Review: The Batman

Minor spoilers follow.

Like James Bond, Bruce Wayne has had his fair share of actors, with each one offering a different style and tone. It seems rather surprising then that since 2012, we have had three Batman actors. Christian Bale bailed out with The Dark Knight Rises, Ben Affleck took over in 2016 and now Robert Pattinson, teenage-vampire-hearthrob turned indie-darling, has embodied the Caped Crusader with The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves. Was it necessary to bring in a new Batman so soon after Batfleck? Whilst the character has been mercilessly exploited since 1989, this new incarnation is fully justified and worthy of the greats. 

Batman in comics and video games is acknowledged as the 'world's greatest detective' but, besides a few moments in The Dark Knight trilogy, there is very little evidence of this cinematically. Matt Reeves has plunged himself into the detective aspect, making his Batman an observational master of deduction within two scenes of meeting him. He makes the professional cops look like they flunked their forensic's exams. As a detective tale told over three hours, Reeves draws on David Fincher's crime dramas Se7en and Zodiac to establish his creative desires. The perpetual rain in Gotham echoes Se7en's neo-noir desires and the Riddler's (Paul Dano) puzzles and crime scenes are highly evocative of the Zodiac killer. It is an apt choice for inspiration. 

As Bruce Wayne (but mostly as Batman), Robert Pattinson is a triumph of casting. All the naysayers that only see him as Edward Cullen and have not seen Good Time, Tenet and The Lighthouse are wonderfully proven wrong in moments. There is no ridiculous Bat-voice and his physicality is lean and powerful rather than the battering ram approach of Ben Affleck. One sequence at a funeral sees Wayne silently observe a recently orphaned boy staring at his dad's grave. Pattinson's eyes tell it all: the pain, tragedy and the desire to stop this boy from following in his path of vengeance are beautifully portrayed. 

Orphans are pivotal to the film's narratives and themes. Wayne's relationship to Alfred (Andy Serkis) is fractured; we get the feeling that the butler thinks his employer is rather insane whilst Wayne is too emotionally splintered from his parents' death to connect to anyone else. The opening scene uses binocular vision to create a sense of dread and voyuerism. Later on, the same shot is used to watch someone else. The misdirection makes us assume its the original 'watcher' but instead it's another orphan character who took on the pains of his past with a completely different approach. In one of the most graceful moments in superhero history, the orphan boy from the funeral is rescued under the deep reds of a flare, an act of heroism that redeems our protagonist and solves his angsty mindset. 

The Film Twitter-friendly casting is largely spot on. Jeffrey Wright's Jim Gordon has a similar Felix Leiter feel- not quite as expert as the main character but his heart is in the right place. Zoe Kravitz's Selina Kyle (Catwoman) gets the lion's share of characterisation due to her complicated relationship with Gotham's top criminals whilst also proving an athletic fighter. The trifecta of villains steal the show though. Dano's Riddler is frightening from the get go. His performance is a fusion of Dano's characters from Prisoners and There Will Be Blood with the twisted logic of Heath Ledger's Joker. Then there is Colin Farrell, clad in effectively jarring facial make-up, as the Penguin. Like Joe Pesci in Casino, he is an ugly, violent right-hand man with an eye on being top dog (or bird). He isn't in it much, but he steals the Batlight when he does. The real surprise is John Turtorro as Carmine Falcone, the crime lord who has turned the police and politicians into poisoned pawns that step aside for him wherever he goes. He too belongs in a Scorsese film, what with all these mentions of rats too. 

The crooks of Gotham very rarely emerge in the daylight, but then neither does Batman. Greig Fraser, the talented cinematographer, rarely allows daylight into his frames. The film is dark and rain-lashed whilst the oranges are infernal. If Hell exists, then the fiery outlines of Gothic buildings and the sepulchral chaos on the dirty streets must be the closest depiction of it. In complete cohesion with Fraser's aesthetic is Michael Giacchino's muscular, sombre score. Unlike Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL's more action orientated beats for Batman, Giacchino goes for something more akin to the Imperial March, whilst also delivering some nice themes for Catwoman and the Riddler. Batman's first introduction, a real knock-out scene, sees the central theme build from the darkness as we hear footsteps approaching some ill-fated goons. It is one of Giaccino's best efforts in years, enough to make you wonder why he wasn't properly applied to Spider-man: No Way Home (or why Marvel films never let their scores breathe). It is the second time Giacchino and Fraser have worked together (Rogue One) and it would be great to see them work together again in the future. Matt Reeves' cast and crew is a dream, and everyone pitches in work that ranks among the best of their respective careers. 

For a three hour film, modern audiences will be amazed at how swiftly the film flies. It is paced well due to its bursts of action, variety of characters and intrigue in the mysteries and riddles. The fistfights are worthy of Zack Snyder's warehouse crash-course in beating up red shirts, with Batinson delivering awesome coup de grasses. One sequence, lit entirely by the muzzle flash of semi-automatic rifles, is exquisite. Batman is at his best when his actions aren't entirely caught; it is left to the audience's imagination. Furthermore, it feels like we actually are watching the chaotic movements of a bat, which move at such rapid rate its hard to keep track of their course. The film's undisputed best scene has to the Batmobile chase. This is a riot in sound design and rain drenched carnage. It is like Prisoners' race to the hospital but with a loud muscle car instead. The low angle, rear wheel mounted shots capture corners and drifts with eye-popping pleasure. And the alighnment of a breaking ramp for a big jump sequence is deeply, incredibly cathartic (as is the speeding up of frame rates before a collision). Not since Mad Max: Fury Road has a car chase been so crazy and visually breathtaking. 

Despite this high praise, The Batman is not faultless. The first half's world building is so immersive that once everything is established and the plot moves to focus on Bruce, interest Waynes a little. Furthermore, whilst not fully turning into a CG spectacle finale, there is a 'big' moment that was costly to film that seems a little out of touch with the rest of the film's close quarters engagement. It isn't too overwhelming, but the final set piece could have been a little smarter. Finally, there is an egregious moment of sequel-baiting in the epilogue sequence that induced yawns. It could have served as a credit scene or it could have been cut- perhaps Matt Reeves had total creative freedom as long as he included it? Either way, it killed off the satisfying closure. 

At its best, The Batman is a brilliant, vital new version of the character in his early years. The inner conflict and need for vengeance works so well for a new version of the character. Even the black eye mask that still adorns Bruce's face without the mask emphasises how little of the playboy is alive in him- he is pure shadow and nightmare. An audio-visual triumph with a predictable but nonetheless immersive detective story.