The Batman

Christopher Nolan’s Batman series was solemn, sinister, and frequently sunless. The reboot is more somber and that goes for Batman (played by Robert Pattinson), who broods so much he makes Christian Bale’s Batman seem joyful and light-hearted. Most scenes in the current movie are enshrouded in darkness, and the few that aren’t are set at dusk or dawn. There’s also a good amount of rain and some flooding. (That concludes my weather report.) So, if you’re looking for sun and fun, go to the beach.

Batman tries to crack a series of murders, though it’s less a question of who kills Gotham City mayor Don Mitchell Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones) and later victims than why. Riddler (Paul Dano) is the perpetrator and leaves Batman riddles to solve before he strikes again. Batman visits the Iceberg Lounge, a nightclub run by the Penguin (Colin Farrell), a lieutenant of powerful gangster Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). There, he sees pretty waitress Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), whom he directs, shortly after, to return to the club to surreptitiously ask questions for his benefit. Batman ascertains Commissioner Pete Savage (Alex Ferns) is being paid by Falcone. Bruce Wayne discovers the Riddler has an intende dislike for the Wayne family and wants to kill him. The Riddler also knows damaging particulars about Bruce’s late father Thomas. When Bruce finds out about a connection between Thomas and Falcone, it threatens to alter Bruce’s high opinion of his dad.

Batman, who has been battling crime for two years, is less of a superhero here than a detective. Although Batman has done more to help the city than Bruce, the latter is given better treatment. When, for example, Batman assists the police on the case, Gotham City officer Martinez (Gil Perez-Abraham) calls him a “goddamn freak.” Martinez subsequently sees Bruce and gives him a happy greeting, like they’re friends. Similarly, the twin bouncers (Charlie and Max Carver) at the Iceberg Lounge refuse to allow Batman in and are far more accepting of Bruce. Bruce isn’t said to be philanthropic, so it’s not a matter of his being beloved. These instances indicate Batman has a lot of work to do to capture the respect of Gotham City people.

Although it’s nowhere near perfect, the screenplay by Matt Reeves and Peter Craig has a firm foundation. Batman is a compelling figure who’s still figuring out his role in Gotham City. Because he’s not fully accepted by the public, he doesn’t feel the warmth he would if he were Superman. One of the script’s better lines has Batman saying, “They think I am hiding in the shadows, but I am the shadows.” When he arrives on the scene, he isn’t viewed as a savior, and when something goes wrong, as at Mitchell’s funeral, he is blamed, even though his efforts are heroic. With the frosty reception he gets, it’s no wonder he spends much of his time away from people. Because of the information Bruce discovers about his father, the Caped Crusader could withdraw even more because of his disappointment. I like the decision of the scriptwriters to have Batman attempt to overcome his desire for revenge and be more hopeful. It also undercuts the argument some are making about The Batman being unremittingly dark. The dark tone is softened late in the movie.

Director Matt Reeves’ typically slow, steady direction predominantly succeeds for the first two hours. The tempo is very consistent with a detective searching for clues in a mystery. The Batman is more than a detective movie. It’s a neo-noir crime drama, and Reeves, as his work in Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes revealed, proves once again he can deliver on the action front. There’s a scene where Batman is chased near a building top and has nowhere to go but forward and down. His escape from the police recalls Richard Kimble’s (Harrison Ford’s) in The Fugitive and is a movie highlight. For a time, as Batman glides, the camera is used subjectively so we in the audience can get some sense of the danger he experiences. Reeves does a very good job handling the rousing Batman-Penguin car chase scene, the movie’s best. It also yields an exciting image (which I won’t reveal because it’s a surprise if you haven’t seen the trailer). Another neat visual: a shot of a question mark in the froth of a cappuccino. The Batman is also enhanced by Greig Fraser’s rich, beautiful cinematography. I particularly love the deep sepia tones.

The movie’s final section, however, seems to me its weakest. (Spoilers) Reeves has said Se7en influenced this film, and that’s plain because the story about two detectives (in this case Batman and James Gordon [Jeffrey Wright] tracking a serial killer) calls to mind that David Fincher work. I think Reeves makes a mistake by trying to have a big finish after the villain is captured. Rather than having Riddler essentially give up (as John Doe [Kevin Spacey] does in Se7en), I wish Batman had to outsmart the villain or chase him down in a clever way, or both. As it is, nabbing Riddler is a dramatic zero. The explosive climax contains a lot of action and special effects, but it’s not as emotionally satisfying as a fine Batman-Riddler finale would have been. And that’s because Batman takes on too many nameless, faceless foes, who don’t matter nearly as much. Also, had Reeves jettisoned his grand finale, he might have cut 20 minutes out of the too-long 176-minute running time.

There’s something else I’d like to address. One problem in some superhero movies, including this one, is the lack of believability. I understand some moviegoers don’t mind if a superhero film gets crazily unconvincing because, they argue, why spoil an entertaining time by using your critical thinking skills? My response to that is there are superhero movies don’t forego credibility for action’s sake (e.g., Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Dark Knight, and Spider-Man 2, and others). With all genres, I accept the fictional world a movie’s director creates. Saying Spider-Man shouldn’t be able to shoot webs because people can’t do that in real life makes as much sense as saying there shouldn’t be musicals because real people typically don’t burst into song. The genre conventions should be accepted to judge movies fairly. Reeves takes special care to get many of the details just right, from Batman’s sturdy suit to Gotham City’s wonderfully atmospheric and gloomy vibe. Because it tries to be realistic, it should play by realistic rules.

The Batman, unfortunately, is implausible, marring the movie’s overall effectiveness. In the scene where Batman jumps off a building, his parachute opens, but it hits an overpass. From there, Batman strikes a bus, a car, and takes a brutal tumble for dozens of feet on a hard surface. He gets to his feet and walks away like he took a vicious kick to the leg. Reeves deserves credit for making the fall seem authentic, but if Batman had crashed that hard, he would have been in bed for days, maybe a week. Also, Penguin and his men fire at Batman, and the latter gets hit. Batman is motionless. The next time he’s seen, he’s in the Batmobile. Getting thwacked by gunfire shouldn’t take seconds to recover from. Late in The Batman, the Dark Knight is shot many times, including with a rifle at point-blank range. I’m not sure he would survive that kind of assault, and while it harms him, minutes later, he fights like he was never shot. (Is his body armor that good?) He’s also very near a bomb when it goes off and again, it does no lasting damage (when it obviously would) and doesn’t take much recovery time.

Robert Pattinson does a better-than-expected job in the title part, although a closer look at the various aspects of his portrayal suggests his success (like the movie’s) has its limitations. He’s got a sense of gravity about him, including his slow, sure movements, weighty looks, and the serious-sounding voice. Though other actors who have played Batman show that a fine body isn’t necessary (Adam West, Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck), Pattinson’s chiselled physique is a plus. As Bruce Wayne, though, he’s a fizzle. Whereas Christian Bale was a charming Bruce, Pattinson lacks the charisma needed for that part of the dual role. He’s given little assistance by the script that doesn’t give him enough chances he needs to illustrate an engaging personality in social settings. Pattinson’s Batman also has no chemistry with Catwoman. Again, if Pattinson could have dropped the grave way he views life for a while, the romance would have had more appeal. Zoe Kravitz, as Catwoman, exudes personality and spunk that’s like a 100-watt bulb in near-darkness. Paul Dano’s psychotic Riddler is persuasively off-kilter and scary, as he should be. Performing as the Penguin, Colin Firth is inundated with so much makeup, he’s unrecognizable. I’m happy to say he does a good job. John Turturro might have created an overbearing killer out of Carmine Falcone, but he makes the better choice to underplay his character’s malevolence. He’s excellent. Andy Serkis gives Alfred an endearing quality I liked. He isn’t given the screen time to make a vivid impression, though.

Michael Giacchino’s unsettling score seems the correct choice, keeping me on edge and curious about what would happen next. It’s understandably more romantic sometimes in scenes with Catwoman, though the music unfortunately turns gooey during the rescue. Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” is a pleasant, if snoozy, track, but in the film, it goes on too long, being played nearly in toto. Then a clip of the song is repeated. Something does get in this movie’s way, and it’s the last song on Nevermind.

There’s an assortment of gratifying elements in The Batman and I think more well than ill of it. Still, if there is a sequel, I don’t mind saying I hope the next one is better.