The Batman

 

The Gillipedia Official Rating: This is The Movie

          I do not envy director Matt Reeves’ position. It was only a decade and a half ago when Christopher Nolan gifted the world with The Dark Knight. That entire Batman trilogy revolutionized what both superheroes and DC meant to the world. DC would lean too hard into their gritty visions and despite my personal enjoyment of most of their films, I also recognize the incredible lack of vision and subpar execution in presenting their Extended Universe.

          I even enjoyed Ben Affleck as Batfleck. But that vision of Justice League is moving on—while moving forward with some of the characters like Flash and Aquaman. So when the world has already been delivered the darker, more realistic superheroes and a confuzzled plan from DC, where does that leave Batman? You could take a page from Marvel and insert a formulaic brand, brush it off with some iconic characters, and call it a day. A perfectly competent Batman film will not only financially succeed, but it will satisfy a wide array of fans—myself most likely included.

          That is not the film Matt Reeves brought to us.

          Thank you, Matt Reeves.

          Yes, The Batman is even longer and darker than The Dark Knight. But for a film that has the impossible task of coming out of Dark Knight’s said shadow, The Batman is able to cast a spotlight (in the shape of a bat no less). I respect the absolute heck out of the vision for this film. With a 3 hour runtime, there’s plenty that can be talked about, so let’s stop Robin daylight and get to it.

          ^I make no apologies for that stretch of a pun. The first thing I want to mention is kudos to me. The film starts off with The Riddler spying on a family and finishing by killing the father who is running for office in Gotham. Afterward, we switch what felt like an opening to a Batman: Arkham videogame where our Batboy turned professional Batman narrates over an inside look at the underbelly of Gotham. A lowly criminal gathers courage to rob a family-run grocery store—Good Time Groceries. For our die-hard Gilligans out there, this is a clear homage to Robert Pattinson’s starring role in Good Time which motivated director Reeves to cast him as the Caped Crusader.

          There’s some good lines that Pattinson delivers in this narration that sets up our new Gotham without having to kill the Wayne parents yet again. From the trailer everyone knows that Pattinson says, “I’m vengeance,” but there’s another good one about criminals fearing what is inside the shadows, but Batman is the shadows. Anyways, Christian Bale normalized the iconic low raspy voice of Batman now to help hide his identity, and Pattinson keeps a low, monotonous tone but not that rasp. And what you’ll see as a common theme here is decisions made by cast and director about characters that make sense thematically as well as practically.

          This is absolutely the most emo Bruce Wayne has ever been. Without a doubt. I’m not here to say it’s the best iteration, and it’s hard to be worse than like Val Kilmer. What is implemented with incredible success is a unique take. I feel like it’s much easier to compare the 3 Spideys we’ve had since each is essentially the same character with new coats; our Batman here is a true apples to oranges to anyone else. The way Bruce is presented to us having gone through an isolated life and the traumatic loss of family, he’s not the playboy philanthropist we’re used to, and it works in this world.

          The same goes for the aforementioned Riddler. I was excited when I heard that Riddler would be a primary villain since the hokey Carrey version didn’t satisfy my desire for a clever villain with genuinely good riddles. And Paul Dano is one of the best casting decisions of this all-star performance. He’s not the most well known actor, but he brings qualities from previous roles in Prisoners and Twelve Years a Slave to a young man that knows he’s smart and just wants people to recognize that side in him. Where Batman is clearing the streets of criminals, Riddler has a goal of exposing a corrupt society. It’s a really well-integrated storyline to our contemporary times as well.

          We also have to talk about Colin Farrell as Penguin. With a New York accent and makeup techniques that reminded me of the transformation of Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour, Farrell is completely unrecognizable even if you know you’re looking at him. I will forever love Danny Devito and what he brought to Batman Returns, but this was the biggest surprise for me in terms of the cast. I’m a huge fan of Jeffrey Wright and am happy to see—broken record here—a new performance on Lt. Gordon. Andy Serkis (who worked with Reeves in the highly underrated Planet of the Apes trilogy) is the one character that I felt didn’t have enough moments. Perhaps I just love Michael Caine too much, but this isn’t a notable Alfred (but better than the Alfred that predicted his own death and turned himself into a computer, or whatever happened in that film I don’t remember). I can’t believe it’s taken this long into the review to mention it, but Zoe Kravitz is a perfect casting of Catwoman. I think Anne Hathaway was given a really strong arc in The Dark Knight Rises, so I don’t want to take anything away from that, but Kravitz is a great embodiment of this character.

          From Batman having a version of those flying squirrel suits to help him realistically glide to the homemade mask that Riddler wears throughout, everything is presented with intentional design. Even the color palette is well done. From the first teaser trailer to the title logo, a bright red was dominant. And the red along with the other primary colors are used to great effect in clubs and alleys. 

        Bruce Wayne rides a humble motorcycle for much of the film, but the Batmobile does make an appearance, and oh what an entrance it is. I really don’t want to spoil things for those that haven’t watched yet, but I will say that there’s a chase sequence which is the highlight of the film for me. In fact, it’s near this part of the film that has one of the absolute coolest cinematic shots I’ve seen—ever. I saw this film on a large screen and this shot alone made me feel validated. 

          One reason I think this film has been connecting with audiences and critics alike where other recent action films may have slipped is Reeves’ style. Like I mentioned with the motorcycle (Bat bike? That can’t be right.), there’s a surprising amount of like GoPro shots hooked up from the vehicle and we get to watch Pattinson drive through rain-drenched, trash-filled streets. We might be looking at green screen for all I know, but it feels like we’re actually maneuvering through this Gotham, and that my friends is the difference. When Batman throws a punch at a goon, we see the punch. We don’t see 5 cuts and then the aftermath of said punch. This is the result of careful planning and consideration, and Reeves deserves incredible props for it.

          And all this surrounds a solid noir film with Riddler guiding Batman along in unveiling corrupt officials and dirty cops. I can’t say how well this film will hold with multiple viewings necessarily, but it’s a great experience the first time through.

          But all that Bats is not black. This is a 3-hour film. It’s a lot. There’s a solid 20 minutes that could pretty easily be cut. I’d argue the opening scene of Riddler and his first victim is unnecessary. Start off with Batty patrolling the streets—a few scenes later we get the details of the crime anyways. And with that said, not everything was setup as neatly, like there could’ve been a bit of foreshadowing. I’m more specifically referring to the setting of the climax which felt a bit out of the blue, but I do also appreciate that it had blockbuster feel without suddenly dropping the practical and realistic side of things the film had been achieving the whole way through.

          I rewatched The Dark Knight for like the 5^th time just days before watching The Batman. For those that call The Batman the best Batman or superhero film ever, frankly speaking, you’re wrong. It’s not The Dark Knight. But that’s okay. It’s hard to imagine ever having that film again, and to the credit once more of this film, it makes no effort to be that film. The Batman manages to wiggle its way through the DCEU and be a standalone film that stands, er, alone in its lofty goals and achievements. This is a very dark and gritty take on Batman and Gotham. It’s not a perfect film, but boy was it good to go to the theaters and see my guy Bats on the big screen. Looking forward to what comes next.