The Batman Review

By Vibhas S.

March 25, 2022

The Batman (2022) is a thrilling film that exceeded its enormous expectations. Director Matt Reaves achieves a difficult feat by making this movie captivating for its 2hr 56min runtime. Reaves’ film is comparable to Christopher Nolan’s legendary, The Dark Knight. However, The Batman does not aim to top past films, but instead, to be a gritty, dark film in its own realm of DC Comics films. Matt Reaves approaches this movie in a formalistic manner, steering away from the traditional, successful mold of comic book films, instead focusing on the inner workings of the villains. At its core, The Batman is a detective story with Batman as the detective who is trying to find and decipher the clues left by the main villain, Riddler (Paul Dano).

This film follows a younger Batman, played by Robert Pattinson, who is highly feared by criminals in Gotham because of his vigilante style, swooping in from the shadows and catching the criminals off guard. 

The Plot is elegantly written and well executed. As aforementioned, the film is almost three hours long, but it makes effective use of most of its scenes. Although it may feel slow at some points, the plot is still always progressing with little to no pauses for fruitless subplots. We see Batman a lot more than Bruce Wayne, which I see as a positive because it helps the audience stay focused on the plot and not get distracted by some other side plots that Bruce Wayne may be a part of. Batman struggles with the moral dilemma of whether or not he’s made a positive impact on the crime-ridden hole of a city Gotham is. The climax of the film is fantastic and built up really well. The climax doesn’t come out of nowhere nor does it feel rushed. In previous Batman films, we see Gotham as a New York-esque city with unfortunate crime, but in The Batman, Gotham is a dystopian, dark city, physically and metaphorically, because we only really see the city during night time. Riddler isn’t physically intimidating, but his psychological torture poses a true threat to a Batman who still doesn’t know his pace in Gotham. As shown in the trailers, the Riddler is a serial killer and leaves clues addressed “To the Batman.” at each murder scene. The other two underlying villains of the film are John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone, and Colin Farell’s Oswald Cobblepot; aka The Penguin, both of whom are crime bosses in Gotham. The Penguin and Carmine Falcone are unfortunate, but important, roadblocks to Batman's goal of finding the Riddler. Lastly, a pivotal character in the film is Zoë Kravitz’s, Selina Kyle; Catwoman. Catwoman is Batman’s sidekick throughout the film and helps him take down the villains. 

The performances in the film are convincing and elevate the film, providing a new depth to the storyline and characters. Robert Pattinson’s performance as Batman is fantastic. Pattinson’s body language in the suit is upright and intimidating, which allows him to take control of whichever room he is in. Even though we don’t see the top half of Pattinson’s face in the suit, we still feel his emotions and reactions to events which is a testament to his great performance. In this installment of Batman, Bruce Wayne without the suit is not that different from when he’s in the suit. He’s a quiet, and generally dramatic yet gloomy figure, and Pattison encapsulates this beautifully. Pattinson truly has succeeded at capturing the authenticity of the character, portraying a wounded man whose sole purpose is to better the city of Gotham. Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farell, and John Turturro all put on stunning performances as well, and created unique character dynamics between each other. Colin Farell, who is barely recognizable as the Penguin, is exceptional and comedic. John Turturro’s portrayal of Carmine Falcone is terrifying, and puts on a considerable villainous role. Zoe Kravitz’s performance as Catwoman allows us to care deeply about her character and has remarkable chemistry with Pattinson. 

Overall, The Batman exceeded my expectations, and kept the audience engaged and invested in the unique story and young characters. This film is a 9/10 and is a good choice for anyone who wants a dark, fleshed out story.