The Batman Review

 

In case you couldn’t tell from the title, the Batman is coming back to theaters. Considering how this is the fifth time in less than 20 years that the Caped Crusader has been rebooted, expectations are a bit high. It is an unfortunate fact that it’ll always be compared to the other Batman movies (even the terrible ones directed by Joel Schumacher), especially with them so fresh in recent memory, and we will be doing that quite a bit in this review as well so prepare yourself. Rather than meander through a long-winded review, I’m just going to give you the good, the bad and leave it to you to decide whether or not it's worth checking out. So let's dive right in, shall we?

Synopsis: When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham City, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption.

THE GOOD

The Villain

The Riddler in this movie is seriously terrifying and the best movie villain in several years. The character does seem to take a few of his cues from Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight by making him a domestic terrorist who communicates through grainy home videos with terrible audio but they add a few quirks to make him his own unique thing. Instead of the Joker’s dark humor, the Riddler has his own thinly-veiled superiority complex and obsession with being smarter than everyone else. The film also does a very smart job with his screentime as he’s not in the movie as much as you would think but it’s that kind of thing where while you wish he was in the movie more, you’re actually getting just the perfect dose.

I also would like to take an aside to say that I’m so happy that they didn’t go for the Joker as the first villain in this series. Batman has the greatest rogues gallery of any superhero ever and just about every Batman movie of the past 15 years always tries to do the Joker again. It’s getting old (especially since no one is topping Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix for quite a while). The Riddler is one of the essential Batman villains and this is the first time that he’s been given a proper film treatment, considering how the only other time he was ever put to film was Jim Carrey prancing around like a green spandex-wearing jackass in Batman Forever. I think it'd be wonderful if the next few films set about either using Batman villains who have never been in a movie before or choosing the bad guys from the Schumacher films to give them a proper adaptation.

The Side-Villains Are Pretty Good Too

The major subplot of The Batman is, uh, the Batman going toe-to-toe with the Mafia, which in this film is represented by the Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Don Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). These two are a ton of fun. John Turturro has fallen into the trap of playing the ham in most of his recent films of the past decade so I was shocked that he actually turns in a very understated and convincing performance of a Mob boss. He’s very soft-spoken and easygoing but there’s still this sense of real danger whenever he shows up.

A lot of that is helped by his right-hand man, the Penguin, who is much more violent and yet is somewhat scared of his boss. First off, I had no freaking idea that that was Colin Farrell playing him. The make-up job is spot-on. Second, he plays the other type of movie mobster where he just leans heavily into how much of an unabashed scumbag he is and proud of it. I’d hesitate to call him the best interpretation of the Penguin ever put to film but he’s definitely up there.

The Cinematography is Gorgeous

This was my biggest fear about this film going in. After The Dark Knight came out in 2008, numerous other blockbusters were trying to go for the same “gritty, dark and edgy” aesthetic without realizing that just muting the colors doesn’t actually make the film any darker if the script is still juvenile. As a result, many films from the turn of the last decade look hideous to me right now. Seeing the trailers for The Batman had me worried it was going to be the same way but thankfully, I was completely, 100% wrong.

The Batman seems to take its visual cues most strongly from the modern film noir (such as Oldboy, Breaking Bad, Sicario etc.) While there are heavy shadows, they’re offset by a lot of warm colors that radiate off the screen. From the sunrises peaking over the skyscrapers of Gotham City to the techno lights in the Penguin’s nightclub, this is a very cool-looking movie.

The Third Act is Great

True to my word, I won’t be spoiling anything so I’ll just say this. The Batman can definitely feel a bit long in the tooth at times (more on that below) so if you’re starting to squirm in your seat, just hang on a little bit. I can assure you that the best part of the movie is the last half-hour or so.

