The Batman (2022) - "Living for the Batman" Series

The character of Batman has been everywhere in media in recent years….and yet it has been almost ten years since we had a proper stand-alone Batman movie since "The Dark Knight Rises."

We close out our ongoing series examining this latest incarnation of the Batman/Bruce Wayne character, this time starring Robert Pattinson in the title role and directed by Matt Reeves, who gave us the last two Planet of the Apes movies.  Also along for the ride are Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Andy Serkis as Alfred…

Host: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

“Living for the Batman” Series: Amidst an ever-expanding world of cinematic superheroes, the character of Batman remains one of the most iconic.  The first comic book version of the Batman/Bruce Wayne persona was first created for the page by Bill Finger and Bob Kane in 1940 and since the late 1960s, this character has been represented at the movies in various live-action and animated incarnations by at least seven different actors.  Once a month over the next four months, I will be revisiting one movie featuring a different actor playing the Caped Crusader leading up to the U.S. release of The Batman on March 4…..this time starring Robert Pattinson in the title role. (Audio Clip)

THE BATMAN - 2022

Directed by Matt Reeves (Audio clip)

Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Peter Saarsgard, and John Turturro 

Genre: Superhero Detective Story

What you've heard is true: The Batman is VERY much like The Dark Knight (TDK). It features an interesting story, a compelling villain, strong performances, no shortage of gorgeous cinematography, some truly impressive action sequences.....and like TDK, it's probably twenty minutes too long. :/

Writer/director Matt Reeves steers this train SO well for at least the first 2+ hours - he really achieves a genuinely unique balance for a superhero crime drama....one part Seven, one part Chinatown, and one part The Crow. The main issue is that The Batman also contains almost as much story as at least two of those films COMBINED. :/ And it doesn't so much fly off the rails in the third act as it just sputters a bit...stops and starts. This film seems to have an ambitious narrative involving its main protagonist - the aforementioned Batman played very well by Robert Pattinson - not only tracking a serial killer (The Riddler) who is murdering one-by-one several of Gotham City's most powerful people but also navigating through the city's vast criminal and political underworld. Several characters and subplots are introduced along the way and while most of them wrap up in relatively satisfying ways, they just don't all have the oomph they're supposed to.

Overall, it's a delicious movie where you just end up feeling a bit overstuffed at the end....but still quite the meal. :) Yes this is a genuine detective story as it has been hyped - I particularly love how Reeves and crew never really veer away from the mystery elements of this story, even with all of the action beats this film has....and this film has more action than I expected. 

Not only that but thanks to Reeves and DP Greg Frasier, the action looks crisp and fluid - you just have several punchy sequences seeing Pattinson's masked vigilante just beating ass, plowing forward on his cycle or souped-up Batmobile, or....just cannily using his utility belt to maneuver through some treacherous locations. Everything is lit gorgeously so you can always see what's going on EXCEPT....during several key moments when we're reminded that at the end of the day, this still IS a Batman movie and needs to preserve that PG-13 rating. ;) Pattinson pulls off all of the physical stuff very effectively and he's not always on the winning end either - you FEEL every punch or fall but more done through sound design than actually showing blood. (Audio clip)

This Gotham just feels massive and lived-in but DAMN, it also has some beautiful sunsets....especially when we get to see The Bat and The Cat meeting up on some high rooftop or patio during the Magic Hour. Speaking of which, these two have FANTASTIC chemistry - Pattinson brings a lot of emotion to his character without often saying much, it's a pretty impressive performance considering he actually spends the vast majority of his screentime in the batsuit. 

As for Kravitz playing Selina Kyle....well she's clearly having a pretty strong 2022 as almost a co-lead here and her winning lead performance in the recent thriller Kimi. She's playing a cat-burglar (Get it?)/mob moll who's a bit emotionally scarred herself (like Bruce Wayne) but also mentally tough enough to navigate through several tricky situations involving the local mob boss she works for, Carmine Falcone played by the always reliable John Turturro. (Audio clip) 

And can I say just how gratifying it is to finally see Turturro strutting his stuff in a big Hollywood tent-pole NOT directed by Michael Bay where we get to see him play an actual character? :) He brings the perfect amount of gangster swagger to this leader of Gotham's mob underworld. And Colin Farrell also nails it as his second-in-command, completely unrecognizable in loads of prosthetics as Oswald, otherwise known as, The Penguin. Farrell has always has had a comically sinister side to him which comes through despite really NOT looking like himself in this role. Paul Dano is also sufficiently creepy as The Riddler....mostly covered in an oversized latex hazmat suit with goggles, his shifting voice and just everything else about him is UNSETTLING, he's definitely right out of a David Fincher thriller and fits well in this world as the premier villain.  (Audio clip) The rest of the cast is sterling as well….with a standout Jim Gordon though not enough Alfred, but we’ll get to that a bit later…..

In many ways, The Batman feels like a true throwback epic with a large budget being utilized for a very tangible setting and story, all crafted meticulously well. And in some ways, it's also very much a 21st-century big studio tent-pole from a talented director with large resources who just can't help himself showing off every trick he has up his sleeve. Now I can't REALLY much fault Reeves as he was going for something ambitious for a character that has been rebooted several times over the past 30 years....and he mostly succeeds, I just would have preferred a tighter movie overall. The Batman is certainly a film worth revisiting, which I intend to do. 

