The Batman, 2022.
Directed by Matt Reeves.
Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Alex Ferns, Jayme Lawson, Rupert Penry-Jones, Con O’Neill, Vic Waghorn, Dave Simon, Luke Roberts, Stella Stocker, Oscar Novak, and Archie Barnes.
SYNOPSIS:
In his second year of fighting crime, Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while facing a serial killer known as the Riddler.
It has been 10 years since Batman graced the big screen in his own solo film and director Matt Reeves does not waste any opportunity to place Batman front and centre in the aptly titled The Batman. The film, led by Robert Pattinson as Batman, is ambitious in its scope as a character and mystery driven film, diving into the psyche of the Dark Knight as he’s pushed to the limit in the early years of his crime-fighting career. Whether you’re a fan of Batman, superhero films or suspenseful thrillers, The Batman has something for everyone and will leave you wanting more.
Taking place in Batman’s early years, Bruce Wayne is solely focused on his mission as Gotham’s vigilante, so much so that his life (much less his playboy persona) as Bruce Wayne is non-existent. Batman is Bruce’s obsession and reason for being, but when a serial killer begins striking out at Gotham’s elite and exposes their corruption and leaves clues specifically for Batman, he has to confront his own darkness before it fully consumes him.
Pattinson delivers a fantastic performance as the Dark Knight. He convey’s Batman’s intelligence, determination, stoicism and, most of all, rage quite well throughout the film. The amount of emotion he’s able to express with just his body language and eyes is impressive, especially since Pattinson spends the majority of time in the Batsuit. Make no mistake, The Batman is a Batman film first and foremost with the superhero appearing in costume onscreen more than any other incarnation. The way Pattinson emphasizes the use of his eyes says much more than some of his lines, creating a great combination of his physical and vocal acting.
Coming up in the second lead role is Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman who shares great chemistry with Pattinson. Kravitz embodies the femme fatale role quite well, but displays her own agency as Selina with her mysterious background and motivations, capturing the character’s anti-hero status. Like Pattinson, Kravitz does a lot with her body language and has nearly as many disguises as Batman does, giving each a slightly different persona as she helps Batman in his investigation for her own reasons. Jeffrey Wright’s Gordon gets plenty of time to shine as he has quite a large supporting role. He and Batman share a close partnership where they are shown to be true equals and need each other. Andy Serkis is not in the film quite as much as Alfred, but despite his limited screentime he makes use of every moment to provide insight into Bruce’s mind and his own perspective into the case while nailing the father/son dynamic he and Bruce often share.
Rounding out the cast on the villainous side is Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin and John Tuturro as Carmine Falcone, the two biggest mobsters in Gotham City. Farrell is near unrecognizable as Penguin for more than just the heavy prosthetics he wears as he embodies Penguin’s smarmy arrogance while Tuturro plays a confident and menacing mob boss with just the crack of a smile and soft, cool voice. However, the crowning achievement for villain goes to Paul Dano as The Riddler, reimagined as a notorious serial killer targeting Gotham’s elite. Dano gives quite an unnerving performance as the masked killer while displaying his intelligence and superior attitude toward those who are either corrupt or can’t keep up with his clues. One of the difficulties many comic writers have said in using Riddler is the use of riddles, whether they’re already existing ones or creations of their own, but The Batman incorporates Riddler’s penchant for riddlers and wordplay quite well, creating a villain that keeps you guessing and is always one step ahead which Dano exemplifies perfectly. His performance will likely go down as one of the best supervillain performances in the superhero genre and would fit right at home in a David Fincher film.
On that note, The Batman is very influenced by film noir with its dark atmosphere and emphasis on the mystery. This is very much a detective story over a superhero adventure, one which puts Batman’s capabilities as a detective to the test. The detective angle is a welcome change and brings something new to the table and Matt Reeves, with his co-screenwriters Peter Craig and Mattson Tomlin, create a very engrossing and captivating mystery for the audience to solve alongside Batman, Selina and Gordon. While gritty and grounded isn’t exactly new ground for Batman filmmakers to explore, having already done so with Tim Burton’s Batman and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, Reeves’ approach feels fresh in how it feels like a psychological thriller with its examinations of Batman’s psyche and asks the question of how much good he really is doing for Gotham – both as Batman and Bruce Wayne – with corruption so rampant. Batman’s development culminates in a moving and inspiring note, becoming one of the film series’ best character arcs.
While the emphasis is on the detective tone, the action throughout the film is terrific. The fights are fluid, clear and often brutal as Batman holds little back in his punches. The action as well as the gruesome nature of Riddler’s murders push the PG-13 rating to its absolute most without going into R territory. There is also one of the best Batmobile sequences in all of the Batman films as the more grounded Batmobile is still a thing to behold. Greig Fraser’s cinematography is just gorgeous with his imagery, whether its Batman and Catwoman standing on a Gotham rooftop soaking in the sunset or Batman walking into Penguin’s club and demolishing his thugs. Combined with Michael Giacchino’s soft and beautiful score, every aspect of The Batman fires on all cylinders.
The Batman is a masterpiece with how the acting, writing, cinematography, music and more all combine perfectly into a moving, mysterious, action-packed and character driven story. Pattinson delivers one of his best performances as Batman by delving into what makes him tick while the supporting cast of Kravitz, Wright, Dano and Serkis compliment him and the film’s themes. It is not only one of the best Batman films made, but among the best in the whole superhero genre that will likely make Batman fans and the general audience very happy.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
