Cinema Movie Reviewed

The Batman

I have seen ‘The Batman’ having travelled to a cinema and sat through the two hours and fifty-six minutes movie that has as many endings as The Return of the King. Unlike my other pages on this blog, I will be desperate not to go in depth on the plot and give too many (or any) spoilers. I will try! But I make no promises.

The story begins in Gotham City on Halloween night and a hell of a lot happens in just days from the beginning to the end of this movie. You begin and end with a voiceover from ‘The Batman’ himself and do not expect a legacy beginning explaining where Batman came from or why he is doing what he does. The movie kind of says - you should know all of this already. You should know who we are talking about and if you don’t where have you been? Living under a rock or something?

The movie is very clever as it sells itself as a vigilante with a mask that protects the city from the scum and low lives that are trying to take over. Clever very clever! You might be surprised with who that masked man might be. The movie begins like a who-done-it as a murderer is giving clues to the police and more so for the Batman. Batman is asked to attend the crime scene but the investigating detective and even the police don’t want him there. Even though there is a new bat-light that calls him. He goes and the murderer has kindly left a card for the Batman which gives him a clue towards more information. There is a bag over the hand of the dead man and coded page along with a decipher section in the card for him. Removing the bag shows that the victim’s thumb had been cut off. This sets up the who’s killing the mayor, police commissioner, and DA. I for one was looking forward to the clues that let us know that we had been watching the murderer this whole time and was one of the characters we had already been introduced to. This simply doesn’t happen, which made me slightly disappointed but didn’t ruin the film for me. The Riddler is pulling all the strings in the city run by the corrupt crime lords. The Riddler is out to name, shame, and kill all the heads at the top of this Evil chain. He is out to expose those that have taken advantage of the cesspool that Gotham City has become. He is the masked man that is killing people in inventive ways with the aim of getting the name of the head man who is secretly running everything. He is the boss of Gotham having all the officials, police, heads of industry and pretty much everything in his pocket. That is who the Riddler is trying to save the city from. That said following the clues are not as easy as you would want it whilst trying to track down the Riddler himself.

This leads him into close contact with Catwoman who in turn has a run in with the Penguin and Carmine Falcone. Whilst Alfred supports Batman for all of about five minutes of screen time. That sets the plot up for you as I don’t want to give too much away but there is a change to the Wayne’s back story which involves the Arkham’s as well, but you will need to find all that out for yourselves.

As for the film itself it retains the Batman dark and depressing feel with the rain and shadowy city. With crime being the main source of income for the big earners it must be that way, I guess. It would also explain why there is a vigilante in the guise of Batman to try and fight back. To be above and beyond the law yet supporting and helping them. This is a gritty version of Batman and as far from the series of the sixties as you could get. No bright colours and question-marks all over the Riddler in this movie. The characters are not larger than life they are not super-villains and superheroes they are people. The Penguin has a slightly long nose that’s it, the Catwoman is a strong fighting woman, but she isn’t going to beat a muscular man two hundred pounds heavier than her in a fight. She is going to get hit and lose but that doesn’t stop her fighting. It has a realism that is missing in other versions of the Batman world. I don’t want to compare it to Clooney movie but as a comparison they are worlds apart and if you haven’t guessed that is a good thing. The characters seem more real in this movie and that is a good thing for me. You are taken out of your world, but you are not taken on a trip of absolute fantasy where ice guns and trees are growing arms and attacking you. It is people with evil intents to improve things for themselves. That is where we are set and where these characters live, which means they are believable and fair play to the director and those writing this have come from.

The spoiler section where things revealed here –

However, the film is not perfect with a few elements that are built up and then tossed away with a news report or a passing line. The whole car chase with the penguin could have been cut out completely to reduce the three-hour run time as it serves little or no purpose to the main plot. The only thing is if this is leading to something in the films that are supposed to be in production as I write. This scene is not alone for that big long build up for no or little pay off.

The Riddler is a YouTuber and a geeky one at that, when you meet him face to face. So how does he get this information about the underbelly of this corrupt city? He has some real dirt on these guys and it’s enough to lead him to want to kill Bruce Wayne for the sins of his parents. Which is another side story that arrives with a shock twist to set up the letter-bomb scene which ultimately is very damning for the Bruce’s. Only for Alfred to downplay the situation, but it was still something that doesn’t sit very comfortably with me. As Daddy Wayne was desperate to do good for this City (apparently) but then a history of being an orphan is such a dreadful thing that they have to protect the image of his wife. It just doesn’t sit right with me. I can live with the billion-dollar funding that has been purged to support the criminal network, I can see that happening and can also see this neglect from Bruce and why someone that discovers this secret believing that this was down to Bruce.

