I have to start by saying that I have not been a big fan about how Batman has been handled since Christopher Nolan left. Ben Affleck, although I thought was good as an aging grumpy Bruce Wayne, was not my favorite as Batman. After Justice League, which the Snyder Cut was way better, Affleck was going to direct a Batman film. Affleck left the project and then they said let's just re-boot. For the DC Universe to ever have what Marvel has, there has to be some continuity. They don't have to be Marvel pictures and Marvel stories. They can be darker, they can be a little more fantasy like. But if you are creating a world it is tough not to include everything in it. This includes Oliver Queen making an appearance hopefully in some DC film somewhere with the Arrow stars in it,
So needless to say when I went to see this I wasn't expecting much. I only went to see it right away after really liking Robert Pattinson in Tenet. Had I not liked him in that I may have waited for it to come on HBO Max for free.
This is what Batman started out to be!!!
Batman came out of Detective comic books. He is known as the world's greatest detective and this movie strips away a lot of the DC and wannabe Marvel BS and just makes a gritty Batman Film Noir detective movie.
Jeffrey Wright is great in everything he does, and it is amazing how many actors are crossovers now in the Marvel/DC universes, and is great as Gordon. Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle steals many of the scenes she is in as the Femme Fettale, but not over the top or campy. Andy Sertis as Alfred is under utilized and would have been nice to see a few more scenes with him but hey its already a three hour movie. I dare you to really recognize Colin Farrell as Penguin and Paul Dano as the Riddler channels his Brian Wilson that he played in 2014.
Back to Pattinson. I once said to a guy that Batman may be the most overrated hero ever. He wanted to punch me but I had to explain. In most incarnations of Batman the most intriguing character is Bruce Wayne and not Batman. The Dark Knight trilogy had more interesting scenes with Bruce, Alfred, and the Villains than with the Caped Crusader himself. This movie gives Batman his due. Pattinson spends three times more screen minutes in the cowl than he does as his Emo Bruce Wayne. It is almost therapeutic for him to don the cape as he is uncomfortable outside of it. Batman here is the interesting one. It plays off as a horror film in some scenes and the grimy setting makes you believe that this is what Frank Miller had in mind when he did his graphic novels.
Before Christopher Nolan did Batman Begins he made his crew watch Blade Runner. Before he did the Dark Knight he made them watch Heat. Matt Reeves has said that much of the inspiration in this movie has come from the French Connection and a lot of the gritty films of the 70's.
I am not sure how this will play out with the rest of the DC universe but maybe it doesn't need to. The best DC films so far have been the individual ones. Wonder Woman and Aquaman have been good films whereas Joss Whedon's Justice League and Batman vs Superman were bloated and choppy. Maybe the Keep it Simple Stupid model is the best way to go. Cant really see the Greatest of all Detectives working along side the King of Atlantis.
This is a film to check out for sure, just make sure to set apart your three hours for the film.
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