Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ isn’t your grandpappy’s caped crusader. Forget Adam West’s “Biff, Bop, Pow!” and Kilmer’s nipples on the batsuit – this vision is tougher, deeper, more intense – and probably the most faithful big screen adaptation of the DC Comics character yet.
And that is indeed high praise, as Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy was brilliant cinema, especially the second chapter featuring that spellbinding performance by the late Heath Ledger as Batman’s nemesis, the Joker. ‘The Batman’ also features a villainous effort that could be in Oscar talks as Paul Dano gives a completely different (and completely twisted) take on the Riddler. It might not sport the artistic breathing room to match Ledger’s triumph…but it marks the absolute high point of scary, sinister behaviour in Gotham City, and it pretty much represents what this comic book film is trying to say…
That is, this bunch is not aiming for Saturday morning kiddie fare.
Robert Pattinson adopts the cowl from Ben Affleck and, like everyone else on board, takes the gig in an entirely and refreshingly different direction. See, the changing of the guard at the top of the cast list provides writer/director Reeves to go back to the drawing board – a trend in franchises like this, if ‘Spider-Man’ is any indication – and start fresh with the concept. And you’ve heard the term, ‘back to the drawing board’….well, Reeves goes ALL the way back to when Batman was first introduced in 1939, exploring the fact that he was originally a crime solver as much as he was a crime fighter; don’t forget, the character made his debut in the pages of a periodical called ‘Detective Comics’. Here, they take that idea – a mysterious vigilante who works the shadows of murky Gotham to evoke fear among thugs everywhere, a brooding mood that was hinted at by both Tim Burton and Nolan before their respective series got slightly overshadowed by gadgets and sidekicks – and plop it into 2022. ‘The Batman’ is consistent in its grit and unhurried pace, and it works. It works beautifully.
The plot has Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) ruffling feathers on the police force by involving the Batman in a high profile string of murders by an unknown psychopath….we, the audience, know full well it’s the Riddler based on his sick game of leaving clues in the form of greeting cards for our hero. Some very high profile individuals in the city are being eliminated one by one, and it’s up to the Batman to unravel the sea of puzzles…a mind bending labyrinth of a mess that includes mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and his assistant hoodlum Oz a.k.a. the Penguin (an unrecognizable Colin Farrell). Boot deep in the mess, Batman forges an uneasy alliance with Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) who eventually becomes….well, you know. Hint – meow.
Dano’s ultimate plan, which, long story short, is to expose Gotham’s corruption, is extra frightening because the underbelly of it seems to be lifted directly from real life headlines. It’s an extra nod to the intelligence of Reeves’ script, but….yeah. Unsettling.
There’s really no weak link in the talent assembled either – they all come to play hard. Pattinson is, of course, the biggest winner of the bunch for he proves he could take on what is arguably Hollywood’s most critiqued role and kill it. Because when he’s Batman, he’s good…but when he’s Bruce Wayne, seen here as an reclusive, haunted, anxiety-ridden billionaire….he’s even better.
Finally…..did the film really need to be three hours long? I’ve already praised how Reeves finds extra suspense in a measured pace, so it would be hypocritical of me to overly debate this issue. Suffice to say, I’m glad I review movies with my head and heart and not my glutes. Or bladder.