REVIEW -- The Batman (2022)

The Batman is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, 6th & Idaho, and Dylan Clark Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a reboot of the Batman film franchise. The film was directed by Matt Reeves, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Craig. It stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell. The film sees Batman, who has been fighting crime in Gotham City for two years, uncover corruption while pursuing the Riddler (Dano), a serial killer who targets Gotham's elite.

Development began after Ben Affleck was cast as Batman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in 2013. Affleck signed on to direct, produce, co-write, and star in The Batman, but had reservations about the project and dropped out. Reeves took over and reworked the story, removing the DCEU connections. He sought to explore Batman's detective side more than previous films, drawing inspiration from the films of Alfred Hitchcock and the New Hollywood era, and comics such as Year One (1987), The Long Halloween (1996–97), and Ego (2000). Pattinson was cast in May 2019, with further casting in late 2019. Principal photography took place in the UK and Chicago between January 2020 and March 2021.

The Batman premiered at Lincoln Center, New York, on March 1, 2022, and was theatrically released worldwide on March 4. It was delayed twice from an initial June 2021 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film has grossed over $770 million against a $185–200 million budget, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2022, and received positive reviews from critics for the performances of the cast, musical score, cinematography, Reeves' direction, action sequences, and story, although the runtime received some criticism. It is intended to launch a Batman shared universe, with two sequels planned and two spin-off television series in development for HBO Max.

Cast

• Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman
  Oscar Novak portrays a young Bruce, while Rick English was Pattinson's stunt double.

• Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman

• Paul Dano as Edward Nashton / Riddler
  Joseph Walker portrays a young Nashton.

• Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon

• John Turturro as Carmine Falcone

• Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson

• Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth

• Colin Farrell as Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot / Penguin

Additionally, Jayme Lawson portrays Bella Reál, a mayoral candidate for Gotham City who Reeves said represents hope; Gil Perez-Abraham portrays Martinez, a GCPD officer; Peter McDonald portrays William Kenzie, a corrupt GCPD officer; Alex Ferns portrays Pete Savage, the GCPD commissioner; Con O'Neill portrays Mackenzie Bock, the GCPD chief; and Rupert Penry-Jones portrays Don Mitchell Jr., Gotham's mayor. Barry Keoghan makes a cameo appearance as the Joker (credited as "Unseen Arkham Prisoner"), while other cast members include twins Charlie and Max Carver as Iceberg Lounge bouncers (credited as "The Twins"); Hana Hrzic as Annika Koslov, Selina's roommate; Jay Lycurgo as a young gang member; Akie Kotabe as a train passenger; Sandra Dickinson as Dory, Bruce's caretaker and housekeeper; and Luke Roberts and Stella Stocker as Bruce's parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Plot

On Halloween, Gotham City mayor Don Mitchell Jr. is murdered by Riddler, a masked psychopath determined to expose political corruption. Reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne, who has operated for two years as the vigilante Batman, investigates the murder with the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD). Lieutenant James Gordon discovers a message that Riddler left for Batman. The Riddler later kills commissioner Pete Savage and leaves another message for Batman.

Batman and Gordon discover that the Riddler left a thumb drive in Mitchell's car containing images of Mitchell with a woman, Annika Koslov, at the Iceberg Lounge—a nightclub operated by the Penguin, mobster Carmine Falcone's lieutenant. While the Penguin pleads ignorance, Batman notices that Selina Kyle, Annika's roommate and friend, works at the club as a waitress. When she disappears, Batman sends Selina back to the Iceberg Lounge to find her, and discovers that Savage was on Falcone's payroll, as is district attorney Gil Colson.

The Riddler abducts Colson, straps a timed collar bomb to his neck, and sends him to interrupt Mitchell's funeral. When Batman arrives, Riddler calls him on Colson's phone and threatens to detonate the bomb if Colson cannot answer three riddles. Colson refuses to answer the third—the name of the informant who gave the GCPD information that led to a historic drug bust ending mobster Salvatore Maroni's operation—and dies. Batman and Gordon assume that Penguin is the informant. They track him in a drug deal, and learn that Falcone absorbed Maroni's operation, with many corrupt GCPD officers involved. Selina inadvertently exposes them when she arrives to steal money, and discovers Annika's corpse in a car trunk. After a car chase, Batman captures the Penguin, but learns he is not the informant.

Batman and Gordon follow Riddler's trail to the ruins of an orphanage funded by Bruce's murdered parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, where they learn that the Riddler holds a grudge against the Wayne family. Bruce's butler and caretaker, Alfred Pennyworth, is hospitalized after opening a letter bomb intended for Bruce. The Riddler leaks evidence that Thomas, who was running for mayor prior to his murder, hired Falcone to kill a journalist for threatening to reveal details about Martha's family's history of mental illness. Bruce, who believed his father was a good man, confronts Alfred, who asserts that Thomas only asked Falcone to threaten the journalist into silence; Thomas planned to turn himself and Falcone over to the police once he found out the journalist was killed. Alfred believes Falcone had Thomas and Martha killed to prevent this, though he is not sure.

Selina reveals to Batman that Falcone is her neglectful father, and decides to kill him after learning that he strangled Annika because Mitchell told her Falcone was the informant. Batman and Gordon arrive in time to stop her, but the Riddler kills Falcone as he is being arrested. The Riddler is revealed to be forensic accountant Edward Nashton, and is incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital, where he tells Batman that he was inspired by him. Eventually, Batman learns that Nashton has stationed car bombs around Gotham and cultivated an online following that plans to assassinate mayor-elect Bella Reál.

