For Episode 47 of the Outside is Overrated podcast, Tom, Phoenix and Casey break down the new movie The Batman and the board game Batman the Animated Series Gotham Under Siege. Listen to the episode below or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
The Batman
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman released March 4. Starring Robert Pattison as the caped crusader, the film currently has a Metacritic rating of 72. It is the first superhero film we’ve covered on the podcast since we discussed Venom last November.
This gritty new take on Batman follows a young dark knight as he tries to unravel the Riddler’s nefarious plot. The villain is killing some of Gotham’s most notable citizens, with each crime building towards a master scheme.
Batman is working with Lieutenant Godron, with official access to crime scenes. Along the way the young vigilante encounters Catwoman, Oswald Cobblepot and Carmine Falcone. This film is dark, gritty and long.
The Bat
Phoenix had some trepidation about the film. Batman is one of her three favorite characters across all media. While public perception about the Pattison casting seemed negative, Phoenix notes on the podcast that after Twilight Pattison took a path akin to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, working on a number of independent and under-the-radar films to build his chops.
Pattison delivered a terrific performance in the cowl. The hand-to-hand action was incredibly well done, there were few shots that cut to stunt doubles. One scene in particular between Pattison and Kravitz showed the impressive athleticism of both actors.
Outside of the suit, Bruce Wayne is typically portrayed as a carefree playboy, as far away from the alter ego as possible. In The Batman, Bruce is still young. He avoids business meetings and has little interest in running the family business. While Pattison gave the character a new Emo look I’m not sold on, Bruce had an interesting arc throughout the film and I’m excited to see where it leads in future entries.
The Other Guys
Every major actor in this film delivered a noteworthy performance. Colin Farrell looked and sounded nothing like himself as Oz. Zoe Kravitz was both sensual and powerful as Catwoman, playing a less-than-heroic ally. Andy Serkis turned in an interesting version of the butler Alfred, caring for his precious ward in the dark cave that is Gotham City.
Of all the supporting actors, the weakest may have been John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. The Batman’s version of the crime lord portrayed a more charismatic businessman mob boss. While the character got violent while needed, he felt more akin to an unscrupulous used car salesman than a crime lord.
A Detective Story
The Batman is a detective story first, and a superhero flick second. It harkens back to the character’s earliest days in pulp fiction. The film takes a very grounded, low-tech approach to the Batman universe. No one involved had any supernatural abilities: it was a battle of wits, leverage and resources.
For fans looking forward to fancy gadgets and state-of-the-art tech, you are going to be disappointed. Batman has not mastered gliding silently through the night. His motorcycle and Batmobile are certainly functional, but they lack dramatic flair. The titular anti-hero relies mostly on his fists and bulletproof armor to carry him through the film. I really appreciated the approach, as we discuss on the podcast it makes the film feel both real and relatable.
The Riddler also took a low-tech approach to his do-baddery. All of his attacks, machinations and traps felt believable, and make me look forward to watching for clues the next time through the movie.
The Good
- A masterful detective story that does a phenomenal job peeling back the layers
- Incredible performances by all the lead actors
- Grounded, realistic action
- No Christian Bale batvoice
- Leaves room for Bruce Wayne to grow in future installments
The Bad
- At three hours, it’s a very long film
- I have seen Thomas Wayne get shot enough for one lifetime
The Verdict
The Batman is an incredible film. It’s not the direction I want all superhero films to go moving forward, but it’s dark, gritty tone and compelling mystery deliver an incredible tale. I can’t wait for the next installment in this franchise, to see how other members of the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery perform in a more realistic setting.
Batman the Animated Series Gotham City Under Siege
In addition to the movie, we discuss Batman the Animated Series Gotham City Under Siege on the podcast. In this game, 1-5 players work together to stop villains from blowing up the city. Heroes control Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman and Commission Gordon against a litany of iconic villains from the animated show.
Related: In Episode 45 of the podcast, we discussed the deckbuilding card game Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade.
The core gameplay of Gotham City Under Siege is rolling and committing dice to stop evil plans and battle bad guys. Heroes win if they overcome all four acts without the civilian or bomb trackers hitting zero. If too many civilian lives are lost or you can’t stop the bomb from detonating, you lose.
The game is played over four acts. Each act, you draw one of three act cards that will set the stage for that scene. It will tell you how many story cards you draw, how many villains are on the board and how many masterminds you fight.
Each story card has certain dice combinations to overcome. You might need two sixes, or three ones or another combination. Story cards can have negative effects when they come into play, effects that continue until they are overcome, and/or negative effectives if they aren’t cleared by the end of the round.
Each act players get a special ability card and four dice. Players will shake their four dice and any bonus die, assign one to story cards or character abilities and then roll them all again until everyone has assigned all their dice.
Once all dice are assigned, any remaining villains and masterminds have an opportunity to attack the city. On an odd roll of a six-sided die they destroy a building and you resolve the negative effect for that block, usually losing civilians or lowering the bomb tracker. If either of those tracks hits zero, the heroes lose.
Each character has a slate of personal abilities, a skill and one special power that can turn battles in your favor. Batman’s skill is Batarangs, he can spend one of his two skill tokens to knock out the highest level foe on each of the four battlefields. His special ability gives you an extra opportunity to save a building if you can’t clear all the villains.
Gotham City under siege can be overwhelming at first, as you have a character to learn and every action you can take throughout the game is available from the first time you roll the dice. Playing first with three new players and then adding a fourth, we found that by the time we were in the second act things were mostly rolling smoothly.
The Good
- Fun dice mechanic
- Feels very powerful clearing stacks of enemies
The Bad
- Overwhelming to bring new players on board
- Possibly limited replay value
The Verdict
Batman the Animated Series Gotham Under Siege is an interesting cooperative experience. The core gameplay loop of rolling dice and committing them to cards is solid. With no narrative hook and three variations of the acts, replayability feels limited. There is potential for good time with your friends, but the experience will be best with someone who has played the game before and understands the nuance of the different characters.
Outside is Overrated is presented by Premier Health. Download and subscribe to OiO wherever you get your podcasts!
Thank you for listening! Please consider supporting OiO on Patreon. Your support will help ensure we are talking about the newest and most interesting topics and growing our listener base to expand the conversation. Contributions start at $2 a month.
Connect with OiO on facebook, twitter or email. Music courtesy of: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music.