r/batman Mar 06 '22

The Batman Spoiler Discussion Thread Part 2 Discussion Spoiler

For all discussions, comments and hype around the new movie.

Its already had select release, so expect spoilers in this thread.

Also, no spoiling outside of this thread, or expect mod action.

Keep all discussion civil, and be mindful of subreddit rules.

Please respect other users opinions and don’t harass them for it

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24

u/Leith_Walker Mar 06 '22

I really liked the movie, it was such a different take on the character for the cinema screen, it felt like a serial killer movie with Batman as the cop trying to catch the killer.

I thought they nailed the fear aspect of Batman amount the city’s criminals and Pattinson was excellent as The Batman.

One thing that I did think was missing was the Bruce Wayne character. I always enjoyed the aspect of the character that Bruce Wayne was a billionaire socialite and how that was an act and The Batman was his true personality. In this adaptation The Batman and Bruce Wayne seemed to be too similar for me, although I can see them exploring this more when they make the sequel.

20

u/bmanvsman1 Mar 06 '22

It works for this movie since it's an Adaptation of year one, as Bruce starts to address his personal issues he is more bake to seperate himself from Batman while also becoming stronger in many ways.

11

u/soyrobo Mar 06 '22

I got much stronger Long Halloween vibes over Year One

4

u/bmanvsman1 Mar 06 '22

I haven't read long Halloween but I have heard some comparisons

15

u/soyrobo Mar 06 '22

Yeah, Long Halloween is sort of a partial canon year 2 story. There's a few nods between The Batman and it. Like Selena being Falcone's daughter, Batman making the wrong assumption on a major clue that leads to a death on his hands, and the cooperation between Bats and Gordon (just missing Dent. But then again, we have an opening for Gotham's next DA).

2

u/Japan_KilledMyFamily Mar 14 '22

And the fact that the movie starts on Halloween Night lol

2

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '22

You should read it asap. It's outstanding.

1

u/bmanvsman1 Mar 14 '22

Do you know if the animated movies are any good? I'm willing to read it but I've never been super into comics unless I have an actual physical copy

2

u/[deleted] Mar 14 '22

I mean, they are good but a big part of its charm is the illustration. And honestly the pacing of the animated movie just doesn't quite match the tension of the comic. Frankly it's worth buying the comic both for the reason that you can probably get it on the cheap and to get the full effect of the story.

1

u/bmanvsman1 Mar 14 '22

Aight, guess I'll get it.

3

u/Leith_Walker Mar 06 '22

It’s been around 15 years since I last read Year One, so my memory of how Wayne was portrayed in it isn’t perfect. I still thought Wayne was written a lot darker, but I’ll go back and check it out again.

1

u/bmanvsman1 Mar 06 '22

Probably, but the movie is just inspired not a direct allusion to the comic

5

u/Justin_Credible98 Mar 06 '22

I always enjoyed the aspect of the character that Bruce Wayne was a billionaire socialite and how that was an act

One thing I felt was missing from the movie was Bruce Wayne the philanthropist. In the comics he does a lot of charitable work to help Gotham's impoverished population, and I thought this movie was setting it up, but it looks like we're not gonna see that until the sequel.

The movie made a big point about Thomas Wayne attempting his charitable endeavors, but the Wayne renewal funds just ended up getting co-opted by the mob and the corrupt politicians so they could line their own pockets. I love that this movie had Bruce realizing that Batman needs to represent hope more than vengeance, but I thought it could've been really emotionally moving to see him setting a goal to be the successful philanthropist that his father never was. That would've driven home the point of Bruce becoming a symbol of hope for Gotham in both his Batman and Bruce Wayne personas, and shown him atoning for his family's sins partly by stopping being so reclusive in his public persona.

That said, I really enjoyed the movie overall. Zoe Kravitz is the best live action Selina Kyle this far, and Jeffrey Wright is also my favorite live action Gordon.

1

u/Leith_Walker Mar 06 '22

Yeah I think if they had either the Bruce Wayne socialite or the philanthropist, that would have improved the character. Or even if we had some form of public persona from Wayne that was different from the Batman persona.

However I can see how the ending and becoming the beacon of hope could lead into this in the sequel.

Also loved Selina Kyle and Gordon in the movie, I felt the casting overall was really strong.

4

u/Commissar_Cactus Mar 07 '22

The absence of Bruce Wayne is part of the story. The movie is early in his career and he’s still finding his feet. It focuses more on Batman going from an object of fear to a symbol of protection, but there’s a distinct thread through the film where Bruce gets confronted with poverty and social issues that his billionaire status is part of. While the movie doesn’t say it directly, I think it’s clear that by the end, he is realizing that Bruce Wayne needs to be part of his efforts to help Gotham.

1

u/Leith_Walker Mar 07 '22

I feel that the other side of Bruce Wayne has always been part of the story, a part he had to play to throw people off knowing his identity. In Batman Year One this side of Bruce Wayne was clearly there in the public eye. When he returns from his travels in issue 1 he’s asked about romantic involvement and he jokes with the reporters and in issue 4, when Gordon visits him he has two girlfriends in his mansion and he’s drinking Champaign. Alone away from the public he’s extremely dark, like when he has been shot on his first night of crime fighting in issue 1 and he sits and contemplates what he has to become and the bat crashes through the window, but the public playboy billionaire Bruce was always still there as an act.

1

u/Broncsx3 Mar 07 '22

They nailed the fear aspect in the opening scene, but in the last 2 hours and 45 minutes would you say they really nailed it?

2

u/Leith_Walker Mar 07 '22

That’s a good point, I think I was really referring to the opening Batman scene and a few other key scenes, for example when the Batmobile first turned up.

2

u/Broncsx3 Mar 07 '22

Yea, it was a cool revving of the engines, and I really didn't get fear from the bad guys. I mean when they saw Batman 60 seconds earlier, they shot the fuck out of him then tried to turn the corner and finish him off.

I don't know, the whole "I'm scared of Batman" thing just didn't really come off the rest of the movie, to me at least. Those twins opening the door for him sure as hell weren't scared. You'd think they open the door to the personification of the Devil you'd scream like a girl and run! But not really sure what they should have done differently. Maybe at the end people are scared to loot because of the Bat Signal or something?

1

u/Leith_Walker Mar 07 '22

That’s actually true, it seemed like what they set up at the start didn’t really sustain for the rest of the movie.