D McTavish

It’s not a Batman movie. It’s a mix between Law and Order and some Michael Bay’s direction and some sad, sad writing that’s akin to a predictable Twilight movie. Throughout the film, Batman has mini-monologues that tell the story of why he is “vengeance”; we get it, it’s Batman. These monologues take up the first hour and a half of the movie, and there isn’t movement in the story until the second half. It didn’t make me care about the story. One of the characters that you’re supposed to care about [SPOILER]……. Dies at the beginning of the movie. How am I supposed to care about his death? The corruption theme of Gotham has been done so many times it’s become trite, and I could care less about some politician trying to change things, and certainly not when I haven’t a clue as to who he is. Uncomfortable music is sprinkled in places where acting should’ve been the only focus. I felt like the audio during dramatic moments was distracting; a good movie can have dramatic pauses and this one was shy to allow those moments to happen. The Batman fell short of expectations of a good time. Instead, he made ME desire vengeance; I want a good movie! 3/10

This film is a mixed bag. The very intense opening act dulls the tone for the rest of the film whereby everything that follows feels pale in comparison. There are a few good moments: the charismatic lead villain, choice of camera angles, and music score were well done. The lead villain was the only character that made me stick around without skipping scenes. The lines were delivered well and the acting was believable. I felt like this was the most well-casted character and the moments he was on the screen overshadowed the other actors. There were some cool camera shots that positioned you as if you were victim, and some interesting choice of editing flashbacks and weaving them into present time. I really liked the conclusion of what the boy was carving into the stone monument during the last act, and felt finishing the movie at that moment was a positive. Music score was good and the mixing wasn’t in your face. The scenes with action didn’t feature annoying, loud scenes that don’t do well with standard home viewing. Good choice of somber music intermixed with low tones, and the decision to not use music at all in scenes was spot on. Downsides to the movie are the writing, pace, and adapting a movie from a short story. The moment when the wife was in the back seat behind the driver was critical when the group passed a police vehicle; I was expecting some grand attempt to attract attention (this is a thriller after all) only to be disappointed to see apathy and zero sparks of courage and desperation regarding the couple’s circumstance. When the husband managed to get hold of a cell phone while both villains were out of the vehicle, he fumbles with the phone and yells at it to work (“come on, come on!!”) without locking the doors of the vehicle! This flabbergasted me because most people would likely lock the car if there was something dangerous outside. I felt that this was a poor writing decision and the scene lost it’s tension when the character didn’t make those survival choices. ((Husband: *fumbling with phone* Villain: ima just open this door now… don’t mind me.. )) There were long periods of no narration, and the director’s attempt to create ambiance, similes, and metaphors to fill the void felt rather empty. I think it’s because of the first act being so impactful and starting off with a bang that in the end, the movie trickles down to a very slow drip that keeps on dripping until the end. Would I recommend this movie? No.