YMMV / The Batman (2022)

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Before the car chase, Cobblepot quickly drives off and leaves his henchman behind, despite him carrying money he was ordered by Cobblepot to retrieve. Was this Cobblepot being a typical dirty coward and pulling a Screw This, I'm Out of Here! while realizing the money wasn’t worth it? Or did Cobblepot realize Batman was only after him and figure the money would be safer with the henchman? It helps that there were still other henchmen in the area.
  • Were Selina and Annika just friends, dating, or something in between? Selina (who is bi in the comics canon) calls her "baby" and is deeply concerned for her welfare, and after she goes missing, finding Annika becomes her main motivation. On the other hand, nothing explicit is ever shown (though to be fair, we never get a sense of what domestic life is like for the pair), especially since Annika doesn't get much screentime, and Selina is crushing on Batman. Zoë Kravitz has said she thinks Selina is bisexual in this movie, but hasn't commented on whether she has feelings for Annika, leaving it up to the viewer to decide.
  • Was Annika The Mistress to Mayor Mitchell because she was genuinely interested in him? Or did she feel like she couldn't say "no" to the mayor? It's also implied that at least some of the waitresses at The Iceberg Lounge are sex workers, which could mean that Annika was only with the guy because she was being paid.
  • Matt Reeves had confirmed that the Joker's grin this time around is disfigurement from facial deformities that he was born with. That said, the rest of his scars are left up for interpretation. The damage seems to extend to all corners of his body, leaving it up in the air as to whether his entire body is disfigured from birth, he shares his comic counterpart's origin of falling into chemicals which reacted more realistically than they usually do and burned him this time around, or if most of it is remaining injuries from the last time he battled Batman.
• Anti-Climax Boss: Once Riddler is discovered, he is promptly arrested without putting up a fight at all. Though this is justified, as he outright tells Batman that he's not a fighter.
• Award Snub: The film wasn’t nominated best picture despite being considered the best Comic book movie of 2022. While it earned Academy Award nominations for Sound (lost to Top Gun: Maverick), Make-Up (lost to The Whale) and Visual Effects (lost to Avatar: The Way of Water), the widely praised cinematography (which no less than Roger Deakins praised as being the best of the year) and the score were passed over.
• Awesome Music: The music is by Michael Giacchino, what else do you expect?
  • The full 6-minute version of Michael Giacchino's Batman theme is a majestic mixture of dread, loss, and triumph befitting of the Dark Knight's journey. Special mention goes to A Bat in the Rafters, Pt. 2, a booming and downright rageful reprise of Batman's theme that plays during his assault on Riddler's army in the final battle, and The Bat's True Calling, a somber yet hopeful take on the leitmotif as he rescues the citizens of Gotham from the debris of the ravaging flood.
  • The first proper trailer's usage of "Something in the Way" combined with Michael Giacchino's new Batman theme (first glimpsed in a "camera test" teaser) really gives off the dark vibes of the Dark Knight's world.
  • The theme for the Riddler is Franz Schubert's Ave Maria, a deeply unnerving combination of One-Woman Wail and Ominous Music Box Tune.
  • Catwoman's theme is mysterious, sensual, romantic and calm, with a feeling of sadness and tragedy underneath it. Just like Catwoman herself.
  • The overall harsh and dissonant with a dash of a "taps"-feeling score can be considered a listening companion piece to either Jerry Goldsmith's First Blood and Outland scores or Alan Silvestri's Ricochet score.
  • Sonata in Darkness is a 12-minute sweeping piano suite combining Batman's and Catwoman's themes into a darkly beautiful solo piano piece that embodies the nigh-Shakespearean tragedies of both characters.
• Can't Un-Hear It: Good luck trying to read The Long Halloween or any story with Carmine Falcone without hearing John Turturro's performance as the mob boss.
• Catharsis Factor: After we've spent so much of the film seeing the abysmal extent of Gotham's corruption, it's a truly awesome moment when a legion of cops are there to back up Jim Gordon's arrest of Carmine Falcone, proving the city has more than one officer ready and willing to do the right thing. The fact that Jim gets to throw Carmine's smug words right back at him only makes it better.
• Creator Worship: Many fans have unabashedly showered Matt Reeves in praise, noting that his clear love for the franchise shines through and made for one of the best Batman stories in years.
• Creepy Awesome:
  • The Riddler is absolutely terrifying and feels like something out of a horror movie, and he’s all the more memorable for it.
  • While he only barely appears in one scene near the end, the Joker is this as per usual.
