There’s an easy joke to be made about there being yet another Batman movie in cinemas right now. And while it’s certainly true that the Dark Knight can be quite oversaturated, both on the screen and in the comics, that’s largely the result of just how versatile he is as a character aesthetic. Some put emphasis on the psychological edges of his choice to be a Bat-man who regularly fights insane asylum escapees, like in Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum. Others focus more on the tragedy of that existence, where he’s fighting an endless war for a city he knows far less about than he realises, like in Scott Snyder’s New 52 run. Others still frame him as the father of a family of crimefighters (something that has taken on a literal dimension in recent years thanks to Damian Wayne), finding a substitute for the family he lost when he was a child, like in Marv Wolfman’s A Lonely Place Of Dying.
It’s stuff like this that can keep a pop culture figure fresh even after eighty years, and it’s part of the reason why I have and likely always will look forward to seeing a new take on Gotham’s protector. I had next to no apprehensions about this thing from day one of hearing about it, as Robert Pattinson has gone from strength to strength in his post-Twilight script picks, and Matt Reeves has some exceptional work under his belt with War For The Planet Of The Apes, as well as Cloverfield and Let Me In. And thankfully, all of that talent pools into something that… well, there will always be a debate to be had over where this sits alongside past efforts, but it most assuredly stands out from the pack in a number of ways.
Let’s get into the central character of this story, and indeed the one that takes up the spotlight in most Batman stories: Gotham City itself. While some of the initial shots stick to the once-removed New York influences that usually go into its printed depictions, something wholly unique to this specific place keeps inching closer and closer towards the audience the further it goes on. It’s shown as a city made of shadows; not just the ones that Batman proclaims himself to live in, but of pure darkness. A place where the only brightness to be found comes from streetlights, and even the gaze of the Sun mimics the burnt-amber that populates the alleys at night. Historically, Gotham has been understood as infested with crime, boring deep into the city’s roots and spreading up from there, and that kind of decay shows through plenty thanks to the film’s visuals.
The characters which occupy that city help with the effect, of which pretty much everyone stands out in their own ways. Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon really lays into the defeatism of being the only honest cop in a rotten city, and his dynamic with Batman might be the best live-action version yet in how well they play off each other. John Turturro and Colin Farrell as Carmine Falcone and the Penguin respectively really sell the organized crime elements that make the city so ravaged, with Turturro in particular nailing the more intimidating moments. Paul Dano as the Riddler is basically the exact opposite of the last live-action depiction we got from Jim Carrey in Batman Forever; where Carrey’s Riddler either wanted to replace Bruce Wayne or just fuck him (Forever might be the horniest superhero movie ever made), Dano plays him as the even darker reflection of Batman himself. Another self-styled vigilante who also wants to root out the corruption within Gotham, but who is willing to go even further extremes to make that happen.
And then there’s the two main characters: Batman and Catwoman. Zoë Kravitz already has some experience with being Selina Kyle thanks to her role in the LEGO Batman Movie, but as realized here, I’d argue that she is the closest we’ve gotten to the comic depiction of the character on the big screen. The seediness of her working life and willingness to commit crime are measured up against her want to do right by those close to her, and look out for them in turn, which is as ideal as it can get for the moral dichotomy that fuels Catwoman’s exploits. It fits well with the Will Pfeiffer/Darwyn Cooke vision of the character.
As for Pattinson as Batman, this is a situation where even his biggest detractors (hopefully) will see some merit in him being picked to play the character, as he and Reeves are going for a very specific idea here. The plot takes place during his second year as Batman; he is known as a mysterious figure within the city, but he’s still very rough around the edges. His public alter ego as Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy, hasn’t come into effect yet, showing him as more of an angsty recluse for whom the only thing that matters is Batman’s mission. And whether it’s intimidating thugs, beating the crap out of them, or reiterating why he chose to watch over the city in the first place, Pattinson is amazingly good in this role.
