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Alfred, Bat Cave, Batmobile, Catwoman, DC Comics, Gotham, Matt Reeves, Penguin, Riddler, Robert Pattinson, The Batman, The Batman film review, The Batman review
The Batman
Review by Paul Bowler
The Caped Crusader is back In director Matt Reeves The Batman, with Twilight’s Robert Pattinson donning the cape and cowl in what has arguably become one the most hotly anticipated film of the year. The Batman has a dark, crime thriller horror vibe about it, one that often feel more akin to David Fincher’s Seven, and subsequently it elevates this gritty superhero fable into a hugely compelling character study of the Dark Knight. Set against the corrupt backdrop of a crime riddled Gotham City, the gloriously atmospheric film noir aesthetic of this Dark Knight’s world is indeed a cut above anything we’ve seen before in the genre.
Taking place two decades after the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and two years into Bruce Wayne’s all-consuming Bat-fuelled Gotham project, the city is now caught in the grip of a puzzle obsessed serial killer, the Riddler (Paul Dano). He’s a maniac with a penchant for murdering the elite of Gotham along with their reputations, and is just the catalyst Patterson’s emo incarnation of the Batman needs to finally step into the light and assist the GCPD’s James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) – much to the chagrin of Gordon’s colleagues.
Matt Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig’s powerful take on Batman’s early career cleverly utilises the oft overlooked trait of Batman being comicdoms worlds greatest detective as the template for one of Batman’s darkest of cinematic outings ever, and the film is all the richer for it. Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight is an intense, deeply driven vigilante, he may have the bullet proof Bat-suit, but he’s got none of the usual high-tech gadgets and gizmos of his glossier cinematic predecessors. Indeed, Pattinson’s performance as Wayne / Batman is both mesmerising and unflinching as a Batman who is totally focused on his war on crime and hell-bent on instilling fear in criminals. He has yet to earn the trust of Gotham or Gordon, the reclusive Bruce Wayne’s only real ally is his loyal butler Alfred (brilliantly played by Andy Serkis), and this fledgling Batman’s inexperience often sees him taking nearly as much punishment as he dishes out.
Batman’s detective work crucially finds him crossing paths with Zoe Kravitz’s sultry femme fatal Selina Kyle, a.k.a Catwoman, who is conducting her own personal investigation which also brings her into conflict with Batman’s mission to solve the Riddler’s diabolical puzzles. Their tangled love story and alliance of connivence never truly convinces, but the sizzling chemistry between Pattinson and Kravitz is fuelled even further by the intensity of the dynamic between their alter-egos.
The Batman features a number of key villains from the Dark Knight’s ominous rogues gallery, with a virtually unrecognisable Colin Farrell under a mass of prosthetic make up as nightclub boss, the Penguin, Paul Dano’s blood curdling turn as Edward Nashton / the Riddler leads to some truly chilling scenes, and John Turturro proves to be an unexpectedly pivotal player in The Batman’s story as Carmine Falcone.
Greig Fraser’s stunning cinema photography makes the films grimy rain-swept depiction of Gotham perhaps the biggest scene stealer of all. The spectacle of Wayne Tower and the urban gothic of the new Bat-Cave are just some of the films many standout settings. The city feels almost like a character in its own right here, as Reeves stylish direction brings a graphic novel sense of scale and awe to the production, together with a mix of atmospheric locations and fantastic special effects, to make this noir-infused comic book crime caper come to life on the screen in a way that is as menacing as it is breathtaking. Reeves uses the action sparingly, but in incredibly effective ways. Fight sequences are relentlessly brutal, there’s an incredible car chase featuring the Batmobile and a death defying leap from a skyscraper amongst The Batman’s many blockbusting big-action set-pieces to enjoy.
