The following review contains NO SPOILERS
Matt Reeves' The Batman is original, entertaining and interesting. But “in a world” where three Christopher Nolan Batman films already exist, The Batman will have to settle for runner-up.
What’s good?
Robert Pattinson is fantastic as Batman. Maybe the best yet, but that’s just part of the equation (more on that later). All of the rumors are true. This is the “World’s Greatest Detective” fully fleshed out on film for the first time. Zoe Kravitz nailed Catwoman/Selina, best ever. I won’t spend time breaking down all of the actors/characters because they all work. The same can be said for the script, cinematography, music, and action sequences. No criticism to make. Reeves makes some slight adjustments to the mythos, but does it in the most respectful way possible. There are MANY touchstones from the great comic Batman works and they’re fun as hell. You may have heard this movie is too long. I disagree, but again, there’s more to that story…
What’s not as good?
While I never felt the movie was too long, I felt it could have moved quicker in spots. This isn’t so much a pacing complaint as a critique of how Reeve’s edits and directs Pattison’s movements as Batman. Shots hold on Batman for long periods, slowing his character action down. In some spots this technique is welcomed. Batman is deliberate with his movement, but I could’ve gone with deliberately faster. On a similar front, Batman is on the ground A LOT. This is a detective story after all. The downside? I could’ve used more classic Batman poses and actions. Less entering through the front door, more entering from God-knows where. More descending from rooftops, using his cape, etc. Don’t worry, there’s some exquisite Batman imagery and action in this flick. Pattinson may have just spent a little more time on the ground than I cared for. Now for the big one. I said RP might be the best Batman yet. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for his Bruce Wayne. Make fun of the Bale Bat-voice all you want, but Christian fully developed all three sides of the character. There’s the Batman, the real Bruce Wayne (with Alfred), and then there’s the Bruce Wayne character that Batman plays when he’s out in the real world. Bale and Nolan totally understood the holy trinity. Reeves and R-Pats might also “get-it” but they decided on a story/character arc that basically gives us Batman all the time. Pattinson is the same guy when the cowl is off, even when he’s out during the day. I‘m confident we’ll see this come to fruition in future installments, but it would’ve been nice to see a hint of it in this outing.
What’s the verdict?
See the movie in the cinema. Time may be good for The Batman’s place in the Bat-pantheon, but right now it sits just below Nolan’s three Dark Knight films. We get some amazing Bat-moments that we’ve never seen on screen, it’s just not enough to take over the throne.
-JT
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