**SPOILER WARNING**
I wonder how many live action Bruce Wayne’s I will see in my lifetime. The latest iteration of Batman is upon us and as the title card popped up on the screen I began reflecting on how many different Batmen I had sat down in a theater to watch and how many more I might see in the future. If you would’ve told me back in the Twilight days that I’d be seated first showing opening night to see Robert Pattinson play Batman I would’ve laughed in your face. Yet, here we are and there I was. I’m happy to say this version of Batman features a fantastic cast delivering excellent performances top to bottom while being very dark, joyless, and leaning hard into the detective noir aspects of the character. I did enjoy the movie overall although I think it could use a little trim to the runtime but perhaps that’s a personal nitpick.
The film directed by Matt Reeves joins Bruce two years into being Batman, as we skip over the tragic origin story everyone is so familiar with, and he’s still quite angsty. I immediately bought into Robert Pattinson’s take on the character and enjoyed his performance as a sophomoric Bruce. His relationships with both Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and Alfred (Andy Serkis) were enjoyable to watch as the actors bring a great weight and seriousness to their roles. Paul Dano as the Riddler is the main villain of the film. I’ve been a fan of Dano since his years as a young actor in the independent film scene and he always delivers a great performance. Make no mistake this is not Jim Carrey or Joel Schumaker’s colorful Riddler. Dano’s Riddler comes off more like an unstable Zodiac killer than the colorful, fun looney that came before. His initial appearance in the shadows of an unsuspecting victim’s apartment freaked me out and caused me to generate an audible response. His methods of dispatching his victims are rather disturbing and reminded me of Se7en with a dash of Saw though the deaths are never graphically depicted.
Riddler aside this film really turns the spotlight to Gotham’s underbelly featuring a crime syndicate including the likes of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin played by a completely unrecognizable Colin Farrell. Honestly, I stared hard trying to find even a glimpse of Colin under the amazing prosthetics applied to him and could not find him. The makeup/prosthetics team are absolutely worthy of recognition come awards time. Farrell has also officially signed on to star in and executive produce a spin-off series for HBO Max reprising his role as the Penguin. Given his performance and the world built here, I will definitely check out that series whenever it arrives as I want more time in this version of Gotham.
Selina Kyle aka Catwoman is featured prominently in the film as well played by Zoe Kravitz. Her and Pattinson had great chemistry and should there be a sequel (who are we kidding) I hope to see her character return. Kravitz’s performance was solid I think I just wanted her character to be a little more “Catwoman-y” as a personal preference if that makes any sense. Though this is still early in Gotham’s Batman timeline so there is certainly time for the character to evolve. I think I’m waiting on a version of Catwoman from the video games. Michelle Pfeiffer is still my girl but Kravitz is very much welcome and I hope she comes back.
Similar in tone to Burton, though not stylistically, Matt Reeves’ Gotham is dark, gothic, and dirty. Following Bruce’s descent below the city streets to his “Batcave”, this time represented as an abandoned railway station below Wayne Tower, felt realistic and I wondered if some overzealous homeless person ever caught a peek or pursued him. The cave really felt like an active workshop versus a flashy superhero headquarters with his car being worked on the corner. I loved seeing the black eye makeup around Bruce’s eyes finally being conveyed on screen. I’ve never understood why that part of the character has never been addressed. Guys can’t wear makeup or camo paint? Show him putting it on like going to war. Batman Returns is my personal favorite but the moment when Bruce removes his mask towards the end of the movie always bothers me as Michael Keaton isn’t wearing the eye makeup with the mask on and it is very noticeable. Bonus points for realism here.
Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” featured in the trailer is very present in the movie and sets the overall vibe and tone of the film’s duration. The sound design for Batman’s car charging up and taking off in pursuit of Penguin in IMAX was fantastic. Our entire row of seats was vibrating. Moments like these are why we go to movie theaters. Actually both the overall sound design and the score by Michael Giacchino were a real treat.
This film works in a realistic way that you could essentially pluck Batman out and replace him with a detective and the movie would still play the same. It is not an over the top comic book movie or superhero spectacle but a psychological crime drama. There are some great shots and moments throughout including a fight scene in the dark with bullets ricocheting off Batman’s chest as the lighting source and an upside Penguin watching Batman approach after a thrilling car chase, seen in the trailer, to quickly name a few. Bruce also has a very rough landing at one point and I appreciated the demonstration of his inexperience.
I really enjoyed this version of Gotham and the take on Batman although I’m curious to see how this one plays out to the masses. While critics and deep cut comic book fans are lapping this up the general viewing public may find all the slow detective talking moments lackluster and the almost 3 hour runtime exhausting. Regardless, the critical and box office results suggest this will not be the only venture into this iteration of the character’s mythology and I look forward to what potential the next chapter may bring.
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