Set within the crime riddled Gotham City, The Batman follows a young Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), who has spent his early years as a masked vigilante, striking fear into criminals. When a sadistic killer known as the Riddler (Paul Dano) begins targeting important figures across the city, Batman is pulled into a complicated web of corruption that runs deeper than expected. A darker, effective, albeit more grounded take on the Batman character, with this flick leaning heavily into the detective style of filmmaking, rather than outright action and violence.

Director: Matt Reeves
Writers: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig, Bob Kane
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Peter Sarsgaard, John Turturro, Andy Serkis

Directed and written by Matt Reeves, The Batman manages to successfully stand apart from earlier versions of the Batman franchise by taking a slower and more focused approach to its story. It’s worth noting that the director and writer has also publicly stated that he drew inspiration from Kurt Cobain for the character of Bruce Wayne, while the Riddler was partly influenced by the infamous Zodiac Killer – an unidentified murderer who operated in California, United States, during the late 1960s.

One of the film’s primary strengths would have to be its atmosphere and overall tone. The setting, Gotham City, is presented as a dark, dreary, rain-soaked environment, littered with gloomy shadows and bright lights that create a heavy and uneasy feeling throughout. There’s also a strong dystopian feel across the monstrous three-hour runtime, which, at times, feels somewhat similar to that of Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Additionally, the soundtrack utilised by the filmmakers fits perfectly, with it managing to add tension to most scenes without ever feeling overbearing.

As previously touched upon, The Batman does lean heavily into the detective style of filmmaking and although the film focuses a lot on this investigative work, it still manages to deliver plenty of varied action shots. There are several key sequences that include hard-hitting fist and gun fights, as well as a wealth of intense and impressively crafted car chases.  

In terms of the cast, Robert Pattinson adopts the role of Batman, commanding the majority of screentime, while support is provided by the likes of Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Peter Sarsgaard and John Turturro, portraying Selina Kyle, James Gordon, Gil Colson and Carmine Falcone, respectively. Elsewhere, there were also appearances from Colin Farrell and Andy Serkis in less-prominent roles, while Paul Dano featured as the Riddler.

All in all, The Batman is a gripping and very well-made take on the infamous Batman character. Despite its long runtime, it never really feels overly drawn out, with it managing to hold the viewer’s attention throughout. With that said, the film does have one or two drawbacks, the first being a slightly underwhelming conclusion, along with some moments in key scenes severely lacking realism. However, the filmmakers still do a great job of setting things up nicely for what may be to come from the franchise.

“I’m vengeance!”

Batman – The Batman