'The Batman' film review: Pattinson channels the Caped Crusader in a gritty, grim crime epic
Less of a conventional "superhero flick," the crime thriller 'The Batman' (opening in theaters nationwide March 4) is the perfect alchemy of dropping the Caped Crusader into 'Zodiac' or 'Seven.'
In short: When The Riddler starts a string of high profile murders, Batman (Robert Pattinson) and Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) must solve his puzzles ... but these crimes threaten to reveal corruption at the highest levels of Gotham City. Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, John Turturro and Paul Dano also star.
Writer-director Matt Reeves has delivered a Batman film second only to 'The Dark Knight' in terms of craftsmanship, vision and thematic storytelling. Yes this film features some of the iconic Batman characters - from the Penguin to Catwoman and Carmine Falcone - yet 'The Batman' always feels first and foremost (until perhaps the climax of the third act) a mystery thriller that gets back to Batman's roots as a crimefighter. Whereas the 'Justice League' and even 'Dark Knight Rises' were full-blown superhero comic book flicks, 'The Batman' is very straightforward: a man only armed with a combat suit and a total obsession to crush crime tracks down a serial killer. It's just so much fun because this gripping crime drama takes place within a familiar & troubled city populated with a collection of familiar allies and adversaries. Kudos to Reeves for ditching the origin story and opting to just drop the audience into a Gotham City where the Batman has established himself as a vigilante lurking in the shadows.
This film’s 3-hour runtime must be acknowledged as this film’s secret weapon. Reeves totally justifies this film’s intimidating length by immediately throwing the audience into a moody mystery - and taking them along an ever-intensifying ride. Reeves succeeds in introducing Pattinson’s take on Batman, establishing a pantheon of familiar DC characters and telling a gripping and captivating story that never lets up for three solid hours. Yes the film is long, but by the end the audience is put through the same wringer as Batman - an emotionally exhausting and brutalizing battle against an antagonist intent on destroying the body and soul of Gotham City.
Robert Pattinson makes his case for the single best embodiment of Batman as the Caped Crusader - a young man on a personal crusade to save the city his parents loved. He spends the overwhelming majority of his screen time in the cowl - and this works to the film's benefit because Pattinson is a truly intimidating force of brutal vengeance as Batman. This iteration of the Dark Knight is a relentless boogeyman stalking the night - except his victims are criminals. He rarely runs, often just patiently and ceaselessly pursuing his prey. The sound mix amps up each footstep as Batman methodically paces toward his target.
Frankly, other actors may have a better balance between playing Batman and Bruce Wayne than Pattinson - but this has a lot to do with the fact that, despite being 3 hours long, Bruce Wayne has a minimal role in 'The Batman.' This version of the billionaire orphaned son is a recluse of very few words and no small talk. Unlike the Nolan trilogy, there's very little duality between Bruce and Batman in this Matt Reeves take. If anything, it's clear that Batman is his true persona, with 'Bruce Wayne' only being a neglected means for Batman's crusade against crime. The fact that this film is such an incredibly strong Batman story more than makes up for its meager Bruce Wayne story threads.
While 'The Batman' is technically a comic book movie, it is certainly and unequivocally NOT for kids - neither in content nor themes. It's honestly surprising that this film managed to get away with a PG-13 rating - because it's just a few edits from an R rating. The film opens with an unsettling and creepy murder - and with its 3-hour runtime, 'The Batman' just keeps getting darker & more intense as Gotham spirals. This film is all the better for these choices, but this film is better left for older teens for a lot of reasons - if for no other reason than subjecting a child to a 3-hour film that isn't necessarily "fun" and becomes increasingly intense with each minute are not the hallmarks of films for the pre-teen lot.
'The Batman' is decidedly darker in tone and substance than any previous Dark Knight story - and this take will absolutely affect where people will rank this iteration against every previous Batman film. Anyone looking for a more comic book approach to the character, where gadgets and powers take centerstage, will probably appreciate the Burton, 'The Dark Knight Rises' and Snyderverse flicks more. 'The Batman' takes the tone established by 'The Animated Series,' ratchets up the grittiness while retaining the DNA of 'reality' established by Nolan's trilogy to create what feels like a standalone story faithful to the Caped Crusader’s war on crime.
Final verdict: 'The Batman' is an absolutely gripping, gritty and bleak crime thriller that finally embraces Batman as the world's greatest detective.
Score: 4.5/5
'The Batman' opens in theaters nationwide March 4. This film has a runtime of 175 minutes and is rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.
