The Batman (Matt Reeves)

[Philip J. Fry]

https://pics.filmaffinity.com/The_Batman-449856406-large.jpg

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FZ-pPFAjYY

IMDb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877830/) / wiki (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Batman_(film)) / RT (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_batman) / Metacritic (https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-batman)

[StuSmallz]

I just saw this a couple of days ago, and I don't quite have as much to say about it as I was hoping I would, but that's not because I didn't like it; on the contrary, because I actually liked it quite a bit on the whole. Rather... my lack of thoughts is more a natural result of how familiar an experience The Batman was at times, not just with the obvious inspiration it took from Nolan's Bat-trilogy (particular during a scene where another famous Batbaddie broadcasts his sadistic hostage-taking), but also from David Fincher's murky "serial thrillers", and even the elaborate death traps of the Saw movies, which resulted in the film feeling more derivative than it should have, especially coming from a director as skilled with blockbusters as Matt Reeves has proven himself to be.


However, despite that, and the fact that its somewhat convoluted plot and nearly 3-hour runtime both could've done with a little bit of pruning, The Batman still succeeds as meaty, intelligent, and engaging blockbuster filmmaking throughout, the kind that's disappointingly uncommon in modern Hollywood, as Reeves showcases his knack in directing memorable setpieces, and fully leans into the rich iconography and symbolism that's made its central character such an enduring figure in pop culture, creating a moody, thrilling experience that ultimately proves to be (mostly) worth the afternoon I spent to watch it. And, while its creative choices can't help but keep it somewhat in the shadow of The Dark Knight, which still remains the franchise's high water mark to date, The Batman still manages to be the runner-up Batfilm for me for now, and a strong foundation to build higher upon for whenever the inevitable sequel comes out; bring on some more cinematic battiness, baby!

[StuSmallz]

Also, one thing I didn't care for was the way that it hinted at yet ANOTHER version of The... ...Joker ready to emerge at the end; not only is it obvious sequel bait (something I'm already tired of in Superhero movies), and another element cribbed off of The Dark Knight trilogy, but I'm just tired of seeing the character at all in general. Like, part of the reason why Ledger's Joker was so impactful was that it had been nearly twenty years since we'd seen that character in a Batman movie, given us time to get eager for a new version, but then they give us Leto's Joker less than a decade later, then Phoenix's Joker, and now we're getting ANOTHER version of the character just a few years after that. It's like, I love the character too, but we need to give him a break for a while; there are other Batbaddies out there, you know!

[Ezee E]

Described this in my Letterboxd as, "The most BATMAN Batman," in that it truly focuses on Batman rather than the villains involved. I suppose Batman Begins does it too, but I really liked how this just went with him already being established in a very seedy Gotham City.

I'd be totally fine if Zoe got her own thing out of this too.

[transmogrifier]

Batman Returns > Batman (1989) > The Batman > The Dark Knight Rises > solidly good movies > The Dark Knight > Joker > Lego Batman > Batman Begins > Batman Forever > Batman & Robin.

Haven't seen Batman (1966) or Batman vs. Superman.

[Philip J. Fry]

Batman Returns > Batman (1989) > The Batman > The Dark Knight Rises > solidly good movies > The Dark Knight > Joker > Batman Begins > Batman Forever > Batman & Robin.

Haven't seen Batman (1966) or Batman vs. Superman.

No Mask of the Phantasm?

[transmogrifier]

No Mask of the Phantasm?

Haven't seen that. But you have reminded me to add in Lego Batman :)

[Philip J. Fry]

Haven't seen that. But you have reminded me to add in Lego Batman :)You've got to watch that one (and Under the Red Hood).

[Morris Schæffer]

Finale isn't the movie's strongest aspect. So Riddler's end game is to turn this into a Roland Emmerich flick ?!

Been reading a lot of reports about folks who are ecstatic about this finally being a batman detective story, but it's hardly as gripping as Se7en. Clues are deciphered with remarkable ease and it doesn't help we know right from the start who the culprit is.

And the movie's grounded approach just doesn't align with Batman talking a double barreled shogun blast to the chest and still living. Or being inches from an explosion and still living.

I mean, I liked it a lot in spite of that, but sometimes I just fucking wish I'd see a blockbuster and didn't have to have second thoughts about it. No yeah buts, just sheer transformative movie magic.

