Film Review: The Batman (2022) dir. Matt Reeves

The perfect comic-book adaptation for the debut of Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne.

The following review is entirely spoiler-free.

What I love most about the Batman movies are their subversive approach to the superhero genre. There is a dark quality to them whereby the dangers of the real-world are able to be reflected in the authentic, albeit still over-the-top, villains and the crimes they commit. It grounds The Batman in a more tangible world, while sacrificing very little of the spectacle that is expected from the genre. The move away from fantasy allows us as viewers to really feel what is at stake and gives the film room to explore the psyche of the protagonist, who is actually much less a hero than a vigilante.

Following in the footsteps of 2019's character study, Joker, this new version of Batman attempts to paint its main characters as individuals suffering from very real inner turmoil with much of their motivation stemming from past traumas. Both Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz do an amazing job portraying this in their roles as Batman and Catwoman. Pattinson is of course as brooding and understated as ever which translates perfectly into a Bruce Wayne who is not yet a fully realized hero, while Kravitz brings an incredibly sensual essence to Selina Kyle, yet maintains all of her strength and wit that makes her such a captivating anti-hero. And lastly, one of the best performances of the film is that of Paul Dano as a Riddler who feels like he was plucked right out of a serial killer psychological horror film. Not to compare the performance too much to previous iterations, I feel it is important to state I think Robert Pattinson's Batman has the potential to be my personal favourite, while Kravitz and Dano both manage to live up to the incomparable Michelle Pfeiffer and Heath Ledger in their respective roles. I will say, however, that with a nearly 3-hour runtime (and yes, it does feel like 3 hours), I feel as though even more depth could have been brought to these characters. The film relies heavily on what we already know about the Batman, but the moments of backstory and character development were extraordinary additions that I cannot wait to see more of.

Overall, The Batman was entirely what I wanted it to be and more. It is a gorgeously shot film noir/mystery/crime thriller, the score is UNBELIEVABLY good at creating a suspenseful atmosphere, and the grunge-leaning aesthetic very much lends itself to the grimy and dystopian air that Gotham City was always meant to have. It continues on the path laid out by Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy that connects the film back to its comic book roots. I think of this film as a re-introduction; a genre-bending take on a hero we know so well. The Batman may not have been entirely perfect, but it has opened the door for what I am sure will be the best instalments of this hero franchise.