• Cry for the Devil: The Riddler is a thoroughly wicked villain, but his absolutely abysmal upbringing makes him pitiable nonetheless, and helps us to understand why he became such an emotionally stunted maniac.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Some have interpreted the Riddler as in the right for his killing of corrupt officials and the puppet master, Carmine Falcone, because the justice system in Gotham is likely too corrupt to hold them accountable. This ignores his more villainous traits:
  • The movie shows there are still people such as Gordon and Reál coming into power that have the potential to turn the tide. Riddler’s response is to murder them as well, sweeping away any semblance of justification for his actions.
  • His huge bias against the Wayne family. To him they're corrupt like all the rest in politics and their Renewal Fund was a lie. The Riddler claims Thomas had Falcone kill an investigator exposing Martha's mental health struggles to safeguard his major campaign. The Riddler never considers it was a husband trying to protect his wife or that the Renewal Fund was stolen by criminals. His motivation for wanting to harm Bruce Wayne is born entirely from his jealousy and resentment.
• Ending Fatigue: The movie seemingly reaches its climax with Carmine Falcone being taken down and the Riddler finally arrested, only for it to go on for another 30 minutes, leading to an exhausting 176 minute runtime. The last ten minutes also have several scenes which appear to be building to an ending, only for the movie to keep on going: Batman helping with the rescue efforts and musing in voiceover how he needs to change his ways to be a more hopeful presence for Gotham, the Riddler meeting a fellow Arkham inmate with a suspiciously ominous laugh, Batman and Selina saying their goodbyes at the cemetery, and then Batman and Selina having one last motorbike ride together.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Officer Martinez has a sizeable fanbase despite only having a few lines; him cheerily waving to Bruce Wayne at the mayor's funeral and the surprisingly crucial part he plays in helping Batman uncover the Riddler's endgame certainly helped.
• Evil Is Cool:
  • The Riddler, due to being a highly competent threat whilst executing his plans with captivatingly nightmarish flair. Bonus points go to Paul Dano's absolutely fantastic performance which flips between unnerving and humorous at the drop of a hat.
  • The Penguin has gained a lot of praise for being a genuinely compelling and intimidating villain, while still providing some much-needed levity to the film at times thanks to Colin Farrell's performance.
• Fan Nickname:
  • Just like how Ben Affleck's Batman was dubbed "Batfleck", Pattinson's Batman was immediately dubbed "Battinson". Also called "Robat Battinbat" due to The Weekly Planet.
  • The goon that gets brutalized by Batman in the trailer has been nicknamed "Doug Walker" due to having a similar appearance to him.
  • The prosthetics used for Colin Farrell as The Penguin give him a striking resemblance to Richard Kind, leading some fans to dub him "Richard Mean" or "Richard Unkind".
• Foe Yay Shipping:
  • It's not hard to read Riddler as having a thing for Batman based on him being an obsessive fan who's clearly relishing their interactions. Nashton’s tantrum when Batman calls him a psychopath is weirdly similar to a Dogged Nice Guy whose advances are being rejected by their crush.
  • The Joker’s deleted scene with Batman as he’s being consulted on identifying the Riddler. He jokes about it being their “one-year anniversary” and is disappointed that Batman’s “gift” to him are documents on the Riddler’s murders. He also thinks it’s more fun to talk about Batman than the Riddler. Plus, his dialogue has undertones of Mind Game Ship as he knows what to say to get under Batman’s skin and he enjoys every moment of it.
• Friendly Fandoms:
  • Fans of the film have gotten along well with fans of Moon Knight (2022) due to them both premiering in the same month — March — and being darker, psychological takes on the superhero genre.
  • Despite the usual rivalry between DC and Marvel, there are also fans of Spider-Man: No Way Home that gladly embrace The Batman as well, due to being two movies released around the same time (late 2021/early 2022) focusing on two of the most iconic superheroes that are critically acclaimed by their respective fanbases for mostly living up to expectations. In particular, fans of Robert Pattinson and Andrew Garfield appreciated how their performances as Batman and Spider-Man in their respective movies launched them to super-stardom once more after they were previously mostly ignored for their roles in past, more indie works.
• Genius Bonus: Viewers who aren't familiar with British pop culture may be baffled by Alfred's reference to having worked in the "circus" before coming into the Waynes' employment. The "circus" in this context refers to the street Cambridge Circus in Soho, London ^{And for further context}"circus" is a British term for a rounded city plazas where several streets converge, besides which sits MI6's fictionalized headquarters in John le Carré's espionage novels. Thus, Alfred used to work in the spy trades, possibly as a field agent, since he taught Bruce his combat skills.
