The Batman MOVIE REVIEW by Josh Davis
March 6, 2022 7:00 am |
Director Matt Reeves doesn’t deliver an origin story with “The Batman” in a typical sense. As viewers we aren’t, thankfully, subjected to watching young Bruce Wayne’s parents being gunned down for the 38th time on film, and there’s no training montage or dramatic music swell as he dons the cape and cowl for the first time.
Instead, Reeves’ new take is an origin for a new universe, where Gotham is grimmer than ever, the villains are even more unhinged, and the Batman finally gets to do some actual detective work.
Cowritten by Reeves and Peter Craig (“The Town” and the last two “Hunger Games” films), “The Batman” is the most film noir version yet of the caped crusader, complete with hardboiled dialog that would have made Humphrey Bogart proud.
From the jump, Batman (Robert Pattinson) is working with Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) on solving the brutal murder of Gotham’s mayor. The Riddler (Paul Dano), dressed in a military surplus mask and goggles instead of bright colors and cartoon question marks, has left a trail of breadcrumbs addressed to Batman himself, and the movie wastes no time in drawing comparisons between the two masked vigilantes.
Dano does quite a bit with the character, despite the obvious limitations of acting in a stifling suit. It’s not the revelation of Heath Ledger’s Joker, but it works well in this context. He’s legitimately scary, more like Jigsaw from the “Saw” franchise than any previous Riddler.
We also meet our new Selina Kyle/Catwoman, played by an utterly captivating Zoë Kravitz. Probably the most fleshed out and interesting on-screen version of the character yet, Selina goes toe-to-toe with Batman several times and stands her ground, and the payoff during the obvious eventual team-up is well earned because of their interactions and her strong chemistry with Pattinson.
Batman’s rogues’ gallery also includes an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and an especially menacing John Turturro as mob boss Carmine Falcone.
Adding to the grim and gritty atmosphere of the film, early on “The Batman” makes fantastic use of Nirvana’s somber “Something in the Way,” and the orchestral score later borrows part of the melody and seemingly melds it with the first few notes of Darth Vader’s “Imperial March” to create a creepy, ominous new theme for the title character.
Speaking of creepy, Reeves’ rendering of Batman and the assortment of antagonists lurking in the shadows – along with his fantastic dramatic timing – makes for some truly skin-crawling moments. There aren’t jump scares, so much as honestly eerie and tense moments.
And the suit! This is probably the most dynamic that Batman has looked onscreen. Not so stiff as Burton and Keaton’s early version, and certainly not as hulking as the more recent Affleck/Snyder take. The latest batsuit looks like a not-so-finished product that fits (literally and figuratively) the character, but still provides enough armor and frightening ambiance to look believable during a rooftop or alleyway scuffle against a gang of thugs.
The one notable thing missing from the film is Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy, living it up to distract Gotham from the truth: that Gotham’s son is living a double life as a masked crime fighter. Pattinson’s Bruce is single-minded in his determination and fervor – much more The Bat than The Man. But, perhaps that’s just something that Reeves is setting up for future installments.
Pattinson should also get a lot of credit for his stirring portrayal. It’s a measured, subtle, and nuanced take, where a lesser actor might have gone loud or flamboyant.
The sum of all those parts, even with a nearly three-hour runtime, is a smart, thrilling, engaging, and entertaining ride through a Gotham City that I hope to see revisited many more times. The best Batman stories know that Gotham City itself is as much a central character as any of the rogues, and Reeves has set up a Gotham at a crossroads that begs for more storytelling.
Time will tell how well the Reeves/Pattinson Batman stories hold up again the best of the Burton and Nolan films, but they’re off to one hell of a start.
PCL Rating: TUPPERWARE
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH
Tags: Catwoman The Batman, dc, DC Comics, dceu, film review, Gotham City, Matt Reeves director The Batman, pop culture leftovers, Robert Pattinson Batman, The Batman, The Batman 2022, The Batman Matt Reeves Andy Serkis
Categorised in: Movie Reviews
This post was written by Leftover Brian
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