Bruce Wayne/The Batman
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Matt Reeves' "The Batman" is a gritty, operatic crime drama that challenges the hero's history and purpose. Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz have intense chemistry as the Caped Crusader and Catwoman, while Paul Dano is terrifying as The Riddler.
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Mar 4, 2022 · A grim, gritty, and gripping super-noir, The Batman ranks among the Dark Knight's bleakest -- and most thrillingly ambitious -- live-action outings. Read Critics Reviews. It's long, but The...
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- Matt Reeves
- PG-13
- Robert Pattinson
- Bruce Wayne's beautiful nightmare.
- The Batman: How Robert Pattinson's Batsuit Draws From the Past
- The Batman that almost was
- Who's your favorite Batman actor so far?
- Verdict
By Alex Stedman
Posted: Feb 28, 2022 5:00 pm
The Batman hits theaters on March 4, 2022. Below is a spoiler-free review.
“Fear,” Bruce Wayne tells us in a gloomy voiceover early in The Batman, “is a tool.” He’s talking about how the presence of the Batman can be used to intimidate bad guys, but it’s also possible writer/director Matt Reeves took this to heart for his approach to rebooting the famous superhero. This is the scariest Batman yet. Right from the violent opening scene, the message is clear: this is not your mother’s Caped Crusader. This is a creeping, angry, white-knuckle-inducing psychological thriller with a heavy dose of crime noir – and believe it or not, Reeves absolutely pulls it off, achieving a grimly beautiful masterpiece.
If anything, its grounded nature is a lot like 2019’s Joker. But the difference here is that the Joaquin Phoenix thriller didn’t really need the A-list DC villain’s name to tell its story of an impoverished man forgotten by society. The Batman, on the other hand, is still very much a Batman tale in a surprisingly loyal way. It pulls from and remixes various storylines from the comics in daring yet respectful fashion, all while being very different from what we’ve seen on the big screen up to this point.
For one thing, it’s not a Batman origin story. Reeves knows we know Thomas and Martha Wayne are dead, and he correctly assumes we don’t need to see them get gunned down yet again. Instead, we’re dropped right into Batman and Jim Gordon’s vigilante/detective partnership. It takes place late enough in Bruce Wayne’s story to not retread scenes we’ve already seen a million times, but early enough that he’s still got a lot of growing to do before he’s the nigh-flawless superhero. We don’t see the beginning, but we do see plenty of development, as well as some clever callouts and additions to the histories of several Gotham families.
Matt Reeves' dark vision for The Batman is one that was seemingly much different than the one Ben Affleck, who was originally set to write and star, pitched years ago. Reeves revealed in an interview with Esquire Middle East that he had a chance to direct Affleck's Batman movie, which he said was "almost James Bond-ian," but passed. "I said look, I think maybe I’m not the person for this. And I explained to them why I love this character. I told them that there have been so many great movies, but if I were to do this, I’d have to make it personal, so that I understood what I was going to do with it, so that I know where to put the camera, so that I know what to tell the actors, so that I know what the story should be.”
On that note, Robert Pattinson is playing a much more vulnerable, human version of the orphaned billionaire than we’ve seen before. With a role so iconic, it would’ve been easy to crib – even accidentally – from the many actors who came before him, but Pattinson makes Bruce his own entirely. Gone is the convincing illusion of a charismatic playboy we’ve seen in past iterations. Here, we get a sad weirdo who’s both crippled and compelled by his unresolved trauma in a way that’s gripping to watch. This Bruce is a broken man, unable to hide his emotions even under the cowl. Pattinson’s performance, in turn, is crushingly painful, whether he’s in or out of the Batsuit.
But, believe it or not, Pattinson’s performance isn’t even the second most memorable of The Batman. Those honors go to Zoe Kravitz and Paul Dano as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and The Riddler, respectively. The former struck me as inspired (dare I say, purrrrfect?) casting from the get-go, but Kravitz’s layered portrayal of the catburglar clawed past even my high expectations. She’s got all the slinkiness and slyness you could hope for, but, like Pattinson’s Bruce, she’s also incredibly vulnerable, while selling an insatiable need for revenge. Pattinson may be the one screaming “I am vengeance!,” but it’s Kravitz who simmers with a need for payback. Plus, the two actors’ chemistry is undeniable. Whether they’re trading fists or information, it’s all very hot.
Whenever Pattinson and Dano face off, it’s impossible to look away.
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As for Dano, his Riddler is easily the best live-action Batman villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker. This is a far, far, far cry from the previous most famous Riddler performance by Jim Carrey, with Reeves putting a modern, murderous spin on the wordsmith that’s heavily influenced by the real-world Zodiac Killer. Dano sinks into this unhinged yet genius killer with terrifying realism. Seriously, Dano managed to give me chills with a single eye movement in one scene. The best Batman villains are the ones who challenge at least two of the three of his mind, morals, and body, and this Riddler puts the first two to the test. Whenever Pattinson and Dano face off, it’s impossible to look away.
Christian Bale
Michael Keaton
Adam West
Ben Affleck
Val Kilmer
George Clooney
The Batman is a gripping, gorgeous, and, at times, genuinely scary psychological crime thriller that gives Bruce Wayne the grounded detective story he deserves. Robert Pattinson is great as a very broken Batman, but it’s Zoe Kravitz and Paul Dano who steal the show, with a movingly layered Selina Kyle/Catwoman and a terrifyingly unhinged Riddler. W...
Read critics' and audience's opinions on The Batman, a dark and gritty noir thriller starring Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader. See the ratings, scores, and full reviews for this 2023 film.
Mar 1, 2022 · ‘The Batman’ Review: Who’ll Stop the Wayne? Robert Pattinson puts on the Batsuit and cats around with Zoë Kravitz in the latest attempt to reimagine the Caped Crusader. Share full article
- Matt Reeves
- A.O. Scott
- 175 min
Feb 28, 2022 · 'The Batman' review: Robert Pattinson shines in this back-to-basics approach Matt Reeves' approach to the venerable hero is more emo than goth, and Robert Pattinson brings a haunted quality...
Feb 28, 2022 · Robert Pattinson dons the cape and cowl to hit Gotham City’s mean streets, exposing corruption at the highest levels in Matt Reeves’ reboot.
