Love it or hate it, there's no in-between

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2020)

I borrowed this at the library wanting to wait till the hype died down. and it was still an irredeemable experience; more stealth MK Ultra at its finest. 2 hours of traumatic sounds and image.
If anyone happens to check out the script (it is floating out there) you will find the following disclaimer:
"This story takes place in its own universe. It has no
connection to any of the DC films that have come before it.
We see it as a classic Warner Bros. movie. Gritty, intimate
and oddly funny, the characters live in the real world and
the stakes are personal.
Although it is never mentioned in the film, this story takes
place in the past.
Let's call it 1981.
It's a troubled time. The crime rate in Gotham is at record
highs. A garbage strike has crippled the city for the past
six weeks. And the divide between the "haves" and the "havenots"
is palpable. Dreams are beyond reach, slipping into delusions."
This struck me as a red flag. I guess the writers aren't going with the show-don't-tell approach. I think it's kinda baseball drawing the fences in 15 feet for more homeruns, the film makers are going to take wanton dramatic license for that instant box office impact.
I can't say I disliked the picture. It had good craftsmanship, impressive production value. But I would hesitate to heap so much praise over it. It was too slick for me to considered it fine cinema. more like ill cinema