This review contains spoilers for “The Batman.”
Batman is referred to as the world’s greatest detective in the DC comics, and first appeared in the series “Detective Comics.” Now, we finally have a movie that fully embraces the detective side of Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, who directed the past two “Planet of the Apes” films when Ben Affleck was still playing Batman. As a longtime Batman and mysteries fan, this was exciting. With “The Batman” which released this past week, Reeves delivered.
In the film, the Riddler (Paul Dano) has started a series of macabre killings of top officials in Gotham and began revealing other secrets in the city. It was interesting to follow along with the mystery, trying to figure it out alongside Batman (Robert Pattinson) and Gordon (working out the meaning of the clues that The Riddler leaves behind. I found myself fully immersed throughout, as the tensions kept escalating.
Robert Pattinson is terrific as a young Batman. The moment I became sold on Robert Pattinson as Batman is early in the film when he is at a crime scene with Gordon, observing the scene and unraveling the details. The emotion and cadence that accompany the delivery of his lines make it easy for the viewers to empathize with his pain. Near the beginning and once more at the end of the film he provides an inner monologue, yet it’s not woven in throughout the film like in some other noir films.
In Pattinson’s first appearance in costume, he declares that he is “vengeance,” defeating criminals repeatedly. In a scene similar to Batman’s in-costume introduction in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” an individual that Batman saves is terrified that Batman might hurt him as well. Pattinson sells the obsession, intensity and anger of Batman – it is easy to resonate with the terror that lives in his opponents.
Yet, Pattinson is only publicly Bruce Wayne for one scene. When he is not Batman, he is in his tower or walking the streets with his identity hidden, waiting to turn into Batman. In one scene, Batman utters a line that is essentially entangled in victim blaming, and writing off a person’s death — which felt incredibly out of character to Batman in the rest of the film, and the comics. Pattinson is overall a very convincing Batman, though there are many aspects of the character he has yet to show off.
The Riddler (Paul Dano) plays the main villain of the film and is portrayed in a similar fashion as terrorists. Instead of wishing to outsmart everyone (as he does in the comics), the Riddler wants everyone else to see the pain he suffered, and to discover Gotham’s corruption. He utilizes social media and the press to spread his message. There are similarities between how the film portrays the Riddler and Batman. In the film’s opening POV shot, I was unsure whether I was observing the surroundings from Batman’s perspective or Riddler’s. (In 2017, Reeves mentioned being inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s use of perspective).
Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) works with Batman to aid in uncovering what happened to her friend and coworker at the night club she works at. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as Gordon, one of the few police officers who isn’t corrupt. Colin Farrell’s performance, and prosthetics are phenomenal–disfiguring him to the point where all you can see is The Penguin. He is much more of a mobster than the posh aristocratic Penguin of previous versions.
What is a detective film for the majority of its runtime, transpires into a generic superhero movie at its climax – not dealing effectively with the weight of the events that unravel throughout. I do not feel that the film’s social commentary reaches the level that the best film noir and neo noirs do.
The action scenes are played out magnificently, consisting mostly of Batman fighting nameless and faceless henchman, yet they still feel unique and entertaining.
The movie is quite long, running two hours and 55 minutes. The strongest aspects of “The Batman” are the detective story and the atmosphere. The film effectively mixes a detective thriller with a superhero movie. While there does feel to be some missed potential, it is a very captivating film regardless.
Scott Lerer can be reached at [email protected].