The Film Feels Like Its Own Thing

As mentioned, since 1989, this is now the fifth time we’ve seen Batman and his world rebooted on the big screen (sixth if you count Joker and seventh depending on whether or not you consider the Schumacher films their own continuity). As a result, this does ipso facto invite some comparisons, some of which might simply be unfair (e.g. Jeffrey Wright is good as Commissioner Gordon but he’s no Gary Oldman) but, nevertheless, the average audience member is going to have some expectations going in and may be worried whether or not this is just trying to be another Dark Knight cash-in or, worse, just another generic superhero movie.

Happily, the answer to both those questions is no. The Batman has neither the Burtonesque Gothic comic bookness nor Nolan’s overly witty dialogue. Instead, it seems like it leans closest to the matter-of-fact dialogue from the Animated Series and Mask of the Phantasm though even that’s not quite right. Matt Reeves’ take on the Caped Crusader is easily the single most humorless Batman movie I’ve ever seen. There’s no designated comic relief character, aside from maybe the Penguin, and even then it’s not obvious jokes; he’s just a very violent and sarcastic man whose complaining can be a little amusing at times.

This isn’t a bad thing and does play into the aforementioned film noir aesthetic, though the script can come off a bit stilted at times. The Batman also does have some social commentary about our modern-day politics but it avoids many of the cheap shots and easy jokes that many other blockbusters go for. In fact, it’s actually very intelligent commentary, showing the problems our society is facing and how difficult they can be to overcome without shoving it down your throat.

And if you’re worried about the movie pulling its punches or not going as far as you want, don’t be. Rest assured, this is a genuinely dark Batman movie and it takes some serious chances.

Robert Pattinson is a Solid Batman

It has come to be the pattern over the years of Batman actors seeming terrible for the part but actually pulling it off quite well. It happened to Michael Keaton, it happened to Ben Affleck and it's happened to Robert Pattinson too. Yes, the guy whose most famous role was playing Edward in Twilight is the new Batman and he does a bang-up job about it. The focus in this film is definitely on the detective aspect of his persona, what with the whole fighting the Riddler and all, and Pattinson’s Batman does come off as quick on his feet while still being controlling, sneaky and, most importantly, intimidating.

This is something I really liked in this movie that I felt was missing a bit in the Nolan trilogy which is how criminals are honest to God SCARED of Batman. Not just intimidated but showing that if you’re in a dark alley on a cold winter’s night and a man dressed like a bat wearing body armor jumped at you from out of the shadows, you’d be terrified half to death. This movie also has probably the best introduction to Batman since the 1989 Tim Burton film which is another huge point in this film’s favor.

THE BAD

Robert Pattinson is an Awful Bruce Wayne

As surprisingly good as Robert Pattinson is as Batman, he is a Godawful Bruce Wayne. Matt Reeves said that the goal was to make him like a Kurt Cobain-type but instead he ends up looking more like a wannabe groupie of My Chemical Romance and is just as broody. Part of what makes the Batman/Bruce Wayne dichotomy such a great character is that he’s not as transparently traumatized in his day-to-day life. He’s supposed to be the city’s biggest local celebrity. If you compare him to Michael Keaton or Christian Bale’s interpretation, they’re outwardly charming and gregarious to try to both fill the hole in his soul but, more importantly, disguise his secret.

If you lived in this world and someone told you that this guy was Batman, you’d believe it no questions asked. There’s no sense of fun, charm or layers to this character. Even during his one-on-one scenes with Alfred or others who know his secret, he just comes off as moody and filled with soul pain that probably pours into his LiveJournal rather than driven to solve Gotham’s problems. Speaking of which…

Andy Serkis is Probably the Worst Alfred Ever

I’m not just talking about the movies; I’m including the numerous TV shows, cartoons and video games too. Seriously, he is so, so bad. Alfred is supposed to be Batman’s rock, moral compass, confidant and butler all rolled into one. He’s the closest thing Batman has to replacing his parents and, depending on the adaptation, will butt heads about Bruce not taking good care of himself. That’s the angle this film goes for but you don’t get any sense of love or warmth. Serkis’ Alfred seems to be more concerned with shouting at Bruce like he just interrupted his mid-afternoon bender while Mr. Black Parade seems to border on flat-out despising his butler.

