“When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.” – IMDb
If you have not seen The Batman yet, please do not read this full post until you do. I do not want to be the reason behind anyone getting it spoiled! So, unless you’ve seen it, or truly do not care about spoilers- please, stop reading now. I’m giving you a fair warning!
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You’re positive?
Okay, then.
The Batman
Starring
Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Collin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, John Turturro
Directed by
Matt Reeves
Box Office:
$754,317,661 Worldwide with an est. budget of $5,000,000
It begins…
The opening scene music instantly pulls you in. You’re just excited to be watching anything Batman-related, again.
“.. a dark and stormy Halloween night.”
The phone rings, and you can see that someone is in the shadows…
“Thursday, October 31st. The city streets are crowded for the holiday; even with the rain.”
The suspense builds, (are we actually, finally watching Batman?!)
“…But when that light hits the sky, it’s not just a call; it’s a warning. Fear is a tool. […] They think I’m hiding in the shadows. But, I am the shadows.”
Clunkiest boots on the slowest walker, ever. Fight scene #1. “I’m vengeance.”
Even in a pitch dark room, I could barely see what was happening, so yup- mission accomplished Batman; you ARE shadows.
Then, we see that he’s observing the first crime scene of the film. He shows that he knows medical terms- he does his research and learns. He takes this all seriously. We knew this already, of course, but it’s still nice to see.
I miss Commissioner Gordon.
“Something in the Way” by Nirvana plays. It’s the perfect song for this scene.
Batman begins taking notes once he’s back in his bat cave.
Hi Gollum- I mean, Alfred! Just kidding. As a LOTR fan, I HAD to say something, just this once. Andy Serkis is great and I’m so glad he was cast as Alfred.
Batman entering a nightclub- hysterical.
Hi Penguin- (amazing makeup).
Peter Sarsgaard as the DA? I’ll take it. While I haven’t seen too many of his films, I always enjoy his acting.
“This guy’s crazy!”
“No habla espanol, fellas?”
I must say, Penguin makes me laugh.
Like many, I grew up with Danny DeVito’s Penguin in Batman Returns. Whether it was his teeth, or his wet hair- that version always made my skin crawl. Maybe, knowing that Colin Ferrell is underneath the make-up instantly makes this Penguin more welcoming? I think I was just preparing myself for the “Batman Returns” level of “ick, don’t come near me” Penguin. While with Farrell, he was still creepy, yet, he was humanized. Then again, I guess that would be a very general way to compare Tim Burton and Matt Reeves’ styles.
This reminds me, that in one scene with Penguin, we see Gordon and Batman looking at a computer. I felt like I was about to be transported into the Matrix. Later on in the film, another cop says, “What about the chain of evidence?”,
I kid you not, I almost cheered.
Things can get so carried away during films like these. To see content that partially resembles reality made me unexpectedly happy. I’m not saying that having creative, “impossible in real life” ideas is a bad thing! I just like it when there are hints of the reality we live, mixed into the big picture. It’s small parts, lines, and scenes like that, which come together to create a good film. It didn’t stop there.
Fast forward a bit further into the film, and you’ll get to one of my favorite parts.
The scene shows Batman watching as a projector plays a video. I refuse to discuss the entire scene or give anyway. However, I absolutely love this scene for various reasons. The simplicity of it, and the emotional goosebumps it gave me… it’s rare for this to happen during movies these days. Yes, I love other films, but to have a physiological reaction to a scene? That doesn’t happen with every movie. Cut to the scene concerning Alfred, and I once again had chills.
My favorite part of almost any movie is when you see “behind the scenes” of the character. Whether it’s in a flashback, footage of them training or doing “ordinary people” things. In this movie, it was watching Bruce Wayne handling something that happened to Alfred. While every antagonist has their own motives, (usually selfish ones, or sometimes, sadly mistreatment, depending on the storyline), I enjoy seeing what motivates the protagonists. The greater good, sticking up for the underdogs, protecting loved ones, honor… the list goes on.
Catwoman and Batman
Ok, we all knew this was coming, and we all knew where it was going. Even if you know basically nothing about Batman, you’re likely aware of the flirtatious (at minimum) nature of the relationship he has with Catwoman. I don’t really have much to say about this relationship for the time being. So, I won’t be lingering on the topic for long. I usually roll my eyes at the slightest bit of corniness in any film. Yet I love Titanic- riddle me that. See what I did there? Riddle? Anyways, moving on…
I’m glad that there were basically no “lovey-dovey” moments. I love Zoe Kravitz though. After watching Big Little Lies, it’s almost hard not to like her, or at least respect her as an actress.
Paul Dano as The Riddler
I would like to take this time, to thank 16-year-old me for being in love with Paul Dano. Ever since I saw him in Little Miss Sunshine, I’ve had a soft spot for him. I think he was the perfect fit for The Riddler. He’s simply able to fit the “castaway” of society role quite well.
Overall Rating
I would give The Batman, 7.5/10. I thought it was well done, and honestly, it was much better than I was expecting. Maybe it’s because of the fact that I had low expectations, to begin with, that I am finding myself rating it higher than I had imagined. I honestly just need to give Robert Pattinson more of a break. I’ve loved his acting in other films, and he’s come a long way since Twilight. I shouldn’t still be surprised that he doesn’t completely stink as an actor. I’m excited to see what comes next. Another time for Joker to shine, as they teased? We shall see!
“Maybe this is all coming to an end.”
“What is?”
“The Batman”.
We doubt it.