TL;DR Version
Too long? Didn't read? Here are four little bullet points:
- It's really, really long
- It's not intended for young audiences
- The stellar cast does not disappoint
- Robert Pattinson is legit
If you want to go into the movie blind, that's all you need to know. If you want more context, keep reading. I've tried to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but, just in case, let's put this here:
What You Should Know About the Movie
There are a couple things worth mentioning about the movie itself.
First of all, it's very, very long. With a nearly three-hour run time and a toddler left with a babysitter, I intentionally booked a 6 PM showtime, and that was a good decision. I have a co-worker who's seeing the movie at 10:55 PM, and I pray for his soul. Have fun getting out at 2 in the morning. Hope he takes a nap beforehand. It's also one of those movies like "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," where you think it's over like six different times but it just keeps going. I fought the urge to look at my watch to gage how long we had left. However, to its credit, I never felt bored. It's long, but it's engaging.
This movie is dark. And I'm not talking about the lighting. I mean, there are a couple points in the movie when I thought, "Gee, I hope no whackos out there are taking notes." Think of it less as a "superhero movie" and more of a guy in a cape and a cop tracking down a serial killer. That's what you're getting yourself into.
Over the years, Batman movies have become increasingly "grounded," shifting from the comicbook worlds of the Tim Burton era to the Christopher Nolan trilogy and, now, Matt Reeves' first steps into the Batverse. The newer movies feel much closer to "real life" than the old ones did. That's a bit troublesome,in some aspects, but I think mature audiences will still enjoy this new movie.
Pattinson's take on Batman verges on the more brutal interpretation of the character, similar to "Batfleck" from recent films, and the style of violence is... punishing, to say the least. The Riddler's style of social media-fueled style of psychological terrorism is also quite unnerving. The whimsical days of the goofball Riddler are over.
"The Batman" definitely merits its PG-13 rating. I wish there was something more like a "PG-16" rating - something between "PG-13" and "R." This one definitely wasn't "R," but it's certainly not a movie for kids. There's a lot of profanity, including frequent use of religious exclamations and one F-word, so keep that in mind before taking your kids to the theater.
Batman and Bruce Wayne
There have been many different versions of Bruce Wayne and Batman, and I think the first question most people will ask about this movie is how Robert Pattinson stacks up. That's tough.
Recently, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck have shown us distinct portrayals of the man behind the mask. Bale was the playboy, with women hanging on his arm. Affleck came off as a savvy business man with a hardcore crossfit routine. Pattinson epitomizes the detective characteristics of Bruce Wayne unlike anything we've seen in the past. In the beginning of the movie, Pattinson explains that his hobbies have turned him into a "nocturnal animal." He painstakingly takes journals of his obseverations and literally records everything he sees. The guy stays up late and doesn't get much sunlight - and it shows. He's a reclusive public figure made legendary by his rare appearances. It's a different spin on the character than we've seen in the past, certainly.
Before we move on, I need to get something off of my chest. I haven't really followed Robert Pattinson's acting career. I don't think I've really seen him in anything other than "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Tenet." But I've had it with the "Twilight" insults. They're tired. Those movies came out like 15 years ago and, for some reason, people are still holding those over his head. Give the dude a break and stop calling him "Edward," all right?
Now, let's talk about Emo Bruce. The first images I saw of Robert Pattinson in this movie were of the scene where he's at a funeral/memorial service. He's wearing a trenchcoat-like suit and his greasy hair is all over his face. I think a lot of people immediately judged how he was going to be as Bruce Wayne because of those pictures. But let's be real: if there's one guy who deserves to look a little "emo," it's the friendless billionaire orphan who is single-handedly trying to save his flaming trash heap of a city. Cut the man some slack.
All in all, detective/emo Bruce Wayne grew on me and I didn't mind it. I thought Pattinson did a great job in that aspect of his role. Those are huge shoes to fill, and fans are always ultra-critical of actors when they first take on these iconic characters, whether it's James Bond, Superman, Batman or anyone else.
