The Batman [2022]

The Batman redeems the latest Warner Brothers drama. It’s among the Dark Knight’s bleakest and most thrillingly ambitious live-action outings.

When director Matt Reeves announced that Robert Pattinson is the new Batman, I was on the skeptical side. However, this film effectively repurposes our shared trauma into something more palpable and satisfying. Reeves found something that eludes most Batman films of the past. He made him real and relevant.

I really like the move for a couple of things. First, it’s one of the most cinematic films in a while. You can clearly see the effort put in composing those shots: From the framing all the way to coloring. The artistic level is just impecable.

Second, let’s talk about Bruce Wayne and Batman. I’m delighted to report that this isn’t just another DC/WB super hero flop. For most of the movie, Bruce is deeply traumatized and obviously very introverted. He’s not really sure where he fits in the city and if he’s able to change anything. However, an incident with Alfred (Andy Serkis), meeting Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) and dealing with The Riddler’s mess (Paul Dano) get him out of that mental state. And Pattison owns all that and more.

Now let’s talk about the OKAY things. I still don’t get casting Colin Farrell in this movie. He’s heavily underutilized and irrelevant to the plot. Maybe he’ll get to do better in the sequel? In addition, I love Kravitz in general, but I didn’t really connect (or cared) for her Catwoman in general. Lastly, as much as I loved this iteration of Batman, the movie just runs a bit too long. You can easily trim 10 to 20 minutes without changing a single thing about the storyline or the beauty shots.

Should you watch it?

Pattinson makes a great Batman, but he makes an even better traumatized Bruce Wayne. I didn’t want a retread of the past or another origin story. Instead, I got something different. Let’s just hope WB keeps it this way (watch out for the final scene).

Where can I watch it?

The Batman is now playing in theater.