I wanted a proper noir detective Batman. This is it. It's awesome.

[@sisloan]

Someone else who gets it. The voice over is a throwback to the old detective noir movies. The story very much the same. As a thriller it stands on its own. As an action movie it does the same.

[@ThatMarkGilroy]

@@sisloan Even the costume feels straight out of the Gotham By Gaslight series which is about as noir as it gets.

[@AimForMyHead81]

It was amazing!

[@pakora81]

That's exactly what I loved, totally hard boiled detective story which completely works. The atmosphere reminded me a lot of Se7en as well, which is not a complaint.

[@redlightmax]

5:09 I like how Mark took a break from the review to give Jared Leto another slap for his Joker. Edit: Apparently Mark was referring to Leto's performance in House of Gucci.🤷‍♂

[@thepurpleumbrella5041]

Was talking about house of gucci...

[@fredh1720]

I love it, what he says about Leto in house of Gucci is one of my favourite moments in the whole show

[@mrcoatsworth429]

Isn't he talking about that Gucci movie rather than the Joker performance?

[@ikbenale]

Definitely more about House of Gucci, but applicable to both performances

[@Tyler_W]

I think the ending of Zack Snyder's Justice League proved that he at least had potential to be intriguing if he was given another shot. Outside of a continuation of Snyder's story (which I hope Discovery-Warner greenlight against all hope), I don't think I'd be particularly interested in more Leto Joker, but still. There was a credible idea there. It just needed fine tuning.

[@WahajDrifter5598]

The narration is straight out of Frank Miller's Year One where Bruce Wayne narrates as he walks through the grimey slumps of Gotham City, where all he sees is prostitution, crime, and criminals. It's very much a nod to that as well as putting the audience in Batman's head. Matt Reeves is almost infamous for being too POV.

[@stam7250]

Yeah right? Perspective is one of the biggest things he does and I've only seen two of his other movies lol. This was present throughout the movie and it was beautiful imo

[@stefanfilipovits21]

I LOVED it. I thought on the whole it was a great film as well as a great adaptation of Batman. Pattinson was great, kravitz was great, I can kinda take or leave the riddler but I really dug Colin Farrell as Oz/Penguin. I never thought I’d be excited for a penguin spin-off show but I’m genuinely looking forward to it. I thought the action was beautiful and visceral and brutal, the shot compositions are gorgeous, and despite being a bit long moved at a pretty good clip. I can’t wait to experience this version more.

[@harvestcanada]

I the story justified the 3 hours, but it did look like he nearly forgot about revealing the identity of the riddler and the plot ending towards the end. This is the best batman yet, Judge Dredd should be the next sequel.

[@azursmile]

Way too much stuff about Falcony.. what exactly was the twist, a clearly dodgy crook who turns out to a be a slightly dodgier, bigger crook..

[@sgtraytango]

@@harvestcanada You'd think so. Dredd from 2012 was the closest to the comics Judge Dredd with all the violence and such, but because it "flopped" in the US, the planned trilogy was canned.

[@tppdc1495]

It was slow and talk-ey. He didn't seem agile or anything like that. Batman Begins at least had him swoop in like a demon and vanishing like a ninja. That version made him terrifying. This version has a lot of Clint Eastwood moments in 'Unforgiven', i thought.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ7LeIx4abOXj8U

[@harvestcanada]

@@sgtraytango I loved the 2012 Dredd, it is far superior to the stalone version. But the down to earth gothic style of The Batman fits perfectly with the style from the Dredd. Besides Dredd is part of Bruce Wayne's (Batman's) canon. The next sequel could easily accommodate Psi-judge Anderson, Judge Death or Mean Machine. Judge Dredd:America and Origins, even has panels with similar scenes in The Batman.😃

[@Malky5279]

I have to add I liked the fact that Batman was largely ineffectual. For one it's a younger Batman finding his way. For another if someone cracked plants a series of bombs around the place realistically there is nothing a mere mortal even Batman can do to stop it. It's actually a nice counterpoint to the Batman escapes a nuclear explosion implausibly.

