The Batman (2022) Fangirl Review
Screenplay by: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig
Released on March 1st, 2022, I have to admit that I took some time to go and see the actual film in theatre - only managing to actually leave the comfort of my house for it on April 9th, 2022, more than a month after its release. Honestly, I feel like I deserve a pat on the back for managing to avoid spoilers of any kind within that period without having a total social media blackout.
As a casual hardcore DC fan, especially heavy on Batman and what is fondly termed as the Batfam - how can I not go and show my support (despite my reservations)? Normally, Iām not one to actually write a review on a film - since I have like-minded friends that can stand my film-holic, comic-holic rants but this time itās special. Particularly since I have a lot to say and I doubt my Marvel-holic bestie can keep up with this particular rant.
First off - this review will contain spoilers for the movie and is in no way a show of how in-depth I am in the fandom since sadly, Iām not as entrenched in the comic-verse as other hardcore fans. I will not claim to be an expert on the DC-verse as other people who have dedicated their time and money to the fandom but this is simply a rumination from a humble fan who truly loves the franchise.
To begin, letās start with;
The Premise, Story and Tone
Itās interesting to note that this iteration by Matt Reeves and Peter Craig did its best to be different from other incarnations of the caped crusader. For starters, playing around Batmanās identity as a detective - something we rarely see in existing adaptations. The premise is basically, in laymanās term; a young Batman trying to ground his identity in Gotham amidst its rising corruption and his effort to stop the killings done by a mysterious identity āpunishingā Gothamās elite.
Honestly, from the trailer, fans already know it's going to be The Riddler. But the interesting part is how the movie plays out with the tone being a cross of detective noir, superhero flick and dystopian. The superhero and dystopian part is not surprising considering it is Batman. DC already established Gotham as a dark, dystopian-esque fictional city and even within the comic-verse it is known as one of the darkest metropolises.
The detective noir part is a happy surprise - and it jumps right in with the opening scene. Granted, Reeves probably intended for a more modern take on the genre but the flavour of it is there especially with a first person point of view shot from a pair of binoculars and Ave Maria playing in the background. I have to admit, the first shot really established this iteration as something different.
But itās not without its flaws. As much fun as a detective noir is, I feel like a running time of two hours and 56 minutes is a bit trying - and this coming from someone who once had to sit through trying classics such as Rashomon, Battleship Potemkin, etc for class. Hereās the thing, I feel that since current film-goers are not as used to this pacing anymore - or expecting to see it in a superhero flick, it can feel a bit draggy.
The story itself is interesting, with its twists and turns ending up with a reveal of the total corruption of Gothamās elite and administration - including the ugly bits on Thomas Wayneās history with Carmine Falcone leading up to a total āsinkingā of Gotham city thanks to strategically placed bombs. Iām not going to bother with the full summary for the film so instead Iāll put it in a point-form sequence (because I feel a long paragraph for a summary is just something Iām not in the mood for writing).
Opening Act: The murder of Gothamās mayor, Don Mitchell Jr. with a calling card for Batman addressing the main theme of the plot - āLies of the Eliteā-slash-āCorruptionā.
Second Act: Further escalation of murder and acts of terrorism on key players of Gothamās administration and justice system centered around the corruption following a previous successful drug bust - the Maroni case.
Third Act: The reveal of how far the corruption goes, tracing back to Bruceās own father, Thomas Wayne. It then moves on to The Riddlerās final act of terrorism, āsinkingā the corrupted Gotham city and the murder of the current mayoral candidate Bella Real by his fanatics.
Thereās more subplots playing around of course, such as Bruceās slowly declining drive to protect the city - his helplessness on whether heās making a change or not, Selina Kyleās mission to uncover what happens to her roommate Annika and her dark background as Carmine Falconeās illegitimate child, and many more that ties into the main theme of corruption.
Being a detective noir - or a more modern take on it and a sort of crime flick, I have to admit having The Riddler as the main baddie for this premise is a good choice considering. We know The Riddler is smart enough to pull off an elaborate scheme and his M.O, leaving riddles for Batman to solve is a match-made in heaven for this genre. But thereās just something off, or missing. At least I feel that way.
The story itself is well-thought, so long as you have your mind more set on the whole detective noir thing instead of a heavy superhero flick.