[Morris Schæffer]

Btw that Shot of Batman finally flying was astounding, epic... And then he hit a bus for silly comic effect. Wish they left that out.

[transmogrifier]

I like that he fucked that up. It shows that he is still learning the ropes. However, the entire third act is a snooze and just ends like all other superhero movies with random destruction by the bad guy and faceless goons and a lot of stupidity. It was really good up until then.

[Morris Schæffer]

I like that he fucked that up. It shows that he is still learning the ropes.

Valid point. I guess it ruined that moment a bit for me because it was visually insane. Also because it looked like for a brief moment this immensely grounded superhero movie turned into a road runner cartoon, where the nastiest falls/collisions do virtually nothing.

[transmogrifier]

Valid point. I guess it ruined that moment a bit for me because it was visually insane. Also because it looked like for a brief moment this immensely grounded superhero movie turned into a road runner cartoon, where the nastiest falls/collisions do virtually nothing.

That's a problem throughout the film. Like...why do you even need to have bad guys shoot him point blank in the chest with a shotgun and have him shrug it off in the first place? It makes it hard to suspend disbelief. Like... just have him be wary of being shot in the chest point blank with a shotgun and like, avoid it? For some reason, superhero films really need their superheros to defy physics, common sense, etc. just in case the audience mistakes them for ordinary boring fucking human beings with bones and blood and shit.

[Pop Trash]

I mean, I liked it a lot in spite of that, but sometimes I just fucking wish I'd see a blockbuster and didn't have to have second thoughts about it. No yeah buts, just sheer transformative movie magic.

I agree. I think it's better directed than written. I like the look of this and what Reeves is doing in theory, I just wish the detective work was more interesting. Less deciphering clues from the Riddler and more trying to figure out and profile who/what/where the Riddler is. Zodiac (which is an influence here) had them tracking down a house with a basement in California (a rarity) among other things through a process of deduction. I also had a hard time believing a guy like this iteration of the Riddler would have some clone army dressed up like him to conveniently dispatch. It would be like if there were a bunch of John Does from Se7en (also an influence here) running around committing conceptual homicides for him. I do like all the corruption in Gotham City. John Tuturro as an aging mafia leader effectively running the city with an interchangeable corrupt system of mayors and DAs all on his payroll.

[[ETM]]

I can't say I disagree with anything you guys said, but MAN was this way, WAY too long. A friend literally dozed off and my wife was checking her phone throughout the second half. It feels like there could be a two, two and a half hour cut made out of this without losing anything of substance - just shortening the shots that go on for far too long with no particular purpose. In the end, my favorite thing in the movie was probably the sound of the Batmobile.

[Mal]

Cast is all pretty great... save Paul Dano who I never like in anything. Its a mild nay from me, mainly because this movie is too fucking long and its finale was stupid (giving me The Dark Knight Rises vibes from its awful football field destruction). But I dug Pattinson as Batman. He's not a Bruce, but he's really solid under the mask and performing under all that hardware. Zoe Kravitz probably gave my favorite performance. Their chemistry was there and her ability to somewhat tell the backstory for all of this from her presence alone, without feeling forced in as a device, was admirable. Mob stuff wasn't well written, yet Penguin's brief moments showed me a glimpse of how better off the movie would have been by having him in a more central role. I wouldn't mind a sequel... a shorter one, please. And give Jeffrey Wright more to do as Gordon.

[StuSmallz]

Valid point. I guess it ruined that moment a bit for me because it was visually insane. Also because it looked like for a brief moment this immensely grounded superhero movie turned into a road runner cartoon, where the nastiest falls/collisions do virtually nothing.Don't forget about the moment when Penguin's car did a million crazy flips when the Batmobile rammed it, and yet he walked away with seemingly zero injuries; c'mon, movie...

[Morris Schæffer]

Don't forget about the moment when Penguin's car did a million crazy flips when the Batmobile rammed it, and yet he walked away with seemingly zero injuries; c'mon, movie...

Yeah, it fell just on the wrong side of crazy and I'd be more ok with that if this was Fast & Furious 14.

[Philip J. Fry]

1501043332314718209

[Skitch]

Really enjoyed it. As for runtime, I expected lots of long sweeping shots of Gotham, but I only saw a few shots that needed trimmed. I would maybe cut 10 minutes. I thought it was actually fairly dense for its runtime.

