The Batman (2022)
Hope from darkness…
Matt Reeves’ long-awaited refreshed cinematic vision of Gotham City may be the most truthful to the heart and true mission of the Dark Knight Detective.
Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis and Colin Farrell
Released by Warner Bros. Pictures
Written BY Matt Reeves and Peter Craig
Directed by Matt Reeves
While he hasn’t been absent from movie theaters, it’s a little strange to think about the fact that it has been ten years since a solo, dedicated film based on DC Comics’ most popular icon has been released. Since then, Batman’s cinematic appearances have been focused on a conception interacting with other icons of the DC Comics universe in a shared film series, and the results were divided between camps of disappointed fans and of ardent, nearly militant defenders with little ground in between.
Batman’s cinematic legacy is storied, and we’ve seen a lot of different variations of who he is and what the stewards of those prior efforts believe he should be. Each permutation of cinematic Batman seems most defined by the director who created their respective films, showing us that each of them has managed to create a distinct vision of the character, each with ardent defenders and detractors alike.
Now, director Matt Reeves gets his chance to put his mark on the character with The Batman, a film returning the series to one focused solely on Bruce Wayne while also feeling – arguably more than any other vision of the character we’ve seen on the big screen – informed by the heart of the modern Batman of the DC Comics Universe.
Robert Pattinson turns in a nuanced and emotional performance as a more reclusive Bruce Wayne, contrasted with a Batman who shows both skilled precision and smoldering rage.
Taking place within the second year of his war on crime, Bruce Wayne (played by Robert Pattinson) has been successful in making Gotham’s ubiquitous criminal element tremble in fear from the Batman whenever the Bat-Signal lights up the sky. Whenever criminals catch a glimpse of it, they stop in their tracks and cower from the rampant darkness that permeates the city, helping to dampen criminal activity even if Batman can’t always be there to stop every crime in progress.
In the midst of this, Gotham City’s mayor, Don Mitchell, Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones) ends up dead inside his own home on Halloween night. Mitchell, competing against young idealist Bella Reál (Jayme Lawson) in the imminent mayoral election, has been accused of corruption by his own killer based on clues and puzzles left behind at the crime scene.
These puzzles ultimately lead Batman and his key ally on the police force, Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), to realize that Mitchell frequented a seedy nightclub administrated by Oz Cobblepot, colloquially referred to as “the Penguin” (Colin Farrell). For many years, Penguin has been the loyal right hand of Gotham’s most notorious crime boss, Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).
Realizing that the mayor’s killer – who calls himself “the Riddler” (Paul Dano) – is leaving clues related to some kind of deeply embedded corruption in the city, Batman investigates an apparent mistress of the mayor’s that leads him to the home of club worker Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) who is trying to protect the mistress and get her out of the city.
When that former mistress ends up missing and more city officials end up dead, Batman is pulled into the thick web of a mystery involving Gotham and its longstanding institutions, which will run far deeper than he would ever hope to go.
Robert Pattinson uses a variety of inspirations to create the personality of his Bruce Wayne, a man defined by his mission at the expense of a traditional “public” persona. The result is a satisfying portrait of a Bruce Wayne learning exactly what kind of role Batman must play if he hopes to make a difference in a place as broken as Gotham.
The Batman himself
In addition to going further than any other previous Batman film in emphasizing the eponymous “detective” element from the “Dark Knight Detective” nickname, the thing that might be the most interesting about The Batman’s conception of Bruce Wayne is the journey he goes on from beginning to end.
While we don’t know exactly how Batman’s first year played out in this world, we do have an idea that Bruce’s conception of his war is an assault on crime that is based around the idea of instilling fear in his enemies. Using that as a baseline takes a different approach than prior films because by serving as a starting point for this story, it becomes clear by the time the credits roll that this is something for this Batman not to develop further, but to grow beyond.
However, the film does not skimp on emphasizing just how much skill Batman has in both instilling fear and in dispatching his enemies with sheer, brutal force. By this point, of course, such emphasis is expected of a Batman movie and the creative team appears to know this: the character's focus is not on how he becomes so skilled as both a fighter and as a detective; he’s already very well-developed in terms of his abilities.
Instead, this is a story about Batman discovering the other, more intangible elements of the role he’s carved into Gotham’s power structure and the realization that maybe – just maybe – that role requires more than just another soldier, non-lethal though he may be.
This is very well encapsulated by Pattinson's performance. While offering a more soft-spoken Bruce Wayne than we may be used to seeing, the character as we see him here is also far more quiet and contemplative with his rage clearly smoldering just below his composed surface. Only in very few instances do we see this Batman exhibit the full force of his rage, which makes it all the more memorable in those moments when he actually does lose his composure.
Don’t let the relative quiet of Batman’s growl fool you. When he wants to hurt someone or cause a lot of damage, he’s highly capable of doing both simultaneously.
