The Batman (*SPOILERS*)

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Just got back from seeing it.

I didn't think it would be possible to have a Batman movie that bored me more than Batman Returns, but this is it.

Overlong and drawn out with characters I didn't care about speaking endlessly in wannabe-portentous whisper-talk.

Pattinson and Kravitz had zero chemistry in what should be comicfilm's steamiest caped couple.

The way Riddler was handled made him extremely flat and uninteresting. It's not even explained why he likes to use riddles as his shtick within the context of this movie.

Also, the fact that Riddler was masked throughout the movie and had a long distance conflict made their battle lack drama and urgency. Batman interacted more with the riddles than with the actual antagonist-- who was then just arrested by the cops while Batman looked on from behind the diner window. Truly, the most non-entity of a movie villain I think I've ever seen.

I think this was my least favorite Batman movie ever. Joel Schumacher's movies were stupid, but I was never bored, and they looked fantastic.

I was all excited for this movie given that Matt Reeves was directing it as I thought his Planet of the Apes movies had energy to spare, but The Batman was just listless and dull.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Hopefully this film makes money and sells people on the idea that the heroes can be in costume most of the film. Seeing a Batman film where like the comics he's Batman for the majority of it is refreshing.

[Castle]

I have had my first watch, usually I have to see comic films about 2 times to give a full in depth review or even change my mind on some things. this was the case with Spiderman NWH. Let me just say, before I took my sit to watch this film, I had this thing in my head, that by the time I was through with the film, I would comfortably be giving this movie the reception equivalent I give to X-Men first class in the X-Men movie rankings.

To explain this, I dont personally see first class as the best x-men film, but I have no issues or cant find any big objective argument to argue against those that feel first class is the best xmen film. this is where I thought my standing will be with The Batman in the batman movie rankings, but after watching this film, I am not 100% sure I can say this as I think Batman Begins and TDK are objectively stronger films. The technical artistry of this film is top notch. Batman movies now have become a staple for cinemathogprhay appreciation just for future references to all comic films to take note off.

Robert Pattinson makes a great Batman. This movie lays a foundation for him as an actor to become the Daniel Craig of the Bond franchise and that is a top mark from me. His Bruce Wayne was hit or miss. Many may not like the emo Bruce and how there was no distinction between Bruce and Batman, but what I will say is, the same people may still favour that to Ben Affleck Bruce's who they criticised as an ''unlikeable'' character.

Zoe did fine as Catwoman, they say chemistry is subjective and to comic reader lad, you are not the first to talk about the zero chemistry for Bat and Cat, Grace Randloph also said this in her review. I personally thought they were fine as a couple. it is just too hard to hate on any Batman and Catwoman pairing.

The 3 hours did make me very restless and fatigued at times as the pacing of the film's plot did not move as smoothly as I would have liked. While the plot of The Batman was quite impressive compared to the other comic films we see now, I would say Batman Begins plot was more interesting to sink your teeth into.

Matt Reeves needs to get some credit for attempting to do Noir Mystery, but this is a very hard genre to pull off at a masterclass level and the standard is just way too high when mixed in a comic book movie. I know this since I saw Double Indemnity (1946) yesterday for the 4th time. One of the best and founding film members of the Noir movie genre.

For now my current grade for this film for is 7/10 or a B. this could change after a second watch. I wish I could grade this higher but I promised myself I would be fair and honest with my reviews here and so far, this is how I feel. I thought the movie was quality artistically good, very good even and Matt Reeves did not disappoint in giving us that, but The Batman is not masterclass great. However the best may still be yet to come. The Batman may be our Casino Royale. I have no doubt that we will get our Skyfall.

[choptop]

Just got back from seeing it.

I didn't think it would be possible to have a Batman movie that bored me more than Batman Returns, but this is it.

Overlong and drawn out with characters I didn't care about speaking endlessly in wannabe-portentous whisper-talk.

Pattinson and Kravitz had zero chemistry in what should be comicfilm's steamiest caped couple.

The way Riddler was handled made him extremely flat and uninteresting. It's not even explained why he likes to use riddles as his shtick within the context of this movie.

Also, the fact that Riddler was masked throughout the movie and had a long distance conflict made their battle lack drama and urgency. Batman interacted more with the riddles than with the actual antagonist-- who was then just arrested by the cops while Batman looked on from behind the diner window. Truly, the most non-entity of a movie villain I think I've ever seen.

