“The Batman” is the latest solo Bat-flick to come out in over a decade (Has it really been that long?) With the last solo movie being “The Dark Knight Rises,” we were due to see Batman return in his own movie. So was there too much hype? I intend to answer that question in this article without spoiling any major plot elements.

   Viewers are introduced to Batman about two years into his career as a mask-wearing vigilante that violently battles thugs in Gotham City. The Batman says when the Bat-Signal shines in the sky above Gotham that it strikes fear in the minds of criminals who are afraid of a potentially violent confrontation with him.

   This leads to the Riddler appearing, who views himself as the antithesis of Batman. The Riddler goes on a quest to rid Gotham of corrupt city officials, unveiling a conspiracy that involves all of the high-ranking members of the city. Thus, Batman has to stop both the riddler and the corruption that has been plaguing Gotham since before Bruce was born.

   Many people were hesitant to see a new actor playing Batman after having Ben Affleck as Batman. However, Robert Pattinson’s performance as Bruce/Batman was exceptional. This iteration of Bruce is still dealing with the trauma of watching his parents getting gunned down. Pattinson was able to put himself in Bruce’s shoes and effectively show the emotional turmoil he deals with throughout the movie. Overall, Pattinson is a great new Batman/Bruce Wayne. 

   Another great character in this movie was the Riddler. Director Matt Reeves stated that this movie would take inspiration from the movies “Zodiac” and “Seven” and it is very clear what those inspirations were. The Riddler’s suit in this movie is very reminiscent of the Zodiac Killer’s reported costume. If I were to choose a Riddler between Paul Dano and Jim Carrey, it would be this one. This Riddler is menacing compared to Jim Carrey’s goofy take. With Paul Dano perfectly fulfilling the role of the Riddler, it gave me chills watching this iteration of Riddler play out. This Riddler also had some good motivations behind his actions while Jim Carrey’s was pale in comparison (Slight Spoiler warning here, though if you’ve seen the trailer, it’s not a spoiler) There are also some “Seven” vibes here too. When the Riddler gives himself up to the authorities, just as John Doe did in Seven, you get the sense that there was a reason that he did so. Paul Dano effectively brought out the psychopath in him and fulfilled the role of a serial killer.

Another character in this movie was Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman. While the movie is mostly about Batman dealing with the Riddler. Catwoman is slowly made a crucial part of the story, helping Batman to defeat Riddler in the final act. This movie also sets up Catwoman as a potential love interest for Batman in the future sequels. The way Catwoman change’s throughout the movie is gradual but makes her story more enticing. Anne Hathaway was a great Catwoman, but this movie’s version of Catwoman is better by delving more into the thief side of Catwoman but, also making her able to defend herself whenever she gets into trouble. While this movie doesn’t go into her origin, it’s still interesting to see how her character changes from being filled with hate to, helping save the city in the end.

   The story was well written too. It is not just a Batman movie — it’s a detective story, a horror movie, and a dark movie. While the other Batman movies were dark, this one is the darkest one in existence. This movie is technically a PG-13 movie but pushes those bounds, showing scenes that might disturb younger viewers. While this film doesn’t show blood, and all the brutal beatings are off-camera, the thought of someone dying in certain ways can be quite disturbing. Matt Reeves doesn’t show Thomas and Martha Wayne getting gunned down, but rather than the other Batman movies where Bruce’s parents were innocent, this movie unveils some hidden secrets about them. Another aspect this movie focuses on is whether the good guys,, who are supposed to protect the city, actually make the problems worse in the city. 

   Overall, this movie offers a new take on Batman and who he is as a character. With the villains repeating the words, “I am vengeance”, it shows that Batman hasn’t done a good job protecting the city. Rather, it shows that the villains look up to Batman. 

   “The Batman” puts Bruce’s detective skills to the test. While Batman is given the world’s greatest detective title. The other movies don’t show off his detective skills as well as this one does. “The Batman” shows us the hero get well on his way to becoming the world’s greatest detective. While he does make mistakes in this film, he is able to discover things others wouldn’t have. I also love the fledgling partnership with Jim Gordon who is a lieutenant in this movie. It shows how close they are becoming and how Jim is starting to change in his attitude toward Batman. In fact, the way every relationship in this movie grows and changes throughout this movie shows just how much thought is given to the story.

   The movie may be almost 3 hours long, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. It has excellent fight scenes — you can feel the pain the villains are facing when Bruce is raining punches down on them. While nothing is shown during those beatings, emotion is shown on the other character’s faces that tell us how bad the beating is. The way the city is crafted and is bathed in light feels like the perfect iteration of Gotham. With the state Gotham is in, you can’t help but feel bad for the innocent people who are suffering. The set designs are captivating and make you feel fully immersed in the movie. 

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?

“The Batman” is an expertly crafted movie with excellent cinematography, an excellent story, and is an excellent Batman movie in general. While some scenes may disturb younger viewers and it is dark on a whole different level, I would recommend this movie to those who love Batman and crime stories. It offers an insight into serial killers and how they operate while still being a Batman movie. While it offers breadcrumbs as to what the next movie could be, there are no cliffhangers that it leaves off of. I would give this movie 4.5/5 stars, as my only nitpick with this movie is that it was almost three hours long. As I said though, the movie does feel like it goes by fast.

There is also a “post-credits scene,” which is generous to call it that to say the least. However, it does lead to https://www.rataalada.com/, which is a promo for this movie. It has since been shut down by the Gotham City Police Department, but it’s interesting to see how the director made The Batman affect our real-life by bringing this website out of the movie and into real life.