Without giving too much away, though – and speaking as someone who has called Batman his favorite character in fiction, with a well-above-average understanding of his history in the source material and virtually every other media adaptation he’s been committed to – the emotional journey and character growth that Bruce Wayne experiences in this film feels arguably the most truthful to prevailing, modern versions of his early years as depicted in comics’ biggest works of merit dealing with this period in the character’s life.
The only thing really absent from this version of Pattinson’s Batman is a well-developed take on Bruce Wayne’s public persona, but that absence is not really very heavily felt – at least by this fan – because it’s really the most superficial component of Bruce Wayne’s personality by his own design. This story also makes clear that the “public Bruce Wayne” has not really entered into the equation for this Bruce at all at this point in his life, but the potential for that to be developed later remains very high.
All in all, in terms of comparison to virtually every other adapted version of Batman I’ve ever seen, this one really does feel the closest to the character I know from the modern DC Comics Universe: it’s multi-dimensional and layered, with emotional scars that still emphasize an indomitable will.
Most critically, though, this Bruce Wayne is more open and willing to accept the fact that the creation of a symbol as potent as the Batman – and in a locale in such a clear need of some kind of guiding star – requires more than fear and brutality focused on the criminal contingent. The way this journey culminates is arguably the single most satisfying Batman-watching experience this fan has ever had, and I honestly can’t believe I just typed that.
Another notch in the film’s belt in terms of its truthfulness to the character is that this is the first cinematic version of him since 1966 not to have killed anyone in his first appearance. The importance of this to Batman’s constitution – and how other films have consistently overlooked it – has been a constant source of frustration, and it’s thrilling to say that frustration, for this film, is finally absent.
Going deeper than even the rapport they established in Batman Begins, the team of Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and the Dark Knight in The Batman have a bond and mutual trust that appears built on an extremely solid foundation.
Allies of the Batman
While not quite as truthful as the conception of Batman himself, the core elements of his allies who are present here are fully intact and accounted for with a key focus on Jim Gordon, Selina Kyle and Alfred Pennyworth. Gordon comes across in very much the same way that he does in stories like “Year One,” “The Long Halloween” and “Zero Year:” he’s a workhorse of a cop who has the confidence of the men who serve with him – even those below board – and a very clear-eyed vision of what constitutes justice in Gotham.
Gordon is clearly a guy who is shaken by revelations of corruption that did not surface prior to the events of the film, but is also resolute in his perception of the Batman as an ally. This is a pairing that has already been through a lot together, and though it’s easy to think of this Gordon as likely initially skeptical of Batman and his motives, the partnership is solid enough that even in the face of direct scrutiny from his peers, Gordon defaults to siding with Batman even if those other cops don’t know what he’s doing. If that says anything, it’s probably that Gordon knows all too well about the depths that other officers can sink to, and Batman has already proven that he doesn’t operate the same way.
It would be interesting to see how that bond was forged, but Reeves is likely doing the audience a service by not bogging the audience down in exposition. After all, a very similar tale of understanding and rapport to that scenario was already told very well in Batman Begins 17 years earlier, and like the origin of Bruce Wayne himself, it’s just good to jump into the meat of this established partnership. It’s one of the reasons that Batman comics fans love early-years stories as much as they/we do. Jeffrey Wright is just perfect for bringing this Jim Gordon to life.
Zoë Kravitz easily becomes the most recognizable vision of Selina Kyle/Catwoman ever committed to the medium of film, with her hesitant yet resolved alliance with Batman feeling emotionally true and exceedingly familiar.
There was significantly more room to explore the proverbial “ground floor” with Selina Kyle. As a character with less history in live-action adaptation barring the 1966 TV series – a wonderful, if unique spin on Catwoman in comparison with her conception in comics both of the era and of contemporary times – this Selina Kyle is one who feels highly informed by the groundbreaking work of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale in The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, but with even less of an antagonistic bent towards Batman than she had in those stories.
Here, Selina is clearly inspired by those works of merit in the comics but also feels extremely at home in the Gotham concocted by Reeves, co-writer Peter Craig and designed by James Chinlund and photographed by Greig Fraser. All too familiar with Gotham’s underbelly but not prone to give into its more decadent proclivities, Selina very much operates by her own code informed by her own life and by the circumstances of those around her. It’s led her to take an active role in keeping those close to her safe, and in acquiring the means she never had the chance to earn herself in order to accomplish those goals.
While there is usually at least a shadow of greed that can inform Catwoman in other stories, here she seems motivated to protect those she grows close to, and ultimately that comes to encompass Batman himself. Batman, in turn, understands that Selina’s had a pretty hard life up to this point and forms a mutual desire to ensure that she is given the chance to have the life that she wants, so long as her desires don’t conflict with either his mission or even her own goals. This is truly a Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle dynamic in which there is very little, if any, power imbalance. They’re equals who were given different chances, and went in slightly different ways to become “the Bat and the Cat.”