I think this was my least favorite Batman movie ever. Joel Schumacher's movies were stupid, but I was never bored, and they looked fantastic.

I was all excited for this movie given that Matt Reeves was directing it as I thought his Planet of the Apes movies had energy to spare, but The Batman was just listless and dull.

You were bored by Batman Returns?

[InfamousBG]

I think you could get around it by just showing Batman in suit without seeing his face. I'm not sure if Pattinson would have the time or motivation for streaming spinoffs.

I agree. I just hope they do all these series right by including The Bat.

[Pinsir]

Well, that was better than the Nolan films for sure. Smarter than them too. I had no expectations and it surpassed them.

[MikeP]

Overall, Really liked it. Not loved, but it is worth a rewatch.

Things I liked/loved:

The Batmobile. I didn't think I could love one more than the tumbler, but damn, this one is awesome. The tumbler is functionally better, but this one is just awesome to watch. You almost WANT to be chased by this batmobile. It really does feel like an updated version of the 60s batmobile.

I love Batman's relationship with Gordon. The banter feels natural. Same with his relationship with Catwoman.

This movie is beautifully shot. I mean, some scenes feel straight out of a comic. And the soundtrack lives up to all the praise.

I love this Riddler. His acting when unmasked is genuinely unnerving. I really felt repulsed by him.

What I didn't love/like:

This gets into spoilers so I will cover it.

spoilers:

The entire mystery was... underwhelming to put it lightly. The reveal in particular just didn't live up to all the build up. So in the end, what is supposed to "rock Gotham's foundations" is just a giant money laundering scheme, and Carmine Falcone, the top Mobster, is revealed to be slightly more powerful than we thought? That's it? I was expecting more. Something akin to the Court of Owls. Or that Thomas Wayne was some kingpin, and not the benevolent philanthropist he was known as. Nope, he just had a moment of weakness, but was overall still a good guy. If I was a gothamite, living in that corrupted hell hole, trying not to get beat up every day walking to work, I would react to that reveal with a shrug and say "Yeah, sounds about right". And for a movie that is supposed to focus on Batman's intelligence, he seems kinda... inconsistent. He easily solves most of the riddles, but I'm to believe he's been doing this for two years and he never figured out any of this corruption? What has he been doing all this time? Has he only been beating up thugs? Meanwhile, Carmine Falcone is openly operating out of a nightclub where all the corrupt city officials frequent, and it never dawned on Batman to do ANY kind of surveillance? Its not like they are using some super secret method to hide their activity. The DA literally parked his car on the same block as the club. All Batman has to do is take note of who goes in and out. But Batman, when sending Catwoman to infiltrate the inner "club within a club", acts completely shocked at all the faces he sees in there. I understand this Batman is going through a character arc, but his activities don't strike me as a particularly competent detective, in a movie that is supposed to highlight Batman's detective side. I didn't want to do comparisons, but Bale's Bruce Wayne had barely got off the plane on his return to Gotham and he was already putting together dossiers on all the corruption in Gotham. Before he even fully put his Batman persona together, he already had plans on how to take down Falcone. If this was Bale's Batman, he would have uncovered all this within a month of is first year.

end of spoilers

As I said, overall I enjoyed the movie, its just the plot that left me a bit underwhelmed. I'm still excited to see where they take this in the sequel.

[choptop]

Well, that was better than the Nolan films for sure. Smarter than them too. I had no expectations and it surpassed them.

I don't agree with this they are good or as good as the first one but I wouldn't put it over TDK or TDKR.

[AnakinFlair]

No he's pretty adamant about no killing, so I'm not sure what those reviewers are on about. He's definitely one of the more intense Batmans we've seen when it comes to dishing out punishment, but keeping with the tone of realism this movie's going for, he really has to be.

I think there was a moment during the final battle at the Garden where Batman allowed two of the goons to shoot each other, but I don't think he ever directly killed anyone.

That whole truck crash fiasco was on the Penguin though, but maybe Batman could have been better with taking his car out earlier before all that collateral damage. TBF he is in his second year and may be inexperienced in car chases, especially in those conditions. I think that's something to really remember, this Batman is really young, young enough to take punches in fights still, so there's a lot of growth to be had.

