The Batman

The Batman (2022)

Director: Matt Reeves

Writers: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig, Bil Finger (characters), Bob Kane (characters)

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, Barry Keoghan, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Peter McDonald, Con O'Neill, Alex Ferns, Rupert Penry-Jones

Synopsis:

This reboot of the Batman franchise is set just two years into Bruce Wayne's (Pattinson) tenure as the Dark Knight. While most still fear him as a dangerous vigilante, Lt. Jim Gordon (Wright) has learned to trust the mysterious hero and calls him in to help investigate the murder of Gotham's mayor, Don Mitchel (Penry-Jones). The murderer, a serial killer calling himself the Riddler (Dano), left a clue for The Batman at the crime scene, and the Caped Crusader must decipher the madman's riddles before he can claim his next villain. The situation becomes more complicated when Batman encounters Selina Kyle (Kravitz), who has a personal connection to the case and her own motivations for seeing justice done.

First Impressions:

Being a movie that's only a few months old, I have no real nostalgic connection to this film, unlike most of the films I review for this blog. I saw it in theaters and was blown away by what was up on the screen. While he's not my favorite superhero, I love the character of Batman, and I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship with many of his cinematic outings, three of which (Batman, Batman Returns and Batman Begins) I've already reviewed, with the latter of the three being my favorite Batman film to date. Well, that was up until I saw this gem. While it's not an exact copy of the character that shows up in the comics (which has itself had many interpretations), I felt that what Matt Reeves gives us in The Batman was by far the most faithful adaptation of the character (outside of the superb Batman: The Animated Series) so far. I saw it in theaters one more time before purchasing it on Blu-Ray this past week. Usually, when I watch a movie for the first time, I watch it with the intent to be entertained. Now I'm going to watch it with a more critical approach and see if it holds up to my original thoughts.

** Note: Since most of the movies I review are years, if not decades old, I'm not generally concerned about spoilers. However, since this movie is only months old, this is going to be a spoiler-free review **

Story/Direction:

"Our scars can destroy us, even after the physical wounds have healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure, and the strength to fight."

The is a lot to unpack here as far as the story goes, and I'm going to try and be as succinct as possible. However, since this film is an adaptation of a famous character, I'm going to start with that aspect. While I've long been a fan of Batman, a few things irk me about how the character is often portrayed. In fact, I touched on this a little bit in a post (which was mainly about Superman) I wrote for my other blog. To sum up, the modern portrayals of Batman frequently do a good job at portraying him as a violent vigilante (which he is) but often drop the ball on other aspects of the character, such as the fact that he's a gifted detective and, first and foremost, a HERO that ultimately wants to make Gotham better (it's debatable whether beating the shit out of criminals is the best way to accomplish this, but that's for another post). 

The Batman addresses the first item right away as the film is, at its core, a detective story and a damn good one at that. However, as I was viewing it for the first time, I became concerned that the hero aspect would fall by the wayside...again. Throughout much of the film, Batman is unconcerned with the people he saves, and Bruce Wayne is disinterested in his company. In the comics, he's often used Wayne Enterprises to do good things (arguably more helpful things) for the people of Gotham. The film even goes as far as to seemingly disparage Bruce's parents (which really cheesed me off), which, to me, is a no-go. However, this is where I grew to trust director Matt Reeves as a storyteller. As the film unfolds, we see that what Reeves was doing is giving the character a place to go, an arc which is often undercooked in many Batman films. I loved that. 

Regarding the overall theme of the film, I think it's about healing. That's why I chose the above quote because it encapsulates that theme the best. We see Batman/Bruce struggling to cope years after the death of his parents. This is not an enviable man, this is a broken man, and he's trying to fix himself. It's such an incredible journey. The theme isn't limited to Bruce, though; we see a similar trip in Selina Kyle's character as she comes to grips with her tragic background and desires for revenge. While I'll not say the story is perfect, it's pretty damn terrific. I'd love to write more about it, but I'd lean into spoiler territory but trust me, it's good.