Now, as far as Batman is concerned, I thought Pattinson looked amazing in the suit. I probably have, in my mind, some idea of what I think the Batsuit should look like, and I'm still wrapping my head around some of the stuff, like those little ammo things on his wrists, but I thought the suit was pretty good and I thought he looked like a natural in it. I liked his voice, from the monologuing to how he actually spoke when in costume. I felt that it came across as less forced than Bale's, which was completely opposite of how he talked as Bruce Wayne, and less tired/pissed off than Affeck.
I loved how Pattinson's Batman interacted with his allies (Gordon and Catwoman), and I thought that using the Bat-signal as a "warning" was super effective. Light that thing up and criminals get spooked, even without the Caped Crusader actually being there. Nice touch. Although Pattinson didn't looked totally ripped for the role, he definitely comes across as a guy whose bad side you'd want to avoid. One or two punches from him and you're out, folks.
I thought some of the action scenes in this movie (one involving the Batmobile, one involving a dark hallway and random bursts of gunfire, and one involving a smokescreen, in particular) were top-notch and probably some of the best we've ever seen. (That Batmobile won me over, too, by the way.)
One other interesting facet of Pattinson's Batman is his desire to not only reduce crime in Gotham but simply make it a better place. Many times, I think the goal is to "get rid of all the criminals," but Pattinson appears to want to restore Gotham to the lofty potential it had to begin with.
All in all, I thought Pattinson knocked it out of the park in his debut appearance in the cape-and-cowl. I'd love to see him in at least two more of these movies, with director Matt Reeves at the helm.
Alfred
The second comparison that usually comes up is that of the most loyal butler in the world, Alfred Pennyworth.
We all probably fall right back to Michael Caine, who is an absolute treasure, no matter the movie. Caine gave us an elderly Alfred who seemed reluctant to help, at times, and spent a lot of energy trying to talk Master Wayne out of crime fighting. He definitely gave us some great bits of dialogue, though, and was a wonderful replacement-father figure in the Christopher Nolan trilogy.
When my wife asked me how I liked Jeremy Irons as Alfred in the "Batman v Superman" era, I mentioned that he really didn't get enough screen time to leave a lasting impression. He was fine, we just didn't really spend much time with him.
Andy Serkis' Alfred is, perhaps, the most hands-on version of Bruce's housekeeper that we've been given yet. Throughout the movie, he is constantly seen trying to crack riddles or provide analysis, which I thought was fun. In most versions of the Bat-verse, Bruce generally seems unwilling to completely bring Alfred on board, both in his crime-fighting and his personal life, and that's still the case here, with "The Batman." Pattinson seems a bit more open to letting Alfred solve mysteries, but for certain reasons, Pattinson comes across more as a "You're Not My Father" type than his predecessors. That was an interesting dynamic to watch develop. I think Serkis is a great actor and I hope we get to see more of him in the future.
James Gordon
The third comparison, is GCPD's finest, Jim Gordon. So how does Jeffrey Wright stack up?
I grew up with the Commissioner Gordon from the Adam West TV series, so I'll always love that old man. However, times have changed and, over the years, Gordon has changed from the gray-haired, red phone-operating, white-collar type to a "roll up your sleeves and do what you've gotta do" persona.
I thought Gary Oldman was perfect in the Nolan trilogy. I thought he was the spitting image of a younger Jim Gordon, complete with the mustache and everything. I've got nothing bad to say about the guy.
I was really excited for J.K. Simmons to take on that role during the "Justice League" movies, but the DCEU hit a notorious rough patch and his character never truly got off the ground, which is a shame because did you see how jacked he got? Sheesh.