• Improved Second Attempt:
  • A mounting criticism of Batman media over the years is the misconception that he's a billionaire who only uses his wealth, skills, and resources to beat up poor criminals on the street (something he has even been accused of in canon comics sometimes, notably by Alfred in The Batmans Grave). The film addresses this head-on by making it part of Batman's character arc: he realizes his quest for vengeance has only inspired more violence, and ignoring the good his parents tried to do when they were still alive means people have taken advantage of their legacy. By the end of the film, Batman has resolved to become a symbol of hope for Gotham, and it's heavily implied he'll try to help improve the city as Bruce Wayne as well, most likely leading to the playboy philanthropist persona we know. Like always, it's also made clear that the GCPD is just that corrupt (the Commissioner, the D.A., and the Mayor were all on Falcone's take), making Batman necessary. Gordon even makes it clear he trusts Batman because he can't trust any of his fellow officers.
  • In addition to the above, another criticism is that Bruce doesn't just throw millions of dollars at the city, seeing as he's super rich. The comics have depicted Bruce donating money to the city and future movies will probably do the same, but here, it's shown why this isn't such a simple solution. The film establishes that Thomas Wayne did give the city money, but there was so much red tape and corruption that it didn't do much good until way down the road, and the moment he was out of the picture, all the money was siphoned off by gangs, politicians, and corrupt city officials. Furthermore, his attempt to create a simple method for needy people to claim money free from red tape fell victim to corruption and crime precisely because there was no oversight to prevent it from being misused.
  • Likewise, previous movies have been criticized for their refusal to show Batman in broad daylight, primarily out of an assumed fear that it'll make the Batman & Robin mistake of making the character look and feel like a joke, and also a common criticism being that The Dark Knight Rises' finale and the infamous "Knightmare" scene in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice took place in broad daylight, resulting in the character looking insanely silly (bonus points for the latter showing him in cargo pants and a trench coat). Not only is this film not afraid to show him just as active during the day as he is at night, but also actively helping people during the day, with an already iconic shot of him covered in dirt and grime as dawn sunlight shines on him. In addition, it also seems to make it clear that the costume was designed with the intention of looking as effective during the day as it does in night time scenes, which several fans have praised.
  • And on the topic of the costume, common criticisms of past costumes is that they look either overly fakey or downright silly, with his head usually looking overly stiff^note An unfortunate reality that comes from making the cowl out of a single piece of foam rubber. The Christopher Nolan films attempted to address this by making the mask and collar separate pieces, and often feeling too bulky for Batman to move around very well in. In addition, lots have wondered how in several of the movies, his eyes had black around them that magically disappeared when he took the cowl off. From the early pictures of costumes, the costume seems to be designed with the intention of actually looking threatening, having an armoured look on the chest, the emblem actually being useful as a tool, actual tactical pants, and as an added bonus, the eye makeup is addressed, with one of the first shots of Batman showing him smearing black eye makeup on his eyes, as well as showing him with the makeup on upon taking his cowl off.
  • Batman's filmography is infamous for having him frequently fail to adhere to his iconic no kill rule, with past incarnations either killing people or exploiting Loophole Abuse to let people die or causing their deaths indirectly. This film makes it explicitly clear that Bruce is not only unflinchingly devoted to staying non-lethal but is never once explicitly either tempted to break it by outside means or forced by outside circumstance (like the Nolan-version). The one time he does nearly break it, it's because he's been infected by a drug that makes him highly aggressive, and once Gordon and Catwoman stop him, he immediately expresses remorse and horror at nearly killing someone.
  • After decades of the Riddler being written off as a joke character who is about as tough as a regular criminal but easier to catch, Paul Dano’s Riddler is a genuinely menacing threat, and solving his riddles only furthers his plans. Furthermore, he basically accomplishes the majority of what he intended to do, only failing to kill Bruce Wayne and Bella Reál.
  • A common criticism of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises is that Gotham city appeared too bright, clean and modern, losing much of its trademark grime and Gothic Horror atmosphere. The Batman gives us the darkest, dirtiest, and most distinctive live-action take on Gotham since the scenes set in the Narrows in Batman Begins, except now the whole city is that bad, not just parts of it. Gotham as a whole hasn't looked this grim on the big screen since Tim Burton's films, and fans have responded very positively to this depiction.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!:
  • Some fans and professional critics have been put off by the movie being yet another "Darker and Edgier Batman" film after the likes of The Dark Knight Trilogy and the DCEU's versions of him, wishing that Batman could have a lighter or more tonally balanced film again. There's also some rivalry with the Dark Knight Trilogy in particular due to both versions of Batman going for a more "grounded" or "realistic" take compared to the DCEU's more fantastical one.
  • There have been complaints that there's yet another take on Batman's most iconic villain Joker, especially after both The Dark Knight Trilogy and the DCEU have both brought the character into focal points, citing that Batman has many other members of his rogue gallery to pick from. That being said, most are open to said character being more of a “Hannibal Lecter” type character rather than a main villain, based on a deleted scene which was officially released on Youtube.
