Movie Review: The Batman

Batman has been part of the global pop culture landscape for such a long time that trying to find a fresh angle for an adaptation has turned into a really difficult creative exercise. Even if you were to narrow your focus to only the live action versions that have appeared on small and big screens over the past 55 years, the character has been the star from projects that covered every piece of tonal territory from cartoon-esque camp insanity to suffocating grit. Cue writer/director Matt Reeves aka as the man who helped restore the stock of the Planet of the Apes brand after Tim Burton's misguided 2001 remake and changed how the found footage style could be utilized with the sci-fi monster flick Cloverfield. The Batman-which is somehow the first solo Batman film in nearly a decade-breaks new ground by crafting a dense noir mystery narrative that embraces "the world's greatest detective" moniker that's always been synonymous with the character and setting it during Bruce Wayne's 2nd year as Batman at a time where Gotham is overrun by crime, residents view Batman as more of a ruthless vigilante than a hero and Wayne is left to question if his efforts to change things are making any impact. Reeves parlays this unique vision for Batman and the universe that he occupies into an absorbing, mesmerizing masterpiece that once again proves that bringing in talented, ambitious filmmakers should always be the top priority for a superhero movie.

Like all great pieces of noir, everything in The Batman is birthed from its setting. This version of Gotham is a wasteland of deep, unchecked corruption and lawlessness that informs the story and the people that occupy it at each turn. Every character is either partaking and/or profiting off the rampant crime taking place or shaped by living in a place where tragedy never stops, and hope is nowhere to be found. The sky is always painted with a shade of gray or black that engulfs the city in perpetual darkness. Terms like hero and villain are almost irrelevant because the power players of Gotham and the people fighting against them are doing what they believe is necessary to survive in a place where greed is rewarded, and violence is expected.    

These defining aesthetics of Gotham are vividly brought to life by the lens of cinematographer Greig Fraser and orchestration of composer Michael Giacchino. Each shot and soundtrack choice are expertly woven together to evoke a visceral sense of fear, danger, brutality, etc. to match whatever other fresh hell Gotham can deliver its citizens. There's no more than a few scenes in the entire film that don't feature some form of breathtaking image or musical composition that dazzles the senses while also further exemplifying the extent of the rot that consumes its setting. Seeing images, music and sound so carefully crafted to work in tandem is such a rare phenomenon in film and the impact this symbiotic relationship has on the immersiveness of The Batman's atmosphere can't be understated.   

Showing the ills of Gotham in such great detail also has an effect on how the characters are portrayed- particularly in the case of plights of Wayne/Batman (Robert Pattinson), Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) and Edward Nashton/Riddler (Paul Dano). In past iterations of Batman, there would be a clear distinction made between the behaviors of the good and evil characters. Here, they're treated as three people who have more similarities than differences. While their scars from the past and personalities may be different, this trio have all experienced suffering and trauma at the hands of Gotham and are all in the process of executing a plan that they believe will finally see those who wronged them brought to justice. There's been plenty of superhero films that have featured villains with empathetic streaks or heroes that are put into a situation or two where their character is tested, but making a superhero story where everyone's morals are cloudy and rarely end up doing something that is truly right is a refreshing change of pace that raises some thought-provoking questions about the often small distinction between heroes and villains as well as the different ways the emotional fallout from experiencing a negative event can materialize in a human being.    

The final piece of Reeves' haunting Batman vision is fully realized by the exceptional work of the actors he cast. There's been no shortage of high-powered ensembles behind Batman films over the years, but I'd argue that none of them captured the essence of their characters better than this one. Pattinson's reclusive, grief-stricken and rage-filled portrayal of Wayne/Batman is an utterly fascinating take on the character that's completely distinct from any of its predecessors, Kravitz does a terrific job of capturing the moral ambiguity, fearlessness and fight to survive that makes Kyle the perfect kindred spirit/love interest/foil for Batman, Dano is a deeply unsettling, subtly heartbreaking tour de force that takes command of every single scene he appears in, Jeffrey Wright subverts the hard-boiled cop archetype the character has previously been on screen by turning Jim Gordon into a smartass, dedicated detective who chooses to believe Batman is a force for good at a time where people believe he is nothing more than a masked vigilante who lurks in the shadows and Colin Farrell serves as sort of a light in this darkened world with his delightfully hammy turn as small town gangster Oz "The Penguin" Cobblepot. 

It's extremely funny to me that this cast (namely Pattinson and Kravitz) was met with so many raised eyebrows and turned-up noses when it was announced. This is an incredibly gifted group of actors (Deeper supporting players Andy Serkis, John Turturro and Peter Sarsgaard are also very good in it) who have proved the extent of their talent time and time again and only further solidified their reputations as some of the industry's brightest stars with what they achieved here. With their firm handle on these characters and a passionate, detailed-oriented filmmaker in Reeves captaining the ship, the potential for this run of Batman films couldn't possibly be higher.

Plain and simple, The Batman is a masterpiece. I'm in awe of what Reeves and his collaborators on-and-off camera were able to accomplish with this spellbinding film that completely redefines what the superhero genre is capable of achieving on an artistic level. The future of this franchise is incredibly exciting and let's hope that the upcoming merger with Discovery doesn't screw up the hot streak Warner Brothers has been on with their DC projects over the past couple years.                     

Grade: A