‘The Batman’ Review: The Emo Knight Rises
Mary Beth McAndrews
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Growing up, Batman was my favorite superhero. I loved him because he didn’t have powers and he was really sad. Everything about Gotham was grimy and melancholy no matter the movie or the graphic novel. But we’ve also had a whole lot of Batman in the last decade thanks to Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder. It feels like DC is beating a dead horse with the constant attempts to resurrect Batman. But, in the latest interpretation of the vigilante-billionaire, director Matt Reeves creates something rather spectacular. He is able to capture both the vibe of a zany comic book and neo-noir in a film that takes itself seriously enough to know when to embrace the outlandish. With that confidence, The Batman is an incredibly entertaining, albeit a bit too long, and genuinely creepy film that straddles the line between horror and superhero movie.
The Batman opens similarly to a slasher as we’re looking through the eyes of the killer. Similar to the opening sequence of John Carpenter’s Halloween, we are looking through the window of a luxurious apartment, observing a young boy and his parents through binoculars. This sinister, first-person perspective sets the tone of a horror film; whoever is behind those binoculars is getting ready to pounce on their prey. This is the introduction to the first of several sadistic kills at the hands of our villain, the Riddler (Paul Dano).
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As the Riddler kills a prominent political figure, Batman (Robert Pattinson), the masked alter ego of Gotham’s Bruce Wayne, is called in help by Lt. James Gordon (Jeffery Wright). But they quickly unveil a complex web of corruption and conspiracy that has infected the city of Gotham. Batman embarks on a quest through the city’s underbelly to uncover the truth about who controls the city and the truth about his own parents. Along the way, he becomes intertwined with cat burglar Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), who seeks vengeance for a friend and her mother.
The Batman is a retelling of Se7en through the lens of a billionaire superhero with endless resources and decades of trauma propelling them forward. Reeves’ interpretation of The Riddler is downright chilling, a John Doe whose victims are carefully sourced targets who suffer prolonged torture as punishment for their sins. Manifestos pack his shelves and his website is full of long-winded declarations reminiscent of real-world incels and right-wing extremists. He is a modern-day comic book villain that, even with his gimmick, reflects real-world attempts to radicalize men who perceive themselves as disenfranchised. Through the extreme world of the Riddler we see a terrifying reflection of the world we currently live in. Yes, it is just a Batman movie; but it is trying to say something about modern villains and their abilities to manipulate anger through the internet.
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Trying to solve Riddler’s puzzles is Pattinson playing Wayne as a sad boy who never goes outside, cuts his hair, or interacts with anyone outside of Alfred. And it’s perhaps one of the best Batman performances to date. That’s not to say there’s no value in the handsome playboy Waynes of Nolan and Burton’s films. But seeing something new with a younger, radically more depressed character makes this cinematic iteration of Batman and his story arc much more fascinating. Pattinson really does prove his acting chops as he weaves from indie films such as Claire Denis’ High Life to a major franchise hero.
Opposite Pattinson is Kravitz oozing sensuality, confidence, and rage as the iconic Catwoman, who’s been played by legends like Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Halle Berry. Kravitz, decked out in shiny black leather and a variety of colorful wigs, stalks through dark clubs and uses her sexuality to manipulate the skeezy men around her. She’s a woman holding onto whatever semblance of agency she can as she struggles to survive in a city overrun by crime.
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While there are issues with pacing towards the film’s end, The Batman doesn’t waste precious time trying to retell Bruce Wayne’s backstory. It assumes we’re vaguely familiar with the story of the winged crusader. But even if a viewer isn’t, they’re fed just enough information to help them keep up with the who’s who. This lets Reeves jump right into the action and build a more complex mystery that leans into Batman’s more investigative side. This isn’t just a man using fancy weapons to kick criminal ass. Instead, he uses technology to search for subtle clues that’d be missed by the naked eye (shout out to those radical contact lenses). It’s a fantastic mix of Batman as superhero and Batman as detective. Plus we get hints of a buddy cop movie with the dynamic between Batman and Gordon.
Reeves’ The Batman strikes a delicate balance between the serious tone of Nolan and the over-the-top, colorful nature of Burton. It is never cartoony. But it’s also never afraid to make a clever quip or lean into overly Gothic architecture to remind the viewer that this is a movie based on a comic book. Reeves’ background in horror shines through as The Batman leans into more horrific elements to create a jarring tale about a deranged serial killer who claims to have similar goals to the hero. This is a Batman I can get behind; a sad, weird dude who also loves solving mysteries and listening to grunge.
Summary
‘The Batman’ is a little long, but it’s an overall surprisingly fun and creepy comic book film that never takes itself too seriously. And Robert Pattinson makes one good emo Batman.
