The Batman, the latest box office smash and a small reboot of the franchise, stars Robert Pattinson as the titular hero. Casual filmgoers may wonder if the Twilight star was up to the task, but any film lover, who’ve seen him shine in a serious of indie films over the last 10 years, was probably, like me, looking forward to this new take. I was not disappointed.
From director Matt Reeves (known mostly for Cloverfield and the Planet of the Apes reboot series), The Batman steps away from the shared DC Extended Universe to start its own shared universe (2 sequels and 2 separate HBO Max TV series are already in the works). Leaving Ben Affleck’s Batman behind, Pattinson steps into the role with a whole new version. In this one, Bruce Wayne has been fighting the fight for 2 years (thankfully, we don’t get the origin story yet again). Despite his best efforts, crime has only gotten worse, and Bruce is starting to think that he isn’t making any difference in Gotham. This depression seeps into his vigilante life; Batman goes out at night and, in frustration, beats lowlifes to within an inch of their lives, but more always come out. And his biggest villain is waiting in the wings.
When the city’s mayor is brutally murdered, and an enigmatic note is left for Batman at the crime scene, police detective James Gordon reaches out to the Bat for help. None of the rest of the police force trust Batman, not liking that this vigilante is out doing their job better than they are, but Gordon knows he is perhaps Gotham’s only hope. Just as Bruce is unraveling the riddle left for him, another victim pops up. This time, it is the current Gotham police commissioner, Pete Savage. Obviously this new criminal is targeting men of power and influence in the city, but not because they are “good guys.” In fact, his notes elude to the fact that these victims weren’t victims at all, but were liars engaged in criminal activity, unbeknownst to the city at large. It is up to Batman to follow the clues to see if he can take down this new “riddler” before he continues his killing rampage on Gotham’s elite. Batman is aided by Gordon, his trusty Alfred, as well as the sexy Selina Kyle (Catwoman, portrayed by Zoë Kravitz), who has her own agenda to follow.
This is a long film, sitting right at 3 hours long, but I didn’t feel it for most of its length. In fact, I was all in for the first 2 hours or so, and loving every minute of it. Reeves does a fantastic job of getting the viewer into the dark and depressing atmosphere that is modern day Gotham City, and we feel Batman’s hopelessness along with him. I’ll have to say though, Riddler’s last big plan, the finale of his long-planned revenge on the city, felt wrong, like it was just thrown together, and didn’t fit as well as the steps leading up to it. Still, it’s a strong film and great leaping off point for the future of the franchise. Unlike others, I did like Affleck’s older and beaten-down Batman and wish he would have had a chance to make the movie he wanted (before it was abandoned and turned in this new direction), but Pattinson does an admirable job of this new, younger Batman just getting into his crusade. ★★★½
Jons Movie Takes 