The Batman is one of the most popular superheroes of all time. He’s a vigilante who fight for justice and known for his strength, intelligence, and resourcefulness. Over the years many have dawned the cape and cowl has their everyone has their favorite. Now that Robert Pattinson is the latest, it’s being argued that he could be the greatest Dark Knight.
Matt Reeves, the director of the Planet of Apes film was sold on Pattinson from the beginning so much so devastated when Pattinson signed on to be part of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet; fearing Pattinson would be able to be his Dark Knight. Luckily the casting worked out and not only did he get his Batman but also Zoe Kravitz as Selene Kyle, A.K.A Cat Woman, Colin Farrel as the Penguin, and Jeffrey Wright to play Jim Gordon. Fans may have reservations about Pattinson but this cast on paper is set to put on a hell of a performance.
Going forward this article will give a full review and rating of Matt Reeves “The Batman”. As it stands now “The Batman” has come out to rave reviews and is making a ton of money at the box office. While most are high on the film, the sounds of fans who may not be totally in love this version are starting to come in the light. Let’s break down this movie, starting with the plot.
The Plot
Bruce Wayne is an orphan who as been trained by his butler Alfred Pennyworth to become a vigilante and fight crime. After the death of his parents, Wayne swears to rid Gotham City of crime and corruption. He dons as the guise of The Batman to rid the city of crime. At this point, Bruce Wayne has been instilling fear in the criminal element by prowling the Gotham streets for 2 years on the hunt for evildoers. When a new serial killer emerges from the same shadows as our vigilante hero. The Batman must put to use all his detective skills to solve the murders and catch new criminal, calling himself the Riddler before he murders more “Innocent” people.
Fun Facts
People throw word “emo” around loosely these days and most of the time it feels derogatory. Just because a person is wearing black and has an emotional complex isn’t a negative, especially when it comes to The Batman. The tone of the movie does try to have a gritty feel and the colors are drab, but the Gotham is lively. This contrast the nuance of the city that Batman is trying to protect. As a fan of all things Batman, I have never gotten to see the city quite like this in a live-action setting.
This Was Made for a Theater Audience
Watch this movie in a theater! The sounds of Batman’s footsteps echoing throughout the theater gave the hero a weight to every moment. When he hit someone, you could hear the impact and damage he caused. Last but least, the sound of Batmobile is incredible. It sounds like a jet plane taking off. The production in this area is top-notch.
Did Warner Bros Get this Right?
This is the best action in a live-action Batman movie to date. The movements were seamless and shot in a way that did not have to use the technique of cutting a lot of shots together or use camera angles that implied more action, like the Nolan movies, to get the point across that he’s kicking bad-guy butt. His rage was translated through his technique and brutality which he used to dispatch his enemies. To see Batman move and fight this way on screen was fulfilling to watch.
The Cast Matters
The last point to emphasize the acting. I think Pattinson is a fine Batman but he is not the start of the show. The other members of the cast were excellent Zoe Kravitz embodies the characteristics of the perfect Cat Woman very soon!
Hard Truth
There are a couple of small qualms about “The Batman” that have to be mentioned (Spoilers Ahead). Most will have a complaint about the run time of the film and honestly, that seems to be a subjective criticism depending on who you talk to. I personally did not mind the run time. I did however have a small problem with Pattinson’s physique.
A Robert Pattinson Issue?
I know there were injuries on that delayed filming and covid issues as well but when camera decided to focus on Pattinson as he did some shirtless detective work; he was not impressive in that aspect. It’s a small thing but I expect Bruce Wayne to look like the weapon that he is. The other issue personally had comes inherent with this genre of film; catching the bad guy after he/she has killed everyone, so it makes you question the detective skills of the protagonist. This film follows the same narrative line but to one big fault. Instead of Paul Dano’s Riddler allowing himself to be caught, the script should have allowed The Batman’s detective work to catch the Riddler.
Dano Comes out on Top
The movie allowed Dano’s Riddler to essentially beat the Batman and that, to me, does not sit well. I get the win comes in a different form of our Dark Knight by the end of the film, but this is his biggest case to date in his early run and did not solve the crime stop Riddler. The choice to rob The Batman of solving the crime feels kike misstep because the movie does not address directly the Batman did not catch the Riddler and somehow, he is able to to come out on top, with no one questioning whether or not he is truly needed.
Truth Bomb I'm Being Honest (Rating)
If I’m Being Honest, despite a couple of flaws, I would still give this film our highest rating of Molotovl! There is just a way too much good about this movie I was glued to my screen the entire time as we watched a Batman film was Batman-centric. The idea that Bruce Wayne does not care about keeping up the appearances and doing the playboy, billionaire, philanthropist thing, gives the viewers a lot of on-screen Batman time!
Also, this world is already lived; allowing for us to meet a fully realized Cat Woman and the movie is better for this choice because we don’t have to waste time on story filler in the form of an origin story or origin montage.
The Bat and the Cat Delivered
By no means is this a perfect movie but there is value in giving fans what they want as we saw with Marvel’s Spiderman: Far From Home. If the fans love what they see, then big bucks will be earned. The Batman is definitely worth the price of admission!
This last Bit is Important!
Make sure to check the Honest Rating System tab fro more info on how the system works!
