Writer and director Matt Reeves’ highly-anticipated caped crusader picture, The Batman (Warner Bros. Pictures), hits theaters on Friday. Reeves, who was also a producer on the film, unquestionably made the most unique Batman film to date with the latest Dark Knight installment. The filmmaker also now owns some of the most beautiful and cutting Batman shots in the history of the character.
(*Read away without fear of storyline spoilers!)
Reeves succeeded in zeroing in on Batman the detective, an attribute for the hero that’s been explored more in comics and video games than on the big screen until now. In depicting the corruption of Gotham City, played appropriately by Chicago for most of the film, and a very broken Bruce Wayne’s sorrow with a life-in-the-gutter tone exemplified by a grunge-heavy soundtrack and a near three-hour runtime, The Batman drifted far too frequently from dark to numb.
Grounding Gotham in that emotional tone contributed to the movie’s originality, but the feeling of somber nothingness it occasionally gave off made it a far cry from the blockbuster Batmans of the past. That very well could have been exactly what Reeves set out to do, and good on him for sticking to his vision regardless.
The indisputable victory of The Batman is Robert Pattinson’s offering as The Bat. What seemed like a questionable casting choice when first announced now looks like a potential triumph for years to come.
The costume for The Batman was superb. The body of the suit was unique from all the others and Reeves’ team designed arguably the best mask in Bat history across all mediums.
Although the film is almost incomparable to other Batman movies because of it’s vibe, some iconic Batman moments that will stand the test of time were yielded from Pattinson’s performance. The 35-year-old actor paired perfectly with a Bat mask that fit closer to his face than Batmans of the past sported.
Pattinson, who was a commanding Batman from the first time he emerged onscreen, seemed to use the mask to his advantage with every scowl and growl. The more visible eyes of the new mask, along with Pattinson’s slow and stompy walk, is something that audiences will take home with them.
Despite a well-written and intriguing corruption, conspiracy, and murder mystery plot, the character development and dialogue in The Batman sometimes felt too broad and simplistic for the caliber of actors in the film.
Andy Serkis elevated The Batman from the grunge gutter with his scenes through a warm and sincere approach to portraying everyone’s favorite butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Zoe Kravitz delivered a strong performance as Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman. Colin Farrell, with loads of help from makeup and costuming, disappeared into The Penguin and provided some much-needed comic relief.
Paul Dano, an actor as talented and versatile as any of his castmates in the picture, was at his best in The Riddler’s new bizarre fetish mask (no suit!?) or over the phone. Dano’s take on the character lost steam when stripped of the aforementioned padding.
Playing strongly to the depressing underbelly of Gotham and taking a detective’s approach to solving The Riddler’s serial murders, The Batman dives deeper into the darkness that’s made Batman films of the past a huge success, but did it dive too deep? Feeling more like Seven than The Dark Night, this Batman flick won’t be for everyone, but it is worth seeing.
Grade: B