[@annaczgli2983]

I loved this movie. It was a dark, detective noir, almost like a David Fincher movie.

[@Texus8]

Yes! I swear I always wanted a Batman movie that was like, take Fincher's Zodiac, then replace the detective with Batman and the Zodiac killer with the Riddler loll and that is basically what this movie was. Amazing, and so great to finally see a version of batman that is pure detective noir thriller.

[@bencarlson4300]

It felt a LOT like Se7en, especially anything with the Riddler

[@tppdc1495]

It was slow and talk-ey. He didn't seem agile or anything like that. Batman Begins at least had him swoop in like a demon and vanishing like a ninja. That version made him terrifying. This version has a lot of Clint Eastwood moments in 'Unforgiven', i thought.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ7LeIx4abOXj8U

[@jokerfleckcast3196]

Lol good joke

[@rossl5908]

Good on paper but it wasn’t executed well

[@benjaminmolloy1201]

Narration is a key element to batman in the comics, as if he journals everything he experiences.

[@danielmannandersen2332]

I thought the voice over was meant to be like him filling out his diary

[@cph4314]

The narration is from the 'notes and observations' from his 'Gotham project'. It works and it makes sense

[@felyxmillicent6538]

Saw it last night. Amazing. Going back to see it again tonight.

[@nickm8874]

I admire your stamina. 3 hours was a struggle for me

[@ajaini1709]

@@nickm8874 same

[@felyxmillicent6538]

@@nickm8874 Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen was a struggle. 40 minutes in I felt I'd been there for three years.

[@staticthreat0]

Watch TDK instead. Much much better.

[@ajaini1709]

@@felyxmillicent6538 nah that’s a great film

[@dsmyify]

"better than Affleck? Oh absolutely." Hello darkness my old friend...

[@andymasterson8059]

Absolutely fantastic, loved every minute of the near three hours. The cast was great, it looks superb, the action was brutal. It's all just so dark, as it should be.

[@pascaldesnoeck8671]

me the same great movie and cast

[@kurtrivero368]

Paul Dano sucked. Such stupid, over-the-top mugging. That wasn’t the Riddler, they should’ve just called him something else.

[@_.-_Crimpy-_..-.]

@@kurtrivero368 I disagree

[@ItsLloydM8]

I agree it was fantastic. 3 hours felt like it went by in 1 hour, I was mesmerized!

[@abcd-xr1fh]

@@ItsLloydM8 mesmerized? Who uses that to describe a film..

[@d4rr3nt0nk5]

The Batman was fantastic. 3 hours of character development as the opening scene with the thugs in the subway indicates. He only sees himself as fear or vengeance but look at the thug who they are coercing into mugging that man. His eyes show hope and relief when the Batman is done. Batman doesn't realise it but will by films end. I cannot recommend this movie enough, so much depth from the score to the blurry nature of the cinematography to the acting. It's not a comicbook movie, it's a hero movie.

[@M2Mil7er]

I wouldn't even say hero movie. It's an vigilante _antihero_ noir detective thriller, because that's what Batman is.

[@d4rr3nt0nk5]

@@M2Mil7er By the end of this film he realises he has to be a hero. He hates Bruce Wayne not Batman but realises by the end Batman, as is, inspired the wrong people. He now carries the light, he now is seen in the light. Amazing film. Can't wait to see it again.

[@masonguthrie1257]

Love this movie as well but what I liked about it was it did not feel like a hero movie in the sense that marvel or even dc to some extent does. this just felt like a horror mystery thriller as others have stated. I feel what gives it the super hero vibe is not the story but the world he was able to show. Gotham felt both unreal but also so well lived in like I could not picture gothan in our world but in Batmans world definitely.

[@blaisetelfer8499]

Though the Nolan films will always be my favorite, I wouldn't call this a footnote. It's a different vision entirely; more like a live action Arkham City. And I must admit, not all 3 DK films were made equal: Rises was a 3.5/5 for me while the first two were perfect 5/5's, so I wouldn't be surprised if I end up liking this one better than TDKR.

