|
Post by mhynson27 on Mar 2, 2022 12:32:04 GMT
Got to see this earlier tonight, and loooooved it.
Wish they had released it last October like originally planned, because Dano should have easily gotten into that Supporting Actor lineup.
|
|
chris3
Badass
I just ordered a slice of pumpkin pie...
Posts: 1,050
Likes: 1,045
|
Post by chris3 on Mar 2, 2022 22:27:03 GMT
Lifelong fan of the comics and holy shit this was euphoric to me. Three hours of moody impressionistic rain-soaked shots of a grimy hopeless hellscape. I knew Pattinson would be incredible but the real surprise for me was Dano. Riddler was AMAZING. I have some nitpicks (the otherwise remarkable pacing turns slightly messy about two-thirds in, like most noir films the narrative becomes unnecessarily convoluted, and there's a terrible fan service scene late in the runtime that should've definitely been omitted) but overall this was three hours of pure Batman nirvana. The opening shot alone felt so incredibly different in tone from anything we've seen in the superhero genre before. Less subtextually political and way more personal in ethos than the Nolan films, this felt like a legit VR experience, a one hundred million dollar mood piece, a mash-up of Se7en, Drive, both Blade Runners, and Chinatown/All The President's Men. Long, imperfect, and some will absolutely complain of style over substance, but this was easily the best live action version of Batman and his world I've ever seen. I'm still high from the experience.
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on Mar 2, 2022 23:12:25 GMT
Lifelong fan of the comics and holy shit this was euphoric to me. Three hours of moody impressionistic rain-shoaked shots of a grimy hopeless hellscape. I knew Pattinson would be incredible but the real surprise for me was Dano. Riddler was AMAZING. I have some nitpicks (the otherwise remarkable pacing turns slightly messy about two-thirds in, like most noir films the narrative becomes unnecessarily convoluted, and there's a terrible fan service scene late in the runtime that should've definitely been omitted) but overall this was three hours of pure Batman nirvana. The opening shot alone felt so incredibly different in tone from anything we've seen in the superhero genre before. Less subtextually political and way more personal in ethos than the Nolan films, this felt like a legit VR experience, a one hundred million dollar mood piece, a mash-up of Se7en, Drive, both Blade Runners, and Chinatown/ All The President's Men. Long, imperfect, and some will absolutely complain of style over substance, but this was easily the best live action version of Batman and his world I've ever seen. I'm still high from the experience. Joker?
|
|
|
Post by theycallmemrfish on Mar 2, 2022 23:49:21 GMT
How was Colin Farrell?
|
|
|
Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Mar 3, 2022 0:36:30 GMT
y'all getting me too excited STOP
|
|
dazed
Based
Posts: 2,621
Likes: 1,785
|
Post by dazed on Mar 3, 2022 1:36:53 GMT
how well do you guys think the general audience will react to it?
|
|
|
Post by Martin Stett on Mar 3, 2022 1:47:45 GMT
how well do you guys think the general audience will react to it? It's a superhero movie that has been hyped to high heaven. The masses will do what they've been trained to do.
|
|
|
Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Mar 3, 2022 2:07:46 GMT
a one hundred million dollar mood piece, a mash-up of Se7en, Drive, both Blade Runners, and Chinatown/ All The President's Men.
|
|
chris3
Badass
I just ordered a slice of pumpkin pie...
Posts: 1,050
Likes: 1,045
|
Post by chris3 on Mar 3, 2022 3:34:54 GMT
Absolutely brilliant. He's only in about fifteen minutes but makes the most of every second he's onscreen and provides the film with a lot of its funniest moments. The audience ate him up at my screening. how well do you guys think the general audience will react to it? I'm not sure, but personally I think it could be divisive among general moviegoers. Picture a longer Blade Runner 2049 that's just as slow-paced with arguably less action. Almost all of the action has already been showcased in the trailers. This is a very brooding, very deliberate neo-noir and it commits hard to its vision without compromise. Leaving the theater I heard several complaints about it being "too long", "too much story", "too dark", etc. It's not a crowd-pleaser in the least, and I can see a lot of people finding it an absolute chore to sit through. Reeves declares from the very first shot what kind of film this is going to be, and you're either onboard or good luck getting through the next three hours. I think the surprise hit success of Joker (a film I didn't like) bodes well to the possibility that general viewers might be willing to go along with this icy, moody 70s cinema take on the property, but I expect a pretty polarized response from the mainstream. Hardcore Batman fans will love it.
|
|
|
Post by wilcinema on Mar 3, 2022 19:46:48 GMT
This didn't live up to the hype for me unfortunately. I think it is definitely overlong and uneven, with the middle portion of the movie being easily the best but with the last dragging and going overboard narratively. The score is fantastic, the cinematography is good too but I found it derivative (the Blade Runner mentions are on point, the inspiration was quite obvious) and forced sometimes. The whole movie is very indebted to Fincher (there's a lot of Se7en in it) and noir crime movies (I guess Chinatown is a good call). I hate to say what I'm going to say, but I didn't buy Pattinson as Batman for one second, which sucks because I thought it was brilliant casting on paper but it never worked for me. Dano is my MVP, with Wright right behind.
