With a long lasting, storied character such as DC’s iconic vigilante hero, Batman, the character and his world has been re-iterated numerous times throughout the different facets of media. From the origins of the comic books from Bill Finger and Bob Kane to the transitions of TV Shows & Films, he has lasted for nearly a century. That’s nothing to scoff at and it brings us to the latest interpretation that draws influences specifically from stories like The Long Halloween and different aspects of the iconic origin story Batman: Year One called simply The Batman, with writer/director Matt Reeves behind the helm (fresh off of the underrated yet compelling highs of Planets Of The Apes Caesar trilogy), writing with Peter Craig (The Town, 12 Strong, etc.), and featuring a star-studded cast with Robert Pattinson taking up the cowl this time (who has proven time and time again in films like The Lighthouse and Tenet to be a capable actor for many roles). Does this new, grounded take finally capture the crime/neo-noir atmosphere and stories that the comics for Batman are well known and loved by fans, or are there some rough edges that hold the film back from greatness? Let’s take the cowl and see the city spanning crime that has enveloped the Infamous Gotham City into chaos for this outing.
It is well known among citizens and people coming in that Gotham City is a breeding ground for criminals and corrupted powers in every corner of the city from low level crimes, all the way up to the politics of old. Enter Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman (Robert Pattinson), who is in his 2nd year of fighting the scum and villainy of the city but has grown to become cynical and jaded by the lack of change that isn’t coming from his efforts as a crime fighter. This is compounded with a corrupted police force, with his only liaison being the haggard yet determined Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Jeffery Wright) and the Gotham Underworld being run with an iron fist by the powerful Penguin (Colin Farrell) and in the shadows, the whispers of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Throughout Gotham City, there have been numerous murders with the calling cards of a question mark, with little riddles/hints left to surmise the reason for each death by the mysteriously delusional Riddler (Paul Dano). And this is where the Dark Knight comes into the limelight of both the light and shadows of this case.
It seems The Riddler is targeting specific people that are connected to the investigation and indictment of the Maroni Crime Family and their drug operations. Which served as the foundation for Batman to get notoriety from that success, as well as form the alliance with Gordon, which they have maintain for 2 years now. But with the latest sets of murders related to corrupted people tied to the foundations of the city, many of the players in Gotham get mixed into it. With Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) tied to her connections to the underworld that rules Gotham in the shadows and Batman struggling to maintain his anger and vengeance for the criminals, they are joined by the dangerous and destructive plans of The Riddler to figure out the cause of all this and discover the dark secrets that could very well shape the choices for Bruce and what he must become, to truly lay his impact onto the city.
This is a refreshingly different blend of low tech/grounded reality, with a bit of the fantastical spectacle that embodies many of the qualities of the character that are finally being fleshed out in this outing for once. The biggest element is that this is more of a crime/hard-boiled detective thriller tale with a visual style akin to neo-noir and having Batman work with Gordon to solve Riddler’s clues and discover the next gruesome part of his plans. It is also the one of the few adaptations that establishes how miserable and nightmarishly broken Gotham City truly is, to allow for crime to run rampant and create an environment that would allow for unstable/dangerous villains to inhabit this place. It is also a murder mystery that truly takes its time to establish the world for this adaptation that draws on a few notable comic books, namely The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and elements of the New 52 comic stories crafted for Batman and his back stories that shape this incarnation of him. In that regard, the film ironically draws upon the best of Batman’s different media adaptations from Nolan, Burton, and others to create a blend of grounded believability to the city while establishing the different fantastical comic book elements of the series (there are numerous hints, fan service, and visual set ups that could come into play in future sequels from innocuously unimportant characters in the background to little visual details that hint to a larger story).
While it does go overlong in certain scenes and set pieces, each part of the story feels consistent as well as following through on its dedicated focus on providing Batman with a fully fleshed out arc that may seem non-existent at first but becomes clear upon closer reflection. As it all revolves around one line “I'm Vengeance”, we see Batman not only embody that ideology throughout the film but we also see how that very notion becomes the very evil that pushes back his impact on the city as a whole. This is the Batman film that truly challenges his philosophy and motivation as a character and that can’t be understated as we have only focused on the broad strokes of the character or left them ambiguous to keep the focus on the supporting characters or villains. That’s what the film truly accomplishes for once in adapting this iconic hero to the big screen and it is a credit to the sharp reverence and love for the source material felt in both the writing, direction, and the incredible performance in Pattinson, who brings their work to life and makes this Batman truly his own, on top of instilling that character into an inspired take reminiscence of director David Fincher’s body of work specifically Se7en. It is why outside of being a bit bloated in parts, many sub plots relying too much on spinoffs/sequels to give them weight, and underutilized characters both disappointingly limited but understandably by design, this is truly one of Batman’s better and engaging film outings in recent times, and a truly fresh new start to hopefully a series of films akin to what Reeves has proven with the incredible journey him and other writers took us with the ape Caesar in the Planet Of The Apes trilogy.
