THE BATMAN (2022)

Critic No. 268

Director: Matt Reeves

Written by: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig

Produced by: DC Films, 6th & Idaho, Dylan Clark Productions

Casts:  Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell

Music: Michael Giacchino

Language: English

Genre: Action / Crime / Drama

SYNOPSIS: 

When the Riddler (Paul Dano), a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman (Robert Pattinson) is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.

REVIEW:

Director and co-writer Matt Reeves’ has given some smart works in both of his blockbusters, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), sparking a very welcoming new treatment to the beloved franchise. This time he uses all of his filmmaking arsenal to bring Gotham City to life in a dark, gritty, and authentic manner. We have seen many impressive takes on the dark knight but Reeves’ interpretation comes quite close to the somber mood that the comics carry. Set in the murky, shadowy alleys, bloody crime scenes, and mob hangouts, with the ghostly sounding choirs of “Ave Maria” playing over the score again and again, the film is treated almost like a noir thriller than outright superhero flick - something that fans waited so long for. 

It is quite relieving that this film is not part of the other DC Comics movies as we are quite tired of the whole catastrophic adaptation of Batman of Synder’s world. The film plunges straight into the midst of the dark knight’s crime investigations rather than focusing too much of the origin story. Yes, the script frequently mentions the haunting trauma that drove the billionaire Bruce Wayne to take on the form of vengeance but Reeves goes with the trust that the viewers are familiar enough with Batman’s whole backstory that we don’t need to see his same old flashback again to register his character's motivation. Instead of focusing on the stunt conventions of a superhero film, Reeves is far more interested in digging into the character’s insular, deductive reasoning. Which means that Batman is much more realistically clumsier here in fights, only to pick it up in the final showdown.

The film’s action sequences are very well gelled with the narrative and in comparison to the standards of blockbuster superhero films, the stunts are much more muted. Even the chase scenes are treated more immersively as we don’t get the grand wide shots we are used to in blockbusters. Cinematographer Greig Fraser mounts his camera on the wheels instead to place the audience into the chase. At one point of time, I felt like I was watching Fincher’s Zodiac, with a superhero twist - it was that grounded. Michael Giacchino’s haunting score elevates the film’s gothic mood, keeping us restless and uneasy throughout the crime journey - in a good way, of course. 

The way Reeves plays towards the twist with every character playing a pivotal role in the bends of the dramatic graph, the story itself keeps us engaged throughout the 3 hour running time. Each of the character’s emotional arcs are well fleshed out with all of them playing their part to solve the riddle. I particularly liked Catwoman’s complex design that made her stand in the greyline at many times only to let The Batman knock her some sense. All of them in the film are facing some kind of trauma due to the chaotic, unfair political atmosphere of Gotham city and the way they express their dissatisfaction differentiates them. Thankfully, Reeves doesn't rush anything and utilizes his 3 whole hours to go really deep into each of the character’s psyche. 

Honestly, it was quite unsettling to watch Pattison in the skin of Bruce Wayne but as the film moves on to explore the vulnerability of the character, he became surprisingly the most grounded, relatable Batman we have ever seen in the film interpretations. His committed performance is one of the livewire of the film. Zoë Kravitz also comes off with a solid delivery with her complex character design. Catwoman supplies one of three strong narrative threads that reinforce one another as "The Batman" builds momentum. There's Batman's search for the true story of his origins. There's the investigation into multiple murders. And there's Selina's search for the parties who destroyed her family and plunged Gotham City into chaos. 

Other supporting casts such as Jeffrey Wright does a neat job as the cop Jim Gordon, an ally to Batman in a sea of corruption; they get together to mutter about clues every 20 minutes and he does provide some lighter vein to the dark world. I just wished that the the unrecognizable Colin Farrell had more screen time as the theatrical Penguin as he enthralls the screen with his presence whenever he appears. Paul Dano steals the climax with his brief but impactful presence as The Riddler. Of course, Reeves tones down both of the super villain’s appearance and attitude to match the grim, subtle version he is going for. 

Reeves sets up an interesting, rewarding journey for Batman through his vision and we can sense that this is only going to get better in the next upcoming installments. 

VERDICT:

Flowing as a masterfully layered crime thriller, Reeves whips up the bleakest film interpretation that the dark knight deserves, delivering a promising start to a gritty, raw reboot of 'The Batman' franchise.

CELLULOID METER- 4/5: