Why I Hated The New Batman Movie- Until I Watched It

I refused to see it at first, then changed my mind.

Illustrations by the author.

Let's make one thing crystal clear. I'm a Batman fan. Unlike most people, I actually read the comics and watch the movies and animated series. In fact, as a comic artist myself, I love drawing Batman.

The only problem? I'm kind of tired of him.

We've had way too many Batman movies, and in just the last ten years, we've had Ben Affleck and Christian Bale play the caped crusader in the films.

Moving aside from Affleck, I loved Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's second film in his series. Perhaps, you'll agree that it's one of the best Batman movies ever made. Pitting him against Heath Ledger's masterful take on the Joker is legendary.

As much as I love seeing Batman do his thing, I felt we should have had at least 3–5 years without new Batman films after Nolan's run. Give us a break, and build up anticipation for seeing him again.

The Justice League movies pulled Affleck out as a hefty Bruce Wayne, inspired by Frank Miller's Dark Knight, breaking bones and whispering raspy to give us a mediocre Bats performance.

Enough. I was done. Time for a Batman pause, don't you think Hollywood?

Nope. The money is just too good. They had to keep the train moving and announced a new film with Twilight actor Robert Pattinson as The Batman and directed by Matt Reeves—known for the Planet of The Apes films.

What?! Are you kidding me? Pattinson? That skinny, whiny dude? No way I'm watching that one. I guessed Hollywood figured people would spend money on a Batman movie no matter who's playing him.

Before watching The Batman

With Pattinson playing Bruce Wayne, I lost interest. It felt like anyone could play Batman nowadays. If just anyone can fit the role, why not get Channing Tatum or Finn Wolfhard—the kid from Stranger Things. As a Black man, I'd love to see Jaden Smith take on the caped crusader. Heck, let's go ahead and break the ground wide open, dig deeper.

Hint. Hollywood didn't.

So, when The Batman came out, I decided there was no way I would see it.

The trailer of him walking up to a gang with Joker painted faces and beating the crap out of them made him look like a psycho. And a bit silly. The scenes with Detective Gordon looked like they were trying too hard to look dark and gritty.

In my mind, I was okay with missing this one. Plus, the fact that it's three hours long! My issues with these saga-length movies recently were discussed thoroughly in a previous article about how they’re too damn long.

I avoided it the first month it was out. Then, my birthday came up, and I needed something fun to do for myself. As a husband and father, I rarely get out of the house for something only I want to do.

Looking up the reviews of The Batman, I discovered the critics were pretty happy with it overall. They said it was a bit too dark, with no jokes or light moments, but a pretty decent movie.

As a gift to myself, I decided to try the movie. If it sucked, I could write a review on Medium and make it an excuse to get my frustration out through the craft of writing. I am a Batman fan, after all.

After watching The Batman

I loved it. That’s right, I was hating on it before and was nervous it would be the worst three hours of my life, but surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed The Batman.

Yes, it was dark, sad, heavy, and they made Bruce Wayne look like a weirdo, but I like this take on him. If you think about it, a guy running around in a bat suit fighting crime is crazy.

For the first time, they addressed that he’s a billionaire orphan who thinks he has it the worst because his parents were killed. A tragedy to happen to anybody, but he can still live a privileged life. So many people have to go through worse, and it doesn’t drive them to become reclusive vigilantes.

Pitting him against The Riddler was interesting because it allowed us to see more of a detective Batman, still figuring out how the Gotham city underworld works. It’s only two years after Bruce started going out as Bats, so he keeps having to decide who he is and what to do at every turn.

The action scenes were pretty good, but I felt it looked a bit similar to The Dark Knight, but it is Batman, so there are certain things he has to do in the movies. I loved Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, and her performance brought the whole film together for me, and the world wouldn’t have worked without her.

The cinematography was gorgeous, and it’s a movie I will buy and watch while drawing. I could put it on in the background, mute the sound, and enjoy watching the images as I write and create to keep my energy up.

I went to the restroom once during the film. But all in all, the three hours moved by quickly. They needed the time, and I’m glad they used it. When I was in high school, I dreamed of a dark Batman movie, and my young dream came true with The Batman.

Sometimes movies aren’t always what they seem

You can’t judge a movie by its trailer. At least not always. I’m pretty good at detecting a stinker from watching the previews, but this surprised me. If you’re a Batman fan and on the fence whether or not to spend the time to see it, I say go.

You can wait until it’s streaming online somewhere, and it will be worth your time. I’m glad I saw it in the theater, though, and it was more dynamic to watch the action scenes on the big screen.