[transmogrifier]

You don't think that entire third act was tacked on and generic?

[Skitch]

You don't think that entire third act was tacked on and generic?

Generic perhaps, I wouldn't argue that. I thought it was a bit of a copy of TDK 3rd act, in that, villain attempting to manipulate others into doing villainous stuff. I didn't think it was tacked on though, because it followed through on the vengeance theme and altered the arc of the character.

I'm not really defending any of this, I'm just giving first impressions and I know I'm the literal worst person to ask for critisms of this stuff lol

[Milky Joe]

That's a problem throughout the film. Like...why do you even need to have bad guys shoot him point blank in the chest with a shotgun and have him shrug it off in the first place?

To be fair, he was entirely immobilized from that blast until he forced himself to use the adrenaline shot. I liked the fact that all the goons brought rifles ("rifles are good"), so Bats was probably not expecting a shotgun in that moment.

I had a lot of problems with the plotting, but man what a great production overall. It was too long but I could have watched more of it, if that makes sense. Great noir vibe, great music. I saw this in Dolby cinema and the place was absolutely quaking for the car chase.

[Grouchy]

I feel like I owe it a second watch to fully digest a lot of stuff but overall I really liked this. It's no masterpiece, and it's certainly long to a fault, but Reeves succeeded in building the noir, pulpy atmosphere I anticipated. It only goes "beam in the sky" at the very end, in which literally the Bat fights a hanging wire. The marketing around the Bat and the Cat is well justified because they had genuine chemistry together. Farrell/Penguin MVP, look forward to see him chompin' on a cigar.

[Skitch]

I described it to a friend as "It's like Dark City and Seven had a one night stand and the basterd came out wearing a cape."

[Ezee E]

Liked it the most when Batman couldn't do anything and was trying to coach Catwoman in the club, but couldn't process the anxiety that she was experiencing with the various looks she was getting.

[Grouchy]

I did think she was a little bit too sensitive for someone who's been in prostitution all her life.

[Ivan Drago]

From Letterboxd:

The Batman is by far the most definitive and truthful portrayal of the World's Greatest Detective's work as just that in a slow and dreary but engrossing and tense crime mystery/thriller that merges comic book-style adventure with elements of neo-noir and detective fiction. Gotham City looks and feels like a cesspool of a metropolis brimming with nightmarish darkness, the characters Batman investigates have infectious personalities that add humor and ominousness depending on the scene, and Robert Pattinson nails his role as Batman, delivering his interior monologue with menace and conveying his progression from a symbol of terror to one of hope through subtle but powerful facial nuances. That said, at three hours long, a turn that the movie takes toward the finale could leave some audiences deflated before the climax, and Paul Dano overdoes it as The Riddler on occasion. Despite those flaws, however, Matt Reeves' first film in a trilogy about the Caped Crusader still builds a gothic world full of intrigue as well as villainy, and plants a LOT of seeds for what should be a great iteration of Batman going forward.

[Wryan]

The narration is insulting and useless. Masked Dano is just way too silly to take seriously (better when it's just him). There's very little original here that we haven't seen before, inside Bat films or out. Loved the introduction of the car--hated the wet, glare-y, incomprehensible car chase afterward (we paid a lot to bolt these cameras to the bottom of the cars, goddamit, we're gonna use every second!). Gotham has never looked grimier and more disgusting, and I mean that as a compliment. Gordon comes off as quite clueless. Pattinson is fine, Kravitz a bit better. Nobody is written particularly well though. I didn't mind the length, and I actually liked the climax more than most of the rest of the movie. It shares some of its DNA with Joker, surprisingly, in the "govt/society has failed these vulnerable people" stuff. I liked him building a small, close-knit community of fringe nutters (I got the sneaking impression many were once from the orphanage as well) to plan a terrorist attack. It felt both a little too on the nose yet still reflective of our own American rot. At least Colin Farrel is having fun as DeNiro's Capone. Overall, liked it okay. Probably wouldn't rewatch.

[Wryan]

Also Jesus who cares about what the fucking Spanish bat means.

[Grouchy]

Also Jesus who cares about what the fucking Spanish bat means.
Hahah I chuckled at that because at first I thought it was honestly the movie's mistake. I think Reeves did it on purpose.

