Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman follows the caped crusader (Robert Pattinson) in his second year of fighting crime as he pursues the Riddler (Paul Dano), a serial killer who targets elite Gotham City citizens and leaves behind cryptic clues for only Batman to follow. He soon begins to uncover a corruption that connects to far more than he imagined, forcing him to make new allies to catch the Riddler and bring those involved to justice.
Out of all the films coming out in 2022, this was the world’s choice as the most anticipated release. What was initially meant to be a solo film for the DCEU’s Batman became a completely stand-alone film under the direction of Matt Reeves that takes place in a different universe, has a new actor taking on the cowl, and has a story that seemed to accurately depict the character and his world more than any previous live-action adaptation. This one felt very different from the rest and I think that is what drew so many people in to see it, including myself.
Even though I deeply love the character and have liked some of the previous adaptations, I was honestly getting tired of the over-saturation of Batman in recent years and felt that some portrayals of the character have ranged from poor to repetitive. I wanted an adaptation that was refreshing and more in line with some of the best Batman stories that painted the character as dark, complex, and enduring the eternal struggles as he goes up against a variety of foes that test him physically and mentally. And after seeing the film after such a long wait I can definitely say I got exactly what I wished for.
The Batman is fucking phenomenal in every possible way and has easily become my favorite adaptation of the character to date. This film is a gritty noir-style thriller that goes for more of a grounded and detective-focused angle like some of the best Batman stories, yet it also manages to feel epic with the way it is directed, written, and crafted on a technical level.
Clocking in at almost three hours, I was still so invested in this film from start to finish, thanks to a perfect narrative and a perfectly picked cast. Robert Pattinson absolutely owned this role in more ways than I could have imagined. Not only did he truly capture what makes Batman such an amazingly complex character, he was also able to add some new things that made this take of the character refreshing and unique. You see a man not only struggling against the evil of the city he swore to protect in his early days, but he is also struggling to not succumb to his own demons that threaten to control all sides of his life.
You get to see the darkness and sadness surrounding his character without even needing any dialogue or exposition, and it’s done perfectly, mostly thanks to Robert Pattinson’s acting. We see him physically and emotionally embody a man who has yet to fully become the hero that Gotham needs him to be. In a way it is like a coming of age story, which we have had slight pieces of from other adaptations but not in the way it was done here.
Robert Pattinson dedicated so much to putting this character on a journey that tests everything from his intellect, his strength, and even his trust. He worked perfectly as a slightly reclusive Bruce Wayne, a master detective, and a vengeful creature of the night, willing to bring hell upon those deserving it. In the face of great odds our hero has to find allies, and he does so with his loyal butler Alfred (Andy Serkis), Detective Gordon (Jefferey Wright), and new cat burglar in town, Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz).
When it comes to the character of Alfred there’s never been a bad casting and Andy Serkis continues that trend, delivering a great performance and sharing lots of great and emotionally raw scenes with Pattinson’s Bruce. But it’s with Gordon and Selina that we really get to see some of the best chemistry of the film come forward.
Jeffrey Wright brings forth perhaps my new favorite portrayal of Jim Gordon who we get to see actively work side by side with Batman on cases and sharing some excellent scenes. Being the only member of the law to trust Batman with a special case brings a lot of challenges, and it was awesome to see that explored more here than in any of the previous adaptations. It’s through them we get a lot of the detective noir style storytelling of this film and I loved every moment of it.
And then we come to Selina, who is not yet the Catwoman we know but is just getting started with her dangerous career. She shares similar goals as the caped crusader but their methods are vastly different and causes friction between them. Zoe Kravitz is spectacular as Selina Kyle and shares electrifying chemistry with Pattinson’s Batman in pretty much every scene they are in together. She certainly kicks ass on her own, especially when she is out dealing with the underbelly of Gotham, but she seriously captivated me with her interactions with Batman, offering the best portrayal of their relationship from comics.
And then we have our villains of the film who really needed to be just as compelling as the other characters and holy shit were they compelling. Colin Farrell delivers an incredible unrecognizable performance as the Penguin, giving us a vicious mob boss in the making who’s ready to make some serious moves on Gotham. Farrell devoted himself to this role and seriously ended up stealing the spotlight much more than I could have expected, especially with the makeup he was given and the voice he went with. Does he go over the top in this role? Absolutely, but it totally works for this take on the character and it very much reminds me of Nolan North’s portrayal in the Arkham games, which was my favorite. The combined efforts of Matt Reeves and Colin Farrell made a character once considered silly into an absolute blast on screen that could be taken seriously. But he wasn’t the only one.
