Saw The Batman today. Loved it. I felt that the ending didn’t quite work somehow. The idea it was portraying made sense, but there was something lost after the main villain was captured. It reminded me, somewhat, how another great Batman film, The Dark Knight, feels a little empty without its main antagonist. I’m going to try to avoid spoilers, but I’m going to hint at a few things in order to talk about this.
In The Dark Knight, the joker is captured toward the end but reveals an ace up his sleeve regarding Harvey Dent. “You didn’t think I’d risk the battle for the soul of Gotham in a fist fight with you?” Something similar happens that transitions us into the ending of The Batman. However, the plot feels wrapped up. The big mysteries are solved. Or rather, not the big ones, but the personal ones. The ones in which I was invested.
The big picture themes of vengeance versus justice and “Does punching the problem make it go away?” aren’t answered, but I don’t care. The final act gives an answer to these probems, and even though I think it’s a good answer, it’s not what I spent the rest of the movie caring about up till now.
In all, I have mostly praise for the film. I really did love it. I might go see it again. Probably want to get the DVD. I think, though, if I were to make one change, I would make it so that it isn’t Batman who saves Gotham in the end; I would make it Bruce Wayne. I think that would have fit the themes better. In all truth, I thought that’s where the movie was heading.
One last thing. It is a beautiful movie. There is a scene at the end where Batman lights a flare, and I want to frame it and put on my wall. The movie is gorgeous.
Tale Told 