The bombs destroy the seawall around Gotham and flood the city, while Batman and Selina thwart the assassination attempt against Reál. In the aftermath, Nashton befriends another inmate,^[a] while Selina deems Gotham beyond saving and leaves. Batman aids recovery efforts and vows to inspire hope in Gotham.

The Verdict:

Characters:

Visuals & Sound

While we're on the topic of the Batsuit in this film, I should bring up that I was pleased with the fact that it didn't make Batman look stiff or rigid in his fight scenes. That was one of my biggest issues with the fight choreography in Nolan's trilogy was that it always looked like Batman was restricted in his movements from how the costume was designed. They definitely get two thumbs up from me in terms of thinking in terms of practicality and movement for the design.

Closing Thoughts

This is a film that challenges viewers to think about the class conflict involving the three varying perspectives brought to the table by Batman/Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and The Riddler's own upbringing as orphans. The Batman/Bruce Wayne was an orphan who grew up with (white) privilege. Selina Kyle was an orphan that endured hardship. The Riddler was an orphan that suffered through torment that molded him into lashing out against the wealthy. That same torment convinced him that criminal behavior is spawned from desperation that their social situation won't get any better unless they resort to those means to get by.

These same three traits have caused the three of them to have differing worldviews as well. The Batman/Bruce Wayne's view of the world is narrow and binary, in which he takes his vast wealth for granted when he could be using it to help Gotham City as much as his crime-fighting endeavors. Selina, on the other hand, acknowledges the corrupting power of wealth but she is only prone to violence when her friends are harmed. Then last but not least, the Riddler becomes like SAW's Jigsaw (bitter and cruel) to fight corruption that harms the innocent.

Both Selina and the Ridder force Batman to realize that poverty and inequality in Gotham City's social structure are the roots of Gotham's problems. By the end of the film, they inspire him to not only be an agent of hope for Gotham City but to use his wealth (as Bruce Wayne) to prevent social inequality. There's so much more Bruce Wayne AND the Batman can do to improve Gotham for the better and it looks like that he's on the path to accomplish just that since he didn't just decide to run away with Selina in the film's end.

I found it amusing that mayoral candidate Bella Real is one of the only characters in the entire film (outside of Alfred) that points out that Bruce Wayne should be doing more with his family's wealth. It's more significant that she is the only person of color (POC if you will) that explicitly points this out, making a point to bring this up at Don Mitchell's funeral they happened to run into each other at. She is a character (outside of the main circle that interacts with Batman between Selina and the Riddler) that is dedicated to cleaning up Gotham's corruption and isn't afraid to call out others for their faults - case in point with her criticism of Bruce Wayne's lackluster attitude. She's a character that we don't see too much of in this film, but when we do, she definitely stands out in terms of making it clear that she's all for making Gotham for the better, even if it means putting herself in the line of fire, such as when she got shot during the film's climax by the Riddler's cultists. I'm anxious to see what they are going to do with her character in the sequel(s). Would she continue the course for her goals or will she be a martyr/sacrificial lamb to encourage more people to step up and assist in cleaning up Gotham City of its corruption. Only time will tell.

Unlike most people, I groaned with disgust at the tease for The Joker appearing in the sequel(s). He was the unseen inmate who was in the neighboring cell next to Nashton's that was speaking to him as the film came to a close. I just feel that we could use a break from that character when the Dark Knight has a laundry list of great villains that deserve to be shown on the limelight instead of going to the tired and true formula. Joker just had his own solo film without Batman. How about we put that villain to rest for a while? It just comes off as desperate when he's brought up in almost every piece of Batman media (outside of a few) as if the creators have absolutely no faith in these projects unless he's attached to it in some capacity.

I'm surprised that there's not much talk about Jay Lycurgo appearing in this film as one of the young gang members that Batman encounters at the start of the film. During my initial viewing in the theater, I had to do a double take as I thought I was confusing him with someone else but confirmed his identity in the credits. In the HBO Max series, Titans, he plays Tim Drake who had been following Batman and Robin's activities for quite some time before trying to lend a hand with the Titans' efforts to stop Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane in Season Three. Maybe it was just sheer coincidence but are they trying to tell us that both of those shows take place in the same continuity? It would an odd choice to confirm that when they didn't even try to de-age Lycurgo digitally in post-work since he looks the same age that he does in Titans here that he does in this show.

Fortunately for Matt Reeves, they filmed The Batman in it's entirety prior to Lycurgo even landing the role on Titans, so for now it seems like his casting was a massive coincidence that just happened to be completely overlooked by DC/Warner Bros. executives. Lycurgo even confirms as such in an interview.

Watch It or Don't Bother?

Definitely give this a watch. Even though "superhero fatigue" is a real thing as more films, television shows, and other media are showing no signs of slowing down, I think The Batman is a fresh new take on the Dark Knight that deserves to be seen. It differs enough from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy and everything before it to breathe new life into this character, especially with director Matt Reeves' creative visual and narrative vision. Zoe Kravitz and Robert Pattinson's onscreen chemistry as Selina Kyle and Batman is something that shouldn't be missed either, especially when they are only two of many great actors contributing their talents to this film.

Just keep in mind that this is a rather lengthy affair, clocking in at roughly three hours in its total run time. It's currently free for streaming on HBO Max, so at least you can enjoy that in the leisure of your own home instead of sticking out in a crowded movie theater like I did when this released opening night.