The Batman may just be the greatest movie I've ever watched in a theatre. After the MCU and comic book movies almost committed full genocide on Hollywood and creative filmmaking. It is so undeniably refreshing to see another comic book film actually give a shit about filmmaking. There's a depressingly little amount of these. The only other ones I would put in that tier would be the Christopher Nolan
Dark Knight trilogy,
Spiderman: No Way Home, Into The Spider Verse, and
Logan. And of those movies
The Batman easily takes first or second on the list. It's everything I've wanted a Batman movie to be. The DCEU was taking Batman to a level way to high for him to be enjoyable, so it's a breath of fresh air to see him in a new, grounded take with just him and Commissioner Gordon trying to stop a member of Batman's incredible Rogues Gallery. I love the kind of Batman movie that feels like a normal crime movie with beloved DC characters thrown in. Not this DCEU "Let's copy the MCU but be 3 times worse" crap. This is honestly a miracle for DC live action because the only other movies of theirs to be as unanimously appreciated are Shazam and The Suicide Squad remake, and those movies pale in comparison to this Matt Reeves masterpiece.
I'd like to start off by talking about my unrivaled favourite part of this movie, that being Paul Dano's Riddler. I absolutely adore this villain. In my opinion he is the best villain in any live action Batman film. People got too easily distracted by that one scene with his Instagram Influencer bit, and that's a real shame because behind that is a phenomenal character. Everything from his acting, to his costume, to his execution, to his plan, to his motivation, it's just brilliant. I'd like to talk about this character's motivation more in-depth. Because my god, it may just be the best in any comic book film to date. Him growing up as an orphan at the same time as Bruce was a genius decision, he was driven insane by Bruce getting all the media attention because he was rich, leaving all of the other orphans in the city ignored. That brought something new to be discussed with the character of Batman. And I had thought we were all but done learning things about him.
Paul Dano's Riddler also became one of the most effective villains in Batman's filmography. Only being contested by Tom Hardy's Bane. He Murdered several high profile and well-known Gotham officials without leaving any accidental clues, he discovered and unravelled the biggest scandal that Gotham's ever had any released it to the public while the entire government was trying to keep it secret,
he predicted every move that Batman and the Gotham Police would make right down to a specific streetlamp, he had the entire GCPD, along with Batman, running after him in a Cat and Mouse game that he was controlling, and he blew up the sea wall, flooding the entire city, WHILE HE WAS IN PRISON. Nothing any rendition of The Joker have done that, Batman Begins' Scarecrow didn't come CLOSE to that, and Tom Hardy's Bane did a lot of large scale destruction, but Riddler did everything he did and then took it up another level.
All in all, I believe Riddler to be by far the greatest written, by a small amount the most effective, and overall the greatest villain a live action Batman film has ever had. Sure, Heath Ledger's Joker was a legendary performance, but in every other way he doesn't even contest Bane or Riddler, they were both smarter than him, more powerful than him, better written than him, and more effective at attacking Gotham than him.
Riddler brought up so many new discussion points in the character of Batman that I had never thought of before. But he's not the only one. The entire movie dissects this character in so many different aspects, especially in the final battle scene. Which in my opinion is the best of any Batman movie. This is a bit of an obscure place to start, but when the survivors were all together in the stadium, sheltering from the flood outside, I personally felt some of the panic and claustrophobia of being trapped in a slowly flooding area. Especially because I'm terrified of drowning.
The rest of this scene is even better than that. I especially love the way Riddler persuaded a bunch of Qanon metaphors to enforce his plan while he was calling the shots in prison. The Riddler army above the stadium was absolutely chilling to watch as I live in Canada and I saw firsthand how accurate of a metaphor that was for modern day. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, think January 6th in Washington.
Anyways i'm getting off topic here. The main thing that made this final boss comes at the end of Batman fighting the Riddler army in the rafters of the stadium. Batman had just defeated them all, when the final Riddler copy walks up to him and hits him with a shotgun blast. And despite tanking point-blank fire from two SMG guns just a few scenes prior, this singular shotgun blast knocks him over and renders him useless for a solid minute. This proves to be a bad move as Batman gets up and decides a fitting revenge would be to bash the Riddler clone's face in for 30 straight seconds. After he does this he unmasks his enemy and screams "Who are you!?" in rage. To which the copycat responds "I am vengeance."