The Characters and Setting
Thinking back, I feel that the missing part is the fact that this filmās setting leans more towards realism and for fans who are more conscious of the Batman franchise, thereās a juxtaposition. Itās hard to reconcile the ārealisticā incarnations of characters we know so well - especially for the villains. The backstory, the hierarchy of power, and the motivations of these villains are jarring when you know their other incarnations - particularly within the comic and animated versions.
Take The Riddler for instance. The Riddler we know of is smart and capable of horrendous crimes but thereās an element of whimsy in him thatās noticeably absent in this film. This Riddler, played by Paul Dano, is a great villain. Honestly, if not for that disposition and attachment to The Batman franchise, this wouldāve been a damn good crime film to watch. His background and drive in this film basically stems from the utter failure of Thomas Wayneās Renewal Program to protect his orphanage until it comes to a ruin.
In a typical sociopathic-psychopathic-narcissistic murderer archetype for crime flicks, The Riddler, or Edward Nashton is mostly driven by his need to be known, to be remembered - his background notwithstanding. His attachment to Batman is a juicy bit of fandom Easter egg for me because as we all know, The Riddler is one of a handful of Gotham villains canonically aware of Batmanās identity as Bruce Wayne.
Here, Riddler is portrayed to harbour a certain resentment for Bruce Wayne, āThe Orphan of Gotham Cityā yet he finds a kinship with Batman - who, in this movie stresses his main identity as āGothamās Vengeanceā. Another beautiful tidbit is the moment of confrontation between Batman and Riddler or Nashton where he acknowledges that the one who stands before him, Batman is the ātrue-selfā with Bruce Wayne being āthe maskā.
This nod acknowledges Batmanās core characteristic that many previous incarnations just barely scratch the surface of - Nolan-verse and Burton's being the only ones that actually acknowledged this (as far as I can remember). Other villain characters such as Penguin is sadly, one of the most jarring ones for me. I can see how the character design tries to incorporate Penguinās main characteristic but honestly, it takes a while for me to connect the dots if not for the characters pointing this out - I blame this on Burtonās Penguin incarnation for increasing this juxtaposition.
This Penguin is more ingrained with the character of a typical second in command, mob-type in a crime flick. Here, he works closely with Carmine Falcone (the head honcho) and while it is fun to see this different version, it just takes a while to get used to. Now, as for Carmine Falcone, I feel that him being the head honcho is enough to illustrate how this character is shown in the film. Albeit his version is more of a seemingly soft-spoken, āhonourableā mob boss which always screams as the worst kind when in movies.
I guess, in the whole scheme of things, his reiteration is not as jarring since his character in the comic-verse is quite similar to the one portrayed here. Honestly, itās rare to see Carmine Falcone being portrayed in live-action (or none, actually as far as I can remember). Him being the centre of corruption and being the conflict-drive for Thomas Wayneās corruption is a good connector for the whole theme. His being Selina Kyleās father, well - thereās a splash of uniqueness for Catwomanās incarnation.
Itās rare to see this version of Selina Kyleās background which brings us to my very much dislike for this iteration of Catwoman. Nothing against Zoe Kravitz, but this version of Selina Kyle is the most jarring for me. This Selina Kyle is too vulnerable, too much of a victim with none of Catwomanās core strength in display. Itās as if in an effort to inject more tragedy and realism to her character, Iām being deprived of Catwomanās empowering nature. Her character suits the plot, no doubt but justā Very unsatisfactory as a female Batman fan.
The nod to the whole Batman-Catwoman wedding in the comic is a nice Easter egg though but hereās the thing. Iām not feeling the chemistry and since my guilty pleasure is cheesy rom-coms, I know what Iām talking about for once. Especially since I groaned at the kissing scene and wanted to facepalm myself. So hard. Romance aside, while her character is somewhat enjoyable, I feel like itās unnecessary to the overall plot - we can make do without it.
Before you argue that without her, Bruce wouldnāt find the connection to Annika, letās consider that the movie can go that route even with a side character. Selina Kyleās character, for a lack of better word is just to āpretty upā the film. The only takeaway from this character that I can confidently say is highlighting how messed-up Gotham is and Batmanās dedication to a āseeminglyā hopeless cause (which we can get from other characters just as easily). Sure, if we dive deeper there might be more beyond the surface but I just canāt. What can I say? Selina Kyle is my favourite femme fatale in the fandom so my bar is set high.