I'm not entirely sure he even had the car until this movie. We got several shots of the car under a tarp in the cave, with it's engine pulled out and partially disassembled. I think the first time he took that car out was during the chase.

Ok thanks. If they are exploring the fact Bruce Wayne isn’t right in the head. The no kill rule can be used to great effect in telling that story.

So people keep saying this is even more grounded in the real world then Nolans trilogy. So do you guys think that rules out characters with powers or mutations? Like Ras,Clayface,Killer Croc etc…

If so how for do you think this world could go? Only Gangsters and serial killers. Or could Mr Freeze work in this world? Would Mad hatter be too fantastical? While he’s a grounded character, his type of hypnotism isn’t the least bit realistic.

Okay, let's talk about exactly how grounded this movie is- or isn't.

Nolan's film had Batman using his cape to glide. This film, I guess there was a wingsuit stored somewhere in the suit that magically appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared?

And during that scene, Bruce took a fall that should have killed him, suit or no. He took quite a few blows during this movie that should have killed him (the church is another). Also, how long was he out and why didn't any of the cops take off his mask?

His relationship with the Police is another odd thing. He has no problems walking around crime scenes with a bunch of cops, and they let him because Gordon said so? A Gordon who isn't even Commissioner? That felt weird to me.

And how bullet proof was his suit? He was walking through heavy gunfire at times like he was Slade f'ing Wilson on Mirakuru. At other times, he took a shot or two and in knocked him down/out for a time. I guess the plot armor was weaker in those scenes. Also, I could buy that Affleck's cowl was armored and could take gunfire. Pattinson's cowl looked like it was just leather.

I know Reeves has said he wanted to keep this grounded, and couldn't see a way to bring more fantastical elements into the story. Personally I find that ridiculous- I could see this as a beginning of a new shared universe that could bring in other characters if they wanted to. Heck, they could probably choses to ignore the Justice League film altogether and fold in that Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Flash (after Flashpoint).

Some further thoughts on the film:

It was long, but I didn't mind that much. And this really felt like they were making a live-action The Long Halloween, using Riddler instead of Calendar Man.

I liked Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. Looking back, I can't really say how her chemistry was with Pattinson, but I felt they did well in their scenes together.

That opening monologue- was anyone else thinking Watchmen? "October 31st. A comedian died tonight..."

I found it funny that Colin Ferrell in that makeup kinda looked like De Niro, and John Turturro was reminding me of Pacino.

I liked seeing detective Batman, which is something we don't always get in these movies. Nolan did it pretty well, and we got hints of the detective in Snyder's take, but this one felt like they turned it up a notch.

I also liked his partnership with Gordon, and that Gordon really got to stretch his legs here.

Ferrell was unrecognizable under all that makeup, and he was brilliant. I look forward to seeing what they do with him on HBOMax.

I do wish they hadn't pulled their punch with the Thomas Wayne reveal. I think I would have liked it more if he was a good man that sold out, which would leave Bruce to want to be better than he had been.

To what MikeP said, I don't think this Batman was investigating any corruption. I think he spent 2 years fighting lowlife thugs and building his reputation. Maybe he knew there was corruption, but I don't get the impression he ever looked into it.

One thing I loved was his fighting style. The problem with Nolan's take was that they chose a realistic fighting style that one would use to fight multiple opponents, but it didn't look dynamic on film. This movie corrected that in giving Batman a more dynamic, fast-paced fighting style.

One thing I was curious about- at the end, he injected himself with something to get himself back into the fight, and went berserk on that guy who was attacking Selina. Did he inject himself with Venom?

I'll need to see it again, but I'll wait until HBOMax for that. I'd give it an 8.5 out of 10.

[Wildling]

I watched it and felt The Batman was softer than I expected but still felt was worth the time. I had decided to rewatch Nightmare Alley before to help with the running time and maybe the atmosphere. Don't regret that.

Off the top of my head I loved to see how Batman operated on a nightly basis, basically how Batman and Riddler thrive as horror monsters on different lanes, and how much crap cops gave him for being only his second year.

But I wouldn't have minded the final Riddler Arkham scene to be completely cut off, or at least be shortened. But we'll see where that leads.

[Lightning Rider]

There's a lot to digest here. I liked a lot of what the film had to offer, but I'm not sure they came together well enough to blow me away.

