“The Batman” Film Review

By Quinn Marcus

So yes, I’m back to reviewing movies. I took quite a long break since my Licorice Pizza review at the end of 2021, but I knew that no matter what, I had to come back for The Batman. I usually have two most anticipated films of the year, one for the first half, and one for the second, and The Batman was absolutely mine for the first half of 2022, I was counting down the days until I could see it, hoping for an absolute masterpiece of filmmaking, a triumph for the superhero genre, the Batman movie I always knew could be done, and I’m happy to say that I got all of that and more, A LOT MORE. When the trailer first came out, my younger brother asked me a question: 'is Batman a villain?' Yes, he wears eye shadow, dresses in all black, and speaks in a low, gravelly voice, but it's something I've pondered over up until the release of this movie, and now that I've finally seen it, in my personal opinion, he is neither hero nor villain nor antihero. The Batman is an entirely different breed of a comic book character. He is the shadows of his corrupt city. He is a manifestation of trauma and suffering, he is fear, and yes, he is vengeance. Bruce Wayne and the mask he wears are the same, he's become a recluse by day, consumed by the loss of his parents and a guardian by night, but equally tortured by his past.

Matt Reeves takes this character down a more than fascinating path, exploring his failures as much as his victories, which even his greatest triumphs are often meaningless in the greater context of the Riddler's plan, and leaning into Bruce Wayne's inner turmoil about his role in Gotham more than any interpretation of the Dark Knight I've ever seen. It’s dramatic, moody, epic, pretty much everything I could have possibly wanted out of another Batman film. I love Bruce Wayne’s character so much because there can be a large variety of thing’s done with his story from a filmmaking standpoint, and Reeves somehow managed to produce exactly what I wanted, a film that actually feels like a Batman detective story. As much as I love Nolan’s trilogy, his work lacked a necessary aspect that gives this film a slight edge on his interpretation in my opinion: the atmosphere.

Look, The Dark Knight is a masterpiece as well, and Heath Ledger’s Joker is arguably the best villain of all-time, but I can’t deny the protruding fact that it’s essentially set in New York under a different name, and that Nolan didn’t handle action quite as well as Reeves, utilizing more shaky cam and a far blockier execution than Reeves’ sleek direction, particularly in the hand-to-hand combat. However, I don’t want to spend this whole review comparing this movie to earlier versions, because I have a lot I want to talk about. Since we’re on the subject though, let’s continue with Reeves’ directing. Everything related to tonality is pitch-perfect in this film. As I said before, Reeves captures the Batman atmosphere with flying colors, the way this film was helmed is phenomenal. Everything from how Batman enters a room and presents himself, the neon, gothic, grimy aesthetic of Gotham city, to how bone-chilling the Riddler was goes to show that Reeves was in no rush while executing this film, setting up his shots in meticulous, tension-filled fashion.

He lets the audience in on exactly what they need to know with every passing scene, cautiously solving this intricately constructed, Se7en-esque mystery that had me in suspense thoroughly, holding the final reveal until an explosive third act. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of what Reeves accomplished with his Planet of the Apes films, but what he did here is on another level of badass, and I hope he gets to direct potential sequels. On a technical level, The Batman is also excellent. The cinematography by rising talent Greig Fraser (D.P. Rogue One, Dune) is infused with dark, contemplative visuals. Many may accuse the film of being under-lit, but I’d say it fits the point of this film entirely, to showcase this world of shadows that is Gotham city. There’s this breathtaking car-chase featured heavily within the trailers that caught my attention particularly because car chases are used so often in film nowadays, yet Fraser and Reeves managed to bring something fresh and beautiful to this common action scene, and there are bits and pieces throughout The Batman just like it that kept my jaw dropped constantly due to the craft on-screen.

Michael Giacchino's score was riveting, and maybe no one noticed this, but my dad pointed out that this fittingly tragic, manly, and gorgeous Batman theme felt reminiscent of a twisted Darth Vader theme, or are we crazy? Seriously though, the soundtrack and the cinematography complemented each other unbelievably well, both drenched in this certain aggressive, but melancholic mood. The detective, noir style taken was the right way to go. It’s refreshing to see a far more grounded and gritty take on the Dark Knight that strikes a balance between horror, drama, and mystery. Reeves dives deep into the mind of Batman, how he solves crimes, the way he walks, talks (or often doesn’t), much of this has to do with Robert Pattinson, whom my dad, brother, and I all agree was amazing in this role, unexpectedly so. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I prefer Pattinson over my previous fav, Christian Bale for one reason alone, I haven’t seen this type of Bruce Wayne before.

This is a damaged, depressed, and wounded Bruce Wayne that can barely distinguish himself from his alter ego, describing himself as a “nocturnal animal” at one point. He doesn’t have the nicest cars, he doesn’t buy banks, or show off his wealth, and his company is falling through his fingertips without the proper care. You can feel the conflict and despair emanating from Pattinson’s nuanced take on this character. His emotion and quiet physicality are devastating to watch, especially as Bruce Wayne. There’s this fantastic scene between Pattinson and a terrific Andy Serkis as Alfred in a hospital that served as one of the most poignant moments of the film, and where both shined tremendously. Zoë Kravitz was another standout, and her magnetic chemistry with Pattinson provoked this electric duality and romance between the two. Colin Farrell was unrecognizable as the penguin, I had no idea it was him half the time, his voice, the makeup, I would have never expected a performance like this from him, and yet he delivered.

Paul Dano has essentially made his career off of playing psychopathic weirdos (Prisoners as an example), but his Riddler gave me legit goosebumps, he was clearly inspired by Kevin Spacey’s role in Se7en, and the Zodiac killer, and I loved his clever riddles, and his manic, terrifying personality. Jeffrey Wright as Chief Gordon was magnificent, pretty much the entire cast was picked without a weak link, and that’s incredibly difficult to pull off. I have no issue with the runtime, it’s a three-hour, consistently entertaining drama/action thriller that felt a lot shorter than it was, and I found everything that was included in the film to be necessary and intense, though I’m a tad on the fence about this final cameo that happens near the end. I guess I appreciate how ambitious this film turned out to be, and how it gets all of what a Batman masterpiece needs down to the tiniest details in the production design, the script, etc. I heard that the shooting process had a lot of challenges, but I couldn’t tell in the slightest, I left the theater completely satisfied and in awe of how this film turned out to be, and I’d highly recommend it.