James Scott

This movie. Wow. Spoilers ahead. The Film Noir style at first drew me in - with endless rainy days and skies blotted out by grey clouds and towering skyscrapers this has the appeal of something like Alex Proyas' Dark City or the black-as-ink pages of Sin City. There's an oppressive force in the sheer backdrop of the movie. It's an immediate nod to the darker side of DCs graphic novels. Think 'The Long Halloween' as a reference point, one of the very best graphic novels in existence, imo. It also explores the idea of the Batman as detective and not simply a bad-guy-squashing-machine (as was his original incarnation in the apply-named Detective Comics where the hero made his mark), which i was most drawn towards and a departure from previous films - there are numerous scenes with Batman mingling with cops, politicians, you name it - and not simply dropping in and dropping out suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere. But make no mistake about it, there is precious little else to like about the film. The characters are flat and uninspired, the plot is a rehash of a rehash of a rehash (did no one else think the Riddler's phone recordings were eerily reminiscent of The Dark Knights' Joker?), the suspense which should propel the film is led by unbelievable and ridiculous plot points (the killer uses a carpet tool and so Batman pulls up the carpet? Just kill me now), and Pattison's Bruce Wayne is an Emo man-child with so little relevant dialog one wonders why they bothered taking him out of the suit at all. The longer-than-humanly-necessary lingering shots of Paul Dano's unmasked Riddler are painful and ridiculous. There was no menace, just Dano wailing away at nothing and everything. Tough to sit through with a straight face. Zoe Kravitz is a refreshing face and a serviceable catwoman, but her delivery hints at a playfulness and fun that is a stark and almost humorous counterpoint to Pattisons endless brooding and constantly furrowed brow. Zero chemistry. Absolutely Zero. And let's just be clear. In another movie in another time, Colin Farrel as the Penguin would have been a revelation. He was fantastic in a new take on the old character...but I just simply didn't buy it. He was directed more as a mob crony than a possible super villain (which will clearly be the case if a sequel is in the works). Bring back the black bile-spitting squat menace of Danny DeVito anyday, I say. Look - director Reeves had a difficult task. Everyone knows the mythos. Everyone knows the villains and the idea of Gotham City, even if you've never seen a movie or read a comic. But he may have shot himself in the foot by not trying to flush some more development out of the major characters. Catwoman, Riddler, Commissioner Gordon, Alfred, Falcone - all were left for us to fill in the holes based on what we already know. A major mistake in what should have been a stand alone film. The relationships didn't feel like relationships. These were merely characters talking to each other in various scenes to further flush out the ridiculous plot. You never felt connected. My wife and I were prepared to leave with well over 30 minutes left in the film but we endured. We didn't miss much. Let me recommend you don't put yourself in the same position.