The Batman (2022)

Where to start with this? Batman is my second favourite superhero, just after good old Spidey; and he’s already got a track record of films ranging from… well…  stinkers like Batman and Robin to absolute masterpieces like The Dark Knight. So how does this new take on the Caped Crusader fair against the pantheon of Batman movies?

It’s simple. It exceeds all of them! This is by far my favourite take on Batman ever put to film (live action specifically, animation still has Kevin Conroy reigning supreme). This is the first Batman film that actually adheres to all the core aspects of the character, not just picking a certain one to focus on whilst the rest get relegated to the background. The thing that makes this take different specifically is that it puts the “World’s Greatest Detective” at the forefront of the story. We see Batman investigating crime scenes, solving riddles (we’ll get to that in a little bit) and using his intellect to drive the story forward. A refreshing take after so much time spent focusing on the “Dark Creature of the Night” or “teched out badass” portrayals of Bale and Affleck.

Batman himself, is played brilliantly by Robert Pattinson. He absolutely nails the physicality and depth needed to portray Batman in this way, so much of the character being acted through his eyes, saying so much with so few words. You can tell that not only did he really do his research for the role, he truly loves the character and wanted to be as authentic as possible to the source material. It often feels like there’s hints of other Batmen like the stoic nature of Bale, the eyes of Affleck and the body language of Conroy. My only gripe with his performance is that we didn’t get to see enough of his Bruce Wayne, but I have a feeling that side of things will be expanded upon in the sequel.

Furthermore, he’s backed up by a stellar supporting cast. Zoe Kravitz brings a lower class elegance to Selina, really showing how rough her childhood was and the lengths she goes to just to survive in this city. She bounces off Pattinson in such a charming and subtle way that you believe they are destined to be together. Colin Farrel needs no praise from me either, given he got his own spinoff, that’s how good he is! You can’t even tell its him, the prosthetics and the accent let him just completely lose himself in the role, the festering psychopath underneath the confident henchman, pining for more power and hungry for more attention. Paul Dano is also frighteningly terrific as the Riddler, portraying a villain this is not only sinister but sympathetic. You understand why he’s doing what he’s doing but you know its the complete wrong thing to do. His character eerily reflects the state of terminally online incels, which they hopefully recognise and do a bit of self-reflection. That being said, whilst I was impressed with both Andy Serkis and John Tutorro in their respective roles, I wish they had more to do in the plot, given how significant they are to the story.

Matt Reeves also wrote and directed this with a clear and concise vision in mind. This film just oozes passion and clarity with its visual language. The extra dark shadows, the neon lighting, the consistently gloomy tone of oppression and despair. They really make Gotham feel alive, like its a character within the film. Shot beautifully on location in Liverpool, utilising its gothic architecture to create a Gotham that feels familiar and yet slightly different. I just can’t get over how well he directed this. There’s not a single beat missed, not a performance that’s under the standards they set. He is just insanely talented at crafting worlds that feel lived in. His work, however, would not be anywhere near as effective if it wasn’t for the epic talent of cinematographer Greg Fraiser. He brings his A-game to create a rich pallete of visuals and colour, moving the camera in such a way that you feel a part of the world. The shot specifically of Batman walking to the crashed car is genuinely the most gorgeous shot of Batman ever put to film. He also utilities a form of anamorphic lenses, custom built according to my research, to create a detailed depth of field that gives the frame a unique FOV that puts the focus squarely on the character and keeps your attention where the filmmakers want it. This film is the only film, in my opinion, that uses the Volume correctly. They use it sparingly but only to enhance the scene rather than using it as a crutch (a trap the MCU fell into post-covid).

There is only one major gripe I have with the film, and that is that it tends to overstay its welcome a little bit. It felt like it ended three separate times throughout the third act. I don’t know if it was an editing issue or a story issue, but the progression from the Riddler resolution to the finale with the Gotham banks felt like it could have been handled a bit better. 

Look, I could sit here and go on and on about how much I adore this film but I don’t want to drag this out. The bottom line for me is that this is a quintesstial Batman film. It respects all aspects of the character whilst setting him up for clear character growth in the future. Matt Reeves managed to gift us a masterpiece of a film and we should all thank him profusely for it.

9.5/10