[@jor9423]

I can’t imagine finding Batman Begins a better film than Rises but I know there’ll be plenty who agree with you

[@blaisetelfer8499]

@@jor9423 Begins has an other-worldy, Gothic aesthetic that I find much more delectable than the sterile, daytime Chicago feel of the other two, and the four-sided opposition leads to interesting conflict. I also find the discussions of justice and civics more engaging in Begins. Not to mention, Rises recycles the surprise that Begins used, where a character is revealed to be one of the Al Guhls working with the League of Shadows. If you have to borrow from another movie, that movie is probably better.

[@Windupchronic]

I much prefer Rises to Begins. In fact, Begins is the weakest of the three for me, and it’s not even close. Begins is interesting for how it introduces the manner with which they are going to conduct this world, but I think it’s badly paced and edited, and the action is probably the worst of any Batman movie. It’s close cuts and quick edits. It’s just a mess. Nolan hadn’t figured out how to do action yet when he made Begins.

[@jor9423]

Blaise Telfer A respectful justification my friend. I prefer Rises because I simply found it more emotionally engaging and almost perfectly structured and paced. I also found it refreshing that Batman was relatively weak or even absent for large chunks. It raised the stakes and gave the film scope to explore other interesting themes that go beyond the super hero genre.

[@michaelangelo2192]

@@blaisetelfer8499 My guess is you find this about on par with TDKR. But be sure to tell me if I'm wrong after u've seen it!

[@PrivateGringo]

Pattinson's portrayal of Batman was actually the best I've seen. I loved what they did with it.

[@nabhus]

I loved that the main character in this film was Gotham City. This is about people being a product of their environment and can we change the environment to alter the nature of people, which is quite a universal theme

[@randychimp4298]

Batman narrates in the comics and graphic novels all the time, and presenting his narration as diary entries he keeps as logs of his nights fighting crime, it makes sense Simon

[@intruder313]

Continues to sound like The Crow. And The Crow is one of the best graphic novels / films :)

[@jokerfleckcast3196]

The crow was actually good unlike kubrick reeves borefest

[@TheBalrogwillpass]

@@jokerfleckcast3196 very true, I've read all the comics, I own all the films, I also own all the animated series. I see what they tried to do, and the actors do the best with the script they can, I found it boring to be honest, it was obvious the riddler was just a hard-done-by keyboard-warrior. Nolan and Bale were what the comics tried to do when they made it darker. It works, Nolan provides everything in spades, Bale as usual did his due dilligence and obviously read/watched everything he could. Compared to that Trilogy, this is a pale imitation, then again I didn't really rate Joker with joaquin, too arty, and not enough substance. Lets not forget the whole purpose of comics, excitement, this film didn't provide any, 3 hrs of bland rubbish, the scene where the 'batmobile' was unveiled, literally the most underwhelming thing I've ever seen. I get they wanted to be darker, they wanted to be closer to the comics.. but which ones? Seems like the comics that almost got Batman canned to me, there's a reason they went of popularity, they were boring and lacklustre, a little like this film that's 'trying' to be different. Hard shoes to fill, but nobody even asked a film studio to try and follow Nolan and Bale, you would have thought they learned their lesson after affleck.

[@tomfairbairn1202]

I really liked the voice over, thought it added to the Noir feel, with the excellent score. I loved how the cowel and collar gave him a Sherlock Holmes look too

[@john_service]

The narration was due to the fact that Bruce is writing journal entries. They show him writing a journal for the previous night’s vigilante campaign during the scene in the Batcave maybe 15-20 mins into the film

[@thehonestaspy102]

As a life-long Batman fan this film was everything I wanted, we finally got a gritty Noir film that perfectly captured the aesthetic of Gotham and the detective genius of Batman. I also cannot wait to see more of this Bat-Verse, especially with such brilliant takes on characters like Penguin and Riddler.

[@Dacre1000]

I don't think I would ever put the words Batman Begins and art house in the same phrase... other than in this one, I guess. And I don't mean it as a slight against BB. In fact, if there ever was an art house Batman movie, I would rather think Batman Returns fits the bill nicer. It is a better candidate at least.

