Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Delve into the world of Batman and the vigilante justice that he brought to the city of Gotham. Batman is a man who, after experiencing great tragedy, devotes his life to an ideal--but what happens when one man takes on the evil underworld alone? Examine why Batman is who he is--and explore how a boy scarred by tragedy becomes a symbol of hope to everyone else.
This documentary explores the psychological underpinnings of Batman through expert commentary and pop-culture analysis. The conceptual framing is engaging and reasonably well-structured, earning a modest above-average plot score for its thematic coherence. However, as a talking-heads documentary with archival comic and film footage, the cinematography is functional at best. There is no traditional acting to evaluate, so that scores low by default. Novelty is moderate — psychoanalytic takes on superheroes were not entirely fresh by 2008, though the focused Batman lens gives it some distinctiveness. The ending wraps up without particular impact or revelation, keeping it below average.