BEST BAT BIT (This series has so many elements which carry over through various incarnations of the Caped Crusader – theme music, Batmobile, villain, Alfred, Jim Gordon, and even visual gags involving the bat-symbol – and this award goes to the one that stands out the most for this particular entry in Batman film cannon): 

I cannot understate how much this film is bolstered by the endearing presence of Jeffrey Wright as Detective (not yet commissioner) Jim Gordon who is on the case right alongside The Batman to take down The Riddler. Gordon is the ONE incorruptible cop in the entire department....meaning he's the only person outside of Alfred who Batman can trust but since Gordon is knowingly surrounded by bent cops, strangely the feeling is mutual on his part. He WANTS the Caped Crusader there alongside him, examining each new crime scene....resulting in Gordon having to constantly negotiate the presence of this GIANT walking bat right there with his fellow officers. Their relationship is touching and often comic as Wright plays this iconic character with the appropriate mixture of doggedness, gravity, and exasperation - I just LOVE what Wright does with this role and he could very well be THE best on-screen portrayal of Gordon, narrowly ahead of Gary Oldman's from the Nolan Trilogy.

Best Needle-drops (best song cue or score used throughout the runtime of the film):

Of course, what would Batman be on-screen without a memorable score? Granted following up on all-time scores from Elfman and Zimmer....surely a tough act to follow but Michael Giacchino does NOT disappoint. The score is very much piano-based and just gorgeous - each of the main characters has their own theme and the whole thing maintains a very film noirish vibe which is very much in line with how this story is presented to us, including voice-over narration from The World's Greatest Detective himself. My personal favorite theme is the one for the Catwoman which is more of a jazzy lilting number that matches up nice as we follow Selina on her various exploits. (Audio clip)

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie): 

Ok, this is a tough one as this film has several standout moments….but at the end of the day, I realized that two of my top choices actually were pretty much in sequence.  And I don’t think I’m actually spoiling anything as clips of both of these moments had already been released online.   So back to Gordon and The Batman, probably the cleverest moment in the movie has Batman himself being questioned at a Gotham Police Station and surrounded by various officers and detectives….he’s looking for a way to get out without being “unmasked” so Gordon pulls him aside to a more open area but in sight of all of the other officers.  

Gordon and Batman pretend like they’re in an argument and we see Gordon moving his head with attitude in Batman’s face.  It’s definitely the funniest moment of the film and purely character-based too.  Gordon then whispers to Batman to punch him….when Batman then does…then Batman starts running furiously through a hallway being chased by officers – with his wings flapping furiously on his side – and he then shoots one of his grappling hooks up a nearby stairwell rappelling him upward past a growing hoard of police chasing him upstairs. (Audio clip) 

Well, when Batman gets to the top of this stairwell, he opens a door outside, runs furiously out the door, and then WHOAH….we actually see him startled that he’s suddenly atop this ledge of the police building several stories high.  The dude is actually scared for a few seconds.  But that’s ok because then we see him hit a few buttons on his suit and out comes….the WINGSUIT, that’s right!  We then watch as The Batman nervously extends the wings and jumps forward into a city square to make his escape…..this jump is actually shot from his POV too as the camera actually follows him drifting rapidly over a crowded city street clearly with no clue as to where he’s going to land, it’s pretty obvious he has never done this before!  And I’ll just leave it at that…..talk about a sequence which is both thrilling AND funny.  And also a reminder that as serious as the tone for this movie is, Reeves still knows how to have some fun.  

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

From a cast and character standpoint, my biggest disappointment was probably Andy Serkis taking on the role of Alfred though not because of his performance as he's actually quite good - he doesn't have the warmth of Michael Caine nor the drollness of Jeremy Irons but he brings a nice 100% British stiff upper lip-authority to this character which most reminded me of Sean Pertwee's underrated portrayal of Alfred on the Gotham TV show. His scenes with Pattinson are well-done.....the problem is that there just aren't enough of them, he's HARDLY in this movie which is a choice I just didn't understand....especially with the almost three-hour runtime. :( This version of Bruce Wayne as played by Pattinson is most definitely an emo loner type....which is fine, makes sense for a barely seasoned Batman/Bruce Wayne early in his crime-fighting career. And even though he has great chemistry with some other key cast members, I just feel like his interpretation could have actually used MORE Alfred to play off of.  Maybe there was stuff left on the cutting room floor, who knows? But you could have easily sacrificed some long shoots and/or extended dialogue sequences discussion involving clues…..maybe give this film a bit more heart with more scenes between Bruce and Alfred. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film): 

I’m tempted to choose Reeves for almost pulling it off but I just can’t get past the structural issues he encounters.  However, one aspect of this film that is unassailable is the cinematography, and let’s not forget that movies are still a visual medium first and foremost.  Compared to previous stand-alone Batman movies, The Batman just LOOKS lusher overall despite taking place within such a grim and gritty setting. There is no shortage of memorable cityscapes, especially Gotham's version of Times Square which looks more crowded with digital displays seemingly on top of each other but also more charming with cobblestone streets rounding through it.  Frasier is coming off of his Oscar-nominated work with Dune last year and seriously at this point, there is no cinematographer out there who I would trust more to shoot large-scale action than him. ;) As you have heard me rave about the visuals in past reviews for both ‘Begins and ‘Returns, I consider this pretty high praise as Frasier might have shot THE best-looking Batman film to date and for that reason, he is the MVP.  

Final Rating: 4 stars out of 5

As to how this ranks among all live-action stand-alone Batman movies....for me at least, it's likely tied for third or fourth, maybe between The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight, both of which share some similar issues. The gold standard for me remains Batman Begins with Batman Returns not too far behind...

Currently playing in theaters

And that ends another ENIGMATIC review

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