THE BATMAN: An Operatic Morality Thriller

The superhero film genre is like a high school party. A party you loved when you arrived but it has rapidly become a senseless, dizzying, juvenile affair full of wannabe cool kids and boring stiffs. Most of the attendees are worn out, carbon copied clichés who flaunt their dress to make up for the fact that they have no real style. You can find some occasionally, mindless fun at this party but at the end of the day, there isn’t any real substance or benefit to the majority of it. Matt Reeves’ rain-drenched, angsty exposé, The Batman is like the kid who shows up for three minutes then ditches and opts instead to go drive around town with its friends, blasting Nirvana’s Nevermind as they make their own fun. Despite its brooding edges, it’s clear that The Batman is the coolest kid in school.

The Gotham Connection 

At the dawn of his tenure as Gotham’s sworn protector, the Batman/Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) investigates a serial killing from a deranged madman known as the Riddler (Paul Dano) before being thrust into a conspiracy involving corruption in Gotham’s elite, all while battling and sorting through his inner traumas and damaged mind. The film also features Bruce’s close allies such as the police not-quite-commissioner Jim Gordon (a wonderfully whispery Jeffery Wright) and butler/mentor Alfred (an underused Andy Serkis), shady antagonists in The Penguin (portrayed exceptionally by Colin Farrell whose performance is so much more than the prosthetics), mob boss Carmine Falcone (the great John Turturro), and the mysterious, criminally badass Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz).

Rather than telling another trite superhero origin story, director Matt Reeves and his co-writer Peter Craig opted instead for a script that’s part detective procedural in the vein of David Fincher‘s films Zodiac and Se7en (or going back farther, Bong Joon-Ho’s Memories of Murder) with the underlying mystery and corruption of something like Chinatown, and the budding partnerships seen The French Connection and All The President’s Men. All of these films have been said to be big inspirations on Reeves and the film wears its 70’s grit on its sleeve. However, where a film like Joker uses this era of inspiration as little more than a way to ape a much better film (Scorsese‘s The King of Comedy) and disguise it as something new, Reeves uses these films as threads to knit together a screenplay that feels like an ode to 70’s American cinema rather than a copy of any specific film while also feeling fresh for the genre: it’s a gritty detective crime thriller disguised as a superhero film.

The Hurdy Gurdy Man

Residing at the epicenter of all of these threads, riddles, and corruption is Batman who occasionally has to disguise himself as Bruce Wayne. Robert Pattinson plays the character much differently than his predecessors, replacing previous incarnations’ James Bond-y, playboy persona with a very Kurt Cobain-ian outlook. Where Bruce Waynes of yesteryear can be seen at extravagant galas, buying up banks, and interacting with those at the top of the Gotham food chain, this Bruce is more dead than alive. Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne as an awkward, deeply uncomfortable loner with no interest in anything relating to his surname while he plays Batman as a near-silent brood who communicates only through his eyes. More than any other incarnation, this film’s Bruce is much more comfortable being Batman than Bruce Wayne and that makes for a great internal struggle as the film’s lofty runtime flows along.

Playing opposite Pattinson‘s coming-of-cowl performance is Zoë Kravitz‘s Catwoman whose story, while not quite as fleshed out as desired, is riveting in the way she carries just as much weight and pain as Bruce but for different reasons. Kravitz is the master of her domain here, giving a performance that’s vulnerable, enticing, damaged, seducing, and badass all at the same time and she’s definitely one of the shining stars of the film acting-wise. Paul Dano‘s performance as a man who did one too many puzzles is possibly the most unhinged he’s been since There Will Be Blood (personally, the peak of his talents will always and forever be his work in Prisoners but I digress) and he is truly a surprisingly terrifying figure looming over the whole picture. 

An Auteurist Cape Flick

Stepping miles away from most other studio blockbusters in which a director’s vision is often abandoned in favor of profitability, The Batman is definitely a Matt Reeves film, with all of the darkness and humanistic themes of his revered Apes films, and it’s all the more admirable and interesting for it. Working with the immensely talented cinematographer Greg Fraser, the film’s shadowy exterior, a risk that could make the film come off as too dark and drab, is a decision that paid off as it’s a wonderfully brooding mood piece where occasional bursts of orange make for a true feast for the eyes. Fraser‘s diversion from the usual comic book fair of clean, saturated wides makes for a much more interesting film for your eyes, especially in a particular extended car chase sequence which ditches the usual wides almost entirely for a few mediums and these tight close-ups which put you right into the action. This choice could’ve butchered the scene into a headache-inducing mess but Reeves’ strict but striking direction and Fraser‘s tight framing ensure that it will undoubtedly go down as one of the most thrilling scenes of the year.

James Chinlund‘s immaculate production design deserves a special mention here as his work on the film helped to produce a phenomenal Gotham city, a New Yorkian hellscape where the streets are littered with darkness and the sky is constantly pouring rain down on all of its citizens: it’s no wonder the Batman wants to clean this place up. It’s a place that is the perfect blend of style and realism that creates a beautifully rich effect, and the same goes for Bruce’s gothic apartment and the practicalness of the Batcave. Michael Giacchino‘s score is one of the most welcome earworms of the last decade as the theme he crafted for this film is near unrivaled perfection. It somehow channels all of the film’s themes, moods, and emotions into one banger of a soundtrack and the main theme is heroic, romantic, dark, hopeful, and completely beautiful all at once. Words really can’t do it justice, it is a thing of beauty and something to behold.

Vengeance In The (K)Night

As previously mentioned, part of the appeal and critical success of Reeves’ Planet of the Apes films is the way in which he took this megabudget blockbuster and injected his philosophies, heart, and soul into the project and that personal touch that’s so missing in most big-budget studio films is on full display here. This film surprisingly tackles a lot: themes of trauma and corruption are obvious candidates but perhaps the most poignant question Reeves asks here is “What is the cost of vengeance?”. That internal struggle of what Batman wants to represent is the heart of the picture and it leads to some powerful and triumphant moments of realization and growth, scenes which haven’t fully come to fruition in any other Batman project, at least not in this personal of a way.

As cool and thrilling as the limited and concentrated fight and action scenes are, the most thrilling battle in the whole film is the one constantly going on in the damaged mind of Bruce Wayne, his constant search for a veil to put over his traumas. His search for this veil is what fuels the film’s climax which is a decidedly quiet one in which Bruce finally figures out who he is and what he represents. And that’s really a testament to Matt Reeves‘ talent and the talent of the entire cast and crew. To craft a film that goes so against the grain, a practical three-hour crime epic full of different side plots and different characters, and come out on top with a film that questions the philosophies of a character that’s been around for nearly a century in a way that hasn’t quite been done before. It really is, despite all its inherent, a film of hope.

What did you think of The Batman? Let us know in the comments!

The Batman is currently playing in theaters worldwide.

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