It is astonishing to me (and many others) that a new Batman film opened up almost a month ago and I hadn't seen it until yesterday, but it's true. Partially it was due to pandemic inertia making it difficult to get excited to go out anywhere and do anything, but no one else in the house was excited about it and I dislike seeing movies by myself. But when our church's choir director told me to tell Audrey that she had enjoyed it despite her reservations, Audrey was willing to give it a shot. Thanks Margaret!
Now, me and Batman, or the Batman if you prefer, go back a long ways, and my favourite comics character has a, let's call it chequered history of being adapted to screens both large and small. I greatly enjoyed Christopher Nolan's trilogy from -wow, Batman Begins was from 2005?! - a ways back, and was eager for a new interpretation.
Leaving the theatre, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Batman. I was also surprised to discover it was nearly three hours long, as I had thought it was a standard-issue 2.25 hour affair like most blockbusters. At 145 minutes I thought it felt a smidgen too long, but for 175 minutes, it feels just about right.
More important than the pacing though is the overall feel of the movie. Far from the "joyless slog" I had seen described in other reviews, I found an intense crime drama that eschewed a lot of superheroics in favour of languid pacing, moody cinematography and complex characters. There is a definite nod towards noir overtones but also comic influences like Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween. The cape's collar is even an effective homage to Mike Mignola's brilliant Gotham by Gaslight which set the character in Victorian times.
Some people might be disappointed that Pattinson didn't undergo a physical transformation like Chris Evans' Captain America or even his cowled predecessor Ben Affleck, but he is still a compelling and convincing Batman. Pattinson's two superpowers appear to be silence and intensity, and choosing to introduce him in a crime scene filled with resentful cops instead of a needless action sequence gives him ample opportunity to display both - a bold and brilliant choice by director Matt Reeves.
Not to say the action sequences aren't good -the many fight scenes are fast and brutal, with the Batman displaying a savage and skillful ferocity and not flashy martial arts abilities. Punches, grapples, throws and clubbing, all designed to bring an opponent to the ground as swiftly as possible. I don't think you ever see the hero throw a kick higher than the knee in the entire picture, but don't hold me to that until I can see it again.
Sometimes a great Batman makes a poor Bruce Wayne, but Reeves' choice to make Bruce a recluse, rarely seen in public and increasingly consumed by the work of his Batman persona means there is very little Bruce Wayne to see. The glimpses we get, though - the moments of doubt, the sympathy for an orphaned boy - are consistent, and wholly in line with the director's vision of Wayne as a reflection of a troubled Kurt Cobain.
A great supporting cast, from Jeffery Wright's Lt. Jim Gordon to Zoe Kravitz's Selina Kyle helps bring a bit of depth and motivation to multiple angles of the story. And such a rogue's gallery! I was prepared to be impressed by Colin Farrell disap[pearing into his very convincing makeup as the Penguin, but had no idea John Turturro was portraying a prominent member of the Falcone crime family, another hat-tip to Year One. But Paul Dano's Riddler is a far cry from the goofy hijinks of Frank Gorshin and Jim Carrey, having more in common with the Zodiac killer and mania that contains the same ominous playfulness as a cat toying with a mouse.
I think my only two gripes would be the overall length (but damned if I know what I would cut!) and the fact that in a story filled with realistic motivations it is disappointing to see so many storylines dovetail together quite so neatly (like Jack Napier killing Bruce Wayne's parents in Tim Burton's 1989 outing) but it is not as bad as making Bond and Blofeld related so that feels a bit like quibbling.
And I was prepared to dislike this version of the Batmobile as well, despite my fondness for muscle cars, but when I read a description of the car as just one more tool an anguished Bruce Wayne hopes to use to inspire fear in those pursued by the Batman, I warmed to the idea. Seeing it in action in the film has made me love the car - it could end up being my favourite.
What I appreciated the most though, was how un-Marvel the movie felt. Don't get me wrong, I am still a fan and am enjoying Moon Knight immensely after one episode, but the lack of banter felt like a real departure for a comic book movie. There is a palpable sense of danger in most of the action scenes and a finale that, despite its scale, still felt all too real and frankly terrifying for me to be thrilled by it - just as Reeves intended, no doubt.
All in all, a great platform for the Darknight Detective, and the first time on the silver screen where we see him actually being a crime solver as well as a crime fighter. Well worth seeing, and on the biggest screen you can manage.
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