Movie Review: ‘The Batman’ Blu-ray

Review by James Lindorf

We last saw the caped crusader on his own when the Christopher Nolan trilogy ended in a muffled whimper after failing to live up to the heights achieved by “The Dark Knight.” Following that was the Snydervere’s failed attempt at adapting the world’s greatest detective has left DC’s most rabid fans clamoring for a return to form. On March 4th, writer-director Matt Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig’s highly anticipated film will find an established but still wet behind the cowl Batman taking on the most dangerous version of The Riddler we have ever seen.

Billionaire orphan Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) is in his second year as Batman. Whatever happened during that first year has cemented a trusting partnership and burgeoning friendship between him and Police Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). When he is not prowling the streets of Gotham, Bruce lives in relative seclusion with his butler and mentor, Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis). Bruce trusts Alfred more than anyone else and respects his input when solving a mystery. However, there is still tension between the two. Much like an angry teenager, Bruce reminds Alfred that he isn’t his father. This distance and resentment make their relationship vastly different from what we have become accustomed to over the last 33 years. There isn’t much well-defined in Bruce’s life at this point. His gadgets are a work in progress. His relationships are in desperate need of development. While he is trying to find himself in this vigilante, his presence is just as likely to elicit bewilderment as it is to strike fear into the hearts of bad guys.

In every Batman adaptation, we have been shown two sides to our hero and the city he calls home. The affluent high society is home to the playboy Bruce Wayne and the crime and corruption-ridden side in need of a figure to provide help and hope. If he gives us nothing else, Reeves has, without a doubt, delivered the darkest and grittiest world for Batman to protect. The haves and the have nots are still at the heart of the tale being told, but Reeves never takes us to the other side of the tracks where the grass is greener. Poverty and hopelessness have taken their toll on the citizens leading to Gotham being labeled a powder keg multiple times throughout the nearly three-hour film. The arrival of a vicious new serial killer intent on shining a light on the city’s corruption and luring Batman into his game of bat and rat has lit the fuse that could destroy everything Bruce’s father held dear.

If you had asked me what I wanted to see in this movie before taking my seat in the theater, Reeves and Craig would have checked nearly every box. More than anything, I wanted to see the kid gloves removed and a dark serial killer version of The Riddler take center stage. This Riddler is unlike any version I had previously imagined, and like a “Law & Order” episode, he feels ripped from the headlines. He feels like the head of a right-wing extremist group. Imagine the Proud Boys with a slightly more crazy and vastly more intelligent leader with a real ax to grind, not an imagined slight dreamed up on 4chan. Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood, 12 Years a Slave) gives a fantastic performance as the seemingly unhinged killer who is always one step ahead of his pursuers. He is terrifying from the opening scene, which is often filmed from his POV through a set of goggles slightly fogged by his heavy breathing, but we don’t get to enjoy the depth of his performance until his mask comes off. After a great take on the Riddler, I wanted “The Batman” to be a great-looking movie fit for these characters.

Working with Greig Fraser, easily one of the world’s best cinematographers, ensured an excellent-looking film. Fraser was at his peak during an intense 6-minute batmobile sequence through the city and on the highway. Some viewers may find this scene conflicting. On the one hand, we have what is easily the best batmobile scene ever, and on the other is the least interesting, least iconic-looking batmobile. It looks like the front end of a Dodge Challenger with a jet turbine on the back for reasons. It isn’t a bad design per se; it is just bland compared to its predecessors.
Beyond the shot selection, the way Fraser and Reeves lit this film added a rich complexity to every scene. They beautifully highlight the fantastic work of the set designers. In my opinion, “The Batman” is already the frontrunner for next year’s Academy Award for Best Art Direction. For video game fans, it can be summed up by saying the movie feels like it was filled inside of an Arkham Asylum game.

“The Batman” is neither fish nor fowl of an origin story. It is not about becoming Batman; it is about becoming the best Batman. His relationships with Gordon, Alfred, Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and of course the Riddler all serve to provide Bruce with a purpose and an understanding of why he needs to be the Batman. It also develops parts of his personality that have been left buried in the grief of his parents’ death. It could set him down the road to be the traditional Bruce Wayne we are used to seeing. While all of the performances are outstanding, the number of characters comes at a cost, as it always does.

Too many characters and storylines affect both the runtime and the pacing. Every scene between Bruce and Selina is entertaining, but it means almost nothing to the overall story and its outcome. She is here to be cool and show Bruce a different type of relationship is possible. That revelation is more important to him for theoretical sequels than in this movie. It would have been better saved for Batman year three and shaving 30+ minutes off this movie’s runtime. If the studio mandated the runtime be trimmed even further, it would result in the excision of the Penguin. Farrell is unrecognizable in the role, and his performance is fantastic from beginning to end. He is at his best as comedic relief and for his part in the batmobile chase. But even though he is intertwined in the story, he is not integral to the outcome, making him disposable.

The other element bringing down the score of “The Batman” is the main character himself. He is good at solving the childish riddles left behind in cards, but too often, the heavy puzzle-solving is left to Alfred minimizing the efforts of “The World’s Greatest Detective.” That title also takes a hit when an hour of the film revolves around a clue that may have been poorly written or poorly interpreted. There should only be three possible outcomes for trying to solve a Riddler. Bruce gets it right and moves one step closer to catching the villain. He can’t solve it, or he solves it incorrectly, both of which should lead to drastic consequences for innocent characters or ones with an emotional connection. Too often here, the minuscule stakes associated with being wrong are meaningless to the people in the movie and those in the crowd.

Pattinson is a solid Batman. He gives a good performance, but he is let down by what the script asks of him. The character bounces between being somber and angry without the benefit of other emotions even though he is supposed to be evolving as a person. Reeves knew that the script did not effectively convey Bruce’s feelings and motivations about being Batman, so it is all told in voiceover. It was lazy filmmaking and the single worst element of the movie, but it had to be done to try and salvage an emotional arc for the main character. Pattinson needs to be allowed more time as Bruce, and he needs to be more dynamic as both sides of his personality. Watching someone mope for three hours isn’t exactly stimulating. Pattinson could also use more guidance or a better stunt double because the action scenes are the worst we’ve seen since Michael Keaton wore a suit that wouldn’t allow him to turn his head.

This is not the best Batman movie, but it is the best Gotham ever created. The world for “The Batman” is beautifully presented and is populated with interesting and complex characters, and I would love to see more of this Batman playing in this environment. Pattinson is an underrated actor and can handle whatever they want to throw at him, so they need to come up with something big for him next time. Balancing his character and reducing the number of extraneous characters could result in this team crafting the best Batman movie ever, but for now, Reeves and Pattinson will have to settle for a 4 out of 5.