Hold up! The early awe for this movie, even from the trailers, has been mountainous. I personally think this movie should have a hard task, living up to the two great recent iterations of Batman in movies that are less than twenty years old. This movie has the Nolan trilogy as a pretty perfect template for a grisly realistic solo origin story for Batman, but it still has to have its own style, and stand out for its own contribution. But positively, echoing a fair bit of sentiment out there, I do believe that director Matt Reeves might be the man for the job – his Planet of the Apes prequels, especially War for the Planet of the Apes, is evidence that Reeves is not afraid to slow down a movie for characterisation, and characterisation is where the nutrients lie in the Batman mythology. And it seems like The Batman has got it’s aces in places – Robert Pattinson, Jeffery Wright and Paul Dano are great castings in their respective roles. I don’t want to gripe about this movie, please be good to me.
There’s a shrouded villain in town, murdering some of Gotham City’s most senior officials. GCPD Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffery Wright) puts his neck on the line to allow the Batman (Robert Pattinson) a look at the crime scenes. The Batman has only existed in Gotham for a short time, but long enough for Gordon to construct a Bat-Signal when he’s needed, while most cops are repulsed or concerned by the masked vigilante who openly calls himself vengeance. This secret killer leaves riddles for the Batman, and the race to uncover this identity, leads the Batman to mince with the Penguin (Colin Farrell), a club owner facilitating shady deals for Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and mingle with Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), a sleek waitress at the club who proves an ally by convenience to Batman, and is able to handle herself.
And people say Tim Burton’s Batman movies are gothic – did you see Wayne Manor in The Batman?! Jeez-Louise! Oh, this review is going to be as loooong as Halloween, I can already feel it, but let’s start with the Batman himself. This may be my favourite Batman suit already. I’ve never played the Arkham games, but the suit seems to be modelled off them, right? It’s appropriately combative, but doesn’t sacrifice a familiar comic book style. Robert Pattinson is perfectly stoic in his role of Batman, although his Bruce Wayne may need a bit more work if it wants to compete with the likes of Christian Bale (or Kevin Conroy, for that matter). Not to rain on the Riddler’s parade, but I feel like anyone could have guessed that Bruce Wayne was Batman in this movie – Bruce is never seen in public, and looks tired and unkempt when he is. His butler is an obvious ex-combative officer, with just one look at him. And this recluse duo has the money and resources to create or aid the Batman. I hope in future movies we get the Bruce Wayne that is active in the community for show, even if it’s the party playboy to divert attention, or the busy businessman from Batman: The Animated Series. And we should, as by the end of this movie, Batman now realises what his money can do in rebuilding Gotham, particularly it’s orphanages. But it may be too late in hiding that secret identity from the astute. On the other hand, I liked seeing this Batman with a sole bitter focus, that’s had him neglect his position as Bruce Wayne in pursuit of perfecting Batman – including undervaluing Alfred (Andy Serkis) as a father figure until it’s almost too late. This is a phase of Bruce Wayne’s life which we haven’t seen on film before – Batman Begins sort’ve skipped over it, whereby the time Bruce Wayne was ready to become the dark knight he was already competent and concrete in his purpose. This movie is about vengeance, and I’m serious when I say it takes the cool out of Batman; he’s a vigilante here, not a superhero potentially misunderstood by the community at all, but he may grow into one. Batman’s new theme is like a death march, strongly evoking (if not straight-up copying in parts) Darth Vader’s dour theme in The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars beyond. The Batman shows the mundane side of Batman like I’ve never seen before – the watching, the waiting, the note-taking and revising, all while the black eye make-up is still caked on his face from the night before. This movie even has Batman narrating like Rorschach in Watchmen, which is all you really need to know about how this movie feels about its central character – this is not a glamourous position to be admired, and whilst he may be inadvertently turning his skills into something positive, there’s a deep pain and isolation that would be better if it wasn’t there.