[@anthonymartensen3164]

I can see what they mean by Batman Begins as an arthouse, it's more of a grounded, artistic approach cinematically than basically any superhero movie that came before it.

[@laganas2008]

There's no happy ending to the film, but no sad ending either. It's ongoing, there's work to be done, by both the characters and the scriptwriters. I liked this film.

[@fragr33f74]

I really enjoyed when the film focused on the Riddler and Batman. Didn't enjoy the film when they moved away from that plot line and felt like the film lost steam by the end. 3/5 for me.

[@johndeignan2668]

Simon clearly never read a Batman comic book. Batman’s narrations are great

[@xxraptorxx8180]

He always talks to himself in his head also he doesn’t have a photographic memory so he needs to document his findings and his thoughts

[@glenaitken9403]

He actually wound me up in this, was VERY sniffy about the film.

[@MoreMovies4u]

Damn good movie. Its interwoven narrative drags you in, and the performances across the cast are superb. In particular, Colin Farrell's Penguin - a performance that makes the actor disappear. I loved the postmodern homages to cinema, including all the other Batman films, Seven, Zodiac, The Warriors, Poseidon Adventure, Blade Runner, The French Connection, Star Wars, loads of film noir movies, and so much more. It allows the film to create a tapestry influenced by the very materials that influenced the comics the film is based on.

[@ronaldcox3369]

I feel like fans of the graphic novels will love this film, while those who only watch batman on the big screen may be more divided. I loved this movie, it's not perfect but it's right up there with some of the best batman movie adaptations and I can't wait to see where they go with the sequels.

[@JayE..]

Saw it last night, loved it, great acting by all of the cast, superb action scenes and the score is fantastic. Can’t believe how good Pattison is as Batman, dark and brooding, just how the bat should be.

[@nathanwinning8331]

I adore this movie, I thought the voiceover narration was great. I took it as us hearing what he's writing in his journal. There's that scene at the beginning that shows us he is keeping his days straight with the journal etc.

[@6Churches]

The third act didn't require the other two to be achieved. All it was was 8 vans with explosives and a dozen henchmen - we didn't need any of the mystery as build up for that. It was quite disjointed.

[@mikestakeon]

***SPOILERS*** But they establish how Thomas Wayne, and by extension Bruce are all interlinked and essentially the cause of all the corruption that pervades Gotham City in their present day, and also the Wayne Orphanage is directly related to why Riddler has such personal resentment towards them. If not for all that backstory, Riddler would just be a terrorist with no motivation who blows things up.

[@supes12]

I loved the narration. I was disappointed there wasn't more of it

[@michaeljohn1978]

"Batman Returns, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight--- No, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Returns". Try again, Mark

[@TwelfthMonkey]

Or even, The Dark Knight Rises...

[@michaeljohn1978]

@@TwelfthMonkey Yes…. That’s the joke

[@iamsheep]

I’m surprised Mark thought Batman started out as bright and campy character because of the TV show…

[@MidnightIsolde]

He clearly has no real knowledge of comics tbh. Just the tv show and films.

[@josephstewart2821]

He mentioned Frank miller, so seemed vaguely aware of the 60s barman not being the only version of the charcter but yeah it's seems odd for a guy who has spent his life immersed in movie culture to not be more aware of the background of such an iconic charcter.

[@MrKangorilla]

Harkening back to Nolan, I didn't catch some voice lines because they were mumbled underneath a swelling soundtrack but apart from that I enjoyed it. It definitely felt it's length and it feels like it could have ended twice, but there are enough gems in the run time to keep me invested

[@jamess854]

I loved the atmosphere of the film. The writing and dialogue was my main issue with this movie. The film also does a bad job at making you care about any of its characters. The fight choreography and soundtrack was also excellent. But I was left disappointed with the overall story and the pacing was pretty poor. If they had the writing of the Nolan movies and the tone of this film, It would be perfect.

