I know that everyone has their favorite Batman and villains, for me I will always enjoy Michael Keaton as Batman and the villains in both of these movies. For those who enjoyed The Batman, you will likely not agree with much of what I say in this review, and that is fine.
I had many issues with this version of the film, so I think I am going to start with the characters.
Robert Pattenson as Bruce Wayne/Batman was not great. I have never sat through a movie where the main character had so few lines and most of the plot was driven by their brooding personality. Most of his lines didn't even add to the story, and I really didn't get a sense of either Batman or Bruce Wayne. I didn't know who was the defining character and it wasn't clear to me if Wayne was even a popular figure in this version of Gotham. For Zoe Kravitz I did not hate her cat woman, but it didn't seem to me that she had the depth of cat persona that is necessary to showcase her personality. However, she was better than Anne Hathaway's version as she was only "cat" because she was a cat burglar. I wanted more from Zoe's character and less homicidal maniac - which seemed unrealistic to her. Basically every character needed more, and the Riddler was a joke. As an incel who hates everyone because he received an unfair life due to being an orphan, he could have been so much more developed, but no - this version of the Riddler was underdeveloped and I just didn't care. The only character that stood out was Penguin - but only because I was astonished that this was Colin Farrell! He was one hundred percent unrecognizable.
Another issue I had was with the story. Why on earth would Bruce Wayne's father go to a mobster to get help with a problem? This was not only unrealistic to me in regards to everything I know about the Batman story lines that I had a hard time with the entire plot due to this. Also, the backstory of their murder was not done well. To be murdered by the joker or a rogue criminal was interesting, to be killed because of a gangster not getting what he wanted, that was too simple. In regards to his parents, I also wanted more detail on the murder/suicide of his grandparents, and the mental health issues faced by his mother. How did his mother's issues affect his childhood, or did it? Was she gone for any of his childhood or was she healthy and okay by this point? Were her issues reflected in Batman's need to become a vigilante? All of this should have been explored to further develop everything in the story.
Lastly, this version of Gotham was not interesting to me. I don't understand why the city was so incredibly dirty and dark. I understand that the movie was supposed to have more of a noir feel, but for me it was just unfortunate and I didn't care about the why or the who because I didn't care about the city itself. I needed to feel more of a connection to the people to care about who was dying and why. A revenge story on top of a revenge story does not make an interesting story and there has to be something for the person watching to want to root for. I didn't care if Batman solved the case. I didn't care about the villain (and they are one of the most interesting parts of the Batman story). I didn't care about anything.
So, while I know some people really enjoyed this version of Batman, I thought it all fell flat, and I was uninterested. I doubt that if there is another one I will go watch it. Yes, I know Jim Carrey's Riddler was not for everyone, but at least he was entertaining. This version of the Riddler was just sad and dull. I can't say I recommend this version of Batman
I had many issues with this version of the film, so I think I am going to start with the characters.
Robert Pattenson as Bruce Wayne/Batman was not great. I have never sat through a movie where the main character had so few lines and most of the plot was driven by their brooding personality. Most of his lines didn't even add to the story, and I really didn't get a sense of either Batman or Bruce Wayne. I didn't know who was the defining character and it wasn't clear to me if Wayne was even a popular figure in this version of Gotham. For Zoe Kravitz I did not hate her cat woman, but it didn't seem to me that she had the depth of cat persona that is necessary to showcase her personality. However, she was better than Anne Hathaway's version as she was only "cat" because she was a cat burglar. I wanted more from Zoe's character and less homicidal maniac - which seemed unrealistic to her. Basically every character needed more, and the Riddler was a joke. As an incel who hates everyone because he received an unfair life due to being an orphan, he could have been so much more developed, but no - this version of the Riddler was underdeveloped and I just didn't care. The only character that stood out was Penguin - but only because I was astonished that this was Colin Farrell! He was one hundred percent unrecognizable.
Another issue I had was with the story. Why on earth would Bruce Wayne's father go to a mobster to get help with a problem? This was not only unrealistic to me in regards to everything I know about the Batman story lines that I had a hard time with the entire plot due to this. Also, the backstory of their murder was not done well. To be murdered by the joker or a rogue criminal was interesting, to be killed because of a gangster not getting what he wanted, that was too simple. In regards to his parents, I also wanted more detail on the murder/suicide of his grandparents, and the mental health issues faced by his mother. How did his mother's issues affect his childhood, or did it? Was she gone for any of his childhood or was she healthy and okay by this point? Were her issues reflected in Batman's need to become a vigilante? All of this should have been explored to further develop everything in the story.
Lastly, this version of Gotham was not interesting to me. I don't understand why the city was so incredibly dirty and dark. I understand that the movie was supposed to have more of a noir feel, but for me it was just unfortunate and I didn't care about the why or the who because I didn't care about the city itself. I needed to feel more of a connection to the people to care about who was dying and why. A revenge story on top of a revenge story does not make an interesting story and there has to be something for the person watching to want to root for. I didn't care if Batman solved the case. I didn't care about the villain (and they are one of the most interesting parts of the Batman story). I didn't care about anything.
So, while I know some people really enjoyed this version of Batman, I thought it all fell flat, and I was uninterested. I doubt that if there is another one I will go watch it. Yes, I know Jim Carrey's Riddler was not for everyone, but at least he was entertaining. This version of the Riddler was just sad and dull. I can't say I recommend this version of Batman
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