The Batman

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, Barry Keoghan, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Batman (Robert Pattinson) works with Lt. Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to track down a killer (Paul Dano) targeting prominent Gotham citizens.

Review:

Tim: It's bothered me for a while now that many people view Robert Pattinson as the Twilight guy. He's done so much more than that, and incredible performances in Good Time, The Lighthouse, Tenet, and others have showed how immense and wide ranging is his talent. I wasn't as worried about his performance as some people. That being said, this film still faced an uphill battle. People still remember Christopher Nolan's incredible Dark Knight trilogy, and while Batman appeared in disappointing DCEU movies, I genuinely liked Ben Affleck's portrayal of him. I like Matt Reeves, but the first trailer for this movie did nothing for me. It seemed like the odds were stacked too highly against this movie.

And yet, none of that mattered. The Batman is an incredible film, it belongs in the conversation of the greatest films of the franchise. I was not prepared for this, nor did I expect it. Since Tim Burton's film, this is the 10th movie that prominently features Batman. There was little reason to suspect we hadn't seen everything this character and franchise could offer. And of course, we would have been wrong. There is so much I loved about what Reeves did here.

First off, this film differentiates itself by brilliantly bringing this character back to his detective roots. The film feels so much more like a crime drama than a superhero one. Yes, there's costumes, but it's really a film about two people tracking down a serial killer. Reeves grounds everything in the movie in realism, where you often forget it's a comic book movie. This film holds its own as a drama and it's one of the better serial killer movies I've seen. I can't tell you, after 9 films, how refreshing it was to watch this stripped down, gritty (I know that's overused), focused film. This isn't about Batman saving the world, it's about his trying to track down one man. That narrow focus was brilliant, it brings the character back to his origins. It makes this film feel miles away from the Justice League disappointment and aligns it much closer to Nolan's trilogy. I was riveted watching the story unfold in this context. I had to keep reminding myself this was a Batman movie I was watching.

That's really the key differentiator here. Reeves directs a masterful film, ratcheting up the drama and suspense to the maximum levels. The visuals were stunning, the use of music outstanding. Yes, the film is dark, but appropriately so. It's a beautifully shot film, executed to perfection. The story is engrossing and it keeps you guessing. I loved following the story and I was beyond eager to see how it would end.

The cast surprisingly felt slightly below the level that Reeves sets with the film. I did enjoy Robert Pattinson in the role, but he almost doesn't get enough to do. I don't feel like I understood his Bruce Wayne at all. In some ways, that's good- Pattinson can focus more on bringing The Batman to life. The downside is that his performance doesn't quite feel up to the level of Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, or even Ben Affleck. I still liked his performance and his portrayal is unlike the others that we've seen, but I don't know if it was a major strength of the film. Zoe Kravitz was fine, but I've not been a fan of her for awhile. I don't think she is a great actress and she didn't do enough to convince me here. Her performance is fine, it works. But it's never great. On the other hand, I loved Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon. We've seen multiple depictions of this character over the years and Wright's is among the best. Wright is a fantastic actor and I just loved how he grounded Gordon in realism. His performance was a highlight. I also loved what Paul Dano did as the Riddler. We don't see his face for the majority of the movie, but his character is unhinged and chilling. Dano was a brilliant choice and I adored seeing this character used to his potential (apologies to Jim Carrey for his absurd performance in the role). I loved what Dano did here with a character that kind of had become a joke. I'm not laughing at the character anymore. I really liked what Colin Farrell did with the Penguin. This is another fairly ridiculous villain. While Danny DeVito did great work with him years ago, I appreciated how he was presented here. Farrell was enjoyable in a completely unrecognizable role. I didn't quite see Andy Serkis as Alfred. He gives a good performance, but multiple others have done it significantly better than him. John Turturro was fine, he had some decent moments. It was fun seeing Peter Sarsgaard in a small role and Gil Perez-Abraham surprised me by making an impact with a throwaway character. I liked the cast as a whole, but I wouldn't necessarily rave about it. Luckily, Reeves doesn't rely on his cast to carry his movie.

I have to say it again- I was never as big of a naysayer as some, but I admit the trailers made me worried for this film. I didn't expect to see greatness, but that is exactly what happened here. It kind of changes your views of this character and this franchise. This is now the third actor to deliver a great movie in the franchise, joining Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. That's exceptionally rare (James Bond comes to mind, with Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. And to a lesser extent, Spider-Man with the recent film). It makes you realize what a cinematic force Batman is. I give Matt Reeves enormous credit for pulling this off and reinvigorating the franchise. He's directed a slew of great films, too. All this to say, The Batman was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2022.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Batman, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Returns, Good Time, The Lighthouse, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes