Movie Review: THE BATMAN

 

 

I remember in 1989 thinking just how dark and gritty Tim Burton's vision of Batman was. And ever since, except for Joel Schumacher's failed attempts at recapturing the goofiness of Adam West's 1966 version of the Dark Knight in BATMAN FOREVER (1995) and BATMAN & ROBIN (1997), every new cinematic versions of the character have gotten darker and grittier.

Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN is only a confirmation of that trend, where even Bruce Wayne doesn't provide with some respite for Batman's sullenness. Robert Pattinson's definitely emo version of Wayne, lock of hair falling over his gaunt, humorless face, dark mascara spread around his eyes, conveys the lingering pain still troubling the world's most famous cartoon orphan (after Annie, of course.) There is no room for levity in this Gotham that rivals in griminess the diseased city portrayed in Todd Philips' JOKER (2019). In that way, THE BATMAN is probably the most « realistic » movie about the character to date. Yet, make no mistake ; it's still a film about a rich, vengeful guy, who dresses up as a bat, wears body armor that is extremely efficient against bullets and explosions, and drives a souped-up car that spits fire (a tribute to the classic 1966 Batmobile, something that most of the other Batman films have also done religiously). 

 

Nearly 80 years of Batmen, from Lewis Wilson in 1943 to Robert Pattinson in 2022.

Two years after adopting the cape and cowl, Batman is still haunted by his parents' murder, and is establishing an uneasy alliance with the police force, thanks to his friendship with the not-yet-commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), who is facing flack from his colleagues and superiors about having the Dark Detective walk in on crime scenes. While it is refreshing to see Batman finally flex his investigating muscles, very rarely exhibited in movies, it is an odd choice to have him spend so much time with the police, going as far as standing with them in public as Mafia boss Carmine Falcone (played to slimy perfection by John Torturro) is brought out to justice. One would think that so much exposure might hurt his attempt at creating this terrifying urban legend among criminals, as beautifully demonstrated in the chillingly stunning opening monologue where crooks are actually scared of the shadows where vengeance could lurk waiting for them. It's a minor squabble, but one that made me wish for a more subtle Dark knight, breaking in on crime scenes instead of rubbing elbows with the law.

Hiding in plain sight. Batman hobnobbing with the police force, in plain view of journalists, as Carmine Falcone is arrested. Not afraid the exposure may hurt his reputation as a creature of the night, I guess.

Performances are all-around impressive, from Paul Dano's creepy, serial murdering Riddler to Colin Farrell's Penguin, who is lost under so much makeup and adopts such a thick New York mob boss accent that you wonder why he was cast in the first place. Yet, there is no denying his interpretation of the character is outstanding, bringing parallels to DeNiro as Al Capone in THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987). The film is definitely a case of the villains being more interesting than the heroes, as can often be the case in comic book movies. Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, like Pattinson, does good work in a role that is patterned after Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's BATMAN YEAR ONE interpretation of the character, but doesn't leave the same kind of impression Michelle Pfeiffer did in her iconic turn as the character in BATMAN RETURNS (1992).

 

Zoë Kravitz ' Selina Kyle/Catwoman clearly patterned on Miller/Mazzucchelli's interpretation of the character in the classic BATMAN YEAR ONE.

 

The script, by director Matt Reeves and Peter Craig, tries very hard to seem more sophisticated than it really is, with soulful narration by Bruce Wayne, and a semblance of grittiness that manages to camouflage the fact that the plot is fairly simple, and that the riddles provided by Paul Dano are sometimes almost as simplistic as the ones uttered by Frank Gorshin in the 1966 TV series, which doesn't make Batman's detective skills seem all that remarkable. REACHER, as played by Alan Ritchson in the recent terrific TV show, exhibits more impressive detective skills than Batman does in this movie.(Let me add that this show can be watched as Batman without the cowl and gadgets).

It may be worth noting that this film grew from an aborted project to feature Ben Affleck's Batman, which was to be directed by Affleck himself. But the JUSTICE LEAGUE experience was so unpleasant for him he decided, for his own sanity, to stay away from such an heavy involvement with the character (he will appear as the Dark Knight in the upcoming FLASH movie, alongside Michael Keaton's Batman, in another one of those trendy Multiverse storylines, and one expects that will be it for Batfleck.)

Also, it may be time to let filmmakers know that superhero films don't have to be the new LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962). At nearly three hours long, THE BATMAN almost overstays its welcome, with a final act that is reminiscent of Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS (2005), where the whole city of Gotham is threatened by a major act of terrorism, for the sole purpose of redeeming our hero in the eyes of the citizens, and setting him up as a symbol of hope, instead of fear, which seems unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, as the whole « symbol of hope » thing is more suited to Superman.

In the end, THE BATMAN is a mixed bag, gorgeously shot by double Oscar winner Creig Fraser, who might get a nod for this one too next April, leisurely paced with bursts of energy, heavily soaked in grittiness and pathos, featuring some great performances, but weighted down by a certain sense of self-importance that bloats its duration beyond reason. Despite some weaknesses, it still may be one of the best interpretation of Batman to the screen, or at the very least, truest to the source material.