[Grouchy]

I mean, I disagree with most of your jabs but I'll give you this - the movie is derivative to a fault. For some reason it's become fashionable to tie the Bat films to existing thriller classics with those famous private showings of Blade Runner and Heat at Nolan's. Joker did Taxi Driver and now they did Seven/Zodiac. I saw a tweet that rightfully asked for The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3 with Batman.

[Wryan]

Assault on Precinct 13 with Batman.

[Morris Schæffer]

I'd almost be inclined to believe that that would be refreshing, just some bad guys planning Ã* major heist. Fuck the elaborate overarching master plans for once, that usually involve Gotham's destruction or some variation thereof. Imagine if The Batman's villain wasn't riddler, but a more believable kind of psychopath. The Bats would have had to do some real police work instead of being fed silly riddles hé solves within seconds.

[StuSmallz]

11 Movies That Inspired The Batman (https://www.highonfilms.com/movies-that-inspired-the-batman-2022/)

[Morris Schæffer]

11 Movies That Inspired The Batman (https://www.highonfilms.com/movies-that-inspired-the-batman-2022/)

Reading that list, all phenomenal films, seminal even, does The Batman no real favors. I think I groaned inwardly a few times. :)

[Mysterious Dude]

I'm glad it's now canon that Batman wears makeup around his eyes.

[StuSmallz]

I'm glad it's now canon that Batman wears makeup around his eyes.And at the very least, it'll prevent any more easily avoidable goofs like this: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aN2OU0pk-Q&t=13s)

https://i.ibb.co/DW0bL9k/7w7g8p8lr4p31.jpg (https://ibb.co/wg5LYSC)

[StuSmallz]

https://youtu.be/FKGhtSCVovo

[Skitch]

I'm definitely on board for more of this joker. As I've said before, let everyone play these roles. Who cares. I hate the idea of sacred cows "no one can be better than Jack Nicholson!" fuck off. Comics has always been about variations, for better or worse. Let people play.

[megladon8]

I'm definitely on board for more of this joker. As I've said before, let everyone play these roles. Who cares. I hate the idea of sacred cows "no one can be better than Jack Nicholson!" fuck off. Comics has always been about variations, for better or worse. Let people play.

Here here.

[Ezee E]

I'm onboard for this Joker as well. A mix of Hannibal Lecter intelligence that Batman obviously respects and is intimidated by. I could easily see a "Killing Joke" or "Death in the Family" storyline.

Reeves has been on record saying he doesn't intend to use Joker in the next one. I could definitely see it being Hush or the Court of Owls in this Gotham.

[megladon8]

Might be the best Batman movie ever.

[Skitch]

Just got back from 2nd viewing. Shitload of trailers in front this time (different theater). That new Eggers movie looks incredible.

[megladon8]

Just got back from 2nd viewing. Shitload of trailers in front this time (different theater). That new Eggers movie looks incredible.

The Northman? Oh yeah. That's my most anticipated right now.

[StuSmallz]

How Did Barry Keoghan’s Joker Get His Scars? The Batman Director Explains the Backstory (https://gizmodo.com/the-batman-movie-joker-backstory-explained-1848709400)

[megladon8]

I think my only complaint with the movie at this time is that for as amazing as the new Batmobile is (best ever? Probably), the actual chase scene is largely incomprehensible.

They got some gorgeous shots, it was a shame they butchered it so badly in editing.

[Grouchy]

I think my only complaint with the movie at this time is that for as amazing as the new Batmobile is (best ever? Probably), the actual chase scene is largely incomprehensible.

They got some gorgeous shots, it was a shake they butchered it so badly in editing.
What? Completely disagree. You put that scene side by side with Nolan's pathetic car chase and see the difference.

[Skitch]

What? Completely disagree. You put that scene side by side with Nolan's pathetic car chase and see the difference.

Whoa whoa, what?

I think both are good. Meg I was able to visualize it much better on the second watch.

[megladon8]

Nolan does incredible car chases. It's fight scenes he can't do to save his life.

Reeves had fantastic fight scenes, and an awful car chase.

[StuSmallz]

Nolan does incredible car chases. It's fight scenes he can't do to save his life.

