THE BATMAN!!!!!

Details: Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farell, Jeffery Wright, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Release Date: March 4, 2022

Review: Normally, I try watching and reviewing movies from an objective perspective with a fair mixture of my own personal enjoyment, and the actual quality of the film. This was not at all the case with Batman. This has been my most anticipated movie of the year as well as potentially the most I've ever been anticipating a movie. I am without a doubt one of the biggest Batman fans you will meet. I have dozens of comic books, watched every piece of media involving Batman from Val Kilmer's Bat-Nipples, to the obscure Batman TV shows that ran for one season, I have watched them all. While Ben Affleck as Batman wasn't the worst thing in the world, the movies he was in as Batman definitely left something to be desired so it had been quite a while since a proper live-action Batman movie had been done. Now after all this background and building anticipation for this movie, did it deliver? I can confidently say this is not only a top 3 Batman movie, but this is the most accurate representation of Gotham and Batman in live-action.

Beginning with the titular character, Robert Pattinson as Batman was a phenomenal casting job done by Matt Reeves. Most people know Pattinson for those god-awful Twilight movies but he is truly a fantastic actor. Movies like Good Time, The King, High Life, and most recently the Lighthouse, I think have finally reformed audiences' view of Pattinson as an actor but this film really solidified his status as one of the most versatile actors of our generation. Pattinson clearly understood what the character of Batman really means and what he stands for. For those who don't know, this version of Batman has only been on the scene for two years and you can tell. He does get quite a beating throughout the movie from both bad guys and his own mistakes. From the way he acts to his gadgets, it's clear that the Batman we're seeing here is a long way off from the co-founder of the Justice League and the Dark Knight. Because of this amateur-ish feel, as an audience, you really get to see both his brooding "goth teenager" side and his vulnerable, scared, boy-in-alley side. Even more impressive is this Batman movie actually accomplishes something that I haven't seen done correctly in any Batman movie. Reeves and Pattinson actually give Batman a character arc. In most other live-action, as well as animated Batman-related media, Batman has a case or problem, solves the problem, and then the movie ends. Not that there's anything wrong with that, this has shown to work time and time again but at the end of the day, Batman is a character and simple storytelling dictates that all characters have to have some sort of character arc. How did these characters evolve or learn from their mistakes? If the character is the same as he was in the beginning in comparison to how he is at the end of the movie, there's something clearly wrong with the structure of the movie. In the film, you see a clear evolution and progression of the character of Batman and this is very refreshing and satisfying as you feel like you're growing with the character.

Of course, Batman isn't the only standout character in the film. Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman, as well as Colin Farrel's Penguin, really stole every scene they were in. Farrel will be reprising his role as the Penguin in a very well-deserved spin-off series and you can tell there is so much more they can do with that character. Ultimately, I believe this is one of the beauties of Batman. Every character, every aspect of Gotham, has so much depth to it and so much room to grow. From minor characters like Jim Gordon to the more prominent characters like Paul Dano's Riddler, there is so much more to them than what we are shown. This is both because of the superb acting done by everyone cast, as well as the direction of Matt Reeves. It's very clear that Matt Reeves loves the DC universe and the character of Batman. Just looking at the attention he put into every part of the movie both from a storytelling and technical aspect, Reeves is a large part of why this movie works.

Acting aside, the actual plot is one of the most engaging I've personally seen. Most people forget that Batman is, at his core, a detective. One of his many monikers is "The World's Greatest Detective." While we've seen glimpses and flashes of this aspect of Batman in some movies, Reeve's Batman really pushes this to the forefront. The whole movie wraps around this serial killer, Zodiac version of Riddler where he's leaving clues and making ciphers that Batman actually has to solve. It's very refreshing to see the character use his brain as opposed to just beating everyone to a pulp. With that being said, the action sequences in the movie are just *chef's kiss*. The brutality and grittiness of the atmosphere and action sequences are felt the entire time. Every action set piece sets a clear tone and that tone adds to the overall adrenaline rush the movie provides. Especially the culmination of the first two acts in the climax of the film puts you at the edge of your seat the entire time, and you feel like this is satisfying, deserved conclusion to the movie.

Looking beyond the plot, on a technical aspect, the Batman is perfect. The first thing that really sticks out is the cinematography. There is not a single scene shot in the daytime. There are some shots at sunrise and sunset, but not a single one where the sun is fully out. Regardless, Reeves does an amazing job shedding light on scenes primarily using different shades of red and blue. The dark aspect of the film, combined with the booming, somber sound design, the movie absorbs you into Gotham within before the title card even shows up. If I had to have any gripe with the movie it would just be towards the end you can feel the three-hour run time a little but this is a very minor complaint that I attribute more to the late-night showing of my movie as opposed to the construction of the movie itself.

Star Rating: 9.5/10

Final Thoughts: Batman returns to live-action in glorious form with phenomenal characters, beautiful cinematography, and everything you would want in a movie plus Zoe Kravitz. It's clear that this is the beginning of a soon-to-be classic film series.