MovieChat Forums > The Batman (2022) Discussion > I'm glad to see this movie has dropped o...

I'm glad to see this movie has dropped out of the IMBD top 250.

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
16 replies | jump to latest

It didn't belong.

It's still in Letterboxd's top 250 though, which is strange.

Still beats me how a film like this is getting insane adoration whilst films like Wonder Woman 1984 get lynched. This is no better. I increasingly believe people follow narratives and when it's set, that's the status quo, the consensus. (i.e cinephiles forcing themselves to like acclaimed films because you're expected to. It's in good taste.) WW84 is bad because everyone says so. The Batman is good because everyone says so. A hate campaign was initiated and it worked. People love a good bandwagon bashing session.

WW84 has a better aesthetic, more humor, is faster paced, has equally good action (if not better) and has some emotion/heart. It is a bit camp, but I'll take that over lifeless anyday. Plus Gal Gadot is smoking hot and for all the criticisms of her acting, she at least has some charisma and personality which The Batman sorely lacked. She has good chemistry with Pine, much better than Pattinson had with Kravitz.

This Batman film has very little going for it;
- The pacing is fine. The 3 hours go by as quickly as can be expected for this length of film. However this film did not need to be 3 hours long, the story is basic and doesn't demand such a runtime.
- One or two clever bits of writing, in particular the rat with wings possibly applying to Batman, the Penguin or Falcone.
- The cinematography was decent...however the aesthetic was woeful. Far too dark and drab. A lifeless and colourless film. All the good work with regards to framing goes out the window.
- The action and fight choreography were middling.
- The costumes were trash.
- What message did this film have ? It's a semi-origins story about the Batman, that's it. He goes to a crime scene, reads a riddle, solves the riddle. Rinse and repeat. No strong emotional moments, no message, little tension. Very flat and emotionally stunted.

I watched Captain Marvel last night for the first time (a film with a divisive reception) and it was far better. Visually more appealing, far more entertaining (more humor, superb action), the sci-fi elements and different races were interesting, it had a few twists and it had a message whether you like it or not (#GirlPower and anti-war).

Some people seem to have fallen line, hook and sinker for the 'dark, gritty and grounded = great film' narrative. Making your film visually dark and drab + removing all humor, emotion, tension and thrills + stretching a basic story out + making Batman an eyeliner wearing emo loner + playing Nirvana songs doesn't make your film good.

[–] MartyDeniro (4171) 3 years ago

Eh, who cares about the Imdb 250? The small % of people who actually bother to rate the movies they see? And I remember when you could vote before the movie even came out, and the rabid fan/hater would do so. Especially when it comes to the type of movies you mention, I wouldn't consider them indicative or the result of an unbiased, objective analysis by most who've seen them.

Also, The Batman did have a theme/message, maybe not a fresh one, but it was there. When the villain as his bros think they're just like you, maybe you're doing it wrong. When regular citizens fear you as much as criminals do, maybe you're doing it wrong.

[–] mikeflatley (761) 3 years ago

> playing Nirvana songs doesn't make your film good.

Agreed. Now Superhero + GnR = Success! (Ala Thor Luv N Thunder)

[–] bond998 (1213) 2 years ago

You lost me at Captain Marvel. The best thing about that movie was Samuel L Jackson and maybe the cat. And while Robert Pattinson wasn't great as Batman. Hes wasn't quite as boring as Brie Larson with her wooden performance. Personally i regarded it as one the worst MCU movie. Even with its Flaws, Black Widow was lightyears better.

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 2 years ago

OP lost me at WW84.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

You nailed it.

People are so bandwagon-y with movies these days, it’s baffling. It’s like they’ve become these social, political, pop-culture rallying points where people feel the need to take sides instead of just having their own subjective opinion. I like to call it “Emperor’s New Clothes syndrome”—it happened with Inception (if you didn’t get it, you’re just dumb and uncool) and Black Panther (if you didn’t like it, you’re racist).

The Batman had no business being 3 hours long, and while it was expensive-looking (I guess) it lacked any real depth. I would never watch it again, I don’t think.

Colin Feral was pretty good as The Penguin.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6121) 2 years ago

Why are you worried about what other people rate a film?

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

We're on a site to discuss movies. How movies are perceived by others is a big chatting point.