This sent a shiver down my spine. In three words the foundation of Batman's morality was tarnished and his sole justification for his vigilantism was brought into question. (This of course being meaningful do to Batman's first line of the film being "I'm vengeance" as well.)
Batman's entire morality and justification for his work is that he is the defender of Gotham. Or "Vengeance". But who is he to say his method of vengeance is the right one? Catwoman thought she was vengeance when she went to kill Falcone. Commissioner Gordon thinks the GCPD is Gotham's vengeance when they're hunting down and apprehending criminals. And The Riddler definitely believes HE is the true vengeance of Gotham. And you know what? One of them could be right. No one in Gotham believes that Batman's method of justice is the one correct form. His beliefs are the ones used on the city streets because he uses his superior fighting skills to stop anyone who does it differently. And honestly the Riddler has some good points. Albeit though a VERY flawed execution. I usually hate it when a villain tries to to pass themselves off as relatable to the hero. I didn't buy it with Green Goblin in Spiderman, I didn't buy it with Heath Ledger's Joker, but this time it just WORKS. And that because it's true. They both defend the city from criminals in corruption through their own sense of twisted justice. And Riddler's connection to Batman in this film elevates both characters perfectly.
Aside from the villain, there's one other aspect of a Batman film that the filmmakers must get right to succeed. And that's the portrayal of Batman, it is absolutely VITAL to get this right, as a lazy portrayal of the main character ruins a movie. Even more so when applied to a comic book movie. So who did the casting director choose for such a crucial role that the entire movie hinges on?
The F###ing kid from Twilight. The star of one of the most absurd movie franchises ever made. The second I heard the news I thought this was going to be a train wreck. So how'd he end up doing?
Great actually.
In just one movie, Pattinson has become easily my favourite Batman AND Bruce Wayne. And it's not much of a contest. He gets his due as an amazing Batman performance. But too many people are sleeping on his portrayal of Bruce Wayne. Everyone complains that he's too moody and grunge-like all the time, and nothing like the best Bruce Waynes we know. And to that I say, "Well what the hell did you expect!?"
Keep in mind this is set only 2 years after Batman started. He's inexperienced. His body hasn't adapted to being put through hell every night, and he hasn't gotten enough sleep for over 700 days. He hasn't become the peak human we know him as in the comics. So yeah, rightfully this movie made Bruce Wayne an angsty, nocturnal character who's still trying to sort himself through his many emotions of sadness, anger, and vengeance.
He's also definitely my favourite Batman to watch in live action. (Arkham Batman is my favourite). Quite an unorthodox way to start, but his voice in the suit make him at least 3x better than Bale. Christian Bale is an amazing actor. But in the Nolan trilogy he sounded like someone doing a parody. And it made him sound ridiculous and nowhere close to intimidating. But Pattinson found a way to use a deep, gravelly voice, but still sound like a human while he does it. Making it so much easier to take him seriously, and therefore strengthening your engagement with the movie. There's also something about Pattinson's method of fighting that I love. He doesn't jump down into a sea of thugs and start kicking ass like Ben Affleck, he doesn't rely on many ridiculous gadgets to help him like Christian Bale. He is strategic. Playing off of his environment or his enemy's ego to try and lure them into individual one-on-one fights or takedowns. This works well in huge part to the action choreography. Which is absolutely PEAK for a film. There are so many great choices made here that elevate the action sequences. From how brutal Batman's beatdown is on the first skeleton gang member, to the hallway sequence illuminated only by machine gun fire. The cinematography in this movie is beautiful. Every frame bursting with detail and interest.
Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman was a really pleasant surprise in this movie. I never really liked Catwoman as a character. She always felt like a 2D, unnecessary plot device used only to add a boring romance aspect that doesn't need to be there and just ruins your engagement of the movie. However in The Batman they actually gave her a personality, an interesting story, and something for her to do that makes her relevant to the plot. Her motivation made her an interesting and sympathetic character and her parallel arc to Batman near the end was really impressive filmmaking. And on top of that Zoe Kravitz is a great actress. I really liked her in the High Fidelity TV series reboot. So I was happy when I heard she was included in this movie.
Aside a damn near perfect cast, The Batman is filled to the top with extraordinary scenes.
