The Batman (2022)
After two years of delays, the newest film about DC's caped crusader is finally here. I'm a lifelong fan with a deep personal connection and understanding of the Batman world. I noticed inspiration from storylines from Year One, Year Two, The Dark Knight Returns, Court of Owls, and Long Halloween. This is my SPOILER FREE REVIEW… for now. Shall we light up the Bat Symbol in celebration or lock this film up in the darkness of Arkham Asylum?
Written and directed by Matt Reeves, I'll begin with a warning. Don't expect an action-packed comic book flick. It's a gritty slow-burning crime drama with minimal action scenes. Batman even narrates to give it that film noir feel. Right off the Bat (pun intended) I like how it shows the fear Batman instills in his foes. When bad guys see the Bat symbol they quiver in terror or outright run. No other film depicts this so well. That being said…
Why is this film so dark? It's too dark to see. We're talking AVP Requiem level of darkness, it's that bad. I get it's supposed to be a moody atmosphere but half the time you can't even tell what's going on. Even horror flicks have some contrast between night and day. Batman is all about duality anyway. I didn't recognize most actors at first because of this. The unnatural darkness is very distracting.
I liked the detective aspect. It does well at showing he's not the master detective we know and love yet, he's just starting out so Batman misses things, he's overly reliant on others. That being said…
I feel like everyone is miscast here.
Robert Pattinson basically depicts Bruce Wayne as a spoiled emo brat. He has two emotions. Sad and brooding. I didn't like how he had no pride in the Wayne name. He thoroughly states he doesn't care about Wayne Enterprises. A big part of the character is the charity work he does for Gotham. He's a public figure doing good for the city that raised him. He looks silly in the Batsuit in my opinion. I couldn't take him seriously.
I didn't like Paul Dano as Riddler. He looks like a Slipknot reject. Riddler is supposed to be a charismatic criminal mastermind, not a whining emo kid. Riddler as a serial killer doesn't sit well with me. That's not who he is. This completely goes against the character. His whole thing was he never saw anyone as an intellectual equal until Batman matched wits with him. That's absent in this film. His generic motive makes no sense. Corruption in Gotham has been done to death. Stop beating a dead horse. The riddles aren't even clever or challenging. His performance is all over the place. In context, it doesn't fit the film tonally. The Riddler is my favourite villain. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang. He debuted in DCs #140 in October 1948. I was excited when he was announced, so seeing him like this is severely disappointing. This brings me to my biggest issue….
Aside from Spider-Man, Batman has the best villains but they haven't had their own live-action films. They keep recycling the same 8 or so. When compared to Spider-Man, 10 villains have spanned across 9 movies and they take the time for character development. See the versatility? If they wanted to go the serial killer route they could have used plenty of those villains like Victor Zsasz, Hush, Calender Man, Court of Owls, Professor Pyg, or even Deathstroke. If they want to be boldly different choose another character, don't change the fabric of their being. Villain origin stories aren't interchangeable. It recycles plotlines from the Nolan trilogy, (especially Dark Knight), the Arkham Asylum games, the Gotham TV show, Saw, Black Panther, and Se7en with Batman and Riddler tossed into the mix but watered down because its PG-13 and not as interesting. The pacing is so off-kilter. It takes itself way too seriously for its good. It's not enjoyable. I wasn't engaged. It has no energy. I felt like I'd seen this movie before but done better.
I'm not a fan of Zoe Kravitz. I don't think she's a good actress. She has no chemistry with Battinson. Why is Catwoman in this? She feels so tacked on. There like ".... and Catwoman too." At times I forgot she was in it because of the awkward pacing.
Why is Colin Ferrell in this? Penguin is barely in it and had no impact on the plot. What's the point of having a high calibre actor, covered with makeup and then covering that makeup in darkness? His role isn't memorable. You could have put anyone in the role. If you edit them both out, it wouldn't change anything plot-wise.
I didn't like John Turturro as Falcone but that's my problem because ever since he played Phantom in You Don't Mess With the Zohan I can't take him seriously or see him as anything else. Not his fault, I can't help it, I own that.
Geoffrey Wright isn't good as Lieutenant Jim Gordan. He's fine as an actor in most things but the buddy cop aspect is jarring. Some humour works, most are out of place. He's not an imposing figure nor does he have chemistry with Battinson.