Overall, I don't think this is the big deal it is being made out to be.
|
|
|
Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Mar 4, 2022 2:34:24 GMT
Yeah this was pretty awesome. All in for the rest of this trilogy.
|
|
|
Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Mar 4, 2022 2:35:10 GMT
This didn't live up to the hype for me unfortunately. I think it is definitely overlong and uneven, with the middle portion of the movie being easily the best but with the last dragging and going overboard narratively. The score is fantastic, the cinematography is good too but I found it derivative (the Blade Runner mentions are on point, the inspiration was quite obvious) and forced sometimes. The whole movie is very indebted to Fincher (there's a lot of Se7en in it) and noir crime movies (I guess Chinatown is a good call). I hate to say what I'm going to say, but I didn't buy Pattinson as Batman for one second, which sucks because I thought it was brilliant casting on paper but it never worked for me. Dano is my MVP, with Wright right behind. Overall, I don't think this is the big deal it is being made out to be. I thought Pattinson was good as Batman but really hoping his Bruce Wayne improves in the next chapter.
|
|
|
Post by Mattsby on Mar 4, 2022 3:44:51 GMT
Letdown. Lifeless visuals, underused cast, a dull script full of nothing more than missed opportunities. As Tallulah Bankhead once said to Batman, "You may be caped and you may be dynamic but to me you are a cracking bore!"
|
|
|
Post by Mattsby on Mar 4, 2022 3:53:41 GMT
This didn't live up to the hype for me unfortunately. I think it is definitely overlong and uneven, with the middle portion of the movie being easily the best but with the last dragging and going overboard narratively. The score is fantastic, the cinematography is good too but I found it derivative (the Blade Runner mentions are on point, the inspiration was quite obvious) and forced sometimes. The whole movie is very indebted to Fincher (there's a lot of Se7en in it) and noir crime movies (I guess Chinatown is a good call). I hate to say what I'm going to say, but I didn't buy Pattinson as Batman for one second, which sucks because I thought it was brilliant casting on paper but it never worked for me. Dano is my MVP, with Wright right behind. Overall, I don't think this is the big deal it is being made out to be. Agree about Pattinson which is unfortunate bc I'm a fan. Also got some Fincherness, some Zodiac and definitely Dragon Tattoo. During the first half, I was reminded a few times of Strange Days (1995).
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on Mar 4, 2022 4:23:33 GMT
Really wacky convoluted script as it goes along - Selina's "He's my father" moment being the most cringeworthy offender; the entire conspiracy unraveling bit really blurred the line between "this is so immense that it can't be comprehended" commentary and "why should I care?," and I sort of felt the latter more than the former. But as someone who has, for many years, been in the boat of wanting a Batman movie that's a detective noir foregrounding a rogues gallery of villains, I can't really complain and it was hard for me to not have fun. Those villains are the best part -- Farrell and Turturruo are the MVPs by far to me, and I enjoyed Dano really getting to let loose, especially his one big scene with Pattinson towards the end (that scene also brought to mind another canonical reference-point that I haven't seen mentioned yet: High and Low!). I think it's no coincidence that the two best live action Batman movies to date (TDK, Batman Returns) are two where Bruce Wayne barely matters at all and this one really foregrounded for me that Batman is more interesting when Bruce doesn't matter (like the Arkham games!); this one just gets so bogged down in trying to force these personal stakes for Bruce and Selina. All the other right elements are in place for just, like, a perfectly sturdy & fun thriller - visuals, music, action, the supporting cast - and this movie functions as one, for the most part. When it wades into the "It's all about your past" swamp, I just clock out.
|
|
|
Post by mhynson27 on Mar 4, 2022 4:39:12 GMT
What do we think of: a) The Joker's inclusion and b) The Joker's casting
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on Mar 4, 2022 4:50:37 GMT
What do we think of: a) The Joker's inclusion and b) The Joker's casting Hate the inclusion because the character has been absurdly overdone. But if he absolutely has to be there, then the casting feels like the right call.
