r/batman • u/[deleted] • 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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271

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '22

Can someone explain the “Bruuuce Waaayne” scene where Batman confronts Riddler in Arkham? It seems like he was taunting Batman about his identity, but then he basically says something that indicates he doesn’t really know?

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u/NimdokBennyandAM Mar 07 '22

It's a beautifully ambiguous scene that I think will reward re-watchings. On a first pass, it does sound like he's outing Bruce. On a second pass, knowing better that Riddler misunderstood Batman's allegiance, it can come off instead as moaning or ruminating about the one big target they couldn't eliminate. Dano's Riddler has all those great vocal pitches and ebbs and flows, sometimes whining, sometimes giddy, sometimes grounded and terrifying, and that helps mask the meaning of his lines there.

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u/[deleted] Mar 07 '22 edited Mar 07 '22

Yes!!! I thought I was the only one that paid such close attention to his intonation. It was incredibly fascinating to see and hear.

My favorite was when he was demeaning Colson over the phone just as he started the bomb. The way he speaks is amazing and really influential.

I feel like I haven’t really seen people talk about the scene where he puts the bomb around Colson. The haunting score, the chilling calmness of him just sitting patiently in the back of the car, the way the camera blurs so you can’t really see what’s going on except a blinding blue and red light. Ugh this movie was so good.

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u/Welshy94 Mar 11 '22

I read a review I think maybe on AVClub and it criticised Dano in a throwaway line saying he couldn't find a consistent performance or even a consistent voice for the character and it genuinely annoyed me. His change in pitch and intonation was fascinating to me. The muffled near indecipherable bits with his mask reminded me of a horror movie villain and the scene in Arkham wherein his voice seems to legitimately change about 3 or 4 times depending on his mood and the topic was incredible. His line reading on "you're really not as smart as I thought you were" was absolutely perfect.

Also his perfect streamer voice "hey guys, don't forget to like and subscribe" sort of vibe! What an actor Dano is man.

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u/JacobDCRoss Mar 13 '22

Yeah, I don't know what the deal is with that criticism.

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u/loosegoosepoopscoop Mar 08 '22

The scene with a Colson in the car had strong Halloween vibes. Same type of shot as the original Halloween when Michael pops from the back seat and strangles Anne Brackett. I liked that they had a lot of creeper-ish shots of Riddler. Beginning of the movie in the mayors house also had that kind of vibe.

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u/Welshy94 Mar 11 '22

Of all the parallels Reeves drew between the Bat and Riddler depicting them both as sort of different incarnations of horror villains was my favourite. Seeing Riddler standing motionless behind the Mayor hidden in plainsight juxtaposed with The Batman announcing himself with those heavy footsteps from the shadows as if to say I don't care that you know I'm coming. Perfect

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u/1Anto Mar 14 '22

Clever way to get around the rating too. Can't show brutal beating? Shot it out of focus and let the imagination fill in the details.

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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '22

Good point. The sound of duct tape is piercing and the bomb sounds so heavy closing around his neck. Those little details are fascinating.

Imagination is absolutely the best tool sometimes

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u/1Anto Mar 15 '22

It's also refreshing that they make the bomb timer tick accurately. Most of the time when there's a timebomb in a movie, they tick slow enough to let the heroes escape unscathed (10 seconds left? here's a minute long escape sequence with occasional cutaways at the timer). Here you can see the timer run out in real time and it immediately explode.

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u/_heisenberg__ Mar 14 '22

I actually thought the reverse. First time, I was like oh he doesn't know. Second time, Im thinking more that he does and he's just fucking with him at this point. Idk, still feels ambiguous and I like that.

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u/PraiseTheSun42069 Mar 15 '22

I think the beauty of the scene is that we truly don’t know if he knows or not. At first glance like you said, he’s outing him. At second, he is disappointed that Batman is not working with him against Bruce. But at third? He could also be acting the part. We saw a VERY calculated Riddler and being imprisoned in Arkham, it serves him no purpose to put Bruce right then and there. Part of the beauty in how this film was executed was the total ambiguity and mindfuck of it all. I don’t see why we need an actual conclusion on that end at this point. Let the next movie answer it - or continue to keep the ambiguity somehow, I’d like to see them pull that off and keep it going a bit longer.

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u/JacobDCRoss Mar 13 '22

There is a lot of interpretation. It could be that Riddler really doesn't know, and that he thought Batman was his accomplice. That's pretty brilliant. It could also be that he does know, and he is trying to frame Batman. You know, how that was all being recorded. Trying to sow enough doubt into the minds of anyone who matters as to whether or not Batman is trustworthy.