At just under three hours, this first solo Batman movie in a decade is the longest Batman movie ever made. The hard-boiled noir influences and striking visual style are to die for, as is that new Batmobile, and it is only the somewhat overloaded final act that holds the film back from achieving absolute perfection. Pattinson defies all expectations and totally makes the role of the Dark Knight his own as well. This epic superhero movie may have been beset by pandemic related delays but Matt Reeves The Batman has certainly turned out to be well worth the wait, and is everything you could want from a Batman movie.
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
Sci-Fi Jubilee 
Despite my usual distaste of The Bat, I will watch this movie. Plus, I like the actors Robert Patterson & Zoe Kravitz and look forward to their interpretations of their characters.
Well, I think you’ll find this a very different kind of Batman film to what you’ve probably seen before. Great cast and performances and I really like the dark noir tone with more focus the dark knight ‘detective’ aspect of the character.
Well, I guess you liked it 😀
But 3hrs? Man, I barely made it through Justice League for that length….
Yeah, its really good, especially the take on the Batman’s detective skills. I don’t normally like long movies either, but the time seemed to fly by with this one as it was such an engrossing story and the cinema photography was stunning. The Batman is nothing like as arduous a watch as Justice League was – if anything The Batman is in a whole other League of its own really.
Looking forward to watching it! I’m glad you approved, Paul.
Thanks! Its a really good Batman film Cindy, the tone is very different from previous films. If you like a dark, noir style, thriller action adventure then I think this Batman film will be right up your street.
I do! Can’t wait.
Enjoy!
Brilliant review! Your thoughts captured what a lot of us feel with this epic Batman film. It definitely defied critics who thought it was just retread of The Dark Knight and us so brutally distinct.
Thank you! I really liked the shift in tone to the detective aspects of the character and the dark noire vibe of the cinema photography. I think. the film has certainly defied all expectations, especially Pattinson’s performance.
Absolutely LOVED this movie. Didn’t think I would. But the SCORE alone really sets the tone, and I haven’t seen much on this yet, and would love to look into it more if I had time, but I’m pretty sure Reeves uses a 4-act story structure rather than the traditional 3, which I think really puts this movie in its own category. Also major shoutout for the Seven reference, there’s definitely some vibes there for sure!
I really enjoyed The Batman as well. The cast, the cinema photography, and that amazing score elevated the comic book movie genre to a whole new level of excellence. Reeves has crafted something unique and groundbreaking with this movie. I though the dark Seven inspired vibe of this movie also worked really well too. Cheers, glad you enjoyed there review and the movie!
Excellent review Paul. I agree this is one of the most anticpated films for a long while (certainly for me), and I hope to see it this weekend. The trailers they released were top notch, and carried the dark vibe of what this film is about perfectly.
Thank you! Its a film I’ve been so excited to see as well. Hope you get a chance to see it at the weekend. Its a fantastic film, and II’m sure you will be blown away by the storyline and the dark vibe of the film.
Hope I can see it too! 🦇
I hope you get a chance to see The Batman, especially at the cinema if you can. Its one of those films that really come to life on the big screen. Otherwise, given the films success, I don’t think you’ll have long to wait until its available on the streaming services. Its a great film, I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Paul. All being well I get to see it tomorrow at a nearby cinema in its original language and not dubbed. If not, I’ll watch the French dubbed version and still be happy.
Will let you know!
That’s great. Enjoy the film! 🙂
Yay! I saw it this afternoon… it was phenomenal! Just posting up a short review at TVTA now 😎
That’s brilliant! Just been reading it. So glad you enjoyed the film as much as I did as well. I’d like to see it again if I get the time.
Nice one Paul. Same here, would like to see it again.
This was a very wonderfully written review. I’m hearing a lot of good things about this film. It may be worth a look once it is available for streaming.
Thank you so much! I throughly enjoyed The Batman, great film, and it makes full use of its long run time to develop the characters. I’d certainly recommend seeing it on the big screen if you can and the cinema photography is stunning. However, with the huge success of The Batman, I don’t think you’ll have to wait long for it to be shown on streaming services.