  • That said, the deleted scene itself was criticized by some for feeling too derivative of Red Dragon / Manhunter, with Batman in the role of Will Graham seeking help from Lecter in prison, having put him there in the first place.
• Jerkass Woobie: Gil Colson. He may be a corrupt DA, but the sheer level of nervousness he endures over the Riddler's murders, coupled with his anxious demeanor and by all means genuine-seeming kindness to Selina makes it hard not to pity the poor bastard, especially since what he fears comes true and he suffers perhaps the most horrific fate of Riddler's victims, being forced into a bomb collar, then forced into a Sadistic Choice where he either has to give up the rat's identity and get his family killed or die in agonizing pain from the bomb, clearly terrified through the entire experience. No matter his corruption, he didn't deserve that.
• Like You Would Really Do It: Did you really think they were going to kill off Alfred? In the first installment of a new continuity no less?
• Love to Hate:
  • The Riddler is embraced by fans, due to being an enthrallingly chilling villain played to absolute perfection by Paul Dano, who proves to be more than a match for Batman.
  • Carmine Falcone owns just about every scene he appears in thanks to John Turturro really selling his role as a threatening but relaxed crime lord, even as he's revealed to be a slimy, sociopathic, Dirty Coward in the climax. He also manages to be genuinely scary when his true nature slips at select points in the film.
• Magnificent Bastard: As revealed through the ARG, while seeking insight into the Riddler, Batman goes to visit an unnamed Arkham prisoner. Looking at the photos Batman gives him, he quickly deduces that the motive is personal and that he both has a grudge against Batman but also admires him. While Batman feels he's wasting his time, he finally probes Batman by taunting Bruce with the fact that he feels Riddler's victims deserved it. Meanwhile the prisoner discreetly keeps a paper clip that was on one of the Riddler's files. Towards the end of the film, the Riddler's scheme has been foiled, and he's having a nervous breakdown in Arkham. The prisoner comforts him, praising his genius, and convinces Riddler to be his friend while telling him "Gotham loves a good comeback story."
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "Robert Pattinson's Batman will have to find all 243 Riddler trophies to finish the movie."^ExplanationIn reference to the Batman: Arkham Series game franchise, where you need to find all of the Riddler's trophies and solve all his riddles to fight him, and unlock the true ending. This is due to the Riddler being the main supervillain of the movie. The reveal of the film's nearly 3-hour runtime intensified these jokes.
  • Batman beats up The Nostalgia Critic.^ExplanationMany have noticed that the thug Batman gives an extended beatdown to in the teaser bears a striking resemblance to Doug Walker, better known as the Nostalgia Critic, some even having compared it to his infamous Melvin: Brother of The Joker video. Walker himself was quick to respond, making a Suspiciously Specific Denial of ever having heard of Batman. He referenced it again on his show's 2020 commercials episode, and his Dark Knight Month review of Batman Begins. He eventually did a full review of the movie with this running joke as the framing device for the review's skit portion, trying to solve the 'mystery' of if he was in the movie or not while emulating the film's style, culminating in actually naming the actor who played the small role and even mentioning some of his body of work.
  • Batman fighting Doctor Doom.^Explanation Many have compared Riddler's outfit with that of Marvel's comic book villain Doctor Doom.
  • Since Robert Pattinson's most well known role is as Edward from Twilight, a common joke was that his co-star from those films Kristen Stewart should play the Joker. The meme gained enough traction for Stewart herself to respond to it, saying she probably wouldn't play the Joker, but she would be totally down to play another villain against Pattinson's Batman.
  • The striking resemblance of Colin Farrell's Penguin to Richard Kind and the late Danny Aiello has been regularly commented upon, with many calling him Richard Mean. Even more funny because Richard Kind's character in Gotham was frequently at odds with the Penguin.
  • Batman punching Jim Gordon.^ExplanationThe clip of Batman punching Jim Gordon and then running away from the cops was immediately subjected to jokes and fan-edits (often incorporating the 1966 series' theme) after it was shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, due to how over the top the scene is and people finding the idea of Batman punching someone and sprinting out to be hilarious, given how it contrasts his typical way of exiting. It Makes Sense in Context in the film itself, where Gordon tells Batman to punch him at the end of their conversation to avoid throwing suspicion on him for working with Batman.
    • "Who's the mustache with the broken nose?" ^ExplanationBatman asks Gordon this in trying to identify Dirty Cop Kenzie. But in adding to the above contextless comedy gold, fans like to excise the exchange following this to turn it into a Pre Ass Kicking One Liner before Batman gives the unfortunately also mustached Gordon a broken nose.
  • The first Batman to fuck. ^ExplanationAn article went around where Pattinson said that if the film wasn't a success, he'd probably go into arthouse porn. Jokes went around that Pattinson would be the first Batman to have sex on screen and some even amusingly lamented it not happening considering the movie's success.