[@willyum3920]

I really really loved this version of Batman, really dark and gritty and RPats is just brilliant in everything anyway. He was a great Batman and I want to see more. Absolutely on par with Dark Knight on my list.... but my best friend hated it so take from that what you will.

[@NylonStrap]

Pattinson was phenomenal acting with his eyes.

[@archmad]

people missed the voice-over is actually the dialog on the diary. it was obvious because after he talks, it shows he has a diary.

[@whyamimrsparkleitsmyporkpi6423]

Saw it with my kids yesterday. We all loved it. I know nothin' about the comic books as such but I love a good Batman movie. This was a good Batman movie.

[@d4n1e7_77]

Loved every min of this film, can’t wait to see it again. The dark knight trilogy is special, but this definitely has a lot of potential to hit the same highs. We’ll wait and see, but fantastic start, top 3 Batman movies easily

[@Moyles80]

Stunned he didn’t like the car chase. I thought the way it was shot was incredible

[@cyb3rrazorcut]

I thought it was terrible, there was no sense of where anything was in relation to anything else.

[@LJ-wm1bl]

But was it better than The Exorcist?

[@robbiekop7]

The power of Batman compels you

[@kingslayer2999]

Not even Better than Exorcist 3 😁

[@aleasia7248]

I am planning to watch this movie again next week for sure! It was amazing! It was dark, had no drawn-out boring backstories, and had me cheering in the cinema. So many scenes were incredible, loved the car scene, the club scene, the scene when The cat replayed the message on her phone .... etc. etc. The Bat and The Cat definitely made the movie interesting. It felt like watching it for the first time since 1980 something as a child lol Not saying it is comparable, however, regardless loved the whole film from start to end! Absolutely loved it

[@bwoahviously]

It also features the funniest sight gag of the year so far - penguin hobbling away in his footcuffs from the interrogation

[@nectarinedreams7208]

It has the same flaw Joker had which is that it's not as good as the films it's blatantly "influenced" by. It also seemed at odds with itself and wanted to go full-on psycho-thriller but had to be a traditional Batman film by the end of it. I cringed when Gordon said "dropheads". I liked the film.

[@dacanesta]

Agreed on everything, except I didn’t like the film. I’m utterly baffled by the positive response to it. Might not be able to read an audience but my feeling was everyone in there was bored out of their minds. Might have just been me and my partner!

[@Beyondqqq]

@@dacanesta Marvel movies have riddled your brain with the need for constant dopamine fights and action. You'll probably appreciate it a lot more in a couple years when you rewatch it again and know what kinda movie it set out to be. However with saying that it does have flaws with its pacing and length.

[@nicread9508]

The narration was from the scores of journals he has written over the past two years of The Gotham Project. We see the books. Gordon also references the ‘project’. He doesn’t know who Batman is, but he knows they’ve been collaborating for the past two years to clean up Gotham, and while the new mayor doesn’t think Bruce Wayne is living up to his family’s legacy in helping the city, the ‘project’ is how Bruce is delivering the goods. all narration we hear is from those journals. I didn’t think it felt like I was squinting in the rain through a rearview mirror when I watched this movie. I thought it was full of glorious colour and really creative visuals. Well done Matt Reeves. Well thought through, lots of inventive touches, and great cast performances and direction end to end.

[@Randy-tl8ce]

“Why is he narrating?” Dude. He was reading from journals documenting the “Gotham Project”.

[@frankvee]

The narration also grounds Pattinson's performance as Bruce Wayne and Batman, so we fully understand what is going on in his mind.

[@lmaololroflcopter]

This was just so, so good. I actually think it's a better film than Batman Begins, which was good, but Nolan's inexperience at handling large scale action scenes was evident. Matt Reeves has more experience with that stuff than Nolan did at the time and the action in Reeves' film is sharper and more defined. Can't wait for the inevitable sequel.

[@nathanielbutt]

Begins was better for its time is dated

[@scottberman1223]

I love the way the two of them open this video both imitating Batman's voice.

