Bale / Nolan have some stiff competition here
My son and I just got back from seeing this and both of us were jazzed by it. This is the best superhero movie I've seen since Bale / Nolan's version.
Affleck never seemed fully invested in the character, perhaps because his Batman was just one character in yet another series of movies about multiple superpowered beings squaring off against cosmic level villains. I'm more interested in 'street level' superheroes who dip their toes in vigilante-ism.
Although this movie is three hours long my son and I both agree that it never lagged. It's not balls-to-the-wall action either although there are some awesome sequences. There is an actual story about the relationships that unfold between the characters.
And no Joker! That alone deserves a round of applause. We really needed a break from him although we get a scene that introduces him at the end. Puhleeze, not again!
Dano's Riddler is nastier than any previous version we've seen of him.
Colin Farrell's Penguin doesn't get to do much here, but there's a promise of things to come in future movies or series. (There is a great visual gag though that made me chuckle.)
Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman hands down beats any previous version of the character, largely because she's not written as a cartoon, but as a genuinely damaged character with an arc of her own. And the fact she looks damn hot in a catsuit... yeah, that doesn't hurt either.
My two complaints:
1. We don't see enough of Andy Serkis' Alfred. One scene hints that the relationship between him and Bruce Wayne is more brittle than we've seen in past movies. We don't see enough of them together to know for sure.
2. As Batman, Pattinson is broody and intimidating. I had no idea that Pattinson was so tall. He's clearly worked out for the role, but he's not Ben Affleck jacked which is a plus. Affleck's Batman looked like he spent more time in the gym and drinking protein shakes than hitting the streets. Like Bale, Pattinson looks more combat ready, a balance between strength and nimbleness. And to the credit of Reeves and Pattinson, he dispenses with the raspy Batman voice which has become a cliche after 30 years.
As Bruce Wayne though, Pattinson is broody and emo. He looks more like the lead singer for a goth rock band. He passively shuffles his way through crowds without uttering more than a word or two to anyone in the entire movie. We have no sense of how he fits into Gotham high society. There's absolutely nothing of the alter-ego playboy billionaire meant to disguise his true identity. You could believe that someone could look separately at Batman and Bruce Wayne, and guess that they were the same person. In this respect, Bale's version is the better one.
I should mention the music too. I don't normally give it much attention when I see a movie, but Michael Giacchino's score stands out here. I saw this in IMAX though, so maybe that had some influence.
I liked it. I recommend it.