AVS Discussions
Movie and TV Discussion => Movie reviews => Topic started by: David Vaughn on May 22, 2022, 08:02:09 PM
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(https://i.imgur.com/1aPO3Th.jpg)
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: May 24, 2022
Rating: PG-13
Film: 4/5
Plot
More than a year of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear
into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), Oz, aka The Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka The Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
My Thoughts
Batman has a rich history in film and TV and is in the top 3 of best-known comic book heroes along with Superman and Spiderman. I grew up watching the campy TV show in reruns and enjoyed Burton’s adaptation when I was a teenager, but Nolan’s trilogy is probably the best vision of what the character is, or better yet, should be.
Matt Reeves both directed and co-wrote the film and to say the film is dark—both physically and its tone, would be an understatement. This definitely isn’t the Batman that Adam West played back in the 1960s. In fact, the character is even darker than Nolan’s take. I ended up watching the film alone because my wife thought it was too depressing and violent and gave up on the film shortly into the first act.
That being said, I enjoyed the film a lot even though it runs nearly 3 hours. One could quibble that the screenplay is a bit bloated and occasionally loses its focus, but overall, the sum of its parts leads up to a compelling story. There are a lot of villains in the film and the ending certainly sets up the next film nicely. Furthermore, the cast is excellent all around.
I was afraid Pattinson wouldn’t be very good in the lead role, but wow does he do a great job. Farrell’s Penguin is amazing—both with the acting and the make-up. If I didn’t know he was starring, there would be no way to tell it was him—kudos the artist who worked on the visuals of his character—simply amazing. Probably the weakest character is Kravitz, but her looks more than make up for her somewhat pedestrian acting ability.
The presentation is top-notch all around. First and foremost, this is an extremely dark film and will test the ability of your display from the very first scene. Thankfully, the HDR on the 4K presentation leads to fantastic shadow detail. I’d love to say the color palette was good too, but the film is as close to being black and white as a color film can get—did I mention it was a dark movie? The true star of the presentation is the Dolby Atmos track, which is about as good as it gets. The LFE is foundation shaking and the use of the overheads really draws you into the picture. Whether it’s the subtle sounds of rainfall or frenetic activity in the nightclub scenes, this mix is a demo-worth showpiece. Of particular note is Chapter 9, which will probably be this generations “Lobby Scene” from The Matrix. Buckle up and enjoy the ride—it’s amazing!
Video 9.75/10 (AVC)
Audio 10/10 (Dolby Atmos)
Special Features:
- Vengeance In the Making
- Vengeance Meets Justice
- The Batman: Genesis
- Becoming Catwoman
- Looking for Vengeance
- Anatomy of The Car Chase
- Anatomy of The Wingsuit
- A Transformation: The Penguin
- The Batmobile
- Unpacking the Icons
- Deleted Scenes with Director’s Commentary
- UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqqft2x_Aa4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqqft2x_Aa4)
Conclusion
I didn’t really know what to expect from this film after loving the Nolan trilogy and barely tolerating Affleck’s version of the character. Thankfully, Pattinson delivers the goods and while the film is no pick-me-up, it’s one hell of a ride and shines in 4K. Furthermore, the reference Dolby Atmos track is worth the price of admission alone. Highly recommended.
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Dual JL Audio F-110 (stacked and treated as one sub)
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
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I reviewed this film for us and I enjoyed it also. I think I feel about the same as David did. But I do not give the plot away in my Nan’s boiler reviews. I now don’t know whether our members would like to read more of the plot when they will be comes out.
https://discuss.avscience.com/index.php?topic=3224.msg22978#msg22978
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I reviewed this film for us and I enjoyed it also. I think I feel about the same as David did. But I do not give the plot away in my Nan’s boiler reviews. I now don’t know whether our members would like to read more of the plot when they will be comes out.
https://discuss.avscience.com/index.php?topic=3224.msg22978#msg22978
Barry...I took the plot directly from Warner's summary, so I didn't think I was spoiling it for anyone :)
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Thanks guys for your review. We saw this opening weekend and greatly enjoyed it. Definitely worth having.
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This movie sure seems to have divided people - at least the online forum reviews are mixed.
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yeah just cant get into it. i gess its the EMO bruce wayne. doesnt do it for me
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I felt about The Batman a little similarly to how I felt about Logan. It was good for what it was, but it was very dark and not the most enjoyable Batman movie. (Caveat: I didn't even see The Joker b/c of how dark I read it was.) Logan was arguably a better movie but neither were "fun" in the usual superhero movie sense.
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The joker was outstanding imho but just don’t like this batman. My wife feels the same and she LOVES superhero movies
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Greetings,
Not much else to add Dave. Totally agree...
Regards,
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David and I have a disagreement.
He wrote the that following was not a spoiler because it came from Warner’s publicity. I disagree.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), Oz, aka The Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka The Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
To me, a spoiler is a spoiler….that is it gives away the plot or the villains or anything you don’t know before seeing the film. The source of the information is not relevant. Opinions?
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It's what the studio provides, so that's what I always use. If they are OK with giving minor spoilers, then so am I. Also, I believe the trailers gives some of the spoilers away too.
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David and I have a disagreement.
He wrote the that following was not a spoiler because it came from Warner’s publicity. I disagree.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), Oz, aka The Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka The Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
To me, a spoiler is a spoiler….that is it gives away the plot or the villains or anything you don’t know before seeing the film. The source of the information is not relevant. Opinions?
The Rotten Tomatoes movie plot description is not too much of a spoiler -
" Batman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans become clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis. "
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_batman (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_batman)
That might be better - just enough to tell you what it's about but not too much.
You have to know something going in. They can't just say " A new Batman movie that's 3 hours long - enjoy ".
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The Rotten Tomatoes movie plot description is not too much of a spoiler -
" Batman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans become clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis. "
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_batman (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_batman)
That might be better - just enough to tell you what it's about but not too much.
You have to know something going in. They can't just say " A new Batman movie that's 3 hours long - enjoy ".
That is a better summation and doesn't have any spoilers, but I have permission to use the plot summary from the studio...I don't have permission from RT...that's called plagiarism :D
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No one mentions thE Peanuts strip.
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No one mentions thE Peanuts strip.
You posted a spoiler!!! How dare you :)
I was on my phone and didn't even see the attachment until now. Lucy is such a &(&#.
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No one mentions thE Peanuts strip.
Trying not to ruin it for folks that haven't seen Citizen Kane yet!
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That is a good comic.
Reminds me of the Simpson episode where they do a flashback and there is a long line to see Star Wars and Homer walks out and said loudly who the father was upsetting all the folks in line who have not seen the movie yet! lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATcaQYh0wPU