Now, for the main character, Bruce Wayne, The Batman himself. I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive of Robert Pattinsonās portrayal but since Iāve felt this way as far back as post Michael Keatonās Batman, I take it with a grain of salt. I may be a bit biased since Iām speaking of the titular character but Iāve always felt each portrayal of Batman so far brings their own distinctive flavour and I canāt really say itās too bad, too blasphemous, etc.
Pattinsonās Batman is somber and young, in a way we havenāt really seen just yet and I have to say, they basically nailed their intended portrayal here. This version of Bruce is just not sure enough of where he stands a Batman, his drive being more superficial which is appropriate considering how old he is at this moment in time. In this Batman, we see his brilliance, but we still see how heās still defining his identity. Itās refreshing since we really donāt see much of this version of Batman.
Keatonās version is already more seasoned, so does Clooney and Affleck. While Baleās version has that gradual growth, thereās a competency there that Pattinsonās Batman still lacks. Like I said, heās so young here. Other fans might want a more seasoned version of Batman, understandably but I feel like this version kind of slaps you in the face with its possibility to grow.
For instance, I canāt help but think of the possibility of Pattinsonās Batman encountering Dick Grayson in future films (if any) especially since it is shown to us in the film how affected Bruce was seeing Mitchellās son (the dead mayor) being the person who discovered his fatherās dead body. The parallels are just too good and I just want to shake Hollywood to ask them to give us the Dynamic Duo. I might need to blame a couple of YouTube binges on the lack of Robin in films and a couple of Nightwing deep dives before watching this.
I donāt really have a lot of complaints when it comes to the characterisation of this Batman - particularly because it works with what this film is going for. Like I said, I feel like if there is any complaint on this Batman, itās the absence of the usual edge, that competency we see in a more aged version of the caped crusader.
Though Pattinsonās dialogue as Batman here is a bit cheesy in certain parts like; āI am vengeance.ā I can still remember my shoulders hunching up from the cringe. Cheesy dialogues aside, I kind of like the dynamic of Bruce and Alfred in here. Thereās a few predictable lines and relationship growth there but Iām always a sucker for a good āol Bruce and Alfred bonding moments.
Talking about Alfred, I like how this version shows a more proactive version of Alfred, banking on his background as super spy extraordinaire. Itās rare. We mostly see him being a caring, nurturing, supportive father-figure for Bruce and rarely do we see him being somewhat hands on in the whole Batman operations. Itās a nice change and I do so love BAMF Alfred moments.
Another supporting character I want to touch on is of course, Commissioner Gordon - except heās not commissioner yet here. At its core, Gordonās core characteristics are there just with a touch of roughness you normally see when a person of colour plays the role of a cop. I donāt mean to offend anyone (hardly my place seeing Iām Asian and we all know how that goes as far as Hollywood portrayals went) but itās just another thing that I feel is ātypicalā.
I kind of prefer Oldmanās movie-verse James Gordon, as a whole - I feel like itās the closest to comic-verse though we all know Gordon can be a badass. Also, just. What is it with Hollywood assigning people of colour to characters known to be redheads? Sure, Commissioner Gordonās not a redhead but we all know Babs is. And just. Why? Iām all about diversity in casting but itās a known pattern now. And it just baffles me.
Although Iād like to delve deeper on the cinematic aspect of things, I think thatās best reserved for when the film finished airing in cinemas and I can watch it legally on streaming platforms. Then, we can go crazy on the direction, the acting, the plot, the cinematography, the audio and other aspects that make up a film. I mean, Iām already pushing 3000 words here just ranting about the film in conjunction with fan-based opinion.
Now, whether or not this movie is āgoodā and worth watching, Iād say go for it. Just, maybe donāt enter while being so attached to the Batman franchise as whole? Especially the comic-verse. I mean, this film is an enjoyable superhero-noir - which I find is an actual term. Sheesh, Iām so out of touch with things - academically - after my studies. Afterall, it is mentioned that itās separate from the DCEU so just enjoy it as a standalone. Itās a very refreshing take.