Reeves had fantastic fight scenesEh, not so much compared to this, regardless of the quality of the overall movie:


https://youtu.be/m7GWGLkPepU

[megladon8]

I thought the Reeves fights were much better.

[Grouchy]

I believe this analysis (https://www.openculture.com/2011/12/anatomy_of_a_flawed_action_sce ne.html) of the truck chase scene has been around for a while and I agree word for word.

I remember that scene in Batman v Superman fondly (despite the out of character killing) as the first time a live action Batman scene really fulfilled my expectations. But yeah, Reeves probably took it one step further.

[StuSmallz]

I thought the Reeves fights were much better.I honestly can't remember much about any of the fight scenes in Teh Batman, and I just watched it less than a month ago...

*shrug*

[megladon8]

BvS was the high mark until The Batman (talking fight scenes).

I preferred The Batman's scrappier, less choreographed look. I liked that similar to Netflix Daredevil he doesn't seem invincible.

[megladon8]

And I LOVED how much he used the grappling hook as a weapon.

That was awesome.

The beginning of the big fight against the Riddler goons, when he shoots two of them through the legs with dual grappling hooks, then uses them as a counterweight to swing onto the platform. That rocked.

[StuSmallz]

And I LOVED how much he used the grappling hook as a weapon.

That was awesome.

The beginning of the big fight against the Riddler goons, when he shoots two of them through the legs with dual grappling hooks, then uses them as a counterweight to swing onto the platform. That rocked.He used it like that in BvS too, though:

https://i.ibb.co/n68JsPj/wIBwraN.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

[megladon8]

Yes but not to the level he did in Teh

[StuSmallz]

Anyone else think that, instead of Selina's secret being that she was Falcone's daughter, it would've been better if she had explicitly revealed that she really was Annika's lover? It would provide a stronger explanation for why Selina's so determined to get justice for her murder, it would have more impact as a revelation, and would solve the problem of the movie tiptoeing around (https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/is-catwoman-bisexual-the-batman/) whether or not she's LGBT, you know?

[Wryan]

I didn't think there was any tiptoeing. I just straight up took them as together.

[megladon8]

Yeah I 100% took them as being a couple. I didn't think there was any vagueness there.

[StuSmallz]

I didn't think there was any tiptoeing. I just straight up took them as together.Based on what, though? Selina called her "baby" once, and that was literally it.

[Wryan]

Shrug. I just understood them to be together given how intense their early interactions were and how focused she was to get out of town together and later to find her. Also, I don't think girl friends call each other "Baby." Believe me, I'm fully on board with "Hollywood needs to give us clearer representation, not this ambiguous soft shit that can be edited out for Chinese releases." But the other side of it is that we should also get subtle, normal representations where they are just regular people. I could see some late revelation of "Actually, she was my girlfriend/lover." landing with a resounding, "Wait....was that a secret? I thought we already knew that?" and not having much impact. Surely we want more than ambiguous language, chaste hugs and kisses pushed to the fuzzy background, and while mainstream sources are still quite bad at this, I thought this movie was pretty decent at doing the "subtle/normal" representation, as I took them to be a clear couple straightaway. Mileage gonna vary between different people ofc.

[megladon8]

Based on what, though? Selina called her "baby" once, and that was literally it.

Selina's intense heartbreak over her death definitely screamed "more than friends".

[StuSmallz]

Shrug. I just understood them to be together given how intense their early interactions were and how focused she was to get out of town together and later to find her. Also, I don't think girl friends call each other "Baby." Believe me, I'm fully on board with "Hollywood needs to give us clearer representation, not this ambiguous soft shit that can be edited out for Chinese releases." But the other side of it is that we should also get subtle, normal representations where they are just regular people. I could see some late revelation of "Actually, she was my girlfriend/lover." landing with a resounding, "Wait....was that a secret? I thought we already knew that?" and not having much impact. Surely we want more than ambiguous language, chaste hugs and kisses pushed to the fuzzy background, and while mainstream sources are still quite bad at this, I thought this movie was pretty decent at doing the "subtle/normal" representation, as I took them to be a clear couple straightaway. Mileage gonna vary between different people ofc.I would probably agree with you, if this wasn't a part of a larger trend in Hollywood of various cast or crew saying behind the scenes that so-and-so character was written or portrayed to supposedly be "LGBT", while the actual representation of that onscreen is extremely vague or so minimal as to be next to non-existent, like the explicit confirmation of Valkyrie's bisexuality in Thor: Ragnarok being cut from that movie, but Tessa Thompson still claims that she portrayed her in a "bisexual manner" overall (whatever that means exactly). Maybe it's less of a problem in the individual film than it is in the aggregate, but I'm just tired of all this Rorschach Test-representation, you know?

