Nightclubs and muscle cars - The Batman (2022) Review

The latest in a long procession of superhero and Batman films - but still one worth watching.

I’m sick of Batman.

Regardless of medium, I’m certain I’ve seen enough of the Caped Crusader to last a lifetime. Thomas and Martha Wayne getting cut down in Crime Alley lost its charm the tenth time. It barely elicits a reaction the hundredth time.

Screen or page, Batman’s perpetually crime ridden little world and the absurd amount of focus it gets in DC’s larger multiverse has long lost its charm for me.

That’s all to say, I loved The Batman (2022), directed by Matt Reeves and entirely disconnected from the many previous films starring the character.

Gotham is more decrepit and predatory than ever and though Batman (Robert Pattinson) is younger than audiences have long seen him, he’s still at the brink. His own war against crime and corruption intersects with that of the Riddler (Paul Dano), who’s taken a different, more destructive approach.

The Batman drips with an energy, sense of style, and atmosphere that’s been sorely lacking from the superhero films flooding theaters for the last decade. It treads some familiar ground and the execution is flawed in places, but a strong cast and engaging story more than make up the difference.

Pattinson’s Batman is recognizably the nighttime detective, though a refreshing take on the character. Still reeling over the murder of his parents, his single-minded dedication to crimefighting has seen him retreat from the world.

A common enough interpretation but this Batman fumbles and fails plenty, with Pattinson bringing a real vulnerability to the character even as he’s single handedly facing down halls of armed adversaries.

Unexpectedly, the film frames Batman as a voyeur. The character’s gadget based surveillance apparatus is cast as dingy and invasive, in contrast with previously sterile portrayals. Is spying on Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) as she undresses and viewing night club liaisons through contact lens cameras simply a means to an end?

The Batman suggests otherwise, as even with Pattinson and Kravitz’s sheer charisma during their interactions, a certain possessiveness shines through, amplified by Bruce’s underdeveloped social skills.

Beyond his personal failings, The Batman is surprisingly critical of its subject. The merits of a crime fighting billionaire have stirred up all kinds of criticism online the last few years. Reeves’ take addresses that and the film works best when Bruce grapples with the realization that his personal crusade has been self-serving, if not actively destructive.

As time goes on, Christopher Nolan’s lauded Batman films and the genre as a whole have been accused of upholding the status quo. Batman bucks that trend, going lengths to show its Gotham — a sort of Gothic vision of Taxi Driver’s New York with smartphones — as a consequence of corruption and systemic failure.

There’s the usual story beat of the antagonist nominally sharing the hero’s goals while pursuing more indiscriminate methods. This time, it’s suggested that Batman’s rampant vigilante activity paved the way for the Riddler’s combination of the Zodiac Killer and in places dated social media fears.

Even so, The Batman pulls punches in plenty of places. Utterly corrupt systems, from Gotham’s police to local government, have inexplicable bastions of decency. Batman’s martyred parents are cast as tragic, troubled figures, with their share of dark dealings. The film grapples with privilege fairly competently but one of the most compelling twists with the Waynes is immediately cushioned, a trend throughout the film.

The Batman flexes some strong visuals, remembering to include some style with the spectacle. With heavy detective and crime flick influences, much of the film is shrouded in darkness, with increased obscurity by keeping portions of the shot or even the entire screen out of focus at times.

Even so, competent editing and camera work means it’s easy to tell what’s going on when you need to. The lighting is used to good effect and everything carries its weight in the action sequences.

Stylish as it might be, the film lapses back into more formulaic superhero fare at points. While never overpowering, the brightly lit, CGI-set piece climax does feel at odds with the murky, more personal fights preceding it.

The script is similarly lopsided; while the characters are all competently adapted and the tone is a good mix of moodiness and occasional levity, there’s some hefty exposition for a nearly 3 hour film.

The diegetic storytelling is put to good use with the soundtrack but less so for the actual plot, as it ends up mainly as a vehicle for the aforementioned exposition.

Using news segments and social media posts to add context for this semi-fantastic, semi-real setting works at first but eventually becomes grating. In some ways the execution is strangely dated.

That’s not enough to counter the bombastic performances, impactful soundtrack, and competent pacing. The Batman is one of the few franchise films in recent memory to justify its gargantuan length and stand out from the crowd. The superhero genre might be oversaturated, and so is Batman, but it’s good to see DC finally get it so right.