Student Opinion – The Batman Is Worth The Watch
Batman has retained his film presence as one of the most popular comic book characters in cinema ever since Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy. Even with some questionable outings in the 1990s, the idea of a billionaire playboy dressing up as a bat to strike fear in the hearts of his colorful rogues’ gallery has captured the attention of audiences for generations. Hence, with Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” hitting theaters March 4, it’s not hard to understand the hype and love it has received by critics and audiences alike, even though not a perfect film.
The film grossed over $134 million in its opening weekend, starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and many more A-list actors. It follows the Batman in his second year of crime fighting while the Riddler terrorizes Gotham City in a twisted game leading to a mystery-thriller drama filled with lies and death. “The Batman” returns to the hero’s roots as the world’s greatest detective as he scours the broken and grimy streets of Gotham City for answers to the bitter truth behind the Riddler’s scheme.
While it had similar story beats and ideas to Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy and the DCEU’s “Batfleck,” I personally found this to be a fresh, new take on Batman and Gotham City. It was a unique and gripping experience that surprised me. The ending may feel a bit too drawn out, the three hour runtime really starts to show with the conclusion.
“But that inflated runtime is as much of a problem as it is a virtue, particularly when it comes to the film’s overly busy final act,” Jordan Farley with GamesRadar+ wrote.
As for the performances, I think that everyone handled their characters objectively well, however, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne/Batman dynamic took time to get used to. While I’m not against his interpretation of the iconic character, I wasn’t fully sold on what he brought to the table in comparison to previous portrayals. I truly believe that there is hope for him to grow in future films. Standouts in the film were Colin Farrell as the Penguin and Paul Dano’s Riddler, who both stole every scene they were in and flawlessly played off of Pattinson’s Batman.
“As the Batman or Vengeance or whatever he’s called, Pattinson is the most sullen of the actors to have played the character, which reads as a kind of daredevil nihilism whenever he’s in costume,” Variety’s Peter Debruge stated in his review. “He doesn’t seem fearless so much as ambivalent about whether he lives or dies.”
The plot of “The Batman” shares many similarities with several films that came before it, which may become an unpopular decision since the film feels very familiar. “Seven” and “Taxi Driver” are just two movies that Reeves has confirmed to have been an inspiration for this take on Batman. It’s definitely not a film for everyone with its almost absurd, dark tone.
I think where this film succeeds the most at is world-building with the city of Gotham and production of the movie. The city has always been an instrumental piece to Batman, yet the production crew outdid itself by creating a visually gorgeous crumbling city. While maybe not the most outstandingly scripted or most impactful movie, the cinematography of “The Batman” gives audiences a breathtaking experience of cinematic art as this is undeniably the best-looking Batman film.
Drew Weisberg with The Tufts Daily wrote, “The cinematography by Greig Fraser ties the film together and gives the movie a wholly unique identity among the mainstream superhero fare currently available in theaters.”
Other than some personal gripes with the story and the characterization of Patterson’s Batman/Bruce Wayne, I thought overall this was a very well-made superhero movie with a unique and eerie score by Michael Giacchino. I’m looking forward to the next chapter in Reeves’s world of “The Batman.” It isn’t the superior theatrical Batman outing, with me personally giving that honor to “The Dark Knight Rises,” but it certainly isn’t one to miss in theaters.
marks is an opinion writer.