While I never had a true problem with Ben Affleck’s version of Batman, I can see why many people claimed Pattison as the best Batman in a long time. However, I don’t share the feelings of the masses that adore this film above all others in the franchise.
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It’s a good film, but it’s not a great film. Yes, it’s dark and brooding, just like it’s title character, but in that darkness, I get the feeling of being one dimensional. There are new takes on old characters that we all love, but that’s just the problem. It’s another version of the same stories we’ve been told with the same characters for years, decades even.

Don’t get me wrong, the performances in this film are top notch. Pattinson inhabits The Batman with ease, but seems to struggle with Bruce. Granted, this is not the playboy Bruce we’re used to seeing from Christian Bale or Val Kilmer, but at least Bale was able to play both playboy Bruce and broken Bruce. Zoë Kravitz is the best of the film for my money as Selina Kyle and Catwoman. She is a less polished version of the character than we got from Michelle Pfeiffer or Anne Hathaway and she is clearly a broken character.

Again, my favorite plot points centered not around the battle of wits between Batman and The Riddler from afar, but the internal conflict of Kyle, first trying to find her missing friend, and then seeking revenge on her estranged father, Carmine Falcone. I wonder if the film would have been an even more effective crime drama if that had been the central point to be made.

At nearly three hours of running time, The Batman is too long and too dark (both visually and emotionally) for me to enjoy it as many do. I understand the appeal for some segment of the audience, but hope that the expected sequel takes a slightly different turn.

6 out of 10

Venom was one of the few gaps in my Marvel film viewing in recent years, and it was time to fill that gap.

I didn’t expect much from the film after it a tepid reception when it was released. But, since it did well enough to warrant a quick sequel, it was worth a shot. I loved Tom Hardy in the role of Eddie Brock, much more so than Topher Grace’s version in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Michelle Williams role in the film was a bit understated, and I enjoyed seeing rising star Riz Ahmed, this time in a true villain role.

The story itself is pretty typical for a comic book film. It was a bit slow to build the characters and even took some time to get Venom and Brock together. Fortunately, it wasn’t overly long, clocking in just under the 2-hour mark. I’d say it probably could have been about 10-15 minutes shorter, but I’m not sure how much shorter a film in this genre can be and still be viable at the box office.