We’ve been pretty excited about director Matt Reeves’ take on The Caped Crusader, titled simply THE BATMAN. You might remember the first trailer for this film came to us courtesy of DC Fandome last year, when at the time the movie was supposed to hit in October 2021… thanks to Covid, that release date was pushed back. Robert Pattinson stars as Bruce Wayne this time around, and it’s been revealed that like JOKER, this movie takes place in an alternate universe, meaning it doesn’t cross over or conflict with any of the previous Batman movies. This take on The Dark Knight is perhaps the most gritty and dark we’ve ever seen, drawing comparisons to movies like SEVEN (or SE7EN) and the style of David Fincher. The cast also features Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as district attorney Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál (a woman running for mayor of Gotham), Andy Serkis as Alfred, and an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as the Penguin. With a running time of nearly three hours, this is the longest Batman movie to date, but it may also be the most impressive adaptation of the source material yet.

The opening of THE BATMAN sets a decidedly dark tone, letting audiences know this is not going to be a typical superhero film, but rather a disturbing crime story that at times is almost uncomfortable to watch. We see a murder take place, and the murderer in clearly someone very unhinged and disturbed. Bruce Wayne / Batman is featured in some light narration, explaining that he has become a sort of boogeyman to all criminals. When his symbol goes up, and they see it in the sky, it strikes fear in them, sometimes leading to some imagining him hiding in the shadows… even when he’s not. It isn’t long before we’re treated to a sequence in which The Batman (Pattinson) thwarts a gang of thugs attempting to mug a subway patron, brutally beating them up and announcing himself as being “Vengeance” incarnate. It’s easy to see how this ghastly figure has become an urban legend criminals hope they never meet. Batman soon finds himself at the aforementioned murder scene, working directly with Detective James Gordon (Wright), helping the cops figure out key elements of the crime scene and solving riddles left behind, and even finding a note addressed “For The Batman” specifically. Somehow this killer is either connected with Batman, or just obsessed with him, but it makes the cops and Bruce rather nervous.

Bruce’s butler Alfred (Serkis) seems worried about what he’s becoming, but also feels compelled to help him. This is a different dynamic for Bruce and Alfred than what we’ve seen before, almost like they resent each other, but there’s still a strong bond there. In his journey to find out the reasons for the recent murders happening in Gotham, Bruce finds himself entering the criminal underworld which is inhabited by crime bosses like Carmine Falcone (Turturro) and The Penguin (Farrell), and it’s there he meets a club girl named Selina Kyle (Kravitz). She has her own problems when her friend it targeted, and decides to take matters into her own hands by stealing files from one of the murder victim’s homes. Batman observes her in her “Catwoman” garb, and they scuffle a bit before realizing they might be able to help each other. As Gordon and Batman close in on this “Riddler” killer, the mystery deepens, and all of the events we’ve seen start to stitch together. But can our hero stop The Riddler before he carries out his ultimate plan… and what exactly is that ultimate plan?

THE BATMAN delivers a lot for fans of the character, but is unlike almost any other superhero film in a very refreshing way. The comparisons to movies like SE7EN are appropriate, as this feels a lot like watching a David Fincher murder thriller that just happens to have Batman in it. The Christopher Nolan films took the crime drama genre and injected the Batman mythos into it, but the result didn’t seem compatible with other superheoes… can you imagine Superman in the Nolan Bat-films? It just wouldn’t have worked. THE BATMAN is much more gothic and atmospheric, and really feels like a comic book universe, while still heavily grounded in reality. Things like his costume and car look cobbled together and rough, not polished or perfect. Plus this Batman falters a bit, he’s not a perfect mechanism, and we get the sense that he’s still figuring things out. On the other side of that coin, this Bruce Wayne is also still developing, as his nocturnal exploits have removed him a bit from being the city’s Golden Child. He has all that money, and is living in his philanthropist father’s shadow, but what has HE done to help the city? This is a character that is growing and evolving before our eyes, and it’s an interesting interpretation of the classic archetype.

The biggest strengths of THE BATMAN are what it finally gives us for the character. We finally get to see Batman being a “Detective”, finding clues and solving crimes, which is a such an important aspect of his comic book counterpart. They don’t call him “The World’s Greatest Detective” for nothing. We also get to see his strong relationship with Jim Gordon realized in a fantastic way, how they trust and rely on each other and actually “work” together to figure things out. Gordon knows this guy is kind of nuts and unhinged, but also realizes he’s a tool for good, and at times may be the only thing that works against the insanity of the criminal underworld. And speaking of the criminal underworld, that’s another aspect this film really gets right, showing the power and influence those crime bosses have over Gotham, and really selling the magnitude of what Batman is up against here. There are little touches I appreciated too, like Wayne Manor being elegant and gothic in design, but sort of dirty and musty, as if to say when the Wayne parents died, the upkeep just came to a halt. And the way The Riddler taunts Batman, making it personal and creepy, it sells the seriousness of it all.

The performances are all strong and sincere. Pattinson is playing Bruce Wayne as a tortured young man trying to figure out his purpose in life, while dealing with the grief and loss he can’t get past. He needs guidance and purpose, and is still finding maturity and direction. There’s a great moment late in the film where he sees the result of his nightly terror and how it can influence others, and it gives him pause to perhaps adjust his own directives moving forward. That kind of growth and understanding is something that’s been missing from the other Bat-movies. Serkis is great as Alfred, a tortured man of war who now sees what is becoming of the man he’s been tasked to raise, and worries about him and whether or not he’s wrongly contributed to his dark future. Zoë Kravitz finds a nice balance with Selina / Catwoman as a strong woman out for revenge, and one who clearly has a heart of gold even when immersed in the dirty criminal underworld. Colin Farrell may be my favorite of the cast, as he’s beautifully disguised under incredible make up, and really appears to be having fun playing Oswald Cobblepot, who here is a cocky underboss to Carmine Falcone, but someone who clearly has aspirations to be something more. John Turturro is also appropriately nasty as Falcone, a frequent Batman foil who gets more to do here than in previous incarnations. But it’s Paul Dano as The Riddler that will likely leave the biggest impression on audiences, incredibly creepy and unnerving as the methodical killer. Imagine Kevin Spacey in SE7EN, only MUCH creepier and disturbingly louder.

Director Matt Reeves has crafted a masterful production that really seems to understand and appreciate what makes this character so great. This is a movie that shows loving reverence to the source material, and goes beyond the concept of fan service into loving affection for the many stories that have defined Batman. I saw shades of classic tales like BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, BATMAN: YEAR ONE, and other beloved story arcs that have shaped The Caped Crusader into what he is today. You only need look at the creator names listed in the “thank yous” during the credits to know what books they took time to dissect. Reeves seems to get what makes Batman great, and isn’t trying to deliver yet another standard superhero flick. This is something special, it’s new and different in the best possible way, and has plenty of promise toward starting a new self-contained universe for this character. And I have to praise the great Michael Giacchino’s epic score, which helps make this film feel like something on a different level than what we’ve seen before. His orchestral themes are haunting and powerful in all the right ways.

At nearly three hours, THE BATMAN might feel long at times and may not contain the level of action most superhero fans are used to, but if you love this character (like REALLY love him), chances are you’ll greatly appreciate the risks it takes and the efforts it makes. Let’s face it, Hollywood superhero fare is becoming redundant, so seeing something new and daring with one of the most recognizable characters in the world is incredibly satisfying.

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