The Batman – Film Review

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Batman ventures into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Matt Reeves is very conscientious in how he depicts Batman investigating crime. As a comic book fan, Batman is a character that’s always been at the forefront. From him going toe-to-toe with Joker or Penguin or teaming up with the Justice League, though where Batman shines the most is being a detective. While in the past, we’ve seen Batman dabble in investigated cases in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) or The Dark Knight (2008), we’ve never had it shown to the extent that it is in this movie. This film is very much Chinatown (1974) & Se7en (1995) meets The Batman and it works so beautifully well.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Robert Pattinson is easily the most talked-about casting choice in this movie. In a lot of the actors we’ve had in the past as Bruce Wayne/Batman, each actor played the two characters differently. Bruce Wayne is this billionaire playboy during the day and a masked vigilante at night. This entry gives us a Batman that doesn’t talk an awful lot, he’s often in the distance observing or in the room watching and this version of Bruce Wayne talks just about as much or maybe less.

Pattinson’s Batman is much more stoic and takes a lot of hits in this film. A lot of his acting is seemingly in his eyes, and it’s honestly impressive how much one can act with just their eyes. Another thing that is a takeaway in this film is how he walks and carries himself or turns and looks and is often very intimidating without saying anything. Often when he is coming out of the shadows, you hear him before you see him because he’s taking very heavy steps to let people know he is there before they even see him. This is exceptionally brilliant as you see these criminals in the film look to the shadows in fear and they eventually scare themselves away because they don’t want to get caught.

This is a Batman that is learning to be the Dark Knight that Gotham needs. This is a film about his second year fighting crime and he’s still learning so much about not only himself as Batman but himself as Bruce Wayne. This Bruce Wayne is a version that doesn’t want to be famous or be in the limelight as a Wayne, he’s a recluse but Batman is what feeds him as that’s his addiction. In the comics, Bruce Wayne views Batman is the real him and that Bruce Wayne is the mask, putting on the cape/cowl clears his mind and makes him whole and you definitely see that with this portrayal of the caped crusader.

Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman is excellent and acted well off of Robert Pattinson’s Batman. Dating back to the 60s Batman show starring Adam West and Burt Ward, we’ve had quite a few actors portraying this character. This is a version that is a little closer to the comics and I love a lot about what this movie does with the character, even down to the simplicity of her mask. It fits for someone that works to make ends meet and can’t really afford many things. Her arc is very reminiscent of her story in Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Paul Dano (Prisoners, There Will Be Blood) is one of those actors that when he’s in a movie, you’re going to be impressed or scared by how much he becomes the character he was hired to play and when it was announced that he was cast as The Riddler, I was sold on the choice. After watching this movie, I can say that this take on The Riddler is a genius and a very unsettling interpretation and brings it down to Earth, it makes sense in a real-world setting seeing how this version is based on the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer in the late 60s that left clues/ciphers for LAPD, very much like The Riddler does in this very film. This is one of the best performances I’ve seen for a role in a comic book film since Heath Ledger’s role as Joker.

Another villain we have in this movie is Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin who is shockingly unrecognizable in not only his make-up but also his accent and voice as they are so different than his own. Farrell vanishes in this role and his humor & charisma stand out. John Turturro is in the movie as mobster Carmine Falcone and he’s so laidback and grounded in this film that you forget he’s much more of a villain than you realize, really only working to further both Batman and Catwoman’s plot.

Aside from the ensemble cast, the film features stunning action and even one of the best car chases in a movie featuring the best version of the Batmobile to date. It’s riveting and well-shot as Reeves helms the action with as many wide shots as possible allowing the audience to view the whole scope of the action and witness the vulnerability behind Batman as this is a hero that takes some hits. Michael Giacchino’s score behind the film is epic, brooding, and abrupt as it enhances every scene. In so many decades, we’ve had so many fantastic takes on the score to accompany The Batman in media, Giacchino offers a fresh and new take that matches the dread and darkness fit for this film’s Dark Knight.

The Batman is the newest entry in the pantheon of DC Films. It stands well on its own as a solid entry in, not only a Batman film but also one of the best comic book movies ever made. This is film is not only beautifully shot but it juggles so many characters granted, the three-hour runtime is daunting, but due to it being such an efficiently paced and multi-layered film, it feels much shorter than it is. This movie is a cinematic event with superb filmmaking that isn’t seen much in this genre.

The Batman is out on home media now.