The Batman - Film Review

I don't see too many superhero movies these days. Disney/Marvel has essentially run that entire sub-genre into the ground and Zack Snyder's take on DC Comics never particularly interested me. With that said, there's something uniquely special about Batman that made me willing to break my isolation from caped vigilantes and give this latest iteration of Bob Kane's and Bill Finger's creation a try. It's fascinating to see that after all this time, we're still able to get a fresh, new spin on an exceptionally old character.

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Where You Can Find It: I saw this in theaters where it is currently exclusively available, but it also looks like it will be available on HBO Max on 19 April 2022.

General Information 
The Batman is a superhero film that was released on 4 March 2022. It was directed and co-written by Matt Reeves along with Peter Craig. Greig Fraser did the cinematography while Michael Giacchino provided the scoring. It was distributed under Warner Bros. and DC Comics and is based off characters created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is the first film in Reeves' new take on the IP, with multiple additional spin-offs having already been green-lit for production. As of 29 March 2022, it has raked in over $670 million at the box office, which already eclipses its sizeable $170-$200 million budget. Critically, it stands tall with a 72 Metascore on Metacritic and an impressive 85% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Story
Bruce Wayne (played by Robert Pattinson) is still trying to understand his place in the world as the caped crusader, Batman, when a series of vicious murders threatens the entire social fabric holding Gotham City together. A serial killer going by the name of "The Riddler" (Paul Dano) is murdering political figures and leaving behind cryptic clues that only Batman can solve. Bruce will have to work together with Lieutenant Gordan (Jeffrey Wright) and Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) to figure out the Riddler's schemes before time runs out.

 

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The Riddler is a homicidal maniac with a deep appreciation for duct tape

 

Something I really enjoy about this particular iteration of Batman is that it charts its own path and doesn't try to chase after Nolan's or Burton's takes on the hero (I think it's safe to say that no one is going to intentionally try to emulate Schumacher). Viewers get a Bruce Wayne that is already comfortable donning the cape and cowl, which blissfully saves us from having to watch his parents get gunned down by yet another street bandit. Additionally, Reeves presents a Batman who is more of a masked detective than an action hero as the Riddler poses more of a mental threat than physical. I found this quite refreshing as I love the "World's Greatest Detective" type of Batman the most and this style genuinely works in the world Reeves presents.

Some areas where this film falters though is in the depth of its characters. Selina and Batman quickly establish a working relationship in the narrative, but it never feels quite right. Batman fans will be quick to point out that Selina (aka Catwoman) is a longtime love interest of Batman, but that shouldn't necessarily be a requirement for this film. The romantic chemistry between the two characters is poorly developed and frankly made me cringe in a couple parts. If the two work together in the sequel, I think I'd be more supportive of an attempt to build this relationship, but it fails to launch in this particular showing.

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Selina and Batman have an unspoken bond that I wish went even more unspoken

Lastly, the film's run-time is worth mentioning as it's quite long and arguably doesn't merit all of it. To be clear: I enjoyed myself from beginning to end in viewing this, but the latter half certainly drags quite a bit. Some of the extra fluff seems to be some cool, yet unneeded action scenes that could've frankly been cut if it weren't for the amount of money spent on making them in the first place. By the third act, I would imagine most viewers had probably started checking their watches.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
An element that I really liked is Reeves' presentation of Gotham City. Gotham feels like it was ripped straight from the gritty Detective Comics series Batman was first created in. Characters are instantly memorable by their unique physical features. Falcone (John Turturro) always wears shades; Selina has claw-like fingernails; and Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) is a human penguin. These embellishments reflect on the city itself too as the architecture seems to loom menacingly while cloaked in permanent rainfall. It's all quite impressive to take in without getting too campy or over-the-top.

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The world Reeves presents is memorable all the way from how its characters dress to even how Gotham City looks

On an audio side, I'm happy to announce that this Batman doesn't have throat cancer and Michael Giacchino's scoring gels pretty well with what's onscreen. The use of Nirvana's "Something in the Way" works incredibly well in this without being over-used. One small area that I didn't like was the incorporation of "Ave Maria" as I felt it lacked purpose or connection to what was happening onscreen. That song has always struck me as an easy go-to for filmmakers who want to make something sound "smart," but it's a bit of a trope at this point.

The Acting

After his performance in Daredevil, my opinion of Colin Farrell rarely hovered anywhere beyond "deep loathing." When I heard he'd been cast as the rotund Cobblepot, I was equally mortified and pessimistic about what he might bring to the table. I'm proud to say that all of my misgivings were for naught as he completely kills it as the waddling crime lord. First and foremost, Farrell is completely unrecognizable in-character while his performance instantly reminds me of James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano. He steals every scene he's in and I'd argue this film is worth checking out just to see Farrell in action.

