The Batman (2022) Review!!

Synopsis – When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.

My Take – From the time I can remember I have always been a fan of Batman. From his various appearances across all media from comic books to the animated series to game, I have always adored the caped crusader.

While I was too young at the time to fully appreciate Michael Keaton’s iconic portrayal in 1989’s Batman and its 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, but moving into my early teens I remember feeling quite appalled by director Joel Schumacher‘s atrocious follow ups, Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997).

As a result, for me, Christian Bale‘s take and director Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight Trilogy are the definite Batman films. Personally, I did enjoy Ben Affleck’s time under the mask, but the studio and Zack Snyder failed him. Hence, making room for yet another iteration.

Honestly, I was a little worried when writer-director Matt Reeves was handed over the reins for a new film, a rebooted version with a younger lead, not because I doubted him as a filmmaker after all he successfully transformed the Planet of the Apes franchise into the stuff of modern epic, but because of his pitch.

A neo-noir story focused more on Batman’s detective skills, something which typically work in a longer format. And add to that the arguable fact that he had employed slow pacing and untypical narratives in his previous films. But as it turns out my worries were misplaced as what I saw on screen genuinely blew me away.

Taking inspiration from various crime/thrillers featured throughout film history, especially David Fincher‘s Se7en (1995), and classic comic arcs like The Long Halloween, Dark Victory and Year One, here, director-writer Matt Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig have created a dark, surprisingly gritty complex detective tale, that is more of a psychological thriller than an action crime drama we have come to expect, far from a comic book film.

With valuable support from a fantastic cast, cinematographer Greig Fraser and composer Michael Giacchino, this one is easily up there with one of the most impressively put together comic book films and blockbusters in general, and is arguably the second best Batman film ever made, after The Dark Knight (2008) of course.

Set two decades after the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, the story follows Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) who for two years has been patrolling the streets of Gotham city at night and striking fear into the hearts of criminals as Batman. But, it’s not having the impact he expected, with the crime rate unexpectedly still rising.

However, things only get worse when he finds himself entangled in case revolving around a sadistic killer known as the Riddler (Paul Dano), who has started targeting Gotham’s elite starting with Mayor Don Mitchell Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones), just ahead of Election Day, leaving behind only a trail of amusing riddles to solve.

With the body count rising, and his only ally GCPD lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) at his side, Batman’s investigation leads into the orbit of organized crime, where he crosses paths with the Penguin aka Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) and his boss, Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) to find a connection. In between the powerful chaos, Batman also finds an unlikely acquaintance in Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), who is equally attached to the mystery at hand with her own pursuit to uncover the truth.

Clocking in at a bladder-busting 176 minutes, the film has an awful lot going on. It’s an anguished character study, a serial-killer crime story, a political conspiracy thriller about the legacy of lies, a love story between the Bat and the Cat, a Year Two Batman tale, as well as an origin story for multiple DC villains. But director Reeves has done a remarkable job establishing the new direction for the franchise and immediately pulls you into just how dark and dingy the city of Batman is.

It’s a dense, labyrinthine detective tale that grips from the off, feeling like the truest representation to date of a Batman graphic novel on screen as its focus shifts and re configures in order to explore lengthy tangents that provide a richer understanding of the city and its inhabitants.

By avoiding the origin story and focusing on Batman being deemed as DC‘s World’s Greatest Detective aspect, we’re seeing a side of the dark knight that has never fully been explored on screen before.

Throw in some heavy film-noir vibes and a richly-detailed Gotham (under)world, and director Reeves has delivered an exhilarating spin on the character. Sure, there are times when he does cut to other characters, such as in the chilling and unforgettable introduction of the Riddler. However, by mostly keeping you with Batman, it elevates the detective angle and adds an intrigue that keeps you gripped throughout its runtime.

While director Reeve‘s film does share some similar DNA with director Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight Trilogy, as it serious in tone and dark in more ways than one, it is also a far less action oriented. Being a neo-noir exploring the detective side of Batman, the film doesn’t overindulge in action sequences, but when it does, it delivers.

Surprisingly, even the action feels more intimate than what we’re used to. For example, the version of a car chase captured here, is with a claustrophobic POV pinned to the front wheels or the driver’s face, exquisitely and provocatively framed by cinematographer Greig Fraser.

Without a doubt, director Reeves does a fantastic job of depicting his Batman universe with the appropriate grit and feel and the lighting and cinematography is excellent. And also does a good job of creating various potential spinoffs with some subtle references within the story-line and at the end.

Yes, the film didn’t need to be so long to tell what it is, a relatively simple story of its hero’s moral awakening, but it’s a feat in itself that the film has its own voice and perspective, instead of coming across like just another Batman film.

As the new Gotham Knight, Robert Pattinson is just fantastic in this film. A divisive choice early on, Pattinson proves a worthy owner of the famous character with his noteworthy work over the last few years proving to be a testament of his talent, and the Twilight films being a thing of the past. Here, he spends the vast majority as the vigilante and not as Bruce Wayne, which is all the more challenging, but Pattinson‘s take is both imposing and vulnerable, a hard mix to get right but one he nails in all instances.

Zoë Kravitz is also excellent in her new portrayal of Selena Kyle aka Catwoman. A blend of both physical and emotional acting, Kravitz makes for a great opposite to the Batman. Paul Dano easily delivering the best villain performance in a superhero film in recent memory, whose zodiac style roots really intensify a new look to the iconic character. I was left genuinely spooked by his galvanic performance, truly terrifying.

An unrecognizable Colin Farrell is entertaining as the Penguin, adding the right amount of drama accompanied by some much-needed humor to the grittiness. The rest of the supporting cast is also excellent, Jeffrey Wright bringing a new layer onto the character of Commissioner Gordon, Andy Serkis is suitably affecting as Alfred, and John Turturro is appropriately sleazy as the crime boss Carmine Falcone.

In comparatively smaller roles, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, and twins Charlie and Max Carver manage to leave an impressionable impact. Barry Keoghan‘s cameo appearance as an iconic villain sets up a promising future for the planned trilogy. On the whole, ‘The Batman’ is an enthralling, gritty and gripping noir epic which grandly delivers on expectations.