The Batman Review: A dark, gripping, evocative thriller wrapped in a Batman mask

The Batman is the best Batman solo film since The Dark Knight and in many ways is an even better “Batman” centric film than Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece.

Matt Reeves delivers a dark, grisly take on Gotham City. The Nolan films certainly paved the way with a mature take on the character and setting. Reeves plows below those depths into the deep, dark, destitute streets of “the narrows” with The Batman. A film that is the darkest of any Batman or DC film to date with the exception of The Joker.

The story by Reeves and Peter Craig showcases the world’s greatest detective in a noir murder mystery that ties into the origins of Gotham City itself and the Wayne family.

The ensemble is fantastic. Lead by a mesmerizing performance by Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Damaged is a moniker thrown around the character often. In Pattinson’s hands, Bruce is almost completely detached from humanity.

There’s no Robin. However, there is a pair of dynamic duos in The Batman. Zoë Kravitz delivers a layered take on Catwoman. She’s seductive, tough while showing just the right of vulnerability as Selina Kyle. She is a perfect match for this iteration of Batman. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as James Gordon. Batman and Gordon operate as partners throughout most of the film. They dig through clues, questions witnesses and challenge each other throughout the nearly 3-hour runtime.

There are plenty of villains hanging for Batman to lock horns with. Paul Dano is terrifying as The Riddler. The riddles themselves aren’t amazing. However, his performance when he’s opposite Pattinson is the strongest batman performance since Heath Ledger. Colin Farrell is great as Oswald Cobblepot but feels like he’s in a different movie. He’s showy, constantly talking in a way that not even Dano’s Riddler employs. Rounding out this deep cast is John Turturro as gangster Carmine Falcone. Turturro rarely raises his voice but commands attention every moment he’s onscreen.

Rounding out the gripping story, great cast and sublime cinematography by Greg Fraser is Michael Giacchino‘s score. His mesmerizing score is the best comic book film score since Hanz Zimmer‘s in Man of Steel.

The film’s 15-20 minutes too long. The film’s ending is fine, but a far cry from the pulse-pounding ending of any of Nolan’s Batman films. Those few issues aside, The Batman is an excellent detective story that just so happens to take place in the DC universe.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood out in The Batman. There may be some minor spoilers.

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The man behind the cowl in The Batman

This iteration of Bruce Wayne is a recluse. A far cry from a playboy billionaire. His connection to humanity as Bruce is limited to just Alfred.

When he’s not under the cowl, Bruce is uncomfortable and rather short with Alfred played in this iteration by Andy Serkis. If you’re expecting a proper balance between Bruce and Batman, that’s not what you’re going to get in The Batman. Pattinson is in the costume for about 90 percent of the film.

Pattinson is terrifying as Batman. He doesn’t say much nor is he overly demonstrative. Every strut has a purpose: to strike fear. Every action sequence is a brutal showcase of this Batman’s skill.

Despite the titular character’s detective, fighting and driving skills, this version of Batman is a work in progress. He makes mistakes. For instance, a late-night escape from GCPD results in him crashing into a bridge due to building up too much speed. The introduction of the Batmobile is a sonic and visual marvel.

All of Bruce’s mistakes and small victories allow the palpable tension in each scene to rachet up throughout The Batman.

The Bat and The Cat

All of The Ridder’s murders involve high-profile Gotham employees. These thought to be distinguished professionals aren’t as squeaky clean as they appear. Batman’s investigation into The Riddler’s murders leads to a club run by Falcone and Cobblepot.

Batman comes across Selina Kyle at the club. Reeves and Craig make a wise decision to allow Bruce to uncover Catwoman’s identity with ease. Similar to Bruce, there’s a personal connection to Falcone that’s one of the most emotional beats of the film. It’s a great connective tissue between these two characters. These types of parallels underscore why Catwoman and Batman make such an interesting pairing.

They both represent different opportunities to each other. There’s certainly romantic longing, but it’s more interesting than a bad girl-good boy dynamic. For Selina, Batman offers her an easier path to getting answers. Batman is more than willing to use her as bait early on. As the film goes along, Selina offers the man under the mask another person to connect with.

Kravitz delivers a layered performance as Catwoman. In a film as stuffed as The Batman is, it would be easy to feel like Selina is a throw-in. Reeves, Craig and Kravitz don’t let that happen. Her story and motivations are just as important as The Riddler murder investigation.

No More Lies

The way the film weaves in the murder investigation into the Wayne family is outstanding. Similar to Bruce, The Riddler’s origin is parallel to Bruce’s in many ways with the exception of money. I’m not going to delve into how it parallels though as that’s the best twist in the film. His motivation is understandable.

The Wayne family angle is also fascinating. Reeves goes beyond just the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne to reveal a deep secret that impacts Bruce personally and has dire consequences for the city.

Batman and Gordon work together to find out who is dirty among the political elite and try to track down The Riddler before he kills them. Each clue is designed to reveal a bigger piece of the puzzle to Batman who The Riddler feels a sort of kinship.

Similar to The Joker, there’s also an online groundswell of support for The Riddler’s mission. Dano is terrifying in the role. Always one step ahead. The climax to the story is a little too convenient and easy to solve. Although the fallout of The Riddler’s actions has dire consequences for Gotham that should continue in spinoff shows and sequels.

The Batman Final Thoughts

The duo of Reeves and Pattinson delivers a terrifying take on Batman. Every scene is soaked (sometimes literally) with tension. Every character with the exception of Batman feels like they’re in danger. Whether it’s The Riddler, Falcone, Catwoman or just a wayward cop, everyone presents a psychological threat to Batman and Reeves captures it all. Reeves also manages to inject great action scenes, a wonderful designed batmobile and stealth you’d want to see in a Batman film.

There’s too much story though for this film. All of the storylines are great. However, there are pacing issues. As some stories appear to be picking up speed, another will take its place. Forcing the audience to play catch up while wanting to come back to the story.

Despite those issues, Pattinson’s performance leads to the best live-action Batman to ever grace the screen. Add in some lightness near the end of the film and there are plenty of stories to tell in this iteration of Batman.