I can only speak for myself but I'm not losing sleep over people liking The Batman, I'm merely bewildered why they do. I found it a very flat and drab experience. The extreme praise some have for it is interesting.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6121) 2 years ago

Yes but in the end it seems like an entitled approach to take. Why not simply discuss your opinion as opposed to moaning about what other people rated a film? Saying things like I am so glad this is off the top 250 indicates it bothers you what other people rated the film. I could not care less about the top 250.

Personally I found the film to be fantastic and I think it is worthy of it's praise. Personally I think it stands as one of the best Batman movies ever made. I would rank this above The Dark Knight Rises and on par with Batman Begins. Ultimately I give the Dark Knight the edge but I think The Batman does many great things.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Thank you.

Yes, movie fandom online has become a real team game and a part of peoples personal identity, people align themselves with certain factions (such as DC or Marvel). In some cases to particular directors. It then becomes an us vs them seige mentality. You can see it with the backlash against Marvel at the moment. Some big shot directors have chimed in and many users online are shitting on those films, decrying the idiocracy of the common cinema-goer (who prefers Marvel over arthouse films), longing for 'true art' like The Northman to be a box office success. It's a sign of the decline of society, according to some.

I also agree with your sentiments regarding films like Inception and Black Panther. Some films get protected statuses. This happens to a lot of 'classics'. If you didn't like The Godfather/Citizen Kane/2001: A Space Odyssey then you're a dumb kid with ADHD who should go watch Transformers. It belies their belief, that is that they're smarter and more educated than others because they like 'true art', if you don't like it you're obviously an idiot. The social aspects of film reviewing are hugely influential. People feel compelled to like certain films.

As I mentioned in my OP some films get absolutely lynched for minor issues whilst others get heaps of praise for some unquantifiable reasons. When the narrative is formed, people are afraid to speak out. Which creates the 'emperors new clothes' effect, as you mentioned.

I'm reminded of the likes of Roger Ebert dismissing The Shining upon release, only to some 15-20 years later state he was wrong and call it a true masterpiece...all this after it had permeated into popular culture with phrases like here's Johnny, redrum, all work and no play etc, becoming cultural staples. It's easy to praise a film after it's a cultural milestone and influential. It's important to pop culture, therefore it's obviously good. Compelled to like it.

[–] moviefanatic505 (6121) 2 years ago

See this is a double edged sword. There are contrarians out there. They will love something everyone hates or hate something everyone else loves. Some do this to appear intelligent. However sometimes you can just like something and agree with the majority. Sometimes films take some retrospect to fully appreciate. Some films get better upon retrospect and others get worse on retrospect. I was not big on the first Blade Runner when I saw it. With each viewing I appreciate it more and more.

People are free to dislike or like whatever they please obviously. However you do have to be able to understand that you are not the sole authority on what determines a good film. If I said I hate Gone with the wind I can say that but there is no denying it's impact on pop culture and what it did for cinema. You can recognize okay I get why people love it but it is not something I enjoy. Lots of people want to stick with the narrative of I hate it therefore everyone needs to feel the same way.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

I don’t mean to speak for the OP, but what I find interesting is… human behavior. Group think, herd mentality, peer pressure—how these contrast with the individualist mentality, and how they influence mediums as ostensibly trivial as entertainment and pop-culture.

Edit* Btw, not saying a person can’t have a genuine opinion, but I think we all know many are following the herd in one way or another.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

“Here’s Johnny” is how Ed McMahon introduced Johnny Carson to The Tonight Show audience 5 nights a week for YEARS before The Shining movie was released. This movie had DICK to do with introducing the phrase to the vernacular. This all happened before you were a sperm.

[–] Galactus03 (4373) 2 years ago

Wonder woman 84 sucked. This movie was way better...
If you want silly, stick with the DCU

this is the best Batman Film yet...

[–] kwestmo (4385) 2 years ago

You are correct. This not a good movie. It had some good ideas, but few were executed well.

The director claimed he wanted to make a film noir. he doesn't know what that means,

[–] wiiztec (258) 2 years ago

I like that this movie finally shows off batman doing detective work, that I can recall no other movie really shows off his detective side

[–] Leodicaprio (6426) 2 years ago

- dark and drag was the entire point. anything else would have looked out of place. stick to marvel films
-some of to was pretty damn good. far better than much of Nolans trilogy.
-the costumes were good.
-yess...... that was the point. where's the problem?

if you liked captain marvel more, I can only assume some developmental issue happened as a child to you