But all of this isn’t necessarily new for big-screen iterations of the Caped Crusader. What is new is that Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig have zeroed in on an aspect of the character that doesn’t usually take up the spotlight and brought right into the foreground: The Dark Knight Detective. This is as much a neo-noir film as it is a superhero film, with Batman working alongside Gordon to track down the Riddler through a series of cryptic clues that, over time, lead into a much bigger mystery to do with the corruption within Gotham City and Bruce Wayne’s own connection to it through his parents. Christopher Nolan took some inspiration from this aspect for his own films, but Reeves dives even deeper into it to really bring out the Jeph Loeb version of the character, where Mafia big-shots were just as much a regular threat as the costumed kooks.
There’s likely some belly-aching to be had about the film’s length, even with all this in mind, as this surpasses even the longer Nolan efforts for a nearly-three-hour ride with Batman. But honestly, I can’t think of a single moment here that I would want to excise from it to make it any shorter. While it takes its time to slowly build up the mysteries at play, along with the larger character arcs involved and the atmosphere surrounding them, there’s no discernable flab to be seen here, far as I can tell. All the little details about the political chicanery going on, or the inner workings of the Penguin’s night club, or the relationships Batman has with Gordon, Catwoman, and even Andy Serkis as Alfred; the world-building here is too intricate to fuck with on my side of the screen.
Then there’s the story being told concerning Batman himself, which adds some rather confronting touches to what is already a very dark character. Batman has always struck me as a superhero to admire from afar, as the notion of living vicariously through him a la most superheroes sounds about as fun as being fitted for a bomb collar. There’s all the gadgets and high-flying maneuvers, sure, but underneath the cowl and Kevlar, he’s a traumatised child struggling to give meaning to a senseless tragedy. The child who died alongside his parents that night in Crime Alley, and who is shown here to be more vulnerable and in-tune with that trauma than just about any other live-action iteration of the character.
In essence, he spends just as much time figuring out who he is as he does figuring out what’s going on in Gotham City, and it’s with his conflict with the Riddler that that self-actualisation truly takes place. On the surface, they are both the same: Vigilantes working outside of the system of law because they see it as corrupt and ill-equipped to deal with the true evils polluting the city. There have been more than a few weak takes about Batman floating around, about how he’s a rich kid that beats up the mentally ill and/or poor in his spare time (a notion that ends up discarding Batman’s own damage; if he's going to be damned, let him be damned for what he really is) but there is still a thin line that separates him from his enemies. And that line, ultimately, is the question of why.
Riddler takes to his John Doe-esque rampage of elitist hunting because the system left him behind, made him have to fend for himself, and for whom the mission is entirely personal. It is revenge, pure and simple. And for a while, it is also Batman’s M.O., with his early declaration of “I am vengeance”. But Batman’s own mission isn’t so self-centred. It’s fueled by personal tragedy, yes, but it’s not purely about him wanting to get back at the people who took his parents away from him; it’s also about making sure that no one else has to go through what he did, a notion he is brought face-to-face with once he’s brought in on the Riddler case. Where the Riddler sees Gotham as so ingrained in its own filth that it’s beyond saving, and should just be wiped off the map, Batman comes to the realisation that its people are worth saving. They shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of those above them, and they need a source of hope to keep standing. And in a city this pitch-black, even the Dark can serve as a guiding light.
I knew from the word “Go” that Matt Reeves had this one in the bag, and sure enough, his take on one of the most popular characters of all time serves as a fitting reminder that there are still so many facets left to explore about the man who dresses as a bat. The entire cast are on their A-game, with Pattinson leading the charge with his grunge-inspired take on Bruce Wayne (there’s a reason why a Nirvana song basically serves as his character theme), the world-building gives a grimy-as-fuck depiction of Gotham City that fits right alongside Todd Phillips’ Joker, and the film craft on this thing is just sublime. Greig Fraser’s creative cinematography, Michael Giacchino’s heart-squeezing soundtrack and nimble use of theme variation, Rob Alonzo’s brutal fight choreography that emphasises the heavy hits and making sure the audience feels the impact, and of course, Matt Reeves’ honed-in vision to bring it all together. It legitimately gives Nolan and Burton a run for their money, and if this turns out to be the start of a whole new series, then hot damn, am I on-board for that.
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