We also have our primary villain played by Paul Dano, who quite possibly delivers the most bone-chilling and disturbing portrayal of the Riddler I have ever seen.
Paul Dano has always been an excellent actor but I never expected him to go as far as he did with this role as a zodiac killer-esque figure that has the goal of purifying Gotham of its corruption and challenging the Dark Knight in every possible way. From the sound of his voice to the haunting costume he wears to the gruesome riddles he leaves behind, every single part of him made my skin crawl and he fucking nailed this role. It’s a very new take on the role of an iconic Batman villain that has been seriously elevated to new heights.
The supporting cast is also fantastic all around including a very surprising performance from John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.
The narrative as I mentioned is very grounded and detective-focused, taking inspiration from a lot of the Batman stories and focusing on the biggest element Batman is known for: being the world’s greatest detective. The one thing that always bugged me about previous adaptations of Batman is that they always glossed over the investigation sequences and cut straight to the action, not giving any proper build-up or sense of challenge for our lead. Matt Reeves finally breaks the mold by focusing on Batman as the central character, conducting intense investigations at grim crime scenes that eventually lead to a much larger mystery that has very personal connections to him and Gotham City.
And none of this felt boring in the slightest. With the benefit of a long runtime, we are able to go on such a special journey that is extremely thrilling, brutal, compelling, bleak, and intense every step of the way. The film does have beautiful levity spread throughout but makes sure to only bring it in when it was appropriate, keeping you invested and at the edge of your seat at all times. There’s no overly heavy reliance on action like previous installments to push the film forward but when there is action it is absolutely fantastic and fucking brutal even by PG-13 standards.
When it comes to all the hand-to-hand combat there are sequences and sound effects that really make you feel the viciousness of these fights even when Batman doesn’t have the intention of killing his foes. Does everyone remember the sheer brutality of how he walloped that one gang member in the very first trailer for this film? Well, I can say that accurately displays the kind of action you see in this film.
There are so many incredible sequences that all look amazing thanks to incredible effects (mostly practical) and stellar cinematography. My favorite action sequence in the film easily has to be the Batmobile chase scene, which honestly triumphs over the Batmobile scenes in previous installments. A phenomenal scene that is gorgeously shot and crafted with great intensity and thrills.
Greig Fraser truly outdoes himself with this film, creating the most visually stunning Batman film of all time with colors and frames that flesh out all the elements of Gotham City, making it stand out like it’s a character of its own that shares beauty and darkness. We get grand set pieces that finally show the return of Gothic architecture in Gotham and not just some modernized city with the Gotham label. For the first time since the Tim Burton films and the animated series I felt like I was transported to the true Gotham City ripped straight from the comics.
The style and tone is all there thanks to incredible craftsmanship from the effects teams. And speaking of craftsmanship, let’s discuss Michael Giacchino’s score for this film. He had the challenge of making music for this film that could stand apart from other masterful works for Batman by other composers. But he did it. He fucking did it. He delivers us a truly incredible score across the entire film that brings out so many different emotions from viewers, whether it be thrills, chills, or moments of epic proportions. The film feels like a noir thriller and epic on its own already but the score enhances this to great lengths. I couldn’t stop listening to the main theme for Batman when it was first released to the public, especially with how it gave me goosebumps every time I listened to it on repeat. When you see it with context it’s even better and it just gives the film so much life than could ever be thought possible.
This film delivered so much that I wanted to see and much much more. It is truly a gripping story from start to finish that is very ambitious, taking many risks that all ended up paying off. So much effort was put into this film from very passionate individuals including Matt Reeves himself. From the first time he described what he wanted to do with this film I knew that he truly understood the character and his world better than anyone ever could. And if he wishes to continue making more stories about this world with these amazing characters then he should be allowed to by all means. I’d love to see his takes on other Batman stories and characters, ones that can be taken seriously and truly impact viewers in massive ways.
We need more films like this. Not just comic book films but films in general that are willing to take on all the opposition laid before them and produce a true spectacle with flying colors. I’m going to give The Batman an A+
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