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The barely recognizable Colin Farrell absolutely nails his role as Oswald Cobblepot

Similarly, I was a bit reticent to give Robert Pattinson the benefit of the doubt as I'd just recently finished watching all of the Twilight movies with my bad movie club. I'm very much aware that Pattinson's acting skills have thoroughly bloomed since then with films like The Lighthouse and Cosmopolis, but I've yet to see that growth with my own eyes until now. Pattinson does a solid job here as a young, but conflicted Bruce Wayne. I wouldn't necessarily say that he beats out Christian Bale or Michael Keaton; however, I think he does a fine job.

Generally speaking, the rest of the supporting cast delivers an above-average performance. I wasn't all that impressed with Zoë Kravitz nor Andy Serkis, but they both do what's needed of them within the constraints of the script. It's always nice to see Jeffrey Wright onscreen and I haven't seen Turturro act this villainous since he played an evil pimp in Miami Vice. I've unfortunately never seen Paul Dano in anything before this, so it was good to see some relatively new blood get a headlining role, and I think he might be going places after his solid performance here.

The Best of the Best: Colin Farrell steals the show every time he waddles into frame as Oswald Cobblepot.

The Worst of the Worst: Forced romance between a cat and a bat.

Calhooey Score: 7/10 - Good

Would I Recommend?

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Almost as exciting as Gotham City traffic

The Batman wears out its welcome at times, but it's a fun ride that introduces viewers to a new iteration of the caped crusader. Parents may want to check this out first before showing it to their kids (it might be a tad too dark in some areas for them), but I generally think everyone will find some enjoyment here. I would argue it's not quite as good as The Dark Knight, but I might say that it's about on par with Batman Begins. I'm curious to see where Reeves will take this franchise in the future and look forward to catching the next installment!

Spoiler Comments

• If Bruce never actually participates in any of Wayne Enterprise's business dealings, how does he maintain a prominent position on the board? Can I get a job like that too, or must one's parents meet an untimely end to qualify?
  
• I love that Batman actually knocks and attempts to get into the Iceberg Lounge like regular guests would.
  
• The Gotham City mayoral election looked like it was almost as painful as the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
• How old is Alfred? When did he have time to work in British Intelligence when he's been a dutiful employee of the Waynes for multiple decades? 
• Also: I know this is a comic book thing, but why would a British Intelligence operative quit the business to become a butler to some rich Americans?
  
• Why are the police so nice to Bruce Wayne? If he's a recluse, one might expect him to be approached with apprehension or somberness. The GCPD officers seem to wave and smile at him though. Maybe he's one of the few residents of Gotham that still pays his taxes...
  
• I know he's a superhero, but Bruce should be dead after that explosion to the face at the church. Unless Lucius Fox is providing Wayne with blast-proof aftershave, I don't see how he survived that.
  
• I love that Gotham City traffic can't be bothered to slow down or acknowledge a high-speed chase between the Batmobile and whatever the Penguin was driving.
• Also, I guess Penguin just waddled all the way back to the Iceberg Lounge after that interrogation.
  
• I think we'll see something about that supposedly dead reporter, Elliot, again. I'd love to see Batman's Hush brought to the silver screen.
  
• Who do you think that was talking and laughing with the Riddler? Based on what he said, I'm thinking it was the Joker, but the distorted face kind of made me think that it could be Two-Face?

References

(1) Otakunoculture. (n.d.). The Batman film image. Otaku no Culture. Retrieved from: https://otakunoculture.com/2022/03/05/the-batman-movie-review/. 

(2) Epting, C. (2022, March 2). Riddler image. Screen Crush. Retrieved from: https://screencrush.com/matt-reeves-the-batman-riddler-comments/.

(3) VanHoose, B. (2022, March 1). Catwoman and Batman image. People. Retrieved from: https://people.com/movies/zoe-kravitz-says-her-catwoman-is-bisexual-in-the-batman/.

(4) Osifo, E. (2022, March 8). Gotham City gif. BuzzFeed. Retrieved from: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ehisosifo1/the-batman-post-credit-scene-explainer.

(5) Darwish, M. (2022, March 9). Colin Farrell as Penguin image. TV Insider. Retrieved from: https://www.tvinsider.com/1035518/the-penguin-series-the-batman-spinoff-hbo-max-colin-farrell/. 

(6) Chow, K. (2021, October 21). Penguin driving image. Nerds of Color. Retrieved from: https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/10/21/get-a-first-look-at-new-merch-from-the-batman/.