Andy Serkis is Alfred. He's sidelined and severely underused. I didn't like the relationship between him and Bruce. He is rude and disrespectful to Alfred. His performance isn't memorable as I keep forgetting he's in this.
Overall, this movie makes me mad. The man who brought us a Kick-Ass comic film before has dropped the Batarang here. It's an uninspired disappointing, tediously overblown utter disaster. It had its moments but never redeems itself. Why is this movie 3 hours long? They could have taken out Catwoman and Penguin and just focused on the Riddler. He's a strong character able to lead his own movie. I don't feel like they did the character justice. It's ironic considering the theme of the movie. I wouldn't recommend seeing it in theatres unless you're a hardcore Bat Fan. Wait to stream. Many families with small children left and didn't come back. It's not a kid's movie. All my other issues are in the SPOILER section.
Grade: Small Popcorn
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
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I don't like how they make it seem like they skipped Batman's origin only to revisit it as a twist later. It's like they were thinking outside the box while smashing their foreheads against it denting the sides.
I didn't like the Batmobile. That entire chase scene is so awkwardly directed because the cameras are inside the cars. It's so you're in the middle of it but it didn't translate well. Views are obscured by car windows so it's hard to see the action. What if that ramp wasn't there? Or those big gasoline trucks? Why have a car chase in a traffic jam? This scene is very problematic.
I like the gadgets, specifically the contact lenses, flight suit, Batarang chest piece, and grappling hook. The new approaches, surprisingly, were ingeniously designed.
I liked Batman's story arc. His realization of how he must be more than vengeance but a beacon for hope and symbol for justice was very moving for a new Batman on the cusp of greatness. That being said…
He doesn't even catch Riddler or stop his plan. Worse yet, there's no direct interaction between him and Batman until the end when he's arrested. There's no conflict between them. The end feels anticlimactic. There's no final showdown. Flooding the city makes no sense because nothing about it is foreshadowed so it comes out of left field. What does that have to do with corruption aside from tired metaphors of washing sins away? This goes back to what makes the Riddler tick. He would pride himself in defeating Batman solo rather than organizing a social upheaval. It goes against character by not emphasizing his intelligence, charisma, and cunning. After the mystery is solved when Riddler turns himself in, on two separate occasions I thought it was over. It wasn't. The first time was 90 minutes in and the second time was 2 hours in. Why is that diner scene in the previews? It's the film's not-so-grand finale.
The more I think about the Batsuit the more it falls apart. I didn't like how it's inexplicably impervious to all damage. A bomb goes off in his face but he's fine after. I get how it's bulletproof but at point-blank range with a shotgun? Why don't villains learn to shoot him in the exposed part of his face?
Gotham feels like NYC but lacks personality. The problem with having Batman too grounded, in reality, is it's a deterrent to the larger-than-life aspects of comics. The stories are illustrated for a reason. Gotham should be a character in itself. I had the same problem with the Nolan Trilogy. It feels like NYC with a Gotham overlay, with its own Times Square and "Gotham" Square Garden. Really?
And why bring Joker into this already? Yes, he's an iconic archenemy but it brings me back to the villain diversity issue.
In conclusion, the entire thing is very...familiar. A serial killer leaves cryptic clues for a detective. Check. He has a weird obsession with heroes. Check. Killer's apartment was full of detailed plans and a series of nonsensically handwritten journals. Check. Kills are based on seven deadly sins. Check. Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Envy and Pride as prevalent themes. Check. No unmasking, the killer reveals himself. Check. Corrupt victims. Check. Psychopath makes messed-up videos, leaving them for Batman. Check. Said Psycho pits crime bosses against each other. Check. Has interrogation scene. Check. Batmobile chase scene. Check. One man thrusts Gotham into utter chaos making Batman question himself. Check. The "We're not so different you and I" scene. Check. Lock the film up in Arkham because those plot points are from Se7en and The Dark Knight. And remember, riddle me this….if the RIDdlers RIDdles are RIDiculously RIDdled with unbRIDgeable horRIDness, literally, shall we RIDicule in the corRIDors of Arkham until bidding good RIDdance?
Grade: Small Popcorn
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