At 3H, this movie is a slow burn. You need to be in the right mood, sort of relaxed and reflective. It keeps moving forward, but slowly and darkly. Not much comic relief, but there are no real tension points either. It moves slowly and consistently forward.
Some of the riddles are accessible, some less so. It is a character shift of sorts, so you also need to be free of the backstory dogma and allow that creative expression.
Overall, it was good. Not great, good. It's much better than a lot of available fluff and the production is credible. I don't think Patterson convinced me in the part, but he was not bad. Perhaps to grungy/millennial for me. My own view is that Christian Bale struck a balanced note of believable billionaire with enough masculinity and youth for a dutiful hobby without a lot of comic camp.
The Nolan versions are superior in my view, striking a better balance of action, development, comics, and storyline. But this good: a long, slow, dark, gritty tale for someone who likes the genre, with some time, in the mood, and willing to pay attention.
Some of the riddles are accessible, some less so. It is a character shift of sorts, so you also need to be free of the backstory dogma and allow that creative expression.
Overall, it was good. Not great, good. It's much better than a lot of available fluff and the production is credible. I don't think Patterson convinced me in the part, but he was not bad. Perhaps to grungy/millennial for me. My own view is that Christian Bale struck a balanced note of believable billionaire with enough masculinity and youth for a dutiful hobby without a lot of comic camp.
The Nolan versions are superior in my view, striking a better balance of action, development, comics, and storyline. But this good: a long, slow, dark, gritty tale for someone who likes the genre, with some time, in the mood, and willing to pay attention.