It’s true. The latest entry into the Batman film canon isn’t the breezy adventure that moviegoers have come to expect out of the superhero genre – nor should it be.
Directors of any skill level would be hard-pressed to tell an effective detective-thriller story in an hour and a half, or even two hours. Luckily, Matt Reeves structured “The Batman” so that every aspect of the film builds toward the central plot.
Taking inspiration from classic neo-noir films alongside famed serial killer movies like “Se7en” and “Zodiac,” the film shows the Dark Knight putting his deductive powers to the test hunting down the crazed Riddler. Along the way, he crosses paths with other famous residents of Gotham City like Lieutenant Jim Gordon, Catwoman and the Penguin.
Since the film follows the titular vigilante in his second year, this Batman isn’t the great hero we all know he can be. He’s unrefined. He makes mistakes. He expends so much of himself as Batman that there’s no room for Bruce Wayne.
There’s not a weak link in this cast, and the performances on display have the potential to become character-defining.
Robert Pattinson wholeheartedly embodies the driven obsession of a broken man seeking to bring vengeance to a corrupted city, and Zoë Kravitz is purr-fect as small-time thief Selina Kyle. Watching them interact on screen truly felt like I was intruding on a private conversation.
Even though the Riddler’s face is only visible in a few scenes, Paul Dano is a completely menacing and unhinged presence in the film. One of the other villains in the film, Oswald Cobblepot, played by an unrecognizable Colin Farrell, adds a needed layer of underworld seediness.
It’s refreshing to see a relationship between Bruce and Alfred, played by Andy Serkis, that’s more strained and fraught with tension than we’re used to seeing. On the other hand, Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon brings a bit of humor into his partnership with Batman as the last good cop in Gotham.
The score by Michael Giacchino is equal parts intense, triumphant and beautiful. Apart from his original pieces, the composer also utilizes Franz Schubert’s classic hymn “Ave Maria” to a haunting effect. Giacchino has been steadily cementing his spot as a premier film composer over the past 15 years, scoring numerous Disney-Pixar films alongside multiple entries in the “Star Trek,” “Jurassic World” and “Marvel” franchises, and this is another strong step forward.
As a lifelong fan of Batman, this movie had absolutely everything I wanted. The plot-heavy detective scenes were balanced with the action so that neither outweighed the other. The fight scenes themselves feel as though they’ve been lifted from a Batman video game.
The Batmobile looks sleek yet intimidating. Some may see the journal entry-style narration as clichéd, but it’s the best way to translate the textboxes of comic books onto the big screen.
Gotham City appears in all its rain-soaked, crime-ridden glory. Recent Batman adaptations have lacked a unique atmosphere that sets the fictional city apart from the real-world filming locations.
The biggest contributor to Gotham’s atmosphere is the underlying sense of terror. At any moment, a creature of rage and vengeance could come out of the shadows and break bones criminals didn’t even know they had.
My only complaint with “The Batman” is that the film furthers the idea that the only way to make a successful comic book movie is to make it as realistic as possible. When will people remember that the whole idea of superheroes is an inherently ridiculous premise?
With whispers of a sequel or even a trilogy coming in the future, I hope that the next villain that this Batman faces is someone like Man-Bat, Mad Hatter or Condiment King.