Let’s look at the cast of characters in this dark, grimy Gotham City with Batman for once leading the helm this time out. This will be the 7th official actor to don the cowl and cape, with Robert Pattinson’s approach to the character more akin to the early years of the character, rather than the grizzled veteran of recent years or even the already established hero with a set goal/motivation in mind as other interpretations had been. He must convey a character that is still trying to understand and figure out how he can truly affect change to a city that refuses to do so, and that arc is conveyed exceptionally well through Pattinson’s ability to convey so much without dialogue and with it, it truly is important as it marks the growth the character goes through from start to finish. It all revolves around exploring him being the embodiment of “Vengeance” and by the end, rejecting that notion to be better and represent the hope of a better tomorrow for Gotham. Pattinson turns in a compelling lead performance, and it is no surprise that he is the anchor for the film’s narrative this time out.
This is not to diminish the supporting cast, who all bring their A-Game to the characters, starting with Selina Kyle played by Zoë Kravitz as the agile thief with a heart of gold, Catwoman. The only knock to her performance is a very dull and leaden current event line that felt jarring and a bit out of place but is easily forgivable as this is the second film to explore the on/off relationship between her and Batman. Kravitz embodies the shifty, dangerous tight rope act of self-interest cynical thief with a heart of gold and indirectly working with/against the criminal underworld of Gotham pitch perfectly. As her character is closer to her persona and traits of the iconic team up in The Long Halloween, she is given quite a bit to stand out, despite the awkward chemistry from time to time with Pattinson that we can only hope will develop more thoroughly in future outings. Otherwise, pretty much a great performance and rendition of Catwoman that feels entwined with the major players of Gotham Underworld, making her closer to her comic book counterpart than any other adaptation, outside of Batman Returns.
The most notable supporting characters are with these two iconic figures, first with the reliably great Jeffery Wright as Lieutenant Gordon and Colin Farrell as the transformative/brutish Penguin. This Gordon is a haggard, desperate police lieutenant at his wit’s end on stemming the tide of chaos from destroying the city. Hence, he has formed an alliance with Batman and in that regard, we get to see them working together to solve the Riddler’s clues and attempt to prevent the murder spree from continuing. Wright puts his own spin on the iconic character of Batman’s support structure and brings some suitable gravitas to the role, despite the unfortunate comparison to the casting perfection of Gary Oldman in the Nolan trilogy. This Gordon works well as a supporting character in this tale and is different enough to stand on its own while maintain the notable traits of the character.
This leads into another fantastic character performance, by Irish actor Colin Farrell as the illustrious Penguin. He pretty much comes in and out of this tale, as the manager of the shady Iceberg Lounge and provides Batman some much-needed criminal conflict, operating one of the major drug operations in Gotham. This is a combination of incredible make-up work and the spirited performance from Farrell that provides a different yet closer take to the comic book/animated counterparts before him. He certainly makes an impression and ends up providing much of the levity to the proceedings and establishes the delicate blend of grounded realism with the more fantastically outlandish comic elements that can be further developed in future outings. But nothing compares to how a notable character actor truly makes the most out of a villain that operates out of sight and mind.
This brings us to the main baddie himself, the deranged and intellectually dangerous Riddler played by Paul Dano as a complete re-invention of the character combining the elements of the familiar with the newer details that create a mix of what we know of the character with a good mix of serial killing characters like Jigsaw. The character mostly operates behind the scenes, making his presence known through the riddles and traps he creates for his victims. It is very much a modern update of the character that works with the world established here and provides a different kind of conflict than what we’ve seen from Batman’s Rogue Gallery on the big screen. When he finally ends up in the spotlight in act 3, Dano delivers on the notable traits of the character in the comics, as well as being effectively crazy in his performance. Despite not having a ton of screen time or scenes, he makes his take on the character memorable and one worth seeing again in a future storyline.