Early on, I was a little disappointed that Bruce was so unlikeable. Alfred talks about needing to pay attention to financial matters and Bruce just says "I don't care about all that"; it just seemed irresponsible. We also never get to see Bruce as a disguise - he's fairly one-note throughout. Later in the movie when he confesses to being afraid of losing Alfred, it doesn't quite hit home because there's no rapport established between the two. We're meant to take that relationship for granted.

As the film went on, I very much enjoyed the noir elements. I haven't always been keen on the contact lense camera (they seemed a little high-tech for my ideal Batman) but here they added a great layer. The clues were fun and the Iceberg lounge was great. The Long Halloween and other influences are very apparent. Fans have been calling for a detective story and we got it. Unfortunately the pacing is a little bit off, it drags at times and Riddler's final plan feels somewhat anti-climactic. I did like the Thomas Wayne-Falcone mystery though and think the subject of Gotham & the Wayne's corruption was handled better and more subtly here than in Joker.

I enjoyed Riddler, but felt we could have seen him unmasked & fleshed out earlier on. I like that he was ultimately one step ahead in the end, and found it intruiging that he allowed himself to believe they were working together. The Joker cameo was whatever.

The relationship with Gordon was solid. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with Batman examining a crime scene with 30 other cops around, though this Batman seemed to just walk into a lot of spaces rather than sneak in with dramatic flair.

Selina was cool, if a little bit too second-fiddle to Batman early on. Her mask could have used a redesign. I liked her arc with Falcone. (Though what motivates Bruce to insist she not kill? It's not clear here). Their chemistry together wasn't bad but wasn't exceptional either.

Loved Penguin, but without knowing how important he is beforehand, the movie doesn't make it clear why he's so important besides being Carmine's right hand man. He ends up not playing a big part in the end.

The music was incredibly important in this film and I loved it - it really added tension and horror to certain scenes. The cinematography was beautiful at times as well, especially the end with the flare. The action for me was okay - this Batman feels a little less competent and deceptive. Part of that is intentional but for me, Batman should make himself feel larger than life. This Batman falt very much like a dude in a suit. We never even got a batarang throw.

I like that Bruce learns he needs to be a symbol of hope as well as fear by the end.

I guess the strength of the movie is in its noir concepts, and its weakest elements are a monotone Bruce and a somewhat disjointed feel. I feel like it was almost two movies in one. I think they're setting up a No Man's Land story, I look forward to it.

[Midvillian1322]

Just got back from seeing it and i really liked it but didn’t love it. It was for sure too long. I wasn’t bored but I was ready for it wrap it up around the time Falcons went down. There a very
Important character growth that happens after that but it could have been worked into the story earlier. I liked all the characters. Penguin and Catwoman are the best versions of those character imo( or atleast the closest to what I’d want from those characters). I liked Pattinson. Didn’t like the emo look with the hair at first and how he looked strung out but it made sense as you learn about him. He doesn’t care about his appearance because he doesn’t care about Bruce Wayne. By the end we see a change in him motivations and outlook. So I’m betting we get a more comic looking Bruce in the sequel. As Bruce will probaly get more screen time since I’m guessing he will help rebuild the city. Had issues with his Boots. Those things were loud a ****, except when he was trying to be quite. I’m hoping it be next one they streamline the suit and ditch the jangling combat boots. When he walked it sounded like King Pin in Hawkeye walking. Anyway Ridder was great, wasn’t sure about the changes but it worked well. Like what we saw of Joker too. The voice was a little too normal but that’s fine. Looked like he had almost as much prosthetic’s on his face as Penguin. Which I like but it was hard to tell. The kept him shrouded enough that they didn’t have to commit to the look. But I liked the way Dude from Eternals was delivering the lines. Excited for that.


Was that Venom that Batman took? Or just some kind of adrenaline?

Yea good movie and want to see more from this world. Was too long and while it wasnt a origin story it kind of still was. They did so much world building that it was just as bogged down as an origin story would be. Still Good and can’t wait for more. This got me excited for the Penguin HBOmax show

[Castle]

WB/DC/HBO Max should slow down with doing TV Shows for this movie. I don't think this is a good idea. They should consider it after a second sequel.