John Turturro – I forgot he was in this! He always brings a smile to my dial, as he is one of my favourite actors of all time. He is the best Carmine Falcone put to screen, which is a shame because Tom Wilkinson was also so good in Batman Begins. To a point, Falcone is this movie’s main bad guy, and I always remember from Batman: The Animated Series, how the wealthy crime boss Rupert Thorne, was just as much a ‘thorn’ in the side of Gotham City as any of the colourful rogues gallery, and that’s how Falcone is played here. He is the root, releasing poisonous puss throughout this city. And it makes sense to me that the richest citizens of the city would cross paths, and I liked how Bruce and Falcone have an indirect relationship, with Falcone talking to Bruce as if he was a nephew. But at one point, the movie tiptoes the line of altering Thomas Wayne’s character, into being another corrupt rich white man, and I wasn’t there for that. I thought, to cinema or society, ‘you’re going to destroy another male role model by proxy’ 🙄 And this one, Thomas Wayne, an image of nobility and charity, who had it all, but was outwardly driven by helping his community, is fuel for Batman and really, our moral connection to Batman’s goal in a way, despite his fantastical means. But Alfred smooths it out, suggesting that Thomas Wayne was a good man, but he made mistakes, like everyone else; thank God. I think by not naming Joe Chill, makes whatever killed Bruce Wayne’s parents a faceless symptom of this infested city, and I really love that call. It may have even come by accident, with the movie being like, ‘oh, this film is not going to show the Wayne’s murder, again… well, what if that’s because there’s nothing to show? Nobody knows who did it…’ – the potential geneses of a great idea. Without a perpetrator, Bruce Wayne really has no option but to be mad at the whole city, which allows this movie to also question the validity of Bruce Wayne being so angry when he has so much money – I don’t know if you can quantify pain with money, but I guess it had to happen; as society is changing, I’ve seen memes questioning why we’re supposed to cheer for a billionaire who beats up broke crooks on the street at night, and I think The Dark Knight Rises was trying to approach the same question too. After two swings at it, I’m still not completely satisfied anyone has a faithful answer yet, although the query is relevant. And lastly, another big change that I thought was about to occur, was at one stage I thought Alfred was going to die; and after the way Spider-Man: No Way Home handled one of its legacy characters… what, The Batman, you soft? 😏
Out of all the Batman’s villains, I think the Riddler has gone through the most costume changes over the years, and this one for The Batman is a huge adjustment for me. I’m not sure I like it, but then again, I don’t know if it’s meant to be liked – the costume is completely militant, updated like the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming and it reminds me of Screenslaver from Incredibles 2 😬 Then, every time the Riddler (or, the movie in fact) did something that too closely resembled something Heath Ledger’s Joker would do (or, the Nolan trilogy in general), I reared up like a passionate snake ready to hiss at this movie to get its own ideas. Yet, I guess the Riddler can be similar to the Joker in methodical destruction, but his agenda, at least here, is more politically and personally motivated, where the Joker likes chaos, and a good idea is a good idea. In recent years, I think the Riddler has become more easily framed as a joke anyway, and this movie is his shot at redemption; I think in some media, he’s reformed, and works more entertainingly as a good guy. But I like Paul Dano’s take, especially in final scenes without the mask, with some clear mental disturbances, and a physical look that is spot on. At the noise of the casting, I just thought of Paul Dano in Prisoners, and I was confident they had the right guy. His characterisation actually reminded me a little of Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow’s arrogant young nerd-genius in Batman: The Animated Series, which is a characterisation I was happy to see on the big screen. Gotham’s news networks will play any old thing, ey? A lot of information in this movie is passed from character to character through the news, even down to the Saw-type trap the Riddler has set up for a policeman, and the sounds of Falcone strangling a girl; yeesh. On first viewing, I’m not sure if the Riddler’s internet following has been growing steadily underground for weeks, or if there’s a swell of people happy with the gruesomeness with which the Riddler is ‘draining the swamp’, exposing corrupt senior officials and often slaughtering them, as we see on telly – the latter is a really dismal prospect, and with the former, not one timid member reported the Riddler’s vlog when the Mayor was killed? Either way, once Falcone is dead, and we move to the Riddler’s triumphant final act, the revelation of an underswell of Riddler minions literally made me feel sick, and get ready for comparisons to QAnon.
But, as we get to the heart of this movie, it seems the Riddler misunderstood Batman’s quest for vengeance. It seems Batman misunderstood his own quest too; by thwarting the bad guys, his actions are helping people as a consequence. It’s the opening shot and the final shot of the movie that have stuck with me the most, days after seeing The Batman – the Riddler kills the Mayor after watching him muck about with his son, as he doesn’t care for the family dynamic, as he was an orphan who never had one. Batman could never do that, and it could be the only place the Riddler and Batman’s plans for vengeance separate at this stage in Batman’s career. The Riddler thought that they could watch the flood together, recognising that Batman, Bruce Wayne, must realise how filthy this city is, to dress up like a bat and release his rage upon it. But the Batman is still trying to reform Gotham, maybe heal it like his father, as a continuation of that family legacy the best way he can. Batman is equally disconnected, loveless, but he still feels the remnants of his parents charitable love, shaping his noble constitution, the way we admire.