Kravitz’s performance here seals the believability of someone who is trying to do the right thing, but is kept from doing so for reasons that come both from her environment and from within herself. The story tees up Catwoman as immensely skilled and capable with a human core not unlike Bruce Wayne’s, but it’s the performance that sells her most effectively as a surprisingly dependable ally for the Batman in a moment of particularly dire need.
Best cinematic Catwoman ever, by far.
The film’s vision of Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis) is unique in the clear inspiration taken from a prominent alternate version of the character from the comics, but adopts the love and care the primary DC Universe version of Alfred has for Bruce. The heart of the character as performed by Serkis is a beautiful thing to watch.
A more visible deviation from longstanding comics characterizations comes in the form of the film’s take on Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), the loyal Wayne family butler who was put into the difficult position of guiding a young, vengeful Bruce after the murders of his parents. This Alfred is not without comics-based inspiration, however, feeling most directly derived from the work of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s unique spin of the mythos in volumes one through three of Batman: Earth One, an alternative take on the world and mythos.
However, one thing that is more directly inspired by the mainstream DC Universe version of Alfred is his willingness and ability to offer Bruce a kind ear when he needs one. Alfred is clearly the one who knows Bruce best, and the interactions between them both very much come across as giving a father/son dynamic even if Bruce is initially resistant to the place Alfred occupies in his life.
A major beat of the film involves Alfred, and the forced realization that beat gives to Bruce where he has to reckon with the importance of Alfred to his life, and like other moments that occur in the film later on, the beating heart at the center of their relationship makes this one of the best contributions to the cinematic Batman perhaps ever seen. Serkis plays the part with true conviction and care, and provides an engaging and emotional respite from some of the doom Bruce is immersed in later in the film.
Alfred also takes a more active role in Batman’s detective work, giving additional credence to this conception of the character as both a father figure as well as a key ally to the Batman. It’s a wonderful thing to behold.
While it may seem like this is a film with too many villains at first blush, compared with other Batman movies it actually most accurately depicts all the forces competing for Batman’s attention: corrupt forces in the city government; conventional criminals/mobsters; and supercriminals that present an existential threat to everyone.
Enemies of the Batman
On paper, the number of recognizable villains from the long lineage of Batman comics may seem to be too much for a single film to contain. However, the thing that makes The Batman such an effective cinematic exploration of Gotham City so effective is that it populates Gotham with the kinds of villainous forces that are always competing for Batman’s attention.
Particularly since the 1980s, Batman has been a major figure in a war against corruption in the city’s government, and beneficiaries of that corruption are one such force active in the film. Batman also has to compete with Gotham’s cancerous organized crime wing; a constant presence always trying to find new ways to exploit conventional crime to make money. Then – in the most extreme circumstances – Batman has to deal with these more conventional enemies while a supervillain presents an existential threat to Gotham and its citizenry.
Previous Batman films understandably focus primarily on the existential supercrime, with a few key, limited exceptions. Usually, some segments of the two are intertwined, without individual motives conflicting. In Batman Begins, for instance, the mob is unwittingly maneuvered into the machinations of the supercriminals, while in The Dark Knight the Joker co-opts organized crime for his own ends.
In The Batman, however, the corruption in the city operates independently from a large segment of the mob, and a supercriminal intends to destroy…well, everything. Batman is put to the ultimate test by balancing a war on three different fronts, and it’s great to see how different each key enemy he faces is from the others.
The Riddler (Paul Dano) makes for an unnerving but highly effective disruptive force seeking total destruction of Gotham’s institutions, which he has deemed a total failure. It’s a bitingly modern depiction of a populist flavor of supervillainy that feels uncomfortably familiar today.
This is understandably exemplified by the supercriminal of the story, the Riddler. While this character’s presence is a bit more of what one might expect from a Batman story, the movie takes enough of what we know from the source material and other adaptations and pushes the recognizable character into a far more vicious conception than we’ve ever seen before.
While a lot of modern conceptions of the Riddler in comics have leaned more on his instability not quite approaching outright sociopathy, those tendencies are certainly there considering his obsession with puzzles and his compulsion to always leave clues behind for the enemies on his trail.
The film’s version of the Riddler cranks the proverbial volume of his likely personality disorders up to 11, with this screenplay showing us that Riddler’s a bit more willing to inflict direct suffering on the sources of his outrage, as well as exhibiting a sense of righteousness and populism which informs his actions. Some of the visual inspiration of Riddler’s antics and his vindictiveness seems to be at least partially inspired by the version we observed in the Batman: Arkham video game series, with a penchant for graffiti and the creation of perilous situations for his victims that threaten severe physical harm.
