As someone who LOVED Matt Reeve’s two instalments of the Planet of the Apes trilogy, cites The Riddler as their favourite comic book villain and is married to a bonafide comic book nerd, it was hard not to get excited about Reeve’s take on the source material and the visualisation of Robert Pattinson in the iconic cowl. Teaser trailers, first look images and initial reviews all promised great things but expectation is a fickle thing and whether The Batman can live up to those expectations was the most important question going in to our screening.
There’s no need for an origin story, we all know how Bruce Wayne became Batman, instead Reeves picks up his story two years into the reclusive billionaire’s tenure as Gotham City’s caped crusader, delivering a neo-noir detective thriller inspired by the ‘Ego’, ‘The Long Halloween’ and ‘Batman: Year One’ comic book runs and fully embracing and exploring the ‘World’s Greatest Detective’ moniker that is usually overlooked in cinema.
The film opens in a voyeuristic first-person perspective as Paul Dano’s The Riddler scopes out the home of the Mayor, his first victim in a series of high profile Zodiac style murders complete with ciphers, puzzles and – of course – riddles, delivered in scratchy handwriting on handmade cards addressed ‘To The Batman’. Each clue and subsequent victim in this twisted game of cat-and-mouse peels back the layers of corruption, desperation and anger that permeates the neon-lit, rain soaked streets of Gotham City, and forces Bruce Wayne to question Thomas and Martha Wayne’s legacy.
As Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), still in the relative early stages of their working relationship, piece together the clues to The Riddler’s endgame, we are introduced to a Rogue’s Gallery of characters that walk the gritty streets of Gotham’s criminal underworld; as Carmine Falcone, John Turturro brilliantly balances the chilling yet paternal figure that is synonymous with mob bosses, Colin Farrell is disturbingly unrecognisable as The Penguin and Zoe Kravitz’s fresh take on DC’s favourite femme fatale, Catwoman, is strong and mysterious, if not a little too lovey-dovey for me.
Pulling together all the pieces and moving parts is a bit of a juggling act, that excels in some aspects but drops the ball in others. Each actor is given a time to shine, and it is testament to the incredible cast that they eke out every ounce of opportunity they are given, but some of the characters feel a little flat, relying instead on the audience’s knowledge of the lore and history to fill the gaps. As good as Farrell looked as The Penguin, I didn’t see anything that justified (or made me excited for) a Penguin spin-off series and although the decision to cast Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth was a stroke of genius, he was shamefully underused for a man of his talents – in fact, I think the Bat Signal got more screen time that Serkis did.
My opinion on Paul Dano’s performance may be a little tainted by personal bias, considering The Riddler is my favourite comic book villain and I missed the tall thin showman in a tailored suit however I have to concede that my idealised version of the character would not have fit with the tonal intricacies of Reeves’ vision. But, if I put my objective hat on for a minute, it has to be said that Dano delivers a disturbingly calculated and sociopathic villain to great effect and it is a credit to Reeves’ directorial capabilities that he didn’t overuse the character, developing just as much tension through his absence, as his presence, on screen.
Let’s be real for a minute, when it comes to a Batman adaptation, details such as who the director is, what the story will be and how good it looks are all seemingly inconsequential details, the wrapping paper to the present inside. It all comes down to whether the actor in question can deliver in the titular role, and few casting decisions have been quite as controversial as the announcement that Robert Pattinson – still plagued by his breakout role in the Twilight franchise – will be donning the famous cape and cowl. But if there is one thing I think few will disagree with, it’s that R-Patz fucking NAILED it!!
Gone is the sprawling decadence of Wayne Manor, instead the Dark Knight resides in the fittingly gothic architecture of Wayne Tower perfectly symbolising the isolation felt by Reeves and Pattinson’s withdrawn and reclusive Bruce Wayne, still resentful over the death of his parents and wracked with self-doubt and insecurity, Pattinson perfectly balances the emotional baggage of Wayne with the raw physicality of Batman. His voice is softer then Bale’s forceful gruffness but he portrays a huge amount of the story and emotion through his facial expressions rather than the dialogue, and I think there are few who could do it better.
One of the most resounding comments about The Batman is that it is the darkest, most visceral iteration yet, and that excited me. Whilst cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune, Vice and Rogue One) does deliver a moody Gotham grounded in gritty realism and some stunningly spectacular action set pieces enhanced by the excellent use of lighting and colour and punctuated by Michael Giacchino’s fantastic score, I felt that the final product leant more towards the 12A end of its age 15 certification. Maybe I’m just greedy but I wanted more. The suspense could have been dialled up a notch, the violence should have pushed the upper boundary of its certification rating and I wanted Giacchino’s Batman theme tune to shake my bones and punch me in the chest.
As you can probably imagine, there was a lot to unpack with this film in terms of content, style and, of course, a new iteration of the famed caped crusader. This complexity, coupled with the expectation, meant that the hubby and I left the cinema with equal feelings of awe and disappointment. I’m still not sure which side of the fence I sit on but a second viewing should offer up some clarity. If not, with its three hour runtime, it’s still a fantastic way to while away the day.