And the final shots, after we’ve seen how Edward, Selina and Bruce are all adults of childhood trauma, is just two kids riding bikes, leapfrogging each other, until Bruce watches Selina go her own way in the rear-view mirror. I do like how this movie makes Batman on a motorcycle relevant again; the suped-up car, I can take it or leave it, although it did remind me of a bruising update of the sixties Batmobile from the Batman TV show, and I could change my mind. Anyway, it’s just great that Bruce and Selina have found each other. I love how we have three unique takes on Catwoman in these movies now – this’ll be a favourite, but damn, I’ll always love Michelle Pfeiffer’s lethal punny damsel in Batman Returns. (And, whoops, I genuinely forgot there’s a fourth; sorry Catwoman, sorry Halle Berry). Zoe Kravitz is great, perhaps except for when she goes from determined heroine to aroused interest for Batman, with those changes coming across a little flippantly for me. Although, the initial seed of affection is planted well, with Kyle starring into Batman’s eyes, like she’s completely humbled by this guy, even though she’s a tough cat herself 🐱 I think Selina Kyle is bisexual in this, with a desperation for her Russian friend going a little beyond just protecting a stray; I don’t think it’s ever explicitly stated, but that’s how I like to think of this Catwoman – similarly to the badass Lisbeth Salander, in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Don’t expect a lot of Penguin – I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure out who he looks like, because it certainly ain’t Colin Farrell! Perhaps it’s Tom Hardy in that shoddy movie Capone, but let’s just agree that these prosthetics are remarkable. The action chase sequence on the highway is full-on (with a capital F-O) – it’s not always perfectly visible, but it culminates in an instantly unforgettable moment, with the Penguin thinking he’s victorious, before the Batman wins through a bit of dumb luck and formidable desire. The upcoming Penguin spin-off series on HBO seems like must-watch viewing. And don’t expect a lot of Alfred either – again, this gruff take on Alfred is an angle yet to be explored in any other Batman movies, and it probably had to be done, far removed from the frail and sometimes sassy Alfreds in Tim Burton’s Batmans and Batman: The Animated Series. I think I first saw tough Alfred in the cartoon show, Beware the Batman, and from the few clips I’ve seen of the television show Gotham, it seems to work quite well. We’ve come a long way since Alfred was a jumpy get-away driver in The Batman and Batman & Robin film serials from the 1940s, and I feel like I’ve witnessed this rapid transformation before my very eyes.
Additionally, Jeffery Wright is pretty solid as Gordan, but I think The Batman just indicated to me how great Gary Oldman was in the role. With sequels planned, it’s early days. And finally, the Joker is introduced to us in Arkham Asylum. ‘Is that the voice of Giovanni Ribisi?’, I thought. He has a perfect voice for the Joker. He’s been in heaps of things, and he was always a little unhinged in Friends. But nope, it’s Barry Keoghan, who was recently in Eternals. Well, he’s good too. Nevermore than at the introduction of the Joker, did I also get the vibe of Legends of the Dark Knight; remember those maniacal action figures back in the day? They were always so wickedly detailed and scary to me; a kid, watching Batman on Cartoon Network. Good luck in the sequel, Keoghan, and I’ll put my dime on a Death-in-the-Family-adjacent story with crowbars, highlighting the brutality of this psycho clown, in The Batman 2.
The Batman legacy is a parable. It’s not a concise story, but as I’ve described it before, it’s a stack of cellophane, and you add or subtract any layer you want to get the appropriate colour, to tell the story you want to tell – this one, frames Batman to be about adults of childhood trauma, and vengeance. We’re watching three young people (the Cat, the Bat, and the Question Mark) resist their heritage, in the quest of shaping something that’s pure – and purity is in the eye of the beholder. Even through a true masterstroke, pairing a song that’s thirty years old, ‘Something in the Way’ by Nirvana, by a band synonymous with youthful angst and antisocial droll at a system that doesn’t recognise them, shows a deep understanding of the material, and of messaging this movie wants to explore; it achieves a tone in an instant. And I think we’re used to Batman as a tortured soul while we have fun, but this entire movie is miserable. There are so many more influences and Batman references in this movie than I can even detail – The Long Halloween, Hush, No Man’s Land, and Dark Victory (which may be my favourite Batman comic, personally). The poster, and Batman’s close association with the colour red, is Year One to me. Heck, even Joel Schumacher can claim a reference, with those sucker-punch goons on the train reminding me of the Gotham skinheads from Batman Forever or Batman & Robin, telling Uma Thurman she looks ‘good enough to eat’.
I think we’re going to be talking about The Batman for a long time. There’re some absurdly good moments here, but I found the power of The Batman comes through the sum of its parts as a whole. I have to admit, I didn’t love it all while I was watching it, but at the very moment it ended, I wanted to see it again, and considering this movie is pushing the three-hour mark, that’s got to mean something! Because sometimes when you watch a movie, it strikes you like a symphony, and takes you on a ride of instant bliss, but for thorough and often truly great movies, you sit in them, and it may take three or four viewings to piece together all the moving parts, and appreciate the achievement in its entirety. I really do need to see this again, to take it all in, and appreciate it without expectations or anticipations. It’s a slow-burner, and I’m a frog in a pot on the stove, getting warmed up to the point where the more I think about this movie (and look how much I’ve written on it!), the things I’m less sure about melt away. Well done, Matt Reeves, on an expert and hearty job, incorporating many influences into a cohesive Batman movie. My rating system is flittering right now, as I do need to see this again, but I do believe The Batman has the potential to be irreproachable. A must.
5.0
P.S. I just even love how the cops aren’t afraid to push Batman in the chest or get in his face 🤣
Leave a Reply