I’m willing to admit I was wrong. The Batman is a good take on a character done to death. The movie showed me how you can still make characters fresh and breathe new life into them.

I’m looking forward to the sequel and where they’ll take Pattinson next.

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Is Awkwafina Problematic?

Her “Blaccent” needs to go, but should I cancel her?

When I watched Awkwafina, aka Nora Lum, in the film Crazy Rich Asians, I laughed and thought the outlandish character she played using a New York-style “Blaccent” was a lot of fun as long as it was for that character alone.

Surely, she wouldn’t continue playing roles as an Asian talking with a stereotypically Black accent. Man, was I wrong?

She played a similar role as Constance in the movie Ocean’s 8. She’s a rapper who dresses up in hip-hop clothing and jumps around in her videos on YouTube, caricaturing Black rappers.

Her upcoming role in the Marvel action flick, Shang-Chi, looks to be more of the same. In fact, she said playing Asian stereotypes is not her thing, but she’ll gladly play a character with a blaccent?

Courtesy of Twitter.

As an African-American man married to a Japanese woman, I’m divided.

Proud to see an Asian woman rising the ranks in Hollywood going about it her own way. Disappointed, however, about Awkwafina’s decisions when it comes to performing what feels like Asian Blackface in her movie roles.

I read she’s from Queens, New York, which I imagined meant she went to school with Hispanic and Black students as friends. Possibly even developing her blaccent as a way to fit in and feel accepted.

It turns out she lived in Forest Hills, Queens, which is mainly a middle-class white and Asian area. How much interaction with Black folks did she have?

Yes, New York is one of the most culturally diverse cities globally, so one would hope she had a few black friends growing up. If so, though, what are those friends saying about her performances now?

She’s funny, but…

If Awkwafina were my friend, as a Black guy, I would have to tell her she can’t keep using a fake Black accent. It’s disrespectful to my people, and to top it off, she’s profiting off of it.

Go in a different direction.

Awkwafina has good comedic timing and plenty of charisma and personality. Her raspy voice and delivery are distinctive and help her stand out. She doesn’t need the fake blackness sprinkled on top.

Why not?

She’s not black, so it’s not cool.

But Awkwafina’s a rapper, you might say. Sure, I’ll take that. Rapping is different. It’s so mainstream nowadays. Hip-hop and rap are for everyone. I’m good, as long as she’s not throwing out the “N-word” all over her lyrics—she can rap all she wants.

We watched Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon animated film, and I recognized her voice as the dragon, Sisu. Her performance stood out and helped ground the fantasy world they created. It worked.

She didn’t need her blaccent.

I know she’s benefitting from cultural appropriation, but why not look at that as what helped get her foot in the door. There’s no doubt Hollywood producers are chasing after her to play more “Asian Black” roles, but she can turn them down. Just like she turns down the stereotypical Asian roles she boasts about.

Suppose you’re going to steer clear of stereotypes, fine, but take a turn and use a different road. Black people deserve respect.

I think the people get that I’m just kind of an anomaly in a certain way. -Awkwafina

Awkwafina is problematic

Let’s admit it. If she were a white woman acting in roles where she uses a Black accent or behaves like a “Wigger,” everyone would be outraged. For some reason, the majority in this country feel fine with an Asian woman using Black stereotypes.

Once again, if she played a character in one role, I wouldn’t be upset. It’s one movie. I could look at it as a character she played that worked well for the film she was in.

Apparently, she created her character of Awkwafina in High School inspired by the bottled water company Aquafina as a joke. It helped her step out into the limelight as she moved through her young life and started performing on stage.

College was like prison reform where I learned to be quiet and more passive — so when Awkwafina comes out on stage, she’s that crazy high school kid that doesn’t really care about anything.

It also means she has a persona to hide behind when the world gets fed up with her caricatures. Pretty convenient.

Find another way

If she wasn’t as multi-talented as she is, I could cancel her without hesitation. The issue is, she’s good, funny, creative, and I want to see more of what she does. I feel angry and a bit guilty inside for liking her work. Mainly because I know she won’t stop robbing Black folk's stereotypical behavior to get attention and pay her bills.

If you’re Awkwafina’s best friend and reading this article, please stop her.

When you have talent, acting experience, a Golden Globe award, and success in film, TV, and music, you don’t need to rely on lampooning minorities.

Say no to all stereotypes. Not just the ones that are Asian. Focus on creating your own brand of comedy character acting style.

I’ll be sitting front and center, with popcorn, when she does.