    • The Joker who can't fuck. ^{Explanation (spoilers)}Joker's absolutely grotesque Nightmare Face, what little of it was revealed in the deleted scene, anyway, had gotten fans joking that his looks are something not even Harley Quinn could love.
  • The Riddler being a social media livestreamer has had a lot of memes spring up about it, such as him encouraging viewers to subscribe or thanking followers for making donations to his channel before telling his plans to play mind games with Batman or flooding Gotham, or "Creepy Reddit users have their iconic villain too now!" (in a manner similar to Joker and jokes about "incels").
  • As the movie establishes it had been twenty years since Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed, several memes have been made about them dying after watching movies from 2001 such as Shrek, The Fast and the Furious, or Zoolander.
  • Emo Bruce Wayne^ExplanationThe film's timeline places Bruce Wayne's teen years at the height of Emo Music's popularity. This, combined with Bruce's depiction as a brooding recluse who Looks Like Cesare and Matt Reeves's comments about Robert Pattison making a Goth Rock playlist for his character, led to jokes about Bruce having gone through (or still being in) an emo phase and being a fan of bands like My Chemical Romance.
  • NO! NO! OOOOOOOOOOOH, THIS WAS NOT HOW THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO GO! ^ExplanationRiddler's incredibly hammy Villainous Breakdown, which became a reaction meme through juxtaposing it with something displeasurable.
  • WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! ^ExplanationBatman's agitated reaction when he realizes the Ridder had another plan up his sleeve has become a memetic response to audacious or crazy behavior.
  • SOMETHING IN THE WAAAAAAY MMMMMMMMMM...^ExplanationThe movie's use of Nirvana's "Something in the Way" has become a meme, particularly its chorus. The song is associated with Pattinson's Batman in multiple contexts, from portraying him as blasting it through speakers in the Batcave to depicting fans' depression after the movie ended.
    • SOMETHING'S IN MY ASS, OOOOOOOOOGH...^ExplanationA mutation of the above, often paired with lyrics about Batman suffering from constipation among other potty jokes.
  • Riddlerposting. ^ExplanationThe Riddler, as depicted in this film, has become memetic for the bizarre riddles he gives Batman, which especially stick out considering the serious setting. As such, many memes and videos have been made of Riddler giving Batman extremely common or strange riddles (often vulgar and insulting) with the threat of murdering more people if he can't solve them, with Batman's responses ranging from shock and terror to interrupting Riddler or proving apathetic, frustrating Riddler to no end.
  • Many have joked that since this version of Bruce is reclusive, anti-social, seems to actively hate being wealthy and well-known and seen as an oddball by many, that Robert Pattinson was simply playing himself.
  • British Joker^ExplanationOne particular still of this movie's hideously ugly Joker emphasizes his misaligned teeth. Barry Keoghan is an Irishman, but given the stereotypes about British Teeth, the Internet ran with the still and started giving it various captions lampooning British dental care.
  • “What are ya showin’ me?! Come aaaaahn!” ^ExplanationPenguin’s reaction to Gordon showing him the gruesome crime scene photo of Pete Savage’s murder has been adopted as a reaction meme to anything disgusting/horrifying or even spoilery being shown.
  • The Riddler's chat.^ExplanationSeveral people have taken note of the Riddler's livestreams having a chatroom, who react to his murders and terrorist rants in the same way that normal chatroom users react to gaming streams and such. On the other hand, you also have people saying that the Riddler's chatroom was less toxic than real-life chatrooms on websites like Twitch, if you can believe it.
  • Similarly, the fact that Riddler has five-hundred followers has led many fans to jokingly boast that they have more followers on their social media profiles.
  • Does he know?^ExplanationA Youtube thumbnail from New Rockstars featuring the Riddler looking smug with this caption has gained steam as a reaction image for those who seem to show unnatural foresight or understanding of things
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • The Riddler's motivations and goals, while extreme and twisted, are mostly understandable as misguided attempts to flush out the systemic corruption in Gotham... until it's revealed that the final step of his plan involves killing thousands of people in a flood and then getting his underlings to murder hundreds more at Mayor-elect Reál's victory rally, purely for petty, vindictive reasons. Even before that, his attempt to kill Bruce Wayne (regardless of him being Batman) isn't very sympathetic; he wants him dead purely because of his father's misdeeds than anything Bruce himself has done (and resentment because Bruce happened to be born into wealth where he was not). The method he chooses could also easily have gotten other innocent people killed and nearly did kill Alfred.
  • Falcone comes across as Affably Evil at first, but slowly reveals himself to be a scumbag who will personally strangle women who he thinks are liabilities, literally steal from orphans by seizing the Renewal fund money, and rat out fellow gangsters to amass more power for himself. The last one is an in-universe example for Penguin, who immediately turns on him when he finds out.
