DIRECTOR: Matt Reeves
PRODUCERS: Matt Reeves & Dylan Clark
WRITERS: Matt Reeves & Peter Craig
PERFORMERS: Robert Pattinson Zoe Kravitz Jeffrey Wright Jared Leto Paul Dano
John Turturro Andy Serkis Peter Sarsgaard
I wasn't very psyched for this when I first heard about it. In fact, I didn't expect much from it. But as a fan of Batman since childhood, I thought 'I owe it to myself to at least give it a chance' so I do that and big surprise. This film turned out to be so much more than anticipated. One of the reasons why this is one of the most hyped-up films of the year is because it's a return to a world we're all familiar with but in a different portrayal. Same characters, same city, new players and new vision... The Batman brings a new vision to the dark-centered hero in a rather big way.
Donning the suit is Robert Pattinson, who is seen portraying the hero in black with such grittiness and seriousness. Here, he is quite the anti-hero than hero as he is seen more in the suit and less as the other counterpart, Bruce Wayne. I couldn't see why the Wayne persona was played down, it seemed to be more about him as Batman than him as both Batman and Wayne. Let's be real, they're the same character, so you got to have both personas portrayals. I guess director Matt Reeves was more focused on Batman's evolution as the dark knight than Bruce Wayne as a person while juggling two different lives. Pattinson's performance, on the other hand, was most certainly spot on... perhaps the best I've seen since the 2020 mind bending Tenet. Perhaps the most compelling performance in the whole film was Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. More fierce than the others I've seen, Kravitz plays her with conviction and determination as she seeks answers and vengeance with a desire so deep that you almost route for her. Although her journey is much more deeper than Batman's, once you get to the climax you see her come full circle (1 PETER 3:9 KJV). The main villain was a major step with Paul Dano as The Riddler. Usually known as a comedic advesary, this film completely steps away from that and turns him into a dark and sadistic killer. Never thought that was possible! But Dano pulls it off with so much brilliance, you would think he got it from the late Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight.
While it isn't the best of the year or the franchise, the film does capture the essence of Batman that's been missing for quite some time. Everything about this version is gritty, dark, mysterious and at every turn one thing after another. The writing in this is excellent, the players do a good job and the setting is just visually stunning. What gets top billing in this film is just that because it makes Gotham City look so bad, it's good looking from a visual point of view. There's nothing but devastation and conflict waiting to happen, but hey, that's the Batman universe for you. If Bob Kane (the creator) was here to see this, he probably would have been proud... like 'this is just like the way I conceived it in the comic books!' I most certainly would have been in that state if I were him in his position.
The Batman proved to me that while anyone can put on the suit and fight crime, that person can be just as serious and gritty as they want to be. The real question is does that person have what it takes? Pattinson had that here and has come a long way since his Twilight days. He really shines in this and Reeves looks like he's about to bring something new and edgy to the table with the future right around the corner. That said, considering the way this movie ended, who knows what we can expect in the coming future. At first I thought this was a mistake, but after viewing it I walked out the theater with a change of mind thinking, that was actually pretty good. Maybe a little too edgy on the side for me, but exactly what it needed to be.
MY RATING: 3 1/2out of 5