To keep these posts shorter, I will be splitting my thoughts on The Batman into two posts: (1) A non-spoiler post of my overall thoughts of the film, which is this one that you are reading, and (2) a SPOILER post about a specific theme of The Batman that I would like to go more in-depth on.
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, most known for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, two fantastic films. Reeves also directed Cloverfield back in 2008, if anyone remembers that. The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, and Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon. Also starring is John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. Here is the Google synopsis:
Batman ventures into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans become clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.
First off, The Batman is FU**IN incredible.
Everything is so beautifully crafted – the cinematography, the musical score, the acting, the writing. Greig Fraser, who did the cinematography from Dune, has easily crafted the best visuals of any comic book movie that I can remember, and this movie stands out as one of the most beautifully shot films of 2022. And, of course, the legend himself Michael Giacchino, who has composed musical scores for so many movies, such as The Incredibles, Up, and half the Marvel movies. For me, this may be the best music I have heard for any comic book movie and is up there among Giacchino’s greatest works. His Batman theme is haunting, grim, and yet triumphant all at once. I must have listened to it on repeat about a hundred times by now.
Let us get to Mr. Robert Pattinson himself. Most may know him as Edward from Twilight, or Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter. Since those days, Pattinson has transformed himself into one of the best actors working today, starring in smaller, more niche roles. Check out Good Time and The Lighthouse for some amazing Pattinson films. And of course, he recently starred in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet to get himself back into larger movie roles. Anyways, this man is so perfect as Batman. His performance is not over the top or bombastic by any means. He takes a much more subtle, quieter approach to convey a very grief-stricken, vengeful Bruce Wayne. The way he acts with his eyes… he can burn a hole in a wall by the way he stares at the camera. Every punch, every quiet moment, every stare, every footstep, you can feel the anguish, the grief and fear in Bruce, and that is all portrayed so powerfully by Robert Pattinson.
Colin Farrell. COLIN FU**IN FARRELL.
If you did not tell me which character Colin Farrell plays in the movie, I would have not thought that he was in this movie. I cannot really comprehend how he transformed himself into The Penguin, but it happened. I recently watched The Banshees of Inisherinn, a movie in which Collin Farrell plays a naïve, happy fella (and which he is nominated for an Oscar for Best Lead Actor), and I cannot believe that it is the same guy who plays The Penguin in this movie. Everyone else is tremendous as well. Zoë Kravitz is a wonderful Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Paul Dano is always great as a weird psychopath. Jeffrey Wright is a great James Gordon. And Andy Serkis plays a very warming, caring fatherhood figure in Alfred for the few scenes we get with him. I hope to see all of them in future Batman movies.
Finally, we come to Matt Reeves, the man who holds this movie together. And not just from a writing and directing standpoint. If you did not know, this movie was made through the pandemic. And if you watch this movie, you cannot tell that this movie was constricted by any substantial filmmaking limitations. Some of the behind-the-scenes featurettes of The Batman are now on YouTube, and it is truly remarkable how the crew had to logistically change the way scenes were filmed because of the pandemic. For example, there is a featurette of a Batman wing suit jump sequence , and it is incredible how the whole crew had to shoot in completely different locations, build partial sets, create practical suits and effects, and blend them all with digital effects just to craft one jump sequence. When a whole movie comes together so seamlessly, you must tip your cap off to director Matt Reeves, who just does such a phenomenal job of immersing you into this grubby city of Gotham and taking you on an intense journey alongside the Caped Crusader. Link to jump suit featurette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKUkwV79lU
The movie is three hours long, and it is slow-paced, taking its time to build and build. So please, do not watch this movie at night when you are tired and ready to go to sleep. Because if you do, you will fall asleep. Set aside a three-hour chunk (or two one-and-a-half hour chunks) in the morning or afternoon to really engage with this film. There is more that I would like to talk about, but these posts are getting too long. So, in the coming days, I will post a “SPOILER” article to wrap up my thoughts on The Batman. In the meantime, please check out this movie.
Please watch this movie!!!
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