That can be said for the last set of characters that make an appearance here, as a recurring one and a one off. The notable supporting character that had limited time in the film was Alfred Pennysworth played by Andy Serkis. He approaches the character with a grizzled yet balanced vibe in his performance that does make his scenes notable for Bruce’s growth and change as a character, making his limited screen time regrettable but still a creative choice reflecting how distanced the characters are from each other at this point in his career. The last one to mention and cover is Carmine Falcone played by John Turturro, who is the secretive criminal head that runs everything in Gotham City. He makes his limited time in the film standout with his assured yet calm demeanor that makes him just as dangerous as the villains Batman usually fights with, making his presence a proper part of this crime ridden, corrupt world they operate within. So, the cast of characters all stand out in their own ways and make their presence known with the fantastic cast behind them and strong direction that made it quality stuff along with being as close to the comic book counterparts as you get with the looks and clearly defined traits on display here.
Let’s finally get to the major section for the rest of the review, the technical aspects of the film with art direction/costume designs, cinematography/editing, action set pieces, and of course, sound design/score. This is the film to go back to bringing the Gothic architecture and design of the city from both the comic book inspirations and Tim Burton’s films, with notable locales of London and Chicago (Transits and Streets used for it) on display. The art direction crew (Oliver Benson, Joe Howard, Gary Jopling, & Matthew Kerly) truly created a Gotham City that is both believable and a worse version of the dark and grimy parts of many metropolis cities in the world. It is also notable how most of the environment has been either been made or shot with earthy tones in each set/art design to create how lived in this city truly is. This is a great blend of two totally different artistic styles that feels fully realized and alluring to see more of, as well as change with each entry set within it.
Next up, the costumes with the tech designs are quite unique in how it has a low-fi sensibility to it, while still establishing how outlandish yet cool some of the notable gear comes across. Lead by Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran, the obvious point to discuss is Batman’s bulky yet powerful suit (David Crossman & Glyn Dillon: Batsuit Designers), which has this dual purpose of striking fear into criminals, while coming across as unstoppable that no doubt defines how Bruce is, within his second year as Batman. Everyone else seems traditionally dressed, even Catwoman’s costume is practical (despite being disappointingly unremarkable) but the villains are uniquely designed and styled. With Penguin, he has the traditional tuxedo look but is more remarkable for the incredible make-up efforts of Michael Marino for transforming Farrell’s look into a disfigured yet unnatural one for the character. As for Riddler, it’s this grungy and makeshift mix of military styled overcoat with a gimp face mask that while does go into the edgy vibe of the story, it certainly feels like a balance could have been better found in designing it. From an art direction/costume design standpoint, the film’s world/characters do feel fully realized to the atmosphere and setting for this crime story.
This brings us to the cinematography and editing for the film, that adopts what came before to find a happy medium for the grounded yet stylized approach to the look of the film. It was shot by Greig Fraser and you can tell that director David Fincher’s visual style, specifically Se7en was the clear inspiration for the look and energy of this story. It does fit perfectly with the gothic design of the city, with the effective use of the dark yet earthy color tones visible in the shot compositions. Which leads to the refreshingly clear, yet tension filled editing, as we see how versatile and effective the lead characters are in a fight or them investigating a crime scene thoroughly, conveyed by the work of Editors William Hoy & Tyler Nelson to allow for each fight scene to breath in contrast to the fast cutting and quick flashes that were notable from the previous film adaptations before it. As well as playing the story out like a traditional crime drama mystery with a fantastical yet gritty comic book edge to it that feels like one of the Batman comic tales come to life. The film in its look and editing comes to life with the way it paces the action beats deliberately, allows for brevity to the investigative/character development, and truly make Gotham believable in its existence.
This leads to the notably few but effective action beats of the film, a stark contrast to the other adaptations that usually rely on the grand scale and scope of the action to come through to entertain. Here, they are usually done to inform us of the character, drive the story forward, and feel like a proper culmination of the conflict building to that moment as evident with the intense and powerful opening sequence that establishes how violent and dangerous Batman is, within two years and still driven by his rage/vengeance to strike fear into the criminal underworld. There is one major car chase sequence that truly utilizes traffic in a way that feels believably tense and not only captures just how terrifyingly powerful the Batmobile is in this one, but book ends with one of the most iconic shots that will define this film series going forward with how this Batman evolves and grows from here. The many melee action beats are surprisingly clear and paced with enough kinetic energy to see what is happening and feel the impact effectively, helped by the strongly defined sound design and score to go with it, with the best one being the Hallway scene and Batman’s hand to hand tango with Penguins’/Falcone’s thugs and his tango with Catwoman. It all builds to a showdown that is reminiscent of inspired comic tales like No Man’s Land and the Arkham games that keeps the main conflict focused on Batman’s motivation as a vigilante to finally become a hero that Gotham needs. Most of the time is spent of Batman investigating and playing detective with the criminal underworld to track down Riddler and understand his motivated killings related to the dark history of the wealthy ruling class in Gotham. When the action happens, it happens with intent and purpose, which is refreshing to see in a big blockbuster film of this scale.