[megladon8]

I think it's more realistic this way though, and less likely to be accused of "pandering" or "agendas" by incels on the internet.

Real life bisexual (or otherwise LGBTQ+) people don't parade around constantly drawing attention to their sexual orientation. That is a myth created by the media. They are just people living their lives.

Maybe there will be a more overt same-sex relationship with Selina later in the trilogy? Who knows.

But I had no doubts about her and her roommate being a couple.

I would say that the intentions behind Anne Hathaway and Juno Temple in TDKR were much muddier than this.

[megladon8]

This is listed at $44.99 on Amazon for when it's released on BluRay.

When Dune first came to BluRay on Amazon.ca, it was a pretty standard $26.99. But it has also jumped up to $44.99.

Is this going to be the new standard price for physical media?

[StuSmallz]

I think it's more realistic this way though, and less likely to be accused of "pandering" or "agendas" by incels on the internet.

Real life bisexual (or otherwise LGBTQ+) people don't parade around constantly drawing attention to their sexual orientation. That is a myth created by the media. They are just people living their lives.

Maybe there will be a more overt same-sex relationship with Selina later in the trilogy? Who knows.

But I had no doubts about her and her roommate being a couple.

I would say that the intentions behind Anne Hathaway and Juno Temple in TDKR were much muddier than this.Yeah, but why should we care what online "incels" say about such matters? I mean, these are the same kind of people who are pre-emptively griping on Twitter about Jurassic World: Dominion, a movie they obviously haven't seen yet, for merely sharing a promotional picture of a Black actress in the film. There's always going to be bad faith actors out there backlashing any sort of remotely "progressive" politics in a movie, so I don't see why they should be factored into the conversation.

Anyway, I'm not demanding for the movie to have had Selina parade around with her sexuality for all of Gotham to see; in fact, I would prefer if it didn't, since that's often how movies have tried to draw attention to themselves by appearing "woke", by going out of their way to draw undue attention to character's sexual orientations, which I find annoying. But that doesn't mean that you can't do that in a more tasteful way that serves the overall experience, which is far preferable to the filmmakers trying to have it both ways by keeping that aspect vague (which avoids having to explicitly engage in LGBT representation), while also trying to get credit by claiming in the media that they interpreted or intended the character to have been so, essentially making Selina "Schrödinger's lesbian", you know? I mean, if Deadpool 2 dealt with this just fine, I think Reeves and company could've done so as well ;)

[StuSmallz]

How The Batman (sort of) examines Bruce Wayne’s true powers: Wealth and privilege (https://www.avclub.com/matt-reeves-the-batman-wealth-and-privilege-bruce-wayne-1848661503)

[Wryan]

Other than the wrong and disrespectful title, this video is amazing:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B90ic2iKDo

[StuSmallz]

^Ha! That's a good one.

[Peng]

I find it almost cute that Peter Sarsgaard follows the same character fate as his wife Maggie Gyllenhaal in another Batman film.

[StuSmallz]

https://youtu.be/jA6x6jasqTQ

[Grouchy]

Other than the wrong and disrespectful title, this video is amazing:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B90ic2iKDo
This was cool but what happened to Julie Newmar?

[StuSmallz]

This was cool but what happened to Julie Newmar?And how come Batman doesn't dance anymore, anyhow?

[StanleyK]

Batman movies keep getting darker and grittier and edgier and I wish they'd take a step back in the opposite direction, because it's becoming increasingly impossible for me take them at face value. Imagine if Seven had Brad Pitt walking around in a rubber animal suit. That's basically what this movie is.

The other day I watched Spider-Man 2. There's a scene where Doc Ock is robbing a bank. The money is stored as gold coins inside burlap sacks with dollar signs on them. He fight Spidey by throwing money sacks at him. That's the kind of stuff I have a much easier time accepting in a comic book film. I wonder if there's ever going to be a cartoony live action Batman film again.