Acting/Characters:

There was a bit of flack from some fans about the casting of Robert Pattinson as the title character, mainly due to his involvement in the Twilight films. I always thought this was stupid because the guy is an actor, for God's sake! He's not actually an emo vampire! Anyways, I thought Pattinson did an excellent job as a young Batman who's still discovering what kind of hero he wants to be. He's moody; he's clearly depressed and angry at everything and everyone. I'm very interested to see how he navigates the character's arc in any sequels, but as a first showing, he did a great job. In particular, I loved the relationship between Pattinson and Andy Serkis' Alfred, which was more contentious than it's typically portrayed.

Speaking of Andy Serkis, let's talk about the Waynes' loyal butler. Serkis is a bit younger than the character is often cast; I think he did a fantastic job with the character. While Alfred is usually portrayed as a wise father figure offering advice when needed (sometimes when not), Serkis takes a different approach and shows us a character full of doubt and regret. I almost got the sense that Alfred feels as though he failed Bruce somehow, and I love that twist to the character.

My favorite performance in the film was Colin Farrell's turn as the Penguin. Farrell is absolutely unrecognizable as one of Batman'smost notable villains. He channels pure old-school New York gangster into the role, which often serves as the comic relief for the film (not that there are many laughs to be found). However, underneath the wise-cracking exterior, Farrell shows us a profoundly violent and angry individual with no qualms about killing innocents. It's an award-worthy performance in my book.

The rest of the cast is outstanding, with Paul Dano creeping the shit out of everyone as the movie's main villain, the Riddler. John Turturro shines as the reprehensible gangster Carmine Falcone and Zoë Kravitz does an excellent job as Catwoman. Jeffrey Wright, as always, does solid work as Jim Gordon and Barry Keoghan does a surprisingly great job in a cameo as an unnamed Arkham Asylum inmate (you'll know who it is when you see it). 

Visuals:

This is a visually stunning movie, despite it being so dark. It's the darkness itself that drives the feel of the film. Reeves takes the idea that Batman is a creature of the night and really runs with it, as we see Batman simply emerge from shadows and then meld back into them. Long shots are often done as silhouettes against a setting sun or bright streetlights. The film just oozes a noir feel to it. I also love how Batman is often introduced into a scene by the footsteps ringing from the darkness.

From a special effects standpoint, most of what's on-screen was done in-camera, and the CGI was used sparingly. I hope this finally jump-starts a trend where CGI is only used when necessary. Of course, it won't, but a guy can dream, can't he? Anyway, the special effects look great (aided by the constant, overwhelming darkness). 

Action:

One of the most significant issues I had with Christopher Nolan's Batman films was that Nolan couldn't shoot a fight scene for shit. The quick cuts and jerky camera movements made me nauseous more than anything and really did a disservice to the stunt men/women convolved. On the other hand, Reeves does a great job with the fight scenes giving us both a close-up, more visceral viewpoint and longer shots where we can see the violent dance play out. 

The rest of the action is also well done, and we're treated to a fantastic chase scene (with an actual batmobile, not a tank), and the film's climax inside a flooding arena was one of the best final acts in a superhero movie that I've seen in a while.

Score/Music:

This is the only film area where I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I quite liked the score composed by Michael Giacchino. It's moody, it's bassy, and it fits the dark tone of the movie well. But, on the other hand, I was not a fan of the soundtrack, which just involved a lot of music that I didn't care about. Well, except for maybe Volare (whoa ho). 

Final Verdict:

As far as I'm concerned, this is still the best adaptation of Batman on the silver screen (not of all time, though, because of the animated series). Not only that, but it's a fantastic noir detective thriller. Batman/comic book fans should give it a watch (let's be honest, you probably already have). Even those who don't usually do the superhero thing should check it out, as it's still a great story overall.