|
|
|
Post by Martin Stett on Mar 4, 2022 4:52:49 GMT
I think it's no coincidence that the two best live action Batman movies to date (TDK, Batman Returns) are two where Bruce Wayne barely matters at all and this one really foregrounded for me that Batman is more interesting when Bruce doesn't matter (like the Arkham games!); this one just gets so bogged down in trying to force these personal stakes for Bruce and Selina. All the other right elements are in place for just, like, a perfectly sturdy & fun thriller - visuals, music, action, the supporting cast - and this movie functions as one, for the most part. When it wades into the "It's all about your past" swamp, I just clock out. Out of curiosity, have you played Telltale Batman? I've never been all that big on the character either, but Telltale's focus on Bruce's mental state (I'd argue that the game is far more about Bruce Wayne than Batman) made the game so interesting to me. The game is also the most brutal depiction of the character I've seen - it earns that M rating big time - and by focusing on Bruce's personal decisions, it really makes the fear of the people Batman hunts palpable... because you're in this guy's head, and that head is not screwed on straight. I do think that Telltale slipped up in some plot elements of the game (although the villain is great!). The character work with Bruce is amazing, though.
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on Mar 4, 2022 4:59:59 GMT
I think it's no coincidence that the two best live action Batman movies to date (TDK, Batman Returns) are two where Bruce Wayne barely matters at all and this one really foregrounded for me that Batman is more interesting when Bruce doesn't matter (like the Arkham games!); this one just gets so bogged down in trying to force these personal stakes for Bruce and Selina. All the other right elements are in place for just, like, a perfectly sturdy & fun thriller - visuals, music, action, the supporting cast - and this movie functions as one, for the most part. When it wades into the "It's all about your past" swamp, I just clock out. Out of curiosity, have you played Telltale Batman? I've never been all that big on the character either, but Telltale's focus on Bruce's mental state (I'd argue that the game is far more about Bruce Wayne than Batman) made the game so interesting to me. The game is also the most brutal depiction of the character I've seen - it earns that M rating big time - and by focusing on Bruce's personal decisions, it really makes the fear of the people Batman hunts palpable... because you're in this guy's head, and that head is not screwed on straight. I do think that Telltale slipped up in some plot elements of the game (although the villain is great!). The character work with Bruce is amazing, though. I haven't played the Telltale games -- have never done any Telltales actually, they've just never seemed liked my thing when it comes to games tbh. Good to know, though!
|
|
|
Post by Pavan on Mar 4, 2022 10:03:48 GMT
What glorious imagery! Like Se7en meets Blade Runner but dialed to eleven. Soaked myself in all those deep blacks, reds and amber. Its dark, demented, grim, sad but ultimately hopeful. The film goes sideways but only for a brief runtime but mostly treads on the right track. It took me some time to adjust to Pattinson and his mall goth look but he grew on me as the film progressed. Paul Dano is the MVP of the film. He made the Riddler a terrifying and memorable villain. Kravitz, Wright and Turtorro are impressive too. Matt Reeves' methodical approach may have taken some life out of an already convoluted story but the way he constructed this world and the characters is commendable. Greig Fraser is doing some godly work of late with his camera. Loved Michael Giacchino's moody score.
Overall its not the usual crowd pleaser but those who know the Bat mythos will get a richly rewarding experience and the bat devotees are gonna love it- 8/10
|
|
|
Post by stephen on Mar 5, 2022 2:46:58 GMT
Me one hour in: "Cool, this is Se7en with Batman." Me two hours in: "Oh, this is Heavy Rain with Batman."
|
|
|
Post by Miles Morales on Mar 5, 2022 7:14:51 GMT
Me one hour in: "Cool, this is Se7en with Batman." Me two hours in: " Oh, this is Heavy Rain with Batman." Ooof, what didn't you like about it?
