Mirror Review: The Batman

Batman is back, and more emo than ever!

Matt Reeves’ new film is a gritty mystery-thriller, and a refreshing take on a beloved character. The melancholic tone is complimented by a dynamic score; ranging from classic Nirvana tracks, to chilling orchestral compositions, to a cover of Ave Maria- courtesy of Paul Dano’s Riddler. Each performance and plotpoint works to justify the film’s roughly three-hour runtime, which may be intimidating to some viewers.

Bruce Wayne has been portrayed by eight different actors over the course of his live-action history (The most of any superhero). The newest to join these ranks- already including names like George Clooney, Christian Bale and Michael Keaton- is Robert Pattinson. This most recent portrayal ditches the rich playboy-persona often attributed to Wayne, instead opting to make him act like an angsty, eyeshadow-wearing teenager. I found this to be a little comical at some points, especially when he (verbatim) tells Alfred (Andy Serkis), “You’re not my father.” All jokes aside, this personality is much more fitting for someone who runs around at night assaulting criminals in a costume.

The broody, withdrawn performance put on by Pattinson ironically breathes life into the character. The Batman’s Gotham is populated by several iconic members of his rogues’ gallery, including a Zodiac killer inspired-Riddler, The Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and a grotesque cameo from The Joker (Barry Keoghan)- the latter cameo only seen in a deleted scene, released after the film on Matt Reeves’ personal Twitter. Along with the several antagonists of the film, Bruce’s allies include Gotham Police Commissioner Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and the anti-hero Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz).

One very interesting decision from director Matt Reeves is to keep his depiction of Batman more grounded in reality. Past incarnations of the character ranged from the comically-campy Adam West films, to the grim and violent Batman of the DCEU. Batman’s biggest adversary in this film isn’t an alien or a magician, it’s political corruption. Riddler isn’t sporting his iconic Question Mark Suit- instead donning a menacing green winter combat mask and army surplus jacket. All these elements are effective at their purpose of grounding the events and creating real stakes.

Much like The Joker (2019), this reliance on realism throughout the film makes the stakes feel even more real. Each blow upon the characters is given real weight, and the antagonists' crimes are made even more unsettling when the victims feel like actual people. This similarity, however, does not mean the films take place within the same continuity. I was expecting Joaquin Phoenix's Joker to be introduced in a sequel or post credit scene- but I was mistaken.

One flaw of realism in movies- which isn't unique to The Batman- is the jarring feeling you get when that lens of realism is briefly interrupted. At a handful of moments throughout the film, anyone who pays attention may pause and think, “Wait, what?” The most memorable example was when Bruce takes an explosion to the face and suffers zero injuries or repercussions beyond passing out. I won’t spoil anymore of the context, but this moment ruined the tension built beforehand.

These jarring moments are few and far between, though, when compared to the amount of iconic and memorable moments of the film. The car chase with Penguin was a standout scene in my eyes, featuring possibly the coolest live action Batmobile ever put to screen.