The Batman

 Fair disclosure: I did not see the movie in iMAX. I was too late.

Saw it alone at Westend since I could not find company for the same, and I did not want to miss the movie.

The trick to watching this movie is to think of it as a novel where a new piece of the puzzle (though tenuous at times) and new characters are introduced so that they all resolve towards the end. I think we are so used to MCU's immediate reward system, that the patience of watching long movies (which at one point, when we used to watch 3 hours Hindi movies like a piece of cake (with adverts)) is now lost. Think of it as binge-watching a BBC Sherlock season. So did I think the duration, ~3 hours was too long? No I did not. It had been long since I had gone to a movie theatre, and that this movie maximized my duration there was a good thing. Though almost half an hour was spent in ads, intervals, and other random force-fed visual stimulation. Forgive me, but I also spent an obscene amount on popcorn and sugar water created by exploiting indigenous water rights in Mexico.

In any case, the movie was well-made. I did not mind the excessive darkness (the lack of lighting while shooting, not moral ambiguity) of the movie. The next iteration of this caped crusader is probably going to be a podcast. The storyline is long, but not winding. Of course, there is always a significant suspension of logic required (like the Deus ex carpet-tucker), in superhero movies, but I think this iteration of Batman will give a fillip to DCEU's attempts to catch up to Marvel to some extent. There is a significant amount of D in this C. I mean detective work (get your mind out of the gutter). Those portions were well-done. The gadgets are cool, though his suit is inconsistently bullet/pain proof. The action sequences are reasonably choreographed but when required, Batman does instil the 'fear' aspect effectively. Interestingly I also learnt that Bruce's mom's maiden last name was Arkham. Nice.

The feel of Gotham was well-captured by the cinematographer and special effects. The opening cinematic immerses you right into the city, and the voice-over is excellent. I think this was the best feel of Gotham-grittier, more criminal, imposing, rainy. Though I doubt anybody can do a better Alfred than Michael Caine. Regarding Catwoman, well, she does her part adequately, introducing a random twist regarding Falcone (I actually think Turturro does not bring enough Mafia gravitas to the role though). Her action sequences were character-fitting, and her suit form-fitting. But the whole kiss and romantic thing were meh. It is Gotham that steals the show. Plus points to director saab for his as much as possible fresh take on the genre.

Coming to Cedric, he has indeed done a good job. But considering, most of the time he was masked, and the rest of the time, he was supposed to portray emotions through his well-kohled eyes, while the rest of his face showed unmoved, unexpressed, angst, we do not have much to go on. One time when Mr. Cullen had to explode in rage and tears, he has done that bit well. So I do not have negative to say about him.

There is nothing much to say about the Riddler. I think there was a bit of a jumble there especially regarding the 4chan-esque conspiracy take. But it was poorly executed i.e. there was no need/reason or pay-off to that.

Re: the music. It was really good. I preferred Giacchino's subtle orchestra to booming Zimmer. At one point it even gave me Imperial March feels (It's Raining Vengeance track). Time to download the track!

I sincerely believe there is no point in comparing all the batman movies that have been made so far. Right from West, Keaton, to Bale, and Pattinson. All are in their independent silos. I maintain that the best Batman was Kevin Conroy in the animated Justice League.

Rating: 3 Beards/5