The Batman
A tense and engaging crime thriller rolled together with a brutal and grotesquely beautiful superhero film, The Batman is delivers in spades gives viewers a side to the titular hero not previously explored in live action.
Set in what is Bruce Wayne’s (Robert Pattinson) second year as Batman, Gotham City is working towards an imminent mayoral election until the incumbent is ruthlessly murdered in his own home. Following the trail of the killer, dubbed the Riddler (Paul Dano), Batman is aided by upstanding police officer, Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), resourceful cat burglar, Selena Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), and his ever faithful butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis). The investigation, however, comes to reveal the depths of Gotham City’s corruption and threatens to throw the city into chaos.
With just the key characters, The Batman’s cast is strong, but even beyond that there are a number of others who lend their considerable acting chops to the undertaking, including Colin Farrell, Peter Sarsgaard and John Turturro. All give strong performances, but Pattinson’s interpretation of Bruce Wayne/Batman is the centrepiece and is impressive to say the least. Unlike the obnoxious and/or playboy Bruce Waynes of Christian Bale, Michael Keaton and others, Pattinson gives us a young, angry and socially disconnected Wayne, more interested in meting out his version of justice behind a mask than living any sort of public life. He comes off at times as cold and completely emotionless, but this only goes to better underscore the damaged psychology of the character that previous films in most cases have barely touched on.
What is truly notable about the role, however, is the other side of the coin. Batman is at once awe inspiring and truly terrifying. Never before has it been quite as vividly shown just why criminals are fearful of Batman. It’s been shown time and again how good of a fighter he is, but The Batman gives us the waking nightmare of the lawless. The sound design alone of Batman’s slow footsteps as he emerges from the shadows to set upon his next target is worthy of applause. This is all backed by a powerful and often foreboding soundtrack that complements perfectly the mood and tone of the film.
Praise must also go to the scripting and focus on Batman as detective. Whilst undoubtedly an extraordinary fighter, and the action scenes are typically choreographed and shot gorgeously, Batman originally incarnated in the comics is the world’s greatest detective, and for the first time outside of those pages and of animation we see that truly in action. This more intellectual superhero allows the villain, the Riddler, to breathe and engage the Dark Knight on equal footing. Not only does this make the plot’s central mystery engrossing, but it also allows the film to secure a strong thematic footing, making it more than simply a superhero game of cat and mouse.
The film isn’t perfect and does have its weaknesses, particularly the relationship between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Selena Kyle (Catwoman, though that title is never used) feeling forced, with Pattinson and Kravitz not having the strongest chemistry. But its flaws pale in comparison to what it gets right. While a lengthy affair (just shy of three hours), it is worth every minute.
