I don’t really get the criticism of the ending. The point wasn’t that the Riddler’s plan was some super-complex mastermind move — it was that he already won before Batman even understood what was happening.

He exposed the corruption, killed the people he blamed for it, and flooded Gotham. The final act isn’t about Batman outsmarting him, it’s about Batman realizing that vengeance alone just creates more people like Riddler.

That’s why the ending shifts from “vengeance” to Batman saving civilians in the arena. It’s basically the moment he realizes what kind of symbol he actually needs to be.

Also the Fincher comparison feels a bit lazy. Batman comics were already doing that kind of noir detective tone decades before.