also yesterday I watched The Batman and I loved it ! Really liked that interpretation of Bruce and the engagement with some of the bigger thematic elements and topics of discussion surrounding Batman, especially the "I am vengeance" line + how the movie contrasted Bruce's experiences with the Riddler and Catwoman. I thought it was such an interesting and inspired choice to have the antagonist's actions force Bruce to confront the reality of his past and of Gotham
Also really liked how collaborative a lot of the detective work/problem solving was in the movie-- Bruce didn't really solve anything alone, which was great to see after so many lone wolf interpretations of the character in recent times
It definitely felt like the film was in conversation with the cultural expectations surrounding Batman, the other Batman movies, and a lot of the modern writing surrounding the character
I also enjoyed the interpretations of Penguin and Riddler a lot, and the willingness to not immediately pick the Joker as the villain lol
Also a little fun thing that I liked was the way that the Ave Maria notes were woven into other compositions in the soundtrack and how when Batman was approaching people menacingly the boots clinking sound effect worked like spurs, evoking the image of a outlaw/vigilante from Western films (and that it stopped when Bruce decided to reorient himself and re-prioritize bringing hope to people as part of his mission)
I thought the filmmakers also tied all of the disparate elements and plot threads in the film together really well, and kept things moving at a consistent pace throughout the piece
