SPOILER WARNING:

It’s been a long wait, but after two long years since the first trailer, The Batman (2022) is finally out.  I’ve seen this movie three times since its release, and it gets better every time. It is a perfect culmination of every aspect of filmmaking, from the directing, to sound design and cinematography brought together. I could go into heavy detail about this movie’s perfection….and I will… I will go into heavy detail. Here is my review of The Batman.

To start off, this Batman story is unlike any other we’ve seen on the big screen thus far. It’s a gritty crime thriller that represents more than just one of the greatest comic book movies of all time. Director Matt Reeves gave The Batman the MCU Spider-Man treatment and ignored the traditional origin story. Personally, I’m fine with skipping over seeing Bruce Wayne’s parents die on screen for the fifth time. But that’s not to say this movie isn’t an origin story, because it certainly is. 

The story jumps right into Bruce’s second year as the Batman. After the murder of the mayor of Gotham, the Riddler sends Batman a letter with an encoded messege. This sends him down a whirlwind of mysteries, ultimately leading to the uncovering of major corruption of city officials. Along the way he works with Catwoman played by Zoe Kravitz, Jim Gordon played by Jeffery Wright, and the unrecognizable Colin Farell as the penguin.

One thing that really stood out to me in this story is Bruce’s arch. I loved how Matt Reeves handled this character in the movie. A lot of people have brought up the fact that there isn’t a distinction between the persona of Batman and Bruce, But personally I really liked that choice. It highlights his selflessness and his determination to save Gotham at all costs. This is shown in the climax when he sacrifices himself to save the citizens in the flooding waters. Although I do wish his false death could have been a bit more suspenseful, the scene that followed was the perfect way to convey Bruce’s change from being “the shadows,” or “vengeance.” 

The overhead shot of Batman leading Gotham to safety with a flare was the exact opposite of his opening shot as he stepped out from the shadows saying he uses the darkness to intimidate the criminal underworld. After this moment, he becomes a symbol for people of Gotham to believe in instead of a ghost story. A lot of that symbolism also came from the stellar cinematography of Greig Fraser. 

I can’t end this review without talking about Paul Dano’s performance as The Riddler. This character was based off of the real life zodiac killer, which made him a lot more believable. With the real life aspect in Dano’s performance, it made it a lot more realistic. This can be seen when he realizes his plan wasn’t going as planned, he has a visible panic attack. It feels like a nice break from villains who stay composed even when their plan goes downhill such as Heath Ledger’s Joker. At the end of the day though, Ledger’s performance will always be the better one, although I can’t wait to see Barry Keogans version of the Joker teased in this movie.

In conclusion, I heavily recommend this movie. The world building was fantastic without taking too much away from the story. All in all, I’m excited to see a lot more of this version of the character in the future and look forward to the inevitable trilogy.