The Batman Movie tells the story of a broken vigilante who is faced with a string of murders to solve. As Batman gets closer and closer to uncovering the truth, secrets are revealed about the city he is trying to protect.
I am going to start off by saying this, I love Batman, he’s my favourite comic book character. So, when I saw that he was finally getting a new stand-alone film my expectations were high. After watching The Batman Movie it did indeed meet my expectations. I have been waiting a long time for WB to do a Batman film that shows what Batman is known for, being a detective.
They do this phenomenally, the movie progresses very well and constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. It being a detective story more so than a superhero story is what will set it apart from other Batman films. It allows Matt Reeves to focus on the story and worry less about pleasing the audience with action-packed scenes.
I had doubts when I saw Robert Pattinson as the Bat, but after seeing him in versatile roles, especially in Good Time and The Lighthouse, I was pretty confident he is the right choice to play the caped crusader. Do I think he’s better than bale no I don’t, but do I think he is on the same level, yes one hundred percent. He plays a very different type of Batman, his version has been Batman for about a year or so and has become very broken. He questions whether or not he’s making a difference, and you can tell that he is starting to wonder if it’s worth continuing to put on the cape.
I saw some movies of Paul Dano, and my god he was great as The Riddler. His ability to be menacing while not even really being on screen is amazing. People are going to compare him to Heath Ledger as the Joker it’s inevitable. If you ask me he is not better than Heath, but he is very close.
Zoe Kravitz is amazing as Catwoman and has some cool chemistry with Pattinson. Her character is a big part of the movie and is given the biggest arc. Because of this, some may actually believe that she was a more interesting character than Batman himself.
The cast all around is great. Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon and his ability to control a scene. Collin Ferrell and his amazing portrayal of the classic character Penguin. Andy Serkis does a really good job as Alfred. Every actor was on the top of their game.
Matt Reeves does an amazing job as the director. He captures exactly what a Batman movie should be, dark, gritty and grounded. This entire movie is dark and perfectly captures the essence of Gotham City. The car chase scene was done very well and had some amazing camera work.
I do have one issue with the film. They let the air out of the balloon to soon. The actual solving of the murders and the release of Gotham’s dirty secrets happen with about 35 minutes left in the film. Those last 35 minutes lose the tension and the urgency and it feels less satisfactory. For me it’s not a big deal for others it may ruin their opinion of the film.
The cast does an amazing job of portraying these classic characters in what is the most comic book accurate Gotham city that we have seen on the big screen.