Somehow, I managed to avoid any spoilers through the opening weekend and I hope to do the same for you in case you haven’t seen it. I typically don’t reference plot specifics that aren’t readily available in the trailer, but this is a highly-anticipated movie and I did write about it at length so I may have ventured into murky spoiler waters. Anyway, Matt Reeves’ vision for The Batman returns the iconic character to his proper place among the shadows of the grittiest version of Gotham yet.
An up-and-coming Batman graduates from tackling street crime when an eccentric serial killer called the Riddler begins targeting prominent political figures in Gotham and leaving bread crumbs for the Caped Crusader to follow. As he begins to tug at the string, the entire tapestry of Gotham’s carefully guarded history begins to unravel including the legacy of the Wayne name.
DC and Warner Bros are moving ahead with three other 2022 releases within the current Justice League/Ben Affleck-Batman version of the DCEU and The Batman was initially supposed to be part of that. However, long story short, Reeves was brought in to direct and Ben Affleck left the project which left the film as a standalone project outside of the current DCEU. Without the connective tissue the studio has been so desperately trying to cultivate as they play catch-up to Disney and Marvel’s juggernaut MCU, this film had to find its success without much support.
Reeves’ vision of the character didn’t line up with the existing script that was in place, but it says a lot that Warner/DC gave him the keys to the character and allowed him and Peter Craig to write their own Batman story outside the scope of the DC Extended Universe. And it was a good one. They brought Bats back to his roots and essentially put him in a position to graduate from beat cop to detective. The mental combat of the Riddler tests the Dark Knight in new ways, but the plot elements still include the organized crime element that is essential to Bruce Wayne’s transformation.
This script was as robust and comprehensive a look at Gotham that we’ve seen on film, both literally and figuratively. The depth of the city’s history paints Bruce’s connection to it in a new light and explores what it means to have a legacy. This film is dripping with influences from David Fincher’s Se7en and Zodiac, from the overtly dark presentation to the cerebral nature of the antagonist, and I loved it. Noir Batman hones in on the characters’ roots in a way that feels very much at home and makes for an entertaining hunt.
Speaking of home, Gotham felt like a whole new animal this time around. The Euro-centric location shoots around England and Scotland gave the city a much more gothic feel than its predecessors. Maybe James Chinlund got a bit carried away with the production design of Bruce’s penthouse apartment because there’s so much ornate decoration that the characters almost have to dodge it with their stage direction, but overall the design is fantastic.
Visually, the film is stunning and Greg Fraser’s cinematography makes great use of dark spaces as the script calls for the shadows to play a large role in scene-setting. The use of CGI is mostly pretty subtle with the exception of a few scenes and the shot selection doesn’t get over ambitious, so Fraiser keeps the audience’s focus in the right places and there are some breathtaking shots throughout the film. A good example is the introduction of the new Batmobile and the ensuing chase scene where it’s prominently featured. The vehicle has its own character reminiscent of Christine or The Car where it seems to come to life in a way we haven’t seen yet. I loved the Rambler and Tim Burton versions, but there was something special about this one and I hope to see it again.
The foundational elements were all strong but none of that would have really mattered if Robert Pattinson flopped as the titular character. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. I wasn’t among his doubters as I had seen plenty from him in his roles in Good Time, The Lighthouse, High Life, and Water for Elephants, but it’s always a big cowl to fill. It’s a much more emo Batman/Bruce than we’ve seen in the past, as Pattison plays the role much more haunted by his past than any of his predecessors. It’s mostly subtext as his relationship with Andy Serkis’ Alfred assumes a lot of history but doesn’t quite earn the emotional timbre it asks of the audience. Rob certainly carved out his own niche for the character and the future is there for the taking.
The lack of relationship depth wasn’t just a Bruce and Alfred thing. Zoë Kravtiz’s version of Selina Kyle works well in the context of the plot and she does a nice job with the grittier, ground-level version of the character. She and Pattinson work well together but it’s more of a brother/sister vibe, as the romantic angle felt forced and unnecessary. There are some subtle moments in the script that do far more for their relationship than an empty kiss. Still, Kravitz finds her stride along and delivers a satisfying character arc regardless of her relationship status.
Even if their romance landed the way it was supposed to, it wouldn’t hold a candle to Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the Penguin (Oz). The hair and makeup team must have trained at Hogwarts because they pulled off some wizardry on this one. Farrell is unrecognizable and brought some much-needed life and texture to a key piece of Batman’s stable of villains. Clearly, I am not alone in that opinion either as it appears as though HBO Max will be moving forward with a Penguin spin-off series that would potentially follow the events of the film. If so, I am 100% on board with that.
Jeffrey Wright is an excellent Jim Gordon, still in the lieutenant stage of his career in the Gotham City Police Department. Wright’s voice has the perfect gravity to play the sort of mentor role and his turn as Gordon showed him as more of a sidekick to the World’s Greatest Detective in his formative moments. I could see that role getting explored further in the Penguin series and Jeffrey is the Wright man for the job.
The other primary supporting roles are handled with care by the very capable hands of Paul Dano as The Riddler and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. Dano has a unique intensity that fits this character well. It’s not the cartoonish, almost fun-loving Riddler we have seen before. It’s a methodical, demented, radicalized, dark-web version of the character who is still smart enough to out-think Batman. Similar to the Penguin character, Turturro gives Falcone a lot more depth and complexity as a member of Gotham’s founding underground. The details and his confident portrayal help shape an image of Gotham that feels more alive than other iterations.
Batman films have always had a certain element of black leather, but there were some heavy BDSM influences right out of the gate. We get some creepy, voyeuristic heavy breathing then a glimpse of the Riddler’s gimp mask before he whips out the duct tape. It reminded me quite a bit of 8MM and I couldn’t help but see elements of Robocop in the Bat-suit design and in the relationship between Batman and the cops. Maybe I’m wrong, but I saw what I saw and I’m sticking to it.
What else is there to say? I enjoyed it thoroughly, even at nearly three hours. It never felt like it was quite that long but the pacing wasn’t as brisk as the Christopher Nolan franchise. A big part of that is the masterful original music by Michael Giacchino. I know a lot of people are talking about Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” having a big influence on the film and the character, and it certainly does. Reeves even said that he was listening to the band while writing the film and that Kurt Cobain influenced his design of Bruce Wayne. However, Giacchino’s is so heavy that you can feel the bass in your seat and it does the vast majority of the work over the course of three hours, helping paint the lead character as an intense recluse with anger issues while still paying homage to Danny’s Elfman’s soundtrack for the 1989 film.
I don’t think fans or DC/Warner Bros. could have asked for a better result from this film. It easily won the box office in its opening weekend with a $134-million haul and it will likely hold that spot for at least another week as it looks to break the &300-million mark globally. Word of mouth has been great and that generates quite a bit of buzz, especially among the hardcore crowd who has gotten burned by DC films in the past. Don’t be surprised to see sequels in the works, despite the disconnect from the rest of the DCEU.
Recommendation: Most of those who wanted to have seen it already, but if you were on the fence it is time to jump. See it wherever you can get the best sound and picture quality and enjoy.
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