High praise! I was initially sceptical, especially with how many Batman reboots there have been to date. Now I can’t wait to see it. And I still can’t believe that’s Colin Farrell under all that prosthetic make-up. Wild!
I thought The Batman was a really good film, and it was vey different kind of movie to what we’ve seen before. Yeah, Colin Farrell was brilliant as Penguin, the make up was incredible for that. I really liked how there was more focus on Batman’s detective skills this time around as well.
So many superhero movies. Some I put off and forget but this is one of those big events. Arguably, a deluxe treatment of Batman is the best that Warner Bros. has to offer in the genre while Disney has the even more compelling Marvel universe. That said, it’s too bad that Warner Bros can’t somehow create a Batman universe. It wouldn’t work; it barely works as a comic book project. Remember Batman Incorporated? At least I don’t think a Batman-focused series of major motion pictures on par with the Marvel universe would work. Better to have a sharply focused art house Batman movie every decade or less.
I agree, expectations were high for The Batman, and it delivered on every level. It was good to see Batman’s character get more attention and focus on his detective still this time around. I think the DC movies work best as stand alone rather than interlined like the MCU films. I think that’s where Warner has gone slightly wrong before. There are a wealth of other Batman stories to be told and I have feeling this more stand alone style will be the shape of things to come for the DC films.
Warner Bros can stand by what they do best, tap into that tradition going back to such classics as Bonnie and Clyde. The trick would be if we could see more Batman movies of a certain quality just a little more often. Maybe that’s exactly what the plan is moving forward.
Thank you Paul I can’t wait to see it!
Its a great movie, enjoy!
Your review sounds quite a bit like most I’ve read or watched. It’s a very good movie that might just be a tad too long.
Not sure when I’ll get around to seeing The Batman, but I look forward to it.
Yeah, The Batman was a long film. I don’t normally like long movies but the extra time worked well in this film. I don’t think you’ll have too long to wait for The Batman to be on the major steaming services – then you can watch at your leisure.
With this review I’ll surely see it
I thought the Batman was really good, glad you liked the revive. I try and make them as spoiler free as possible. Hope you enjoy the film as much as I did.
I hope so dear, haven’t watched it yet
The batman is an extremely good film. I too enjoyed it a lot.
I liked how it focused on the Batman’s detective skills as well, and the dark noir tone. Great film.
Batman’s detective work crucially finds him crossing paths with sultry femme fatal Selina Kyle, a.k.a Catwoman & Aquaman’s stepdaughter. **** The Madness of the DC Movie Universe: Zoe Kravitz’s Synchronicity Hyper-Time Reality. 😀
It certainly is!
To be honest, I initially had a hard time taking Robert Pattinson as Batman seriously and may have even rolled my eyes a few times. But then my older son insisted I watch the trailer with him, and well..I’m sold! It actually looks really good! Very much the dark Batman I wanna see. Kinda like in the newer graphic novels.
Yes, I was hesitant initially when Pattinson was cast, but I think he totally made the role of the Batman his own. The look and tone of this movie is much darker and does indeed feel more like a graphic novel in terms of its scope, scale, and visuals. A great film. to see on the big screen if you get a chance.
I hadn’t heard great things about the film via the few people I know who’ve seen it, and the 3-hour run time had me a little apprehensive, but I’d like to give it a go after reading your excellent review. It was your observation of noir influences that finally sold me. 🙂
I was a bit hen hesitant about The Batman’s run time as well, but I have to say the time just flew by, and the movie makes full use of the long run time to flesh out the story and characters. The noir vibe of the film is what drew me to it as well. Its such a great looking film and so atmospheric – it felt more like a psychological.thriller than a superhero movie. Its well worth going to see it on the big screen if you can. Otherwise its available to rent on the major streaming services now, and it’ll be on DVD and Blu Ray soon too. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it when you get to see it.