Badlands Story Hour Ep. 187: The Batman

Chris Paul and Burning Bright revisit Matt Reeves's 2022 take on the Caped Crusader, and both come away more impressed than they expected to be. Expect a thoughtful dive into the film's central theme of vengeance versus justice, what it means to be harmed by a system versus harmed by people, and how that tension plays out through Bruce Wayne's arc. There's a genuinely funny personal theater horror story woven into the discussion, plenty of comic book fan perspective comparing this take to Nolan's trilogy, and a sharp pivot into real world parallels about political lying, informed consent, and what it actually means to "wake up" versus just acting like the Riddler online. Stick around for the closing thoughts on vengeance and justice, plus next week's pick, a 2017 dark comedy about the chaotic power scramble following a Soviet dictator's death.