The Batman

Holy reboot Batman! Yep, the caped crusader strikes again… again!

There’s no lack of Batman-related media; if anything, there is a continual flood of it, from movies to games to TV shows. He is featured in Lego variations, and even his dog is embracing the silver screen. Ace the Bathound is soon to be voiced by Kevin Hart in the upcoming DC League of Super-Pets!

Excited yet? Have we milked the Dark Knight cash cow for all its worth? Or, can director Matt Reeves deliver an original take on the world’s greatest detective? Well, that’s why you’re reading our spoiler-free review.

The Batman seems to do its level best to differentiate itself from previous movies. At a glance, it would seem that the most recent iteration of the character comes in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. The critical darling of the lot. Even so, the film aspires to be somewhat different from those movies. The world-building characters and even cinematography are far darker than anything the Nolan trilogy displayed. Without becoming an ongoing anecdote, I do feel as if the Dark Knight Trilogy exists as a great movie, but as a tone-deaf Batman movie.

On the other hand, The Batman has taken an even more grounded look at the character. Nowhere is anything too fanciful, and even when the bat gadgets come into play they don’t exactly work the way Batman had intended, which I found endearing.

Gotham itself has finally been realized as a gothic noir hellscape as it had existed before within the pages of the comic books. Gotham acts as a character in its own right and may be the standout of the whole film; this fleshed-out fully realized world of inequity is like a festering wound that everyone would rather pretend didn’t exist.

Whatever you may feel about the casting of Robert Pattinson (Tenet, The Lighthouse), he hits the nail on the head of this character; not through his actions, but his inactions. A lot of the time, all that is happening in the film is simply him being quiet and contemplative as the world around him reacts.

His interactions with other characters are fantastic. Rather than appearing at someone’s bedroom window, he kinda knocks on the front door. People know who he is. While this may seem strange, it adds a humanity to him that Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, etc. didn’t have.

You can feel an uneasiness with this character. He knows what he’s doing, he’s just missing something, and that something is “why”. Why is he doing what he’s doing? Batman himself doesn’t quite know and that becomes apparent that this is an obsession.

The character of Bruce Wayne is also an uncomfortable shut-in without any of the charisma of his counterparts. A damaged child that became a damaged man. Pattinson winds his performance as the Batman smoothly into Bruce Wayne and both feel natural counterparts to each other.

Along the line, The Batman crosses paths with one Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz; X-Men: First Class, The Lego Batman Movie), eventually known as Catwoman. While their pasts and motives differ, they join forces and a clear chemistry exists between the two. The onscreen performance by both actors was fantastic as they carried the whole film almost entirely on their shoulders.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Gordon (Jeffrey Wright;  Casino Royale, Westworld) is a little hit or miss. Sometimes going too hard in a scene and then not hard enough in another. He is never really reacting to certain moments the way he should. One scene later in the movie that is played for laughs has him interacting with The Penguin (Colin Farrell; The Recruit, Daredevil). The back and forth showed how humorous but also hammy the acting could possibly be.

The Penguin is like a whole new character that is fully realized and indistinguishable from the actual actor. Sometimes he steals the limelight. His character arc seemed interesting enough that I wanted more after the credits rolled.

Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, 12 Years a Slave) as The Riddler was terrifying at times and brings the film closer to something like Seven or Zodiac than a superhero film. He genuinely made me uncomfortable, but still portrayed his reasoning as somewhat understandable. To me, Paul Dano’s performance also added more proof to that fan theory that Seven was actually set in Gotham City.

While quite sparse, the action scenes are brilliantly shot with framing, lighting, and choreography. However, the constant cuts can be annoying.

The Batman has an amazing new theme by Michael Giacchino that combines Danny Elfman’s notes with Sergio Leone’s melodic harmonies and paints it all with Trent Reznor’s industrial sound. Making a soundtrack that could be something we are talking about in years to come.

All in all, The Batman is a must-see for fans and newcomers alike, rebooting the character (AGAIN!) into a noir detective movie. With the lowest budget and the longest runtime of any Batman movie to date, this film really comes into its own. As a franchise, it can go to some great places! A sample of the minor drawbacks is an end scene that sets up villains for the next movie. I’m pretty sure that was a studio requirement because the acting was god awful (you will know it when you see it because it’s THAT character).

If you’re a fan of the comics, especially the ones with the more gumshoe settings such as The Long Halloween, there will be literally no surprises in this movie. All of the twists and turns it takes come straight from some of the Dark Knight’s most lauded story arcs.  Hopefully, a sequel will incorporate someone from Batman’s rogues gallery like Mister Freeze, Killer Croc, Scar Face, or any of the plethora of the characters that never get used. I’m excited about the direction this unique and new Batman will take in his next outing.

Rating:

Thomas C:

The Batman is 2022’s must-see film so far. I highly recommend seeing it for both fans and newcomers alike!

Trailer: