The Batman, the newest incarnation of the Batman mythos with the new direction being spearheaded by Matt Reeves, the director of two of the recent Planet of the Apes movies and other highly acclaimed films. This version of the Bat sees him two years into his crusade, with the film starting with its use of tension and silence to tug at the viewer's attention. The film uses the suspense and tension in the film superbly, working in the moments of swift brutality in fights as well as in the crime scene investigations. The Batman’s Gotham City is the best interpretation on the big screen, as the criminals, police and entire look of Gotham is spot on, and sells the miserable and downright depressing nature of the city. The lighting and design of the film saves the viewing from becoming samey, with key locations like The Iceberg Lounge having flashing rave lights and the bright reds and pinks lighting of the city's streets, keep the watching experience varied and interesting.
The city looks and feels lived in, and the hopelessness of the city also works in further characterising Bruce, his one man cause to save the city and give himself a purpose of protecting the city he cares for, a more dramatic feel to it. This relentless work takes a visual and mental toll on him, and we can visually see his issues, as well as the inner problems he has inside, from the trauma and messed up headspace he has to be in at parts of the film. This version of Batman also gets a lot of character growth and development, especially in comparison to previous Batmen on screen. The new Batman was played superbly by Robert Pattinson looks and plays the part of an aggrieved and brutal Batman while having his mentality follow him when he’s Bruce Wayne. As a real person you can’t put a persona on with his type of mental turmoil, which is something this film does better than other depictions of Bruce, especially the one seen in the Dark Knight trilogy. Bruce Wayne in the Nolan Trilogy seems too eccentric and his character almost becomes disconnected to batman at times, this Bruce feels more deeply connected to his cause and Batman in comparison.
The story is set as one of his original stories, being more detective centred film, but doesn’t strip the action away from the film and makes the moments of adrenaline more exciting. The mystery that the film unravels on first watching is exquisite, with more watchings giving a deeper appreciation to the plot and mystery of the film. The film also goes to great lengths to show his detective skills, which is something that is lost in the newer films, or isn’t used to its fullest. Him being a detective was what made him part of the Detective Comics all the way back when he was created, so seeing this version focusing on Noir styled detective aspects feels right. The film overall has its iconic moments and acts brilliantly as a standalone film, exploring this interpretation and world of the caped crusader through its own distinct style. Something that DC can always beat Marvel at is in its diverse movie lineup, with a majority of them being just standalone films, meaning directors can follow their own vision helping them be their own thing. As well as not being tied to a larger narrative which I think is a good thing after so many movies not being able to fully explore the extent of their characters as they are bound to one continuity.
The film as a whole is excellent and nails the core elements of Batman that I feel have been lost for a long time while nailing the story it wanted to tell. I would give the film a score of 9/10. It is that good, and I implore you to watch it in cinemas!
By Phoenix Faiers
Opmerkingen