This is not just a minor character gripe either. There’s a key scene in the film that seems to really rely on the relationship between these two to make the audience feel some pathos and it falls flat on its ass. Once again, to compare it to the other films, if Michael Keaton and Michael Gough or Christian Bale and Michael Caine were in this scene, it would be one of the emotional highlights of the movie. With these two, though, it does not work at all. I don’t think it’s either of their faults so much as the direction given but, regardless, it makes for a very poor showing of one of the warmest friendships in comic books.

I Could Honestly Take or Leave Catwoman

Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman is more or less the film’s other main character and her ability to help carry the film seems to vary from scene to scene. What do I mean by this? When she’s kicking ass or helping Batman to spy on the mob, she is perfectly fine. Nothing great but nothing terrible. The moments when she has to act more dramatic or have an arc or develop her relationship with Batman are pretty bad though.

As you could probably gather by now, one of the biggest flaws of The Batman is that some of the major dramatic beats when trying to develop Bruce Wayne’s character don’t really seem to work or pay off in major ways. Catwoman’s whole arc is about her trying to avenge a character who we’ve never seen yet she talks about her like we should be so reminiscent of her friend. Combine that with Catwoman's romance with Batman being uncomfortably stilted and I never once found myself giving a crap about her as a character. When it came time for the climax, I found that while I was getting into the whole Batman and Riddler dichotomy, I couldn't care less about whatever Catwoman was up to.

The Film Doesn’t Warrant Its 3-Hour Length

Mm-mm, no it doesn’t. While The Batman never gets to the point where you’re squirming in your chair, bored out of your skull, praying to God that it ends; it does start feeling its length at times, particularly around the middle. Again, not dreadful, but you are aware that you’ve been sitting for 3 hours by the end. The story doesn’t always flow well and I feel like they tried to do too much. There’s parts where they try to tie it in somewhat to Batman’s origin and I honestly felt they could've left that out. Both because the Bruce Wayne parts are the most boring scenes and it also would’ve helped the movie flow a lot better.

The Flickering Lights Action Scene Can Go Fuck Itself

This might be a nitpick but this is one of my most hated clichés in cinema. Something that directors like to do when they try to make their action movies more stylized is do a scene where they flicker the lights on and off and on and off so we only see the fight in bits and pieces. (If you've ever seen City of God, you know what I'm talking about.) Ideally, this is supposed to make it look cool and disorienting. In practice, it gives it a strobe-like effect that could kill an epileptic and just becomes annoying to watch. It’s not cool, it’s not interesting, it’s annoying as all Hell, I hate it in every movie I’ve ever seen it in and any director who tries it deserves a kick in the nuts.

That Fall Was Ridiculous

When you see this movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I don’t care if you’re Batman, you don’t get up from a fall like that and live. Damn, that was dumb.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

If I can boil down my overall feelings on The Batman down to just one sentence, it’d be this: this is the worst good Batman movie. It is a good movie but it’s also definitely one Hell of a mixed bag and parts of it are much better than others. While I admire them for trying new things, it gets bogged down with having to do stuff that other Batmans (Batmen?) already did like his relationship with Alfred and his parents and what-not. I really do think this would have been a much stronger movie if it was just a straight Batman thriller with him hunting the Riddler and just ditched the more personal stuff. It’s not horrible, but it’s been done better in other films.

The things that make The Batman worth watching are the villains and the climax, I don’t think anyone will argue that. I also give kudos to this film in that it does have some social commentary that’s much cleverer than most other blockbusters. It’s not a lecture or preachy or trying to guilt trip you or have any characters who are obvious allegories to real-life people; it just shows some stuff and makes some choices that can make you think a little bit. I know I'm repeating myself in this regard but it's worth repeating because of how rare this is.

So, overall, I’d give this movie the thumbs up. Go see it, just prepare to temper your expectations a little bit. From what I hear, they plan on doing a whole new trilogy and I feel that this a good bedrock to build a foundation on and, hopefully, make some really awesome sequels.