TV shows based off movies tend to never have steam and it does not help that the actual central characters would not be in the show. The Batman a very good foundation for greatness to come in sequel movies but for now I dont think the first film has done enough to establish multiple tv spin off that will bring high viewership and attention to HBO Max.

I fear multiple tv spin offs will suffer even worse fate than Agents of SHIELD and Agent of SHIELD had more to ride on as marvel already had many movies by then and even the big one (Avengers 2012) that was meant to be the driving force of the tv show but Agents of SHIELD became an afterthought and sunk into irrelevance by the time the second season rolled in.

WB should slow down and just focus on sequels films alone. that is where the energy should be, especially for Matt Reeves. Matt writing, directing and producing a sequel to this movie while also juggling the tv spin off would over stretch him. I want his focus to be on movies only.

if Batman were to have new TV Shows, I rather have another stand alone universe show like Fox Gotham.

[bat39]

First, some of my general non-spoiler thoughts that I posted on the Batman board:

So I've actually watched the film. And...it's BRILLIANT! Or maybe sublime. Honestly, I'm at a loss of words...

I have zero hesitation in crowning this the best Batman movie ever. TDK may well remain the better film overall, but this is definitely the best live-action representation of Batman and his world that I've ever seen. From the visuals, to the dialogue, to the storytelling, to the performances, to even the music...everything made it feel like a Batman comic-book brought to life.

It's a weird paradox actually - in some ways, this Batman and this world feels more 'grounded' than Nolan's. And in other ways, it feels more subtly stylized and more comic-booky (or rather graphic novel-y). It's hard to explain...but you'll understand when you watch the film.

A lot of things that we take for granted about the Batman mythos in general felt real and earned here in a way that I don't think they've really felt before. Batman's relationships with Gordon, Alfred and Selina. Batman's methods of terrorizing Gotham's criminal element. The intense corruption of Gotham City. Even the debate over whether Batman has changed Gotham for the worst or not.

Pattison really nailed the character. He's done some serious research and it shows, but he also makes the character his own. Jeffrey Wright and Zoe Kravitz nail Gordon and Selina perfectly. Andy Serkis' Alfred feels a bit different from previous versions of Alfred, but not radically so and even he's largely true to the original character. Ditto with Colin Farell's Penguin, who looks and sounds very different from most people's image of this character, and yet in so many ways is more faithful to the comics than Danny DeVito's version.

Paul Dano's Riddler is, needless to say, very different from any previous version of the character and yet you can clearly see the DNA of the comic-book Riddler in him. His Riddler is a lot like how I've always imagined Riddler would be in a 21st century reimagining of the character. Dano's performance, particularly in a couple of scenes (you'll know which ones) is a treat to watch. That said, it may be unfair to him, but I feel this is the one area where this film definitely pales in comparision to TDK - he's not a patch on Heath Ledger's Joker. But again, he fundamentally plays a very different type of villain, so...it's just an unfair comparision I guess.

Above all, without getting into any spoiler-y territory, what I most admire about this film is how, the more it subverts our conventional understanding of the Batman mythos, the more it rebuilds and reinforces it as well. All the trailers, interviews, and other marketing may have primed you for a certain kind of Batman story...but you'll walk out of the theatre feeling like you ultimately saw a different kind of Batman story. And you'll love it!

Going into specifics, I liked the way they handled the big dirty secret involving the Wayne family and it's what I'd hoped for and predicted a while back. Thomas Wayne is still fundamentally a decent man, but he was compromised by his association with Carmine Falcone. It certainly adds more layers to the Wayne legacy and knocks Thomas a bit off the pedestal that other versions, notably the Nolanverse, put him on, without tarnishing his memory and destroying Batman's raison d'etre completely.

I've seen a lot of people complain that Alfred didn't get much focus in this film, which may be true in terms of sheer screentime. But I think the moment between him and Bruce at the hospital is the pivotal scene of the film as far as Bruce's character arc goes. He realizes he isn't this emotionally deadened crime-fighting machine he's tried to make himself into and is forced to confront his fears of losing Alfred the way he lost his parents. That's the moment when he finds the Bruce Wayne within himself, underneath the Batman.

The other pivotal scene of course is when he hears the faux-Riddler say ''I am vengeance'', which sets him down the path to becoming a symbol of hope instead. Batman carrying out relief work in broad daylight, alongside the emergency services, was not how I expected this noir/serial-killer story to end...which is the point. Batman isn't just a crime-fighter or a detective anymore, he has to be the city's guardian angle.

This is the best iteration of the Bruce-Selina relationship I've seen outside the comics, possibly ever.

The one thing I wasn't too keen on was the Joker tease. It just felt a little...on the nose. Also, I'm a bit nervous at the prospect of getting another iteration of the Joker in as many years - one which has to compete with both the memory of Heath Ledger and more recently Joaquin Phoenix's Best Actor winning take. Then again, by the time the next Reeves film will be out, it will have been close to two decades since we saw Batman and the Joker really face off on-screen so I guess it's to be expected.

[protege]

I think there was a moment during the final battle at the Garden where Batman allowed two of the goons to shoot each other, but I don't think he ever directly killed anyone.



I'm not entirely sure he even had the car until this movie. We got several shots of the car under a tarp in the cave, with it's engine pulled out and partially disassembled. I think the first time he took that car out was during the chase.



Okay, let's talk about exactly how grounded this movie is- or isn't.

Nolan's film had Batman using his cape to glide. This film, I guess there was a wingsuit stored somewhere in the suit that magically appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared?

And during that scene, Bruce took a fall that should have killed him, suit or no. He took quite a few blows during this movie that should have killed him (the church is another). Also, how long was he out and why didn't any of the cops take off his mask?

His relationship with the Police is another odd thing. He has no problems walking around crime scenes with a bunch of cops, and they let him because Gordon said so? A Gordon who isn't even Commissioner? That felt weird to me.

And how bullet proof was his suit? He was walking through heavy gunfire at times like he was Slade f'ing Wilson on Mirakuru. At other times, he took a shot or two and in knocked him down/out for a time. I guess the plot armor was weaker in those scenes. Also, I could buy that Affleck's cowl was armored and could take gunfire. Pattinson's cowl looked like it was just leather.

I know Reeves has said he wanted to keep this grounded, and couldn't see a way to bring more fantastical elements into the story. Personally I find that ridiculous- I could see this as a beginning of a new shared universe that could bring in other characters if they wanted to. Heck, they could probably choses to ignore the Justice League film altogether and fold in that Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Flash (after Flashpoint).

Some further thoughts on the film:

It was long, but I didn't mind that much. And this really felt like they were making a live-action The Long Halloween, using Riddler instead of Calendar Man.

I liked Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. Looking back, I can't really say how her chemistry was with Pattinson, but I felt they did well in their scenes together.

That opening monologue- was anyone else thinking Watchmen? "October 31st. A comedian died tonight..."

I found it funny that Colin Ferrell in that makeup kinda looked like De Niro, and John Turturro was reminding me of Pacino.

I liked seeing detective Batman, which is something we don't always get in these movies. Nolan did it pretty well, and we got hints of the detective in Snyder's take, but this one felt like they turned it up a notch.

I also liked his partnership with Gordon, and that Gordon really got to stretch his legs here.

Ferrell was unrecognizable under all that makeup, and he was brilliant. I look forward to seeing what they do with him on HBOMax.

I do wish they hadn't pulled their punch with the Thomas Wayne reveal. I think I would have liked it more if he was a good man that sold out, which would leave Bruce to want to be better than he had been.

To what MikeP said, I don't think this Batman was investigating any corruption. I think he spent 2 years fighting lowlife thugs and building his reputation. Maybe he knew there was corruption, but I don't get the impression he ever looked into it.

One thing I loved was his fighting style. The problem with Nolan's take was that they chose a realistic fighting style that one would use to fight multiple opponents, but it didn't look dynamic on film. This movie corrected that in giving Batman a more dynamic, fast-paced fighting style.

One thing I was curious about- at the end, he injected himself with something to get himself back into the fight, and went berserk on that guy who was attacking Selina. Did he inject himself with Venom?

I'll need to see it again, but I'll wait until HBOMax for that. I'd give it an 8.5 out of 10.

It does seem rather short sighted of Bruce to only focus on cleaning up the streets, rather than try and deal with the corruption that caused it. Maybe he feels he can’t? He sounds so disinterested in he world he was born into, it really does sound like Batman is primarily a channel for his rage issues. I don’t know if he’s even interested in saving Gotham at all.