  • Penguin spends much of the movie as a weirdly charming mid-tier gangster. That all goes away when he stages a fiery truck crash that almost certainly killed dozens of people while trying to get away from Batman.
• Narm Charm:
  • The Riddler is a Psychopathic Manchild who is absolutely hamming it up, with one scene having him begin singing when Batman yells at him, sounding like the world's strangest choir duet. However, despite his ridiculous demeanour, his sheer intensity makes him a truly chilling villain. Not to mention, his absurdity has a valid explanation in his backstory, making it clear that he has a bad case of stunted emotional growth.
  • Riddler's outfit may resemble a gimp, but his appearance only makes his violent assaults creepier. It helps that the outfit is effective in making sure there is no trace of his actual identity.
  • Several scenes show the Riddler has a social media following, even livestreaming one of his attacks. The sight of hearts and upvotes flying in as he thanks his viewers should look ridiculous, and you almost expect him to say "Like, Share, and Subscribe!" But, it's actually quite chilling to see this terrorist has an enthusiastic fandom, coupled with the subtext about real life online demagogues who radicalize their followers into violent cults.
  • Selina's brief rant to Bruce about "white, privileged assholes" may seem a little heavy-handed, but it emphasizes this version of the character as one committed to fighting for the impoverished. Plus, one can't help but chuckle when she eventually adds Bruce Wayne to the list. In front of Batman.
  • Colin Farrell's interpretation of the Penguin is a very hammy send up of a New York gangster, complete with an over the top New York accent, something nobody else in the movie has. However, the portrayal proved popular due to Farrell clearly having fun in the role and bringing out a good dose of humor, while still reining his performance in just enough that he doesn't distractingly clash with his dramatically gritty setting.
• Older Than They Think:
  • This isn't the first time Catwoman has been played by a black actress. She was famously portrayed by the likes of Eartha Kitt (ABC's Batman), Halle Berry (Catwoman (2004))^note Though that wasn't Selina Kyle, Cree Summer (DC Super Hero Girls), Sanaa Lathan (Harley Quinn), and Kravitz herself (The LEGO Batman Movie)^note The latter three being done as explicit homages to Kitt.
  • When first revealed, the new Batmobile was criticized by some fans for essentially looking like a souped-up muscle car rather than the more garish, over-the-top designs seen in previous films. Over the years, quite a few of the Batmobile designs have been based on real-world cars (especially when Batman returned to his gritty detective roots in the 70s and 80s), and even the iconic Batmobile from the 60s live-action show was a modified Lincoln Futura. The art deco-influenced design from the Tim Burton movies and the tank-like models from the Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder films both have proved very popular and memorable, but they are by no means any Truer to the Text than the Reeves version.
  • The Riddler being given the Darker and Edgier treatment seems to be a concept DC loves playing around with. Prior to this film, the character was depicted as an Ax-Crazy terrorist in the Batman: Arkham Series, Batman: The Telltale Series, Gotham, Batman: Earth One, and Batman: Zero Year.
  • Thomas Wayne having had connections with Carmine Falcone and the main villain seeking vengeance on Bruce for his father's actions have been done before, in Batman: The Telltale Series.
  • In an interview, Robert Pattinson said that there will be a bullet graze on Batman's cowl, and that he didn't think it had been done before. Batman gets shot point-blank on his (bulletproof) cowl during the warehouse fight scene in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
  • Alfred having a working-class accent and a more rough-and-tumble demeanor had previously been done on Gotham, where Sean Pertwee's Alfred is Cockney and a straight-up Battle Butler.
  • Some fans have taking umbrage at this and other adaptations for the idea of Thomas and Martha Wayne being the target of an assassination rather than a random act of violence. However, the Waynes being victims of an orchestrated hit goes all the way back 1956's Detective Comics #235, which reveals that Joe Chill murdered the Waynes under the orders of a mob boss named Lex Moxxon who blamed Thomas for his arrest. This story was even written by Bill Finger.
• One-Scene Wonder: Turns out the cell next to the Riddler houses the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan. And as expected, he leaves quite the impression. Also needless to say, when a deleted scene was shown revealing a new take on the dynamic between the two iconic archenemies.
• Questionable Casting:
  • As was the case with Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck before him, Robert Pattinson's casting as Batman raised quite a few eyebrows from fans who felt he was an odd choice, especially those who only knew him from the Twilight films. Though, like them, his performance was ultimately acclaimed.
  • Alfred Pennyworth, an upper-crust elderly Englishman who usually has either a clean-shaven face or a thin mustache, is played by then-58-years-old Andy Serkis, who has muttonchops and a working-class accent. Additionally, while it's not the first time he's done this, many found it odd to see him cast in a movie where he was not either playing or advising on an all-CGI character. Despite this, Serkis' work was warmly received for still getting the essence of the character while offering a different take on the classic Alfred.