[@A-G-A-G]

He’s spot on about the Colin/Jared Leto comparison

[@tristanpoort6297]

It may have rained a lot, but the story takes place over 6 days (Oct 31, Nov 5), so not impossible to have just rain for a whole week at that time of year

[@ThatReplicant]

Wow, shocking. The narration is one of the best parts of the movie.

[@cosmic4795]

I really loved this version, especially pattinson as batman.

[@paulitik7]

The Best Batman comics are all narrated by Batman. So that was extremely accurate. I thought this was a much better Batman, better story, and better movie than any of the Nolan Dark Knight trilogy. Definitely the closest feeling to stories like Batman Year One, The Long Halloween, Hush. Nothing will beat the Joker scenes from the Dark Knight, but outside of Ledger and Oldman, I don’t think Nolan’s casting was that great either. I went in pessimistic after reading the bad reviews, and came out extremely happy. My favorite Batman yet.

[@averagegoslingenthusiast2033]

This was great but it was not better that TDK lmao stop it

[@paulitik7]

@@averagegoslingenthusiast2033 I rewatched the Dark Knight last night. The Joker scenes are impossible to top in terms of individual scenes and Ledger’s performance , but Bale’s Batman voice is almost unintelligible and the Two-Face / Gordon confrontation at the end makes no freaking sense, and Batman just taking the blame for Dent was seriously dumb. That movie is full of potholes. Ledger’s performance and the Hong Kong scene are what make TDK stand out, but as a whole, the Batman is a better movie overall.

[@MadMac007]

@@paulitik7 I agree with that. I see TDK as an amazing Joker movie, but I prefer Batman Begins over TDK, purely because it's all about Batman.

[@averagegoslingenthusiast2033]

@@paulitik7 don’t agree at all. Batman taking the fall for Dents actions was understandable. Nitpicking about the voice? Seriously? Legit the dumbest criticism ever. The Batman isn’t a better movie overall either. It’s a little long with it’s 3 hour runtime. It’s not like the godfather where the 3 hours fly by. The final act in Batman really drags out. We won’t be talking about the Batman like we do about TDK in 10 years. People saying the Batman is better right now are purely falling for the hype

[@2402devin]

@@averagegoslingenthusiast2033 exactly. The Nolan films are exceptional.

[@MBRSims]

I really enjoyed the film personally. It had that perfect mix of comic book atmosphere with a grounded and believable world. Really haunting music and cinematography too. Hopefully this will divert attention from the Nolan films for once. They're good films, sure, but wow. That trilogy gets more tongue than an ice cream cone in a red light district...

[@shelbyvillerules9962]

My problem was that it was a grounded and believable world… until it wasn’t. Stuff like people surviving bombs exploding in their face without a scratch or Batman being perfectly fine after crashing into a bridge at 50mph and landing in a crumpled heap in the gutter pushed against the realistic vibe they were going for.

[@f.b5719]

Was a very good movie with a standout performance by Colin Farrell (and his make-up) Production was all round excellent but a few of the lingering, brooding shots could have been edited out to make a more lean running time

[@lukeyraptor6738]

I think he greatly overrated the Nolan films; I really don’t see how they can be described as art house at all. People who aren’t familiar with the Batman mythos really don’t understand what we’re missing; Nolan’s version has barely scratched the surface of what we can do with Batman on the big screen.

[@streetlawyer]

Oh so you were asleep for those three movies?

[@lukeyraptor6738]

@@streetlawyer classic

[@streetlawyer]

@@lukeyraptor6738 apologies for the snark, but I think the NT could not have been much more thorough in giving an in depth and broad sweep of the mythos. Kermode made a good point about every post Nolan movie being a footnote. Unless Warner Bros will adapt grant Morrison's batman run, i don't really know that many interesting places to go in the Gotham universe.

[@earthwormjim3269]

I laughed when he described the Nolan films as arthouse. They are literally the complete opposite of arthouse; full of hollywood cliches and that particular brand of corny humour that is synonymous with big budget blockbusters.

