The Batman - The Batman Film I've Waited My Whole Life For

The Batman

 I don’t think I’ve ever been more hyped for a movie, and we had "Dune" last year. I am a massive fan of Batman and this had all the elements of what I liked about the character from comics like “The Long Halloween” and so forth. I tried my best to keep my expectations at a reasonable level but I don’t think I could have done it. I was able to go to an early fan screening and it was an awesome experience. We even had a cosplayer. I relentlessly defended Pattinson and Dano because I knew they would be great despite people hating on them. I knew they would kill it in these roles and they do. I am overjoyed to say that "The Batman" lived up to everything I wanted it to be! I am honestly still in shock after watching it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to correctly articulate my thoughts on this movie. Thankfully, I will be seeing it two more times this week so I’ll be able to get all my feelings and check on how I feel about it.

The Batman is exactly the type of movie I needed it to be. We are seeing a broken Batman; one who is still fresh to the game and carries a lot of emotional damage. I love that we are finally getting an interpretation of this character where the mask is Bruce Wayne and Batman is the true identity. That’s something that has been in the comics for a while and I feel like Nolan has dabbled with that in the past, but we’ve never gotten it done quite like this and I love the way Reeves tackles it. We get more Batman screen time than we do Bruce Wayne screen time. Bruce may get a total of fifteen minutes tops in the whole movie. I’ve got to say that I love that decision because this Batman is awesome! I backed Robert Pattinson from the start and it paid off. My thoughts on this movie are still fresh so I’m not going to say “this is the best” a whole lot in this review. I still need time to let it all settle. I will say that this is one of the best interpretations of this character. Batman has a presence and Minnis every time he’s on-screen in a way that I’ve never felt before. The opening starts in a way that no other Batman movie has done, setting up the true menace this figure has. It’s a great opening. Pattinson plays this vulnerable yet dangerous Batman perfectly. All of the directing tools that Matt Reeves uses to build the mythos of this character is excellently well done. This is the type of Batman that I’ve been waiting to see on the big screen and I don’t think that the character has ever been cooler than he is here. When he fires up the Batmobile in his beating criminals to a pulp, I am silently cheering him on. 

I feel like this may be the best Batman story that we have gotten. Not necessarily the best Batman movie but as a story for the character to grow, it may be the best because this is a story about Batman and his journey, and often times I feel like Batman gets overshadowed by his villains. That isn’t the case here. This is a satisfying story for the character, with great villains. Paul Dano as this silent, John Doe-like figure looming over the film was a great decision. We don’t get a lot of physical scenes between here and Batman and that wasn’t a problem for me. Dano is a chaotic, crazy character, and he nailed this role. Just like I knew he would. The influences from films like "Se7en," "Zodiac," and "Saw" are clear here, and I love that these are the types of movies that the writers took influence from. I want to stress this, this is an intense film and not for kids. We were originally planning on letting my younger brother see it and I’m glad that we are not doing that now because this is an intense film that borderlines on being an R-rated movie. The action is certainly intense, but so is the actual plot of the movie. It deals with topics that are far too intense for younger viewers, and I have to say that’s kind of what I wanted! I love the intensity of the movie. I was gripping the armrests in certain scenes. This film grabs you and doesn’t let go for the whole three hours in my opinion. Movies that do that are invaluable and Reeves going there is a testament to him as a filmmaker. The penguin and Falcone played by Colin Farrell and John Turturro are excellent side villains for the movie to have. Ferrell completely transforms here and I love his take on this character. John Turturro as Falcone was not something that I knew I needed but he ended up being a very pleasant surprise as he crashes it in this role.

I do what to talk about cat woman played by Zoe Kravitz. I could see the potential for her being the best cat woman that we’ve gotten so far and I was right. I have very much enjoyed what other actresses have done in the past for this character but this is my favorite take. No other Batman film has nailed the Catwoman and Batman relationship, as well as this movie, does. The relationship with the heart of the movie for me and I love the way they went about it. I was genuinely emotionally invested in the relationship. It was honestly one of my favorite parts of the movie. Even though I knew that it was going to be good I never expected to love it nearly as much as I did. 

We’ve got to talk about Matt reeves here because he is the man to make this all work. I was with him as soon as he was announced to direct the movie. I love what he did with those last two Planet of the Apes movies. His take on this character and this universe is everything I wanted it to be. When I watched the trailers for this movie, I was completely taken by the visuals and style the film was showing. It looked like an actual movie and Greig Fraser and Matt Reeves are who to thank for that. You can’t say that for a lot of superhero movies nowadays. I honestly think that this is one of the best-looking movies in recent memory. I mean you have the cinematographer Ford <i>Dune</i> here so you know that you’re going to get something that looks really pretty. They take this world to the trenches. It is easily one of the best interpretations of Gotham that we have gotten. All credit to Michael Giacchino as well for giving us maybe the best Batman score of all time and I love what Zimmer and Newton Howard did with Nolan but Giacchino is doing something very special. The score is a perfect blend of noir, chaos, and intensity that may be the perfect Batman soundtrack.

I’ve said it before but I still need time to let all of this simmer in. It really is a lot to take in and returning to the film is exactly what I need to clear all my thoughts on it. I’ve done my best not to say “this is the greatest” or anything like that, but this is undoubtedly one of the best superhero movies we have ever gotten. Batman has just always been that in for me to get into these types of movies. I hold the Nolan films near and dear and this is a film that easily competes with them. From comics to the big screen, Batman is one of the properties I am most invested in. I can’t put into words how happy it makes me feel to get a film that truly does justice to this character and does the universe. It’s a take I unabashedly love. I’ve got to give all the credit to Matt Reeves and Pattinson. I believe they have proved the haters wrong and delivered an incredible, beautiful Symphony. It’s intense, beyond action. It has a mystery that will draw you in for the whole near three-hour run time. I honestly didn’t feel those links. I loved spending time in this universe. I cannot wait to return to it. "The Batman" is a movie I desperately needed;  I’m so glad that we have it, and it lived up to all the hype. I will return with more clear views of my feelings on this film but what I can certainly leave you with is that this is an awesome film!

Strongest of Recommends 

10/10

- Noah Newcomb

The Batman Trailer