  • Colin Farrell as the Penguin raised a few eyebrows due to the actor being quite tall and handsome while the character is famously short, and, at best, odd-looking. However, audiences were won over by his performance and the transformational makeup used to disguise his good looks. Fans were absolutely delighted.

• Self-Fanservice: In many pieces of fan-art, the Riddler has been drawn with a more conventionally attractive appearance, which includes a thinner body, softer features, and a more tender looking smile.
• Shipping:
  • BatCat has always been a huge ship for the Batman mythos, both in fandom and in canon, and their story here and the chemistry between Pattinson and Kravitz has only increased its popularity.
  • RiddleBat already had fans, but the Riddler being a Loony Fan of Batman and sincerely wanting to work together has attracted newcomers to the ship.
  • Some fans have chosen to forgo Ship-to-Ship Combat by shipping the three together, dubbing it RiddleBatCat.
• Shocking Moments: The reveal that Riddler's cellmate at the end is none other than the Joker! The character being in the movie at all managed to stay under wraps until opening, leading to what is probably the biggest surprise in the film.
• Signature Scene:
  • The buildup to Batman's first appearance, with criminals fleeing in the shadows as Bruce narrates the fear he instills in them.
  • The Batmobile's debut and subsequent high-octane pursuit of a fleeing Penguin.
  • Batman and the Riddler meeting face-to-face in an explosive conversation at Arkham.
• Spiritual Adaptation:
  • The premise is very similar to Batman: Arkham Origins. Batman is still young, raw, and holds nothing back when fighting. Both stories are set in Batman's second year of vigilantism, when he's encountering some of his most prominent enemies for the first time and most thugs aren’t sure what Batman even is. On a more personal level, Bruce is a borderline Death Seeker, which is constantly putting him and Alfred at odds. The biggest difference between the movie and the game thus far is that Batman seems to have already formed a rudimentary alliance with the GCPD in the movie, whereas the police consisted almost entirely of crooked cops who wanted to kill Batman for a $50 million bounty in the game. The main plot focuses on the Riddler revealing years of corruption within Gotham's municipality to the public, which was also his (Enigma's) plan in Arkham Origins.
  • Speaking of video games, the film also takes a great deal of inspiration from Telltale's The Batman Season one. Which also follows Batman early in his career as he confronts a complex criminal conspiracy of corruption that involved many of Gotham City's leading citizens and officials; including his own father, Thomas Wayne. Meanwhile a masked villain who was also a victim of the conspiracy rises a group of followers to "save" Gotham by purging Gotham clean of this corruption that brings them into conflict with Batman. Both Lady Arkham and Riddler even claim Batman acted as an inspiration to their identities, forcing Bruce to reconcile that his actions as Batman have also created harm in the world despite his best intentions. The Penguin, Catwoman, and James Gordon also play minor roles in both versions. The largest difference is that The Batman largely focused on Batman, while Telltale focused its attention on Batman and Bruce Wayne equally.
  • Like The Dark Knight before it, the story also bears many similarities to The Long Halloween. In fact, the film seems to avoid adapting the parts of The Long Halloween that The Dark Knight already used ^note  i.e. the triumvirate alliance between Batman, Gordon, and Dent and Dent's transformation into Two-Face , instead drawing on elements such as the driving plot being a serial killer mystery, Batman's burgeoning relationship with Selina Kyle, and the sprawling cast of villains. That Matt Reeves was a literal student of Jeph Loeb while studying at USC makes the influence undeniable.
  • The movie as a whole is tonally similar to the comics of the 1970s, which were acclaimed for their moody atmosphere, social consciousness and emphasis on mystery and detective work. This stands in stark contrast to most other Batman films, which have been more heavily inspired by the Post-Crisis interpretation of the character, which is much more violent and antagonistic.
• Suspiciously Similar Song: Michael Giacchino's new Batman theme can elicit parallels to Jerry Goldsmith's action theme or even this track from First Blood (further supported by how First Blood's characters can be compared to characters from the Batman mythos, such as Brian Dennehy's Big Bad character of Sheriff Teasle bearing similarities to Harvey Bullock or Richard Crenna's Big Good character Colonel Trautman with James Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth). In addition, the pieces Highway to the Anger Zone, A Bat in the Rafters, Pt. 2 and the last 51 seconds of An Im-purr-fect Murder have some similarities to either Over the Cliff from First Blood or even Hot Water from Goldsmith's Outland. Highway to the Anger Zone also bears some resemblance to Cujo Attacks Car by Charles Bernstein from his Cujo score, while its percussive drum-laced beat resembles that of The Razor also from First Blood. Escaped Crusader resembles a string-heavy version of No Power / Night Attack, while at the same time odes to the first eighteen seconds of Over the Cliff's "Psycho" Strings.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Alfred spends most of the movie in a coma after surviving an explosion that was meant for Bruce, though luckily he does survive.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • The movie's finale adapts elements of the storyline Batman: No Man's Land, with Gotham described as being under martial law due to a disaster that displaced the population and gave criminals more room to gain power. However, this all gets folded into what some critics have argued is an excessively long final act, making it an oddly abbreviated take on a sprawling comics storyline (unless the sequels plan to follow up on it).