[@lukeyraptor6738]

@@earthwormjim3269 completely agree mate. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think they’re anywhere near as bad for those things as an MCU film or anything Sony does… but to define the Nolan films as “art house” seems a bit far

[@jacobhayward6215]

Assuming this Batman is the start of a new ‘era’ I think if you compare it to Batman begins it holds up a lot better than if you compare it to the whole Nolan trilogy (or to the dark knight specifically). Saying that, if they make a sequel they have a lot to live up to with the dark knight but they have definitely created a very good foundation to build on with any future projects in this ‘universe’

[@voutespancar]

Even if you compare it to Batman Begins, they are totally different movies. This isn't an origin story.

[@Palmieres]

One thing I really found great was that this version of Batman is actually scary to the people who are his targets. The sound of his footsteps, which sounded exactly like heavy boots with spurs, him always coming out of the darkness, quiet, calm and imposing, commanding the scene. That was really great. You add that score, and it's a perfect fit. And also, obviously, the detective work. Batman is the world's greatest detective, he is remarkably intelligent, that's his power. We don't see any of it in previous films (well, maybe some in Burton's but not that much). And one thing I disliked immensely about the Nolan movies was the excess of tech, the fact that Bruce Wayne had his stuff made for him by a R&D Dep. from Wayne Industries. That was so silly and so disappointing. He is wealthy beyond measure, but only he knows what he needs to do what he does. Only he can fashion his equipment to the situations he expects to find. Also, Gotham didn't look right in Nolan's films. This does. Pattinson earned my respect with The Lighthouse, I was already okay with seeing him do something different. But I was blown away by so many of the supporting cast. Even though I already knew about Collin Ferrell, I swear I could not see him for a fraction of a second underneath the character he created. And Paul Dano I didn't know about, I only recognized him when we see him sitting with his back to the camera in the diner. And then it made complete sense why the Riddler was so impressive even with that mask. This was a very good surprise of a movie. I'm really looking forward to rewatching it, and to see what comes next. And holy hell, if Barry Keoghan is the new Joker, it's going to be. Quite. The sequel... (happily rubbing my hands).

[@bwoahviously]

Agree on the first and third points especially. I love how batman is often the most intimidating on-screen presence, even more than Riddler at times. When he comes out of the shadows you feel the gravity of his mythology from everyone he deals with. And yes the lucius fox stuff in the Nolan trilogy always felt unnecessary. I imagine that was the merchandise team's contribution to the script. At least Morgan Freeman made it semi memorable

[@gt6808]

Kermode’s repeated assertion over the years that Batman Begins is some kind of big budget arthouse film is utterly deranged.

[@amirmustafaa652]

Well it is more character focused and personal than any blockbuster I've seen.

[@supes12]

No at all

[@Volt35]

@@amirmustafaa652 Logan? Joker? I'd even say Spiderman 2.

[@scotttobekidding4611]

And there's a reason Mark is not commenting on your Five Live review but your commenting on his.

[@scotttobekidding4611]

And there's a reason Mark is not commenting on your Five Live review but your commenting on his.

[@tatwho]

I really enjoyed Batman. I went in not getting my hopes up but was better than I thought it would be.but still Nolan’s are the benchmark for comic films. You can’t review a film if you missed the last 10 minutes ha ha.

[@ouriel]

Felt like Batman met Seven. I bet Matt Reeves aimed at this David Fincher source of inspiration.

[@stevopirate9017]

Heavy Zodiac and Saw vibes to the Riddler too.

[@masonguthrie1257]

personally I like this one better than the nolan trilogy. Like I respect the nolan trilogy but the characters and gotham city itself did not seem like they should have been. I will say joker was the closest and i loved his preformance but everyone else it seemed like they were too real and because of that they came off bland. also just love that this movie allows batman to be a dectective.

[@URBONED]

I know everyone's making Fincher comparisons - which are totally warranted, but the whole time I was in the cinema I was thinking, 'this feels like the movie Abel Ferrara would have made had he directed Batman Forever. It has that King of New York, grimy crime thing with a perfect balance of the more stylised 90s batman movies, specifically in its depiction of Gotham and the people inside it.

[@GrandiaKnight]

I really enjoyed it. The three hours just flew by!