There was so many story arc’s that were steadily and slowly built up through the movie yet the seawall along the side of the city was never (not one from my memory) mentioned at all. This was suddenly brought into the story after the Riddler announced what he was doing. This was a shock to Batman well it was a ruddy shock for the audience as well. Then there was the square that could protect everyone that was mentioned at this stage also. The funding for the seven massive bombs as well, where the hell does a YouTuber with five hundred followers get the funding to get hold of those explosives. His five hundred followers also gave him tips and suggestions for the traps, bombs, and gadgets he’d used but again nothing on how he got the cash to build all of these or how a geek got the information on the criminal underworld.

The whole of Hollywood is nuts on identity politics and this movie was thankfully cruising along when suddenly Catwoman throws the white privileged line in when discussing the heads of the criminal underworld. I am not sure the crime bosses would call themselves privileged but someone pointed out to me the line seems out of place and not within the rest of the movie and they then suggested that it was forced into the movie on the back of some executives advise and potentially the director was just doing as told. Which since the whole section was, yet again had the big build up followed by a quick resolution. I went from it being said and me thinking, “right, f**k that I’m off!” and getting up and walking out which was very tempting. I rode it out and waited for more and deepening comments to get worse but thankfully this stopped as soon as it started and then left me again asking why it was included in the movie in the first place.

Spoilers over

The three paragraphs above aside this movie has all the elements a Batman fan would want, and I dare say it would entertain some non-Batman fans as well. There are some nods to many different Batman stories rolled into this one and it sets up the following movies perfectly. I just hope they aren’t as long when it comes to the films themselves. It felt a bit like those behind the camera’s self-gratification on some of the stories only to say wh-oops run too long we will just conclude that with a news report telling us how it concluded.

I deliberately wanted to avoid as much information about the movie before going to see it, so I had no reviews or knowledge of who was in it. I found the batman’s mask and head a funny shape throughout and didn’t fully appreciate that it was Robert Pattinson behind the mask and some people were concerned about him being in the title role. For me he was fine and believable although it has also been suggested that he plays Batman throughout the movie even when he was in the Bruce Wayne version of the character, he just kept playing Batman but without the cape and mask. I one hundred percent understand that opinion and fully agree with it as well. He just takes the mask off and continues where he left off. Thinking and stalking rather than talking, he plays the part well for me and I am not going to sit here and type that he ruined the character as this is completely untrue. He did it justice and although not the best version out there he is not that far from the top in my humble opinion. As for the other characters they all get a tick from me, with the same judgement of not the best version but far from the worst, Gordon, Catwoman, Penguin or Falcone.

Would I recommend this movie?

Hell yeah. There are lots of other things you could waste money on this weekend and not be anywhere near as entertained as this three-hour epic is. Should it be that long? No is it going to be the greatest three hours of your life? Well, no probably not but it is a good movie. I just wouldn’t have it in the great column yet after just the one viewing. I for one enjoyed it and enjoyed it enough to be thinking of going back for a second viewing to see if it changes this review. I doubt it will as this is a particularly good movie without ever being great. Go see it for yourself and make up your own mind.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

This is far from a perfect movie there are things in there that I could go as far as saying irritated me. I will get to those before I admit that I loved this movie and it had me laughing aloud at parts. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Without my other movie reviews, I will try and give you a plot description without getting to any spoilers. I would describe this as the third movie in the original Ghostbusters universe. It completely ignores the 2016 girls only version (sorry if you liked that movie). This is fundamentally the story of Egon leaving the Ghostbusters broke and taking everything based on a theory that Gozer isn’t truly banished and is plotting a return with the help of its supporter. He has set up a temple despite being dead he has a way of coming back himself and a route back for Gozer as well. Egon has spent his days after leaving New York working on how to stop this from happening but dies in the process. Leaving the home and land to his daughter and her two kids. They move into the shack of what the house used to be plus the surrounding land where he never planted seeds or grew anything on his farm. Hence the rest of the town calling him the Dirt Farmer. The family move in penniless and take over his debt then the weird things start to happen. The main character is Phoebe Spengler who is just the same as Egon a scientist and a geek. She has the feel of a young Sheldon character or a young autistic girl. She makes her first ever friend in Podcast who is clearly modelled straight on Ray Stantz. Being a loveable buffoon that is enthusiastic and willing to try anything but will probably get something wrong. Phoebe’s older brother Trevor and played by Finn Wolfhard. He is stumbling around the movie trying to get himself a girlfriend and then get accepted by the group of youngsters of the town. Slowly the story reveals itself and so does the actions of Spengler that led to his downfall and ultimately kept Gozer at bay.

