The Dark Night Descends

Rating: 2/10 (22 April 2018)

This elongated chaotic murk is studded with stars, but they shed no light. I could tell there was a bad guy, but I couldn't figure out how he managed to breathe. The good guy seemed to be the Batman, but he was too willowy and wispy, and during his frequent bouts of fisticuffs with the bad guy he always got the worst of it. At one point I thought the plot was vaguely modelled on the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. But only vaguely. It would possibly have been helpful to know how the several other stars had been designed to fit in to this benighted epic. I think we should have been told. But I couldn't make it out. My fault, no doubt. After a few hours of bafflement, the scene was suddenly flooded with light, and civilization was saved. The question remained: Had it been worth it ? Not really. This film, bought on a mistaken whim thinking it came in at number 4 on the all-time list, has firmly warned me off any others featuring the legendary Batman. Give me Dracula, any day.