I went to see the new Batman movie on Saturday. I hadn't planned to, wasn't interested in going... but Lindsey's niece and her BFF were visiting her this weekend, and they're huge Robert Pattinson fans because of the Twilight movies. So we went to see The Batman.
I actually REALLY LIKED IT.
It has a beautiful visual feel and incredible atmosphere. It looks and sounds perfect. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it's a masterpiece.
This Batman movie is an unsettling serial killer mystery, as Batman tries to track down a very creepy reimagining of the Riddler before he kills more people. This isn't a happy laughing dude in green tights covered with question marks. This Riddler isn't funny, he's just plain scary. I think the closest movie comparison I can think of for the mood of The Batman is "Se7en".
I was skeptical of Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, but I really liked him in this. Other incarnations of the character have been middle-aged and more sure of their mission. The Robert Pattinson Bruce Wayne is younger and still trying to figure out his place in the world, both as Batman and as the heir to the Wayne family legacy. He has a lot to learn about Gotham, and his father, and himself. He is still trying to chart a course in the world, and when we first meet him... dressing up in a costume and beating up criminals is the only thing that makes sense to him. Early in the film he tells one of his targets "I am vengeance" but by the end of the movie he realizes how stupid those words are.
My complaint with the movie, and it's a big one, is that it's very long. Nearly 3 hours. It didn't need to be this long, and drags at some points. Still, this is really good.
-k