The Batman
2022 Review Number 4:
The Batman: (Drama/Action): 75 out of 100: Following in the footsteps of "Avengers: Endgame" and "Zack Snyder's Justice League", "The Batman" joins the superhero club of movies that runs for nearly three hours or more. Some might say "epic" while others might say "self-indulgent, this reviewer is in neither camp believing that there's no need for superhero movies to run this long, yet there's no hint of self-indulgence as director Matt Reeves is simply attempting to expand his story and characterisations.
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The Batman (Robert Pattinson) is a crime fighting vigilante who is called upon by Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to solve a series of murders of high-ranking government officials. Nobody except Alfred the butler (Andy Serkis) knows that Batman is actually recluse billionaire Bruce Wayne, whose parents were murdered when he was a boy. Gotham City's crime lords and criminals like Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) are involved in the city's corruption which contribute to the demise of the political and police hierarchy. Batman joins forces with cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) to track down The Riddler (Paul Dano) who has been responsible for these deaths and along the way, discover some nasty truths about the way Gotham City is run.
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This is not an origin story where we see flashbacks of Bruce Wayne as a boy unlike the earlier Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan versions. When comparing the latest version, it's closest in comparison to the Christopher Nolan's Batman. "The Batman" is very dark in two ways with no humour at all plus the scenes are set mainly at night. There's only one extended scene that I recall set during daylight hours. The main gripe I have about setting all the scenes at night is that it is difficult to see some of the action sequences.
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The biggest fear with Batman portrayals is the actor chosen to play him. Who could ever forget George Clooney's rotten portrayal which could have so easily killed off his career? Robert Pattinson makes a credible Batman but a Bruce Wayne who is lacking in personality and charisma. Whenever he appeared on screen as Bruce Wayne, it just brought back some horrendous memories of his Edward Cullen portrayal in the "Twilight" movies. The casting of actors to play the villains in these Batman movies can also greatly affect our opinions. From the sensational Heath Ledger's Joker to the abysmal Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr Freeze, the range of antagonists is wide and varied. Colin Farrell is unrecognisable under all the makeup of The Penguin and makes a convincing mobster while Paul Dano as The Riddler is excellent as the tortured and tormented soul who is anti-establishment and wants Gotham City pay for all its corruption. Zoë Kravitz and Jeffrey Wright also deserve special praise for bringing their respective characters to life.
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Three hours is way too long for a superhero movie. Half an hour could have easily been shaved off to avoid some of the pacing issues this movie experiences. The final hour's tighter editing ensured that the story flowed better than the first two hours. There sure is a lot of character development but not to the point where you are craving for some action scenes which attract the majority of audiences to superhero movies in the first place.
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The technical aspects that impressed most were the production design which brilliantly showcases Gotham City and the music score by Michael Giacchino, which adds further depth to the dramatic and action scenes. Although the cinematography matches the darkness of the Batman character and the corruption of the city, it can be a tad annoying trying to decipher what is happening on the screen at times.
Just like "Spider-Man" for Marvel, Batman for DC proves that superhero movies will always attract huge box office numbers if competently made. There won't be any prizes for guessing that there will be more Batman reboots and sequels for many years to come.
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Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis and Peter Saarsgard
(176 mins)
Parental advice: Violence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u34gHaRiBIU (Movie trailer)
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(Reviewed on Saturday 12th March, 2022)
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