Lastly, we get to another quality and underrated element of filmmaking that truly makes this adaptation special, is the Sound Design/Score for the film, with one notable song used that tie into the Bruce Wayne’s character arc rather well. It is notable throughout in a premium screening how powerfully hard hitting and strong the sound comes through but what they emphasis quite a lot throughout the film is how heavy Batman’s footsteps are, in many of the scenes. It really accentuates how otherworldly and fear inducing he comes across, that adds to the fantastic performance from Pattinson as well. Of course, you got to mention that beastly jet engine sound that powers the Batmobile along with how effective sound is utilized throughout the quiet moments of the film. The score from Michael Giacchino is quite the fascinating one that conveys the gothic, downright horror qualities to the character that honors the motifs that came before yet builds on it with some inventive inspirations. It makes sense that he uses the main rhythmic beats of “The Imperial March” for Star Wars to create a different theme for Batman that feels appropriate for this adaptation and defines this character musically going forward. It is also quite surprising to see Reeves use the song “Something’s In The Way” by Nirvana as a means to establish the hopeless, cynical vibe of Gotham as well as establish Wayne’s character arc/defect that he eventually needs to overcome at the end of the film. It is yet another component of the film’s success of establishing a new Batman and future stories going ahead, a stellar, effectively used sound design with a truly standout score from a reliable composing veteran, and a song that will no doubt get more people interested in learning more about Nirvana.
It has been a very tumultuous time for DC comics and Warner Brothers studios regarding how they go about adapting these iconic and obscure characters to the big screen, with many misfires but only a handful of successes in spite of the challenges and problems that came from production to its release. In this case, the reason for Batman’s longevity in media is how adaptable and ultimately timeless the tale truly is to many people, allowing for the characters and world within to be reshaped with the right story and creative energy to go with it. In this case, this new beginning to a larger story for the Dark Knight, is a triumphant success and finally focuses solely on Batman and Bruce, the indistinguishable conflict between the two sides, and how they can co-exist in a city that seems to be drowning in corruption and terror. On top of that, you have a delicate balance between the grounded realism, but maintain the fantastical elements of the comic book mythos creates a path for this Batman to truly have a defined, long running arc going forward. It helps that it is mainly a detective tale that feels inspired from the many of the hard-boiled crime thrillers that rely on the style of Crime Noir. This truly is an effectively entertaining and refreshingly engaging crime drama that captures the many sides of Gotham but also focuses solely on the motivations/struggles of Batman as an avenging Vigilante, on the painful road to become the hero Gotham needs in its darkest moments.
Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Out Of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DC Films’ The Batman is a tense, engagingly satisfying, and truly entertaining comic book crime thriller that not only explores a different aspect of Batman but keeps that focus on him throughout the entire runtime. What does work is the overall arc that truly defines how this Batman becomes the hero we know in other forms of media and stories, as well as touching upon aspects of his family history finally in film form. The reason for the score reduction is the unfortunate lack of payoff from that plotline (other than a character moment for Bruce to grow from), interesting side characters limited in their roles for future appearances, the answer to the mystery might appear underwhelming but truly feels like a natural part of this tale (it makes sense for people to go nuts here and Arkham to exist), and the second act does run long in the tooth before wrapping up. However, the entire cast is clearly game and feel pitch perfect in their respective roles, bringing the characters to life with Farrell as Penguin being the most praised of the cast members, but everyone puts in equally strong performances with standouts being Wright, Dano, and Pattinson. The action is gritty, hard hitting, and feels not only real but manages to still be larger than life, allowing for this world to be a promising blend between the grounded realism and comic book style fantasy elements that make up some of the more notable Batman tales in his comic book series. This is a gratifying film for many Batman fans, but also still a recommend for anyone else looking for an entertaining and enjoyable crime thriller that might run a bit long at times and understandably might feel shallow or indecipherable for those not in the know, regarding the long history of Batman.