The final battle in my opinion is the best in a live action Batman film to date. It made me feel fully immersed with the atmosphere of the setting and as though I was there as one of the terrified civilians and the entire scene felt as though it was filmed with 4D. I feel part if this cemented this Riddler's legacy as the best live action Batman villain. See, Riddler found a way to lead through inspiration and respect. He preached his verdict into the world and got an army to willingly work for him. While villains like Heath Joker or Hardy Bane rule through physical threats. Riddler doesn't need to be an imposing threat. His mind is all he needed to do more than any other villain ever could. The camerawork and lighting and score in this scene turns the intensity up to 10 and causes your heart to beat the entire time. The Batman has already secured a sure win for Makeup and Hairstyling, but it needs to be recognized with a nomination for its sensational cinematography.
So, remember back to when you're watching this movie in theatres. You're about halfway through now. Lots of suspense and storylines have been set up. We've just figured out what the main focus of this mystery is and what the characters are looking for. By now you're probably captivated by the unfolding plot. But you're understandably craving some action sequences. After all. It's a Batman movie. So, with perfect timing, Matt Reeves drops this masterpiece on you.
If this scene didn't leave you utterly mind blown, I'm not sure you were paying attention. This is cinema right here. Scenes like this are the reason that I respect comic book movies at all. Penguin looks like he's about to get away. There's rounds of gunfire going off everywhere. And then it's just silence. The camera cuts to an alleyway shrouded with fog. And then the silence is broken by the intense roaring of a motor and a harsh blue light. And the Batmobile races out onto the city streets. This car chase scene was probably my favourite scene I've ever watched in a movie theatre. There are at least ten parts that can be turned into stills and hung up on my wall somewhere. I personally love the way the film has the rain contrasting with the gas fires of the collateral damage. It just makes every frame look absolutely beautiful.
But the Batmobile design in this movie is amazing. It looks like a vintage Camaro or something and it is an absolute marvel. I love the way they chose to shoot so much of this chase on dashboard camera. I always think the closer to the characters you are, the more real the movie feels. And this camerawork along with the sound design and visual effects of the collateral damage made this feel so much more down to earth. Making your immersion with the scene that much stronger.
Also this is the perfect opportunity to mention one of my favorite parts of this movie. Collin Farrell. This is one of the best cosmetic jobs I've ever noticed in my life. I saw a photo of how he looks normally a week after watching the movie. And holy shit he is an entirely different person. I swear to god they aren't the same human. Aside from that, Farrell's stage presence goes unmatched in every scene he's in. His lines and the delivery he provides to all of them carried the film every time he was on screen. When he was being interrogated by Gordon and Batman, he was the best character in the film. On god.
All of these, every point I have made, are nothing if you fail to mention what is perhaps the greatest aspect of The Batman. The one that amplifies the tone and clarifies the message of each scene perfectly. Michael Giacchino's masterpiece of a score. Every second of tracks like Can't Fight City Halloween or It's Raining Vengeance achieve exactly what their trying to do. Hearing the score intensifying by the second while Riddler is stalking the mayoral candidate or Batman is picking off Carmine's henchmen just hits perfectly. Michael Giacchino can't do wrong. Every film he's in he makes an even stronger case to overtake John Williams as the greatest composer of all time. (Yes I said that). I think the Star Wars scores still keep John Williams on top but Giacchino is closing in.
The Batman is 2 hours and 56 minutes long. And every negative review, no matter how different seems to include the same complaint. "It's. Too. Long." And just... no.
Matt Reeves brought us an absolute masterpiece of a film here. And it is undoubtedly his movie. So why must we try to limit his creative mind just to accommodate our pathetically short attention spans? Filmmaking is the passion of everyone majorly involved in that film. Let them make the movie they want to make. And on top of that, every minute of The Batman is riveting. Why should everyone have to cut out all of that down to a barebones story just so we as an audience can be out in under 2 hours? The answer is they shouldn't. At least in my mind.
Much like Se7en, The Batman is a dark, grounded manhunt for a murderer claiming to be fighting for the good of the city. But much unlike Se7en. The Batman manages to be enjoyable, have decent camerawork and lighting, and overall provide both a good moviegoing experience and demonstrate the time and care put into good filmmaking. And that's what the film does. It's much different than your average comic book film, and it's not afraid to be. It puts the art of filmmaking ahead of gathering monetary gain for the big studio companies. And it is by far, my favourite comic book film ever made.
10/10. No I do not exaggerate.