[@ShaneyBright]

Brilliant review. You're spot on regarding the Cullen reference.

[@chriswyatt9869]

It’s really good. Up there as one of my favourite Batman movies and superhero movies. I think it could have been a bit shorter but overall it was a very good Batman movie.

[@CoreyisBarackObama]

I feel the narration was necessary to further highlight Bruce's use, and need, of a diary to keep track of his nocturnal nights, days of the week and actions.

[@rowanirish]

I loved the look and tone of the movie. Brilliant performances. Batmobile scene was awesome. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between Catwoman and Batman though. Zoë is beautiful and definitely looked the part, but I felt she didn't feel comfortable in the role. The last act in the arena didn't work for me either for some reason. Someone in another comment section thought that cameo in the end was shoehorned by the studio to open up a sequel possibility. Something I'd agree with. Really good film. Not brilliant imo.

[@CI-dh1rl]

Gotta say I'm gonna strongly disagree with Mark on this one. I think for the next generation this film is gonna be far more than a footnote Post-Nolan, and maybe the definitive adaption. I love both and I'm gonna spend years maybe trying to process which of the two I prefer, there's definitely things this movie does better than Nolan's take, and certainly succeeds in standing on its own

[@ssssssstssssssss]

Agreed. It was different enough and a strong enough flick that I don’t think it deserves to be called a footnote. It wasn’t as deep as Nolan’s movies but it did the crime aspect of Batman better.

[@Bateman61405]

Loved it. I rewatched all the Batman movies besides BVS/justice league. Nolan’s films are good but TDK and especially TDKR are not as amazing as everything thinks IMO. Batman Begins is still my favorite Nolan Batman film. This movie was awesome for me. Pattinson was fantastic. I did want more Alfred and I do have some gripes about it but overall it was great. Easily up there with the best Batman movies we’ve ever gotten Run time didn’t bother me at all

[@Badtown1988]

I may be in the minority, but I liked this more than any of the Nolan ones. To me, Nolan took the realism too far. While the Burton films were flawed, I loved the atmospheric gothic Gotham. Gotham should be a little surreal, and that’s what this movie does, while also being intelligently written.

[@AsiaDanceScene]

Kinda adorable seeing Mark trying to remember The Dark Knight Rises and getting it wrong

[@markcampbell9584]

Im neither a comic fanboy nor part of the younger generation. On first viewing, this is a great film and well worth a watch. Its a sort of back to basics Batman (a bit like Casino Royale's gritty depiction of Bond) set in a location similar to the movie Se7en. The characters lean heavily towards human rather than comic book. If you read around online it seems there is agreement by those in the know that its very close to the feel some of the original comics. Go and see at the cinema.

[@michaelsinger4638]

The narration fits the more film noir/70’s cinema vibe the film was going for.

[@anubusx]

Reminded me of Watchmen.

[@andremotivation6561]

Rob Pattinson is a hyrbid of Bale/Keaton..serious but is "off". This was best detective Batman we've ever had. What got me exicted was looking forward to the grow. Not a perfect film but set up a potential great series.

[@joslyndresen]

So, it's not better than the Nolan trilogy as a whole but is it better than Dark Knight Rises? Or was/is DKR disappointing because the other 2 were that good? I hope to see it soon, has a strong cast, Riddler looks a bit weird though

[@nicholsonfile]

I don't think they were trying to do a comic-accurate Riddler

[@vansciaran]

DKR sucks, movies a mess.

[@somanytakennames]

Well, you can’t really compared this to the Nolan trilogy until this trilogy is done.

[@vishalthefirst4140]

Just watched the movie, it's good but not great I judge movies based on if I'll pay to watch it again in theaters I certainly won't with this one

[@danielmorris113]

Batmans narration was very Rorschach from Watchman

[@lpquagmire3621]

The Marketts were the first to have a hit with Neal Hefti's BATMAN Theme.

[@mackchats6520]

"Do some biffing!" YESSSS! HAHAHA

[@mathieuleader8601]

the Penguin looked like an Evil Jeeves from the search engine Ask Jeeves