I have reached the paragraph where I will go through my issues with this movie. I cannot work out why did a random ghost just turn up? I get that it was required for a plot point later in the movie but even that point wasn’t needed except for highlighting the clever and quick thinking of Podcast. So, maybe it was designed just to enhance the Podcast character.

The next point is something that I loved but not wanting to give any spoilers away, but the last ghost of the movie was a bit over the top for my liking. I enjoyed seeing it appear but as soon as it was there, I preferred the subtle version, an arm would of been enough. I just feel the effects used there may not have been needed and could have been just a passing glance. When the move finished with the two words (one of which was a name) that just made me go. That is all that was needed it did not need the "Over The Top" CGI usage and sentimental business. In all honesty this movie should have been made ten or fifteen years ago and the previous sentences would not be needed. I am aware of the breakup and the one not talking to the other and so on and so on but this is a prime example of leaving things to fester for too long. Don’t leave things too long to say sorry or to offer that olive branch. I digress, I think I would have preferred the subtle version of this ghost. When you watch the movie, you will know what I am talking about.

Finally, I have read some reviews since and one issue that keeps appearing in the negative review of this movie is the pacing of the film. I can see why; I may not totally agree with it but I can see why this would be raised as an issue. The movie is four minutes over two hours and there is a middle section where 20 minutes could have been cut to around five minutes. I could see where the complaints come from but personally, I do not have an issue with that extra fifteen minutes. There are parts where you can tell they have put this in for member berries only. Mr Stay Puffed for example has little to bring to the story as it is small and is not scary and there is no logical reason for it coming about in the first place.

Now is the time for the review to change the direction as I really loved it. What this movie was for me is what could have easily made the new Star Wars trilogy should have been. This pays homage to the original movie with the respect required and tells a story that follows on from the previous story. What this movie doesn’t do is try to replace the original movie. It doesn’t force the viewer to pick and choose between the two. It isn’t saying you can like that old stuffy and dated one or you can love this new fresh version of the same story with a slightly different bad guy at the end. This movie is made with love and affection to the original and builds on it. It doesn’t say they were wrong and should ignore the old one and replace it with this one. The 2016 was not just divisive it was an unfunny parody of a classic and loved movie. Starsky & Hutch was a much loved show that was mocked in the movie and for me failed to make any success. What about the Dukes of Hazzard as well? It is all played to mock the original. Who are they planning on selling this to? Those who loved the original, well do not be surprised that the ‘mock movie’ isn’t loved in the same way, and it makes little money. I can mock family members but someone else does it and the protective side rises and you need to be prepared for anger. This is where Hollywood goes wrong with the ‘old one was liked’ so this ‘new one’ will sell just as well! Then they are shocked that it doesn’t sell and blame the customers for not buying it. In what industry do the sellers complain that the customers are not buying. I cannot think of any other industries that this happens.

What I am noticing is that the critics that do not like this movie are those that liked the 2016 girlie movie. Which to me just means that they have a chip on their shoulders and as the one I liked didn’t sell so I won’t like this one. Could you get over yourself enough to enjoy it? Clearly not. Their principles appear to be that if you didn’t like an unbelievably bad movie then you are anti whatever they think the movie is. Girly Ghostbusters meant you are anti-feminist and misogynistic, which if true you shouldn’t like this movie either as the main character is a girl. I loved this movie and hated the previous one. Added to that Ghostbusters 2 was an awful movie as well. It completely missed the mark with what the fans loved of the original movie and then took it off in a different direction again. It could be argued that Ghostbusters 2 was based on the popular cartoons and not the original movie – which is a big mistake. Which the new Star Wars movies did when they introduced books and printed stories to explain various plot points from the movies. Nope you want something explained in a story then use the story telling method no add on’s or extra purchases required. If I brought a board game and was then told that the rule book was separate and required another fee, I wouldn’t buy the first box. If I knew a story was incomplete, I wouldn’t bother paying to go and see it.

I left The Last Jedi and, on the drive, home I felt hollow and empty. The story didn’t set up the next movie for me it cut everything to shreds and left me in tatters. Ghostbusters: Afterlife had me leaving the theatre with a tear in my eye and happiness in my heart. This was what the fans wanted and its not a crime to give it to them. You cannot please all the people all of the time when making a movie. When you take over an established franchise not shitting on the previous work should be the primary thing to complete when creating a new story that you with to SELL! Rubbishing the originally product that is loved by those who money you are trying to take out of their pocket be warned, putting them in an uncomfortable place may result in them spending less on your product. You cannot then complain at them for not buying your rubbish. This is how selling movies should work and unfortunately not understood by the money men of Hollywood.

For me if you want a bit of nostalgia and a damn fine film to boot then you can go a lot worse than going to see Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

It is a good movie so go and enjoy it yourself!