Thursday, March 31, 2022

Reserved Seating: THE BATMAN (Spoilers)

The review duo who are the shadows.

5 comments:

  1. I really liked this Batman, and it actually did ruin the Nolan trilogy for me in one way, Bale's Batman costume looks so dumb now, especially the mouth. He looks more like a grumpy owl.

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    1. Such a good point! I checked and if you look at Bale's mask - and all of the previous, for that matter - they're structured to have permanent "angry/serious" face. The new Batman's mask has a neutral brow structure, allowing him to give off a different vibe. I couldn't help but also notice Batman's shoulders are more pronounced in this movie (and for the first time he looks hot to me in the suit). His cape is attached further down his chest - not at neck or collarbone like the other costumes, and there's more especially deep pleating in the fabric. So when he moves especially in the fight scenes (like in the nightclub), light hits their ridges, they're highlighted and emphasize size and movement and he looks really built and quick. Nice work costume designers!

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    2. One of the bits I cut out of this video was me going off about how much I liked Pattinson's suit and the unique presence it gives him as opposed to other Batmen. This is a great explanation of why. Thanks, Meredith!

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    3. Oh I love costume, hair and makeup discussion, Rob! I read Matt Reeves wanted this Batman to have a lot of messy eye makeup when he took it off, to look like the cowl was rubbing off around his eyes (don't remember why that was). And I noticed and wrote in the weekend thread, I swear they took pains to get his eyelashes (all of them) to show in the batsuit - especially visible in those sunset scenes on the high-rise with Catwoman. So many details went into creating his new vibe. Thanks to James for the tip about the mask.

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  2. I didn't think I'd love The Batman as much as I did, especially that like many other I do have superhero fatigue at this point. But I do love a good dark, gritty detective movie, and so The Batman had plenty to offer. Similar to what Rob noted, I was glued the moment he started narrating, it just set the tone and stage so well, and I wish they ended the movie closer to him narrating and talking about people needing hope too. The ending worked better the second time around (yes it liked that much) but I still felt it was a bit bloated, and didn't care for that last Riddler scene.

    And while I thought The Batman was great, and loved the aesthetics of it (I do love my grit dark and serious), I did find it almost oppressive at times. I also feel like I need a good, fun blockbuster at this point, one that's not tied to a superhero franchise or an existing IP. I'd also like to see better mid-level budget type fare in the theatres, some good mystery thrillers that's not starring Liam Neeson (nothing against the actor). Seven, Zodiac, L.A. Confidential and other great films came to mind when watching The Batman, and once I was done, I thought to myself how I wished there were more great noir (or other genres) coming out on the big screen without having it tied to an existing IP.

    Now let's listen to that Highlander review ;)

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