“An apology is the superglue of life; it can repair just about anything” - Lynn Johnston
Before I delve into why I should be reviewing The Batman — despite the movie being more than a month old — allow me to take the first few lines to apologise to Robert Pattinson, for I was one of those who was disappointed and against his choice as the next caped-crusader following Ben Affleck’s disappointing departure from the role — not that I particularly liked him anyway. Pattinson delivers a masterful performance despite being overshadowed by two of his co-actors — more on that later— and whether you believe Christian Bale’s performances as Batman are still number one — like I do — it’s hard to deny that the British actor has put his Twilight days behind him.
I’m not sure I can say I grew up on the Batman, however, Christopher Nolan’s Batman: The Dark Knight remains to this day one of my favourite movies, and the fact that I have to insert Matt Reeves’ very own iteration of Gotham’s saviour ahead of the other two (Nolan’s Batman movies) is testament to how gorgeous the movie is.
Saying the DCEU has produced some very bad movies in the past — haha! Wonder Woman 1984, David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, and Joss Whedon’s Justice League, to mention but a few — would be a massive understatement. This fact is so enormous that the recent acquisition of Warner Media by Discovery has led to some of the higher-ups searching for an important figure like MCU’s Kevin Feige to help spearhead the future of DC movies & television. However, with movies like 2019’s The Joker and 2022’s The Batman, the future is looking upwards for DC and Discovery - besides, who needs Feige when you can have directors like Reeves and Todd Philips? Okay, maybe you still do.
So what makes The Batman incredibly special? Why does it suddenly rank up there as not just one of the best Batman movies ever but one of the very best DCEU contents ever produced? Join me in this review as I take you on a short trip of how I spent three hours glued to the screen without any need for a toilet or food break.
The Good
“I am Vengeance” - Batman. Matt Reeves’ The Batman introduces us to a young, somewhat broken version of Gotham’s very own caped crusader, who struggles to understand the motivation behind his crime-fighting mission. Gone are the days of being a billionaire playboy, Pattinson brings to life the struggles of having to fix a broken, corrupt city, alongside the emotional trauma of losing one’s parents.
This psychological thriller masterfully delivered by writer/director Matt Reeves would have even the biggest haters of comic book movies reeling in deep concentration and suspense. The Batman drives away from the usual comic book movies we’ve seen in recent times or previous iterations of his predecessors to deliver a psychological trailer that would rival the likes of Se7en and Joker. Pattinson and Reeves also ensure we see the most realistic Batman character we’ve seen on the big screen to date. He’s so human that I found myself believing I could be him —if I just had the billions, the great body, and the ability to take and deliver a punch. The presence of Batman’s struggles to deal with his past, face his family’s legacy, and even struggle to decide who is good and who is bad are great additions to an already insanely good movie.
For all the positives attached to Robert Pattinson’s character, the movie sometimes makes him feel like a second-class citizen in his own movie — and rightfully so — thanks to the outstanding performance of Paul Dano as the villainous riddler. Dano steals the show with his iteration as Gotham’s genius villain and psycho — that would make Cory Michael Smith and Jim Carrey’s Riddlers become afterthoughts. Ruthless, smart, endearing, and an insatiable test for destruction and vengeance, Dano’s Riddler is probably the second greatest DC movie villain in my books — behind Heath Ledger’s Joker.
After seeing Paul Dano steal some of the limelight, Zoe Kravitz decided she wasn’t going to be left out, as she proceeded to deliver one of her great on-screen performances as Selina Kyle. Driven by revenge, Selina positions herself between the crime bosses and her sudden yet unsurprisingly romantic engagement with Batman to make the most of a difficult situation. Zoe portrays Catwoman in one of the best ways I could think of, flexible, agile, and with a fighting style of skill and flexibility which is a stark contrast to Pattinson’s use of brute force —not that Pattinson himself wasn’t a skilled fighter. Though I would’ve preferred a few more scenes to show us how good of a thief Selina is, however, her gorgeous on-screen chemistry with the Batman more than makes up for any omission.
The production of The Batman is an absolute joy to behold. The beautiful cityscape of Gotham coupled with the dark contrasting and deeply saturated setting (similar to 2019’s Joker) reminds me of what I always thought Sinn City would look like if it hadn’t been shot in monochrome. Cinematographer Greg Fraser’s use of angles, picture framing, and lighting is one that would live in the mind of many of his colleagues for a long time, as describing it as good or even “great” wouldn’t do it enough justice. The fight scenes in The Batman don’t go unnoticed either. Pattinson fights like someone who was trained by Alfred Pennyworth — as mentioned in the movie — rather than a student of Rhal’s al Ghul, and with more brawls and fistfights than actual taijutsu, the movie produces fight sequences as real as anyone could ask for.
The Bad
The only bad I can point out from this movie is that, despite how good it is, I still find myself insisting Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is a better movie. Maybe cos I’m just a huge fan of Heath Ledger’s Joker or the man himself, or maybe both. I can’t tell which…
The Ugly
While Colin Farrell’s performance as Oswald Cobblepot — The Penguin — is a beautiful delight to the eye, the same can’t however be said about John Turturro’s depiction of the legendary crime boss Carmine Falcone. It almost feels like Turturro was scared of accepting his status as the kingpin of crime in Gotham — in some of the scenes he appeared in — and most times my mind wanders to the great job John Doman did, playing the role of Falcone in the Gotham series.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman is a movie filled with positives and little-to-no negatives. It’s a movie that had me envious of the Dawn of the Planet of Apes director, as I spent the major part of the three hours spent wishing I could pull something like that off.
So there you have it, people, a belated review. Please let me know what you think about the movie in the comments. And don’t forget to engage us on Twitter (@onaboutnothing_) and Instagram (@onaboutnothing).
On About Nothing movie rating - 9/10
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