The Batman

I am a massive Batman fan, and when it comes to movies about The Caped Crusader I can enjoy pretty much anything the character appears in in some way shape or form (yes, this means I stan for Batman & Robin, a truly incredible What The Fuck Is This? level of blockbuster filmmaking). So yes, I loved The Batman. Everyone in it and everything about it. This movie is entirely my kind of shit. I’m saying this upfront because I’m going to get into some spoiler territory here. I’ll do my best to keep it mild, but if you want to go in as blind as possible then enjoy this paragraph, go see the movie and come back after! Consider yourself warned.

Spoilers for The Batman to follow.

The Batman is a complete cinematic reboot of the character, without any connection to other DC movies, and filmmaker Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes) and star Robert Pattinson (Fuckin’ Edward, baby) have delivered what is quickly becoming my favorite iteration of the character yet.

First things first, my boy Pattinson kills it and fits into the cowl with confident ease. His Batman is almost feral, desperate to get to work every moment he’s not in the suit. Pattinson proves he is more than capable of slapping goons around with the best of them, but its his eyes and body movement in the quietest of moments that reveal just how good he is as the world’s greatest detective. The way he does or doesn’t look at someone, his slow but Tough As Fuck walk, how he gestures to a clue at a crime scene that the cops haven’t found yet. But more than anything, Pattinson’s sense of rage is the real deal. It consumes him, and Pattinson is completely and utterly convincing as someone who would dress as a bat and fight crime at night.

This is also the first Batman movie where it really seems like Batman is the main character. I say that because we barely see Bruce Wayne. When we do, its quick and to the point (one scene in particular features one of the best and most vulnerable moments for Bruce Wayne ever put on film. R Patz is SO good), but otherwise, we’re with Batman. It’s fitting too because as we all know, Bruce Wayne is his true mask, and it’s beyond fucking cool to see a Batman movie where Batman is truly front and center almost the entire time.

Director/Co-Writer Reeves must be given credit for getting straight to the point and avoiding another origin story. Early on we learn that Batman is knee deep in his second year on the job and the movie just goes from there. It’s nice when a filmmaker trusts his audience, and in this case Reeves trusts that we get who Batman is, and the film works so much better for it.

Reeves also goes out of his way to make a true blue detective story. Dark, gritty and punctuated with narration from The Bat himself, the film follows Batman as he works with Lt. Gordon (more on him in a bit) to stop The Riddler as he goes after the corrupt leadership of Gotham, and it’s really treated like a procedural. This is the kind of Batman I have always wanted to see on the big screen. I feel like people forget that he really is considered The World’s Greatest Detective in the comics, and until now only the more cartoonish versions of the character have been the only ones to really embrace this fact. A buddy of mine actually mentioned that it really felt like SEVEN to them and the more I think about it, the more I think he’s totally right. What is SEVEN if not a detective story? The Batman also has a grimey and grim vibe to it and its city as well, fitting right into that SEVEN aesthetic again. I mean shit, the idea of a Batman movie riffing on SEVEN, to me, is mind blowing. The fact that Reeves and company totally nailed it is, in a word, incredible.

Another element I love about the film is that Batman is constantly around people. In previous films, it felt like only Gordon and the villains had any real interaction with The Batman, but here he is walking through night clubs, police stations and crime scenes like he owns the whole damn town (which, I mean…) His interactions with cops are especially interesting. Aside from Gordon, he hates them (my man almost takes on an entire precinct simply because they pissed him off).

The spoilers have been mild so far but now I want to talk about a specific moment that happens at the end of the film, so-

MAJOR SPOILER

To continue on the point of The Batman constantly being around people, the finale involves Batman taking down a mob of Riddler’s goons trying to kill Gotham’s Mayor-Elect in a packed stadium. During this take down much destruction happens and the Mayor-Elect and several people get trapped underneath debris. Once the fight is over Batman rushes to the trapped crowd, clears the debris, and offers his hand to the soon to be Mayor (who up until this point has been adamant about arresting The Batman and restoring order the proper way) but she hesitates, unsure of his motives. Suddenly, the young son of the previously slain Mayor running for re-election, an orphan, reaches out to grab his hand. Batman takes it and lifts him and begins to walk him to safety. The crowd starts to follow. Outside we see him walking among cops and citizens alike, all in awe. Whatever fear they had before now gone. We see and experience the people of Gotham realizing that Batman is fighting for them. And that’s what I love so much right there. No matter how dark Batman can get, the character is ultimately about hope. Hope that he can make a difference and inspire people. Hope that he can stop as many people from going through what he had to as he can. It’s one of the many reasons that make Batman one of my all time favorite characters, and it’s beautifully realized here.

END OF SPOILERS

Now, let’s talk about the rest of the cast. Paul Dano and his Zodiac inspired Riddler was creepy AF, and is an excellent fit for the detective vibe of the whole thing. Colin Farrell is unrecognizable under mountains of prosthetics as The Penguin. Farrell is a somewhat small part of the ensemble here, as it seems he is being teed up for future installments, but it doesn’t feel forced at all, and it’s clear Farrell is having a blast playing him, so I can’t wait to see more. Actually, the film makes it seem that we’ll see just about everyone again (who made it to the end, that is), which is particularly exciting because we haven’t really seen any villains repeat in a major way in a Batman movie besides maybe The Scarecrow in the Nolan films (but even then his parts in the sequels were glorified cameos), which is exciting to me.

Zoë Kravitz is a perfect Catwoman, and yes it really is as simple as that. Her and Batman actually have a fully realized relationship the likes of which the big screen hasn’t seen before (not knocking any previous version BTW). Their flirtatious back and forth was a highlight for sure.

But good lord, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon is maybe the film’s MVP. Batman and Gordon are a real team here. They are always working together and communicating plans and helping each other out as much as they can, it’s honestly so fucking cool to see. They actually feel like friends, so much so that a scene where Gordon has to pretend to be angry at Batman in front other cops for reasons is one of the funniest and best in the whole movie (and yes, the film does have a sense of humor, sly as it may be).

From a technical standpoint The Batman is exquisite in every way. The cinematography by Greg Fraser (Dune Part I) is jaw droppingly gorgeous. Easily one of the best looking blockbusters ever made. Reeves crafts multiple thrilling set pieces that rival any great action movie (the Batman/Penguin car chase is a particular highlight). But Michael Giacchino’s score has somehow defeated all odds and immediately and successfully stands tall with every other iconic theme the Dark Knight has already had. It’s just that good.

Honestly, one of my only gripes is that we don’t get enough of Alfred, here played by the great Andy Serkis. He does great while he can, but his character gets sidelined big time. Here’s hoping future installments give me more of ol’ Al.

I really can’t tell you how much I loved The Batman. A perfect Batman movie that finally dives headfirst into the detective qualities without sacrificing its comic book origins. See it, and see it now.