|
|
|
Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Mar 5, 2022 8:05:35 GMT
7.5/10Anyone who’s read the thread on this film’s production might remember I was kind of a Negative Ned and had doubts about it early on. I was skeptical of Pattinson’s casting and the general aesthetic of the film based on photos we’d seen during filming and even the trailers – I was afraid it would come across as too try-hard, feel like it was aimed to appeal to a certain crowd that I wasn’t a part of, and that I wouldn’t connect with it.... so as a huge Batman fan, I’m relieved to be proven wrong. This is the best non-Nolan live-action Batman film to date. I see a lot of people calling it the best since TDK, but, to be clear, I don’t think it quite surpasses any of the films in TDK trilogy. Some of its flaws keep me from loving it overall (though I did love much of it), but it’s still a pretty damn solid Batman movie and I plan on seeing it again at the theater. If there’s one area where Reeves tops Nolan, it’s his vision of Gotham. A “rain-soaked, grimy, hopeless hellscape,” as chris3 nicely put it, has always been exactly what I wanted Gotham to look like in a live-action Batman film, but has never been something we’ve been able to fully luxuriate in (we only got a bit of that with the Narrows in Batman Begins). I also love chris’s description of the film as a one hundred million dollar mood piece - for me I think that’s the best way to enjoy the film because I’m not sure how much I cared about the actual plot tbh. As others have mentioned, it’s pretty much a mishmash of pieces from other films ( Se7en, Chinatown, All The President's Men, etc.), and because the movie wears its influences on its sleeve so explicitly, the actual mechanics of the plot ultimately feel a little too familiar for me to be fully invested in them. While Nolan’s films are obvious in their inspirations as well ( Michael Mann’s Heat, for instance), they still feel a little more like their own thing than this does. I also don’t think the film quite earns its 3-hour runtime. You really start to feel its length in the last third, but the film’s rhythm overall felt slightly awkward to me, and it could have definitely used a tighter edit. Watching the film sort of felt like binge-reading a massive collected volume of Batman comics… which sounds awesome, but I guess I’m looking for a different type of experience when watching a movie. The Dark Knight Rises is only about ten minutes shorter, but it always flies by for me because the story’s arc is more evenly delineated – it builds and builds, hitting its beats in all the right places, and climaxes in a way that justifies that film’s runtime imo (you could even argue it should have been even longer), not to mention the scale and scope of that film, which strives to be an apocalyptic epic, so you kind of understand why it’s as long as it is. This is a more modestly scaled noir that felt more like scenes piling on top of one another in a way that seemed less disciplined in its ambition – the movie flows like “this happens, and then this happens, and then this other thing,” etc. and just kind of keeps going and going. So while I appreciate the fact that this film foregrounds the detective side of Batman’s character more, I suppose I ultimately didn’t feel like this type of story really warranted the amount of time it took to tell it. My response to this film is actually somewhat similar to my response to Nightmare Alley (which I also rated a 7.5) in that I also thought it was too long despite liking it overall, but I generally prefer my noirs to be tighter. This isn’t to say I was constantly glancing at my watch waiting for the movie to end already, because I still enjoyed being immersed in this world watching Batman be a detective and feeling like a 12 year old with a dumb grin on my face the whole time. There was one point where I definitely thought it was the ending of the movie - Pattinson’s optimistic voiceover when he’s rescuing people after the city is flooded, which would have been perfect ...... except we get a couple more scenes, one of which is an eyeroll-worthy bit of fanservice – (really wish it’s just a one-and-done cameo because there are other villains to explore besides the Joker people!). I actually hope The Riddler is brought back so we can get like an escape room set-up where he traps Batman someplace and he has to solve riddles to get out, meanwhile Riddler taunts him over a loudspeaker – something I didn’t realize I wanted in a Batman movie with the Riddler until I left the theater feeling slightly disappointed that that idea wasn’t used.
As for the performances - hard to disagree with those calling Dano MVP. He’s perfectly cast in this, though he’s in the movie less than I thought he’d be. He plays the role exactly the way I imagined he’d play it, so I can’t say it was a surprise in the way Heath Ledger was in TDK, which was more of a “where did THAT come from” type of performance. As I mentioned earlier, I was skeptical of Pattinson’s casting initially, but I thought he had good screen presence in the suit, though we don’t get a whole heck of a lot of his Bruce Wayne, so he doesn’t really get a chance to go particularly deep with the character. I’ve seen some people complain that he’s one-note and just acts broody the whole time without much shading, and that he doesn’t balance personas like Bale – who cultivated a playboy personality for the public eye. I can understand being bored by Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, but I also like the idea that this is still a young, rage-filled Wayne who is only in his second year as the vigilante and hasn’t yet developed a method for interacting with the world by wearing a different kind of mask. A couple random things that bugged me: the suggestion that Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered for a reason that’s connected to something bigger. I liked it better when it was just a random, simple mugging. I thought the score overall was fine, but I didn’t think some of the more lyrical musical passages fit very well with the scenes in which they were used (mostly towards the end of the movie). Some of it works, but at times Giacchino’s harmonic choices felt tonally misguided to me and actually somewhat trite. The music for Selina was the most memorable and distinctive to me. It sounds like I’m more negative than I really am, but I thought this was a satisfying experience overall. Looking forward to whatever Reeves has planned next.
|
|
|
Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Mar 5, 2022 8:24:43 GMT
overall this was three hours of pure Batman nirvana. I see what you did there. I didn't expect to hear the song in the movie and thought it was just for the trailer...
|
|
dazed
Based
Posts: 2,621
Likes: 1,785
|
Post by dazed on Mar 5, 2022 13:03:24 GMT
So I pretty much loved everything about this. Reeves directed the fuck out of this movie, the soundtrack and cinematography were top notch, the pacing was great to the point where it felt like a two hour movie, and everyone brought their A game in regards to performances.
That whole batmobile chase scene was *chefs kiss*, 10/10, favorite Batman movie thus far
|
|