It’s a welcome source of inspiration, and Dano’s performance augments what is called for in the story and with the art assets to create an adversary worthy of the major existential threat to Gotham at large, and the personal stake that Batman has in the overarching plot involving Gotham’s history and it’s too-cozy relationship with corruptive influences.
The other major villains in the story who descend from the comics come in the form of the Penguin and notorious crime boss Carmine Falcone (played by Colin Farrell and John Turturro, respectively). Both characters have been adapted into live-action before, but in both cases the visions presented in The Batman are generally far more truthful to the source material by a pretty sizable margin.
Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) is an even more familiar adaptation of the comics character than seen on film before, while the Penguin (Colin Farrell) brings a vicious, pitiful vision of Gotham’s sleaziest club owner to life.
In the case of the Penguin, the comparison is obvious. “Oz” Cobblepot of the new film is a more pernicious and powerful figure than we’ve seen depicted in other films, with the source of a lot of his ability to affect the plot coming from his proximity to Falcone. Still, the modern Penguin in the comics is a man with a decent command of public image and the maneuvering of his businesses to at least interact with legitimate operations, and this is exemplified in the new film as well.
While the film’s Penguin has a personality that is far rougher around the edges than the typical DC Universe incarnation of the character today, those changes make him feel right at home in the world created by Reeves, and still result in a more recognizable Penguin than we’ve ever seen on film before.
In terms of Farrell’s performance, it’s difficult to overstate how much the performer disappears behind the veil. He crafts a fully-featured vision of the Penguin that allows him to stand out as an extraordinarily well-realized and unique version of one of DC Comics’ most notorious villains, and the potential promise of having him serve as the source of ongoing strife from Gotham’s organized crime factions only adds to the truthfulness of the character’s place in modern comics.
In the case of Falcone, we have seen a reasonably faithful depiction of him in the past but the additional accuracy to the source material in this film comes from his closer connections to Gotham’s history, and his associations with some of its most important families. Moments recounted by the character are lifted from his most celebrated appearances, but Falcone is also depicted as far more of a pivotal presence in terms of how the city and its institutions operate.
John Turturro’s casting really helps elevate the threat represented by Falcone in the story, which is initially unclear. His presence during Batman’s early career is well-established in the books, and featuring a version of Falcone with a more personal connection to the film’s principal characters does a lot to make him both more pivotal to the story, and more interesting in the scheme of the full plot.
By communicating the need for hope and the potential of its source coming from a place of darkness, The Batman makes a serious case for being the most truthful cinematic story to the heart and core of who Batman is, and what he’s all about in his best stories.
Overall
The Batman is not only a solid way to begin top-tier comic book cinema in 2022, it is a legitimate contender for the single best cinematic appearance that its principal character has ever had.
That is not something that this fan says lightly, but considering the filmmaking acumen of Reeves and his collaborators coupled with the truthfulness to the spirit of both the character and his world on such display in this work, The Batman is the start of a truly special, reverent and authentic adaptation of the Dark Knight Detective and Gotham City.
Batman has been the beneficiary of several visionary directors, but in the hands of Reeves it feels like he has landed in the lap of someone who is clearly both an accomplished filmmaker and someone who recognizes what truly makes the character an exceptional one in the realm of both superhero storytelling and even broader fiction itself.
People don’t need to be reminded about every reason why Batman is a cool badass who stalks his prey in the middle of the night: every single storyteller who has handled him across all the forms of media he has touched emphasizes that in one respect or another, albeit sometimes with unique flourishes.
Don’t sleep on The Batman: it is quite possibly the best live-action Batman film yet since it understands the difference between the window-dressing of brutality and action, and the substance of the character’s true source of heroism.
What has typically gotten less attention, however, is the beating heart beneath the armor: how a man who is exposed to unspeakable forms of violence and corruption on a nightly basis remains hopeful for Gotham City’s tomorrow because of the good people who call the city home. Batman aspires to make Gotham a better place, and The Batman as a film is all about how he learns that what he does makes a difference, but is only a fraction of what the city truly needs to flourish in the future.
It’s a biting, shocking, action-packed and surprisingly beautiful tale about the resourcefulness, care and compassion that Bruce Wayne has in abundance, even if the city – and indeed, perhaps members of this film’s own audience – are only just now beginning to realize: the badass is what’s on the surface. The true value of the Batman is the fact that he provides a light of hope from the most unexpected place: the grim shadows found around the corners of an oppressive city.
If hope can be found in darkness, then maybe – with a little luck – we’ll all be okay after all. The best Batman comics-reading experiences often leave me with that feeling, and for the very first time that was accurately and beautifully emulated with a more surprising level of precision as I walked out of the theater.
Certain other films come close, don’t get me wrong…just not this close. Because of that, I can’t wait to see everything that comes next from this Gotham City, this filmmaker, and most of all this Batman.
The Batman.