Jeffrey Wright is an amazing actor. I think he's just wonderful and has a really great voice. (Fun fact: he recently provided the voice of Batman in an audio drama you can stream on HBO Max and Spotify. Highly recommended, if you're into that stuff.) Undoubtedly (because it's 2022 and people are offended by everything), casting Wright as Gordon may have raised a few eyebrows, since he's, you know... not white like all the other guys... But I think my wife's endorsement says it all. As we were driving home from the theater last night, she said, "He looked just like them." I thought that was a really cool observation. As I mentioned, I thought he and Pattinson worked really well together - especially in a certain one-on-one interrogation scene.
Gotham City
Ah, to be young and colorful and care-free. Remember those old days of Joker parades and Penguinmobiles? Yeah, that's not Gotham anymore. This is another gritty look at a once-glorious city now on the brink of collapse. All the good people of Gotham have left are white-knight political figures - and that's not a good job to have in a city like this, mind you. The town is grimy, vandalized, overflowing with litter and a public transit ticket is basically a death wish.
It's been wild to watch Gotham change over the years to reflect improvements in real-life technology, like the Internet, social media and even USB drives. We've come a long way in the past 30 years, and Batman's world is evolving with us.
In the aftermath of "The Batman," it will be interesting to see the state of Gotham City, moving forward.
The Villains
It was amazing to me to think about how seamlessly DC incorporated so many of Batman's "Rogues Gallery" in this movie without it feeling cumbersome or bloated. I'd heard that "The Batman" wasn't really going to be a Bruce Wayne origin story (thankfully, we didn't have to see Thomas and Martha get gunned down in Crime Alley for the billionth time), but, rather, it would be an origin story for some of the villains. This turned out to be true - and surprisingly well done.
Zoe Kravitz laced up her Catwoman boots for the new movie. Her "mask" will certainly be a talking point for many movie-goers. I didn't care for it. It looked like she was late for a burglary and didn't have a mask so she just grabbed an unfinished set of underwear she was in the middle of crocheting and put it on her head. If we see her again in the future, she's going to have to have a MUCH better costume. There would be no excuse for us to see her like this ever again. Other than that, I liked the way she portrayed Selina Kyle. I thought he relationship with Batman was really good - just like the dynamic that exists in the comics, video games and animated shows, so good job on that.
Colin Farrell made headlines months back when images of him as Oswald Cobblepot first circulated. He is practically unrecognizable. If you really look at his eyes, you can kind of see it, but man. What a makeup and prosthetics job. Truly incredible. I think he ended up being one of my favorite characters in the movie, which was surprising. He's just got some really great dialogue and, in my opinion, he's got a couple of the best lines in the movie. Looking forward to (hopefully) seeing where his character goes from here.
Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that several other minor characters are used to really lay the ground work for the world the movie takes place in. We learn about the political history of Gotham City, some genealogical troubles for several characters, get a little taste of the prison system (psychiatric and otherwise) and a whole lot of other things. Just little tiny Easter eggs here and there for Batman die-hards like me. Really great stuff and tremendous world-building by Matt Reeves and company.
Finally, there's the Riddler, who, let me just say, is totally insane. He's got the homemade bomber aesthetic going for him, which isn't really my favorite. Like, I don't mind that he's not in a bright green bowler hat with a cane and whatnot, but the idea that he's just some guy that had a few crazy ideas is a bit disturbing. However, there comes a point in the movie (you'll know it when it happens) when Paul Dano's character really takes things up a notch. He gestures at his head and makes a comment like, "I'm not physically strong. My power is up here." I thought that was probably the best explanation of what makes Riddler such a dangerous nemesis that I've heard. He's not going to go out and punch anybody in the face, but he's going to test the limits of his foes' intellect. I'm not sure he's quite on the level of Heath Ledger's Joker, but it really did get to a point where I thought, "Wow, this dude is completely unhinged." Very effective stuff.
