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The Batman: A Long, Dark Visually Compelling Mess

Posted by March 8th, 2022 No Comments »

The Batman (2022)
Directed by Matt Reeves
Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz and Jeffrey Wright

Wow! Gotham finally seems like a real place we can visit. The latest in DC’s growing catalogue of films centered around the beloved caped crusader, The Batman shows us what it’s like for the young hero to build a moral code as he figures out his role in a modern city with modern problems.

Director Matt Reeves, best known for his Sci-Fi Debut Cloverfield (2008) and his turn on the last two films in the latest Planet of the Apes trilogy (2014, 2017), had a huge task: direct the first solo Batman film since Christopher Nolan’s trilogy ended with The Dark Knight Rises (2021). Would he be up to it? Could he and surprise casting Robert Pattinson create an exciting new addition to the rich mythos of the most recognizable icon on the planet?

One upping Nolan in many ways is the overall, consistent look of this film. This not only includes the camerawork, but the set and costume design. Nolan wowed us with great action set pieces and “moments” but Reeves has created a breathtaking world that looks like a real Gotham City throughout the entire film. This isn’t an approximation of a city created for fantastic beings to fly by, this is a superhero operating in a real city. This is Gotham.  

Not only does the film look great, the cinematography creates a tense, compelling mood from the opening frame. How much of this is thanks to Reeves and how much should be attributed to cinematographer Greig Fraser I can’t know, but that’s OK because my praise for The Batman stops there anyway.   

Of The Batman’s many problems, tops on the list is the plot. I understand the challenges of telling a new story that pays homage to the past; Reeves somehow manages to do neither. In an attempt to make The Batman a detective story it was necessary to leave out Bruce Wayne’s origin story and the basis for his relationship with Commissioner Gordon. These omissions could have allowed for a tight, action-packed 2.5 hour runtime but instead we get a mess of 3-hour film that wanders aimlessly.

The acting is consistently good, but unfortunately there are too many characters involved in too many poorly-developed storylines for anyone to truly stand out. The lone exception is Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle. Her Catwoman has an arc that at least gives us a chance to care about her motivations. Pattinson does his best with what little he’s given to work with. He looks phenomenal, from the costume to the lighting to the way he stands out in this very real looking city of Gotham, but the lines he’s given aren’t worthy of an actor of his caliber. That’s a shame, because his roles in Good Time (2017) and The Lighthouse (2019) demonstrate he can amaze even the staunchest of skeptics.


With a runtime of three hours we somehow see little of Bruce Wayne. Skipping his origin story would have worked fine with a better screenplay, but his relationship with Alfred is important so why truncate their time on screen together in favor of cramming in other partial storylines?

Colin Farrell looks great as an all-new all version of the Penguin but, again, my praise stops at the craftsmanship of the look. The character is just another “tough guy nobody who wants to be somebody,” a waste for an actor with Farrell’s amazing range. To see Farrell’s talents put to better use, check out Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster (2015) or The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017).

Jeffrey Wright’s performance as Commissioner Gordan is equally disappointing. The character mostly serves to dump exposition to the audience about the thin storylines in this overly-intricate plot. Many will frame the onscreen chemistry between Gordon and the Bat as new and different. The film avoids the overplayed “Zoinks, where did he go?” Gordan/Batman trope almost completely, but it also leaves out any glimpse of why these two unexpected collaborators work so well together. Meanwhile Paul Dano gives us full Paul Dano but he’s only on screen for 10 minutes… IN A 3 HOUR film!

Reeves does his best to recreate the type of tension that makes great David Fincher films like Se7en (1995) and Zodiac (2007) work so well, but unfortunately the poor storytelling and direction did little to invest me in these characters I love. Since I hadn’t been drawn into a mystery that needed to be resolved in the third act, I spent the last hour wondering only how the director would resolve such a boring, meandering film.  

Expectations can preemptively color the opinions of even the most reliable critic. As a long-time comic book fan and lover of superhero films, I may be guilty of this. But I also trust my gut, and it tells me I just watched a film that looked great but was poorly-written and way too long.

Maybe I’m just too old. Maybe I’m bitter that this wasn’t “my Batman.” But then why did the young couple sitting next to my wife and me walk out after the third of five “false endings?” Even though they were 30 years younger than us they were just as bored as we were.  

If my favorite Batman films Batman Returns (1992), Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) are all A’s then the Noir, Fincheresque detective story that ended up being a stunningly beautiful four episode arc of the Gotham TV Series is a D.

I will definitely watch this again this week so post comments in the below or @ me on Twitter at @timbasaraba because if I change my mind I will definitely let you know.


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