  • How the Riddler amassed an army of militant followers apart from by posting videos online isn't explored in great depth, which is a shame considering that this could have been an interesting comment on online radicalization and deepened the film's portrayal of Gotham's disaffected and impoverished citizens (which, as it stands, is mostly restricted to the criminals Batman beats up and some shots of people protesting carrying signs with Riddler symbols).
  • The deleted scene showing Batman going to the Joker for help in going after the Riddler has been praised by fans for being a very unique take on the two. With the Joker being reimagined as some sort of Hannibal Lecter-style character that also serves as a sort-of mentor for Batman. Many bemoaned the fact that the scene was deleted, although some argued that it should be better explored in another film. Some also felt that the scene, while interesting, gestures too closely to the mysteries of the plot (specifically Riddler’s grievances tying to his childhood and his admiration for Batman and thus was best left out of the actual film.
  • After Thomas Wayne’s secrets get brutally exposed by The Riddler, tarnishing him in the eyes of both Bruce and the public, Alfred explains to Bruce that Thomas only went to Falcone out of desperation and did not ask for the murder of the journalist who threatened to expose Martha's past institutionalisation. Some felt it would have been much more interesting if Thomas really wasn't the good man the public thought he was, as it would force Bruce to deal with the fact that even the "best" people have a dark side.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: Yes, that is Colin Farrell under that prosthetic makeup. Even Jeffrey Wright didn't recognize him when he came onto set.
• The Woobie:
  • Thomas and Martha Wayne have always been tragic figures, and here it's not just their murder that earns them this status. Martha lost both her parents at a young age when her mother murdered her father before killing herself. This horrific crime caused her to spend years in an institution. Thomas tried to spare his wife the trauma of this information being made public, but made the mistake of enlisting Carmine Falcone to stop the leak, and both wound up under his thumb and overwhelmed with guilt when Falcone silenced the reporter lethally. And before he could confess to the police and make things right, he and his wife were shot dead in front of their son, with the strong implication that their death was due to Thomas' actions. Making matters even worse is that their legacy goes on to be abused for years when the corrupt officials of the city steal their charitable donations.
  • Alfred. It's made clear that he didn't just lose his master and mistress when the Waynes were killed, but close friends who he had a familial relationship with. He then tried his best to raise Bruce, but despite loving him like a son, Alfred felt he could never be the father he deserved. While he stands by and helps him, Alfred makes it very clear that he's disturbed by the unstable, violent vigilante that his young master has become. And then the Riddler very nearly kills him with a bomb meant for Bruce, who greets a waking Alfred in the hospital by immediately accusing him of lying about his parents, causing him to tearfully tell the truth of Thomas Wayne's greatest mistake whilst revealing how inadequate he felt taking his place as Bruce's guardian.
  • Annika is a waitress at the Iceberg Lounge who just happened to stumble upon the information that Carmine Falcone is the rat. She spends her entire screentime terrified as a result and tries to leave Gotham, but is sadly stopped from doing so and gruesomely murdered by Falcone.
• WTH, Costuming Department?:
  • The Riddler's costume is quite polarizing, with some finding it a refreshing take on the character to have a Zodiac Killer influence. In contrast, others just find it to be too far removed from what the character typically looks like and would prefer it to be more comic-accurate. However, after the film's release, most agree that this version of the Riddler, with his far more directly unhinged and borderline monstrous portrayal, would be very much out of place in the classic duds, with any debate shifting to discussing the changes to the character instead.
  • Batman's costume:
    • Batman's cowl is polarizing, due to some finding the large nose section to be ugly or comical when seen from some angles.
    • Many fans don't care for how big the mouth opening is for the cowl. They feel that it leaves too much of his face exposed, especially since its purpose is to keep Bruce's identity a secret and Robert Pattinson is known for his distinctive Lantern Jaw of Justice.
  • Some have lightheartedly taken issue with this Riddler's eyewear — namely, that his clear-framed glasses are just too stylish for a creepy shut-in. The real-life pair retail for $300, which is a sizeable chunk of change that could instead go to buying duct tape or building bombs. It’s worth noting that clear rim glasses frames can easily be had cheaply.

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