Surprises
Behold, some tweets:
There was a point in my life when I was really into movie trailers. I'd watch those things multiple times to get myself hyped for upcoming shows. That period of my life is now over. I don't know if I just have more of a trained eye than I used to or if movie studios have just gotten worse and making trailers, but I feel like there are a lot of commercials and clips that they put out before they release the movie that show way too much.
It also doesn't help that there is a large portion of the nerd community that has taken up freeze-framing as a hobby, so they'll watch a trailer, pause it and micro-analyze what they see. Like, "Oh, look at this shadow! It's Venom. Look at this arm! It's Matt Murdock! Whose lightsaber is that? Rewind that for a second - it's Mecha-Godzilla! That's the left side of Patrick Stewart's head!" That stuff just drives me nuts. Why can't we all just agree to go to the theater and be surprised together?
I tried not to watch many trailers or clips for "The Batman." I think I watched the first trailer they came out with and maybe the second one, too. Other than that, I tried to go to the theater without having a general idea of what was going to happen. I'm glad that I did. It was so nice to watch something unfold on the screen and not be like, "Yeah, they're going to throw him in prison for this but he'll get out," or whatever. I didn't sit there for two and a half hours, thinking in the back of my mind, "Well, I know Batman and the Riddler will meet up, face-to-face, on a rooftop at some point because it shows it in the trailer." (That's a made-up example, by the way.) For the first time in a while, I went to a movie not really knowing what to expect, and that made for a really wild ride.
The Verdict
My brother-in-law just texted me. He asked if I thought "The Batman" was good because it was legitimately good, or if I thought "The Batman" was good because I like DC and want them to succeed. A valid question. I appreciate him asking me.
I responded, "I think it is a legitimately great movie."
Despite how much I enjoyed it, I don't think I will go see "The Batman" again in theaters, for a couple reasons:
- I've got a kid that I miss when he's not with me, and finding a babysitter is a pain the butt sometimes.
- It's really, really long, and I don't have all the time in the world like I have in years past.
However, I will definitely buy that movie as soon as it's available and will immediately re-watch it from the comfort of my own home, where I can pause it if I need a bathroom break or a snack.
Part of what made "The Batman" great is that it wasn't tied to a larger cinematic universe. I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I read part of an article about an interview with Matt Reeves, where he said that making a movie with so many constraints put in place by the existing universe would make things really difficult for a filmmaker. It was awesome that "The Batman" could tell whatever story it wanted, without having to worry about what came before it or what will come next.
I thought that the cast was phenomenal. There were so many great performances. I sat there in the theater last night, wondering if this movie could actually get nominated for (or win) some major Academy Awards next year. Could it happen?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably a little unfair when critiquing reboots of franchises I love. It took me two full movies before I warmed up to Daniel Craig as James Bond. I wasn't thrilled when Ben Affleck was cast as Batman, but I got on board eventually (RIP Batfleck). Similarly, I wasn't ecstatic when I heard about Robert Pattinson, but you know what? I never saw "Twilight." Why on earth would I let that create low expectations? I tried my best to give him a chance and I think he was really, really good. It's a fresh spin on the character, for sure, but I truly enjoyed this movie.
I slept on all of this last night. I woke up thinking about it, too. That's the sign of a good movie. After some contemplation, I think this has got to be a Top-2 Batman movie. It's been a second since I've seen "The Dark Knight," so I would need to re-watch that before I can definitively say more, but "The Batman" is right up there. Some critics are calling it the best superhero movie ever made, which is a very bold claim because there have been a lot of really good superhero movies in the past decade, but if you're on the fence about seeing this movie and you can tolerate the dark themes, you've gotta give a shot - and, preferably, as soon as you can. I've seen some spoilers on Facebook already today, and the movie hasn't even been officially released for a full 24 hours. Be careful out there, people.
*****
What do you think? Have you seen "The Batman" yet? If so, how did you like it? Let's keep it as spoiler-free as we can, for people who haven't had a chance yet. Leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or hit me up with your hot takes on Facebook because I need all the 🗣 emojis.
Until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment