I didn't realize until this week that it's actually been 10 years since the last solo Batman movie. I guess since Batman himself has appeared in a few movies and shows since then it made it feel like he never really went away. But here we are now, 2022, and a new Batman movie is out in theaters. A completely new direction from the Batman that was around the last few years played by Ben Affleck. It's a character that's beloved by many of all ages and a character that's been a big part of comic book movies since the late 80s. A movie with this character will have lots of expectations from fans and will have a high bar to reach after the Nolan movies.
"The Batman" is directed by Matt Reeves, known for his work on the last "Planet of the Apes" trilogy. Batman himself is played by Robert Pattinson along with lots of other familiar characters joining him being played by an all-new cast. The movie takes place a few years after Batman has started his career as the vigilante of Gotham. His relationship with characters like James Gordon and Alfred have already been established and the movie doesn't waste any time going over Batman's origin story again. Instead, the movie jumps right into the mystery that needs to be solved: Who is the Riddler? A new murderer appears in the city of Gotham and has got a fascination with Batman. The problem is he only speaks to Batman in riddles and puzzles, and it's up to Batman to figure out the mystery before the Riddler completes his plan of chaos.
"The Batman" focuses heavily on the crime-solving/detective aspects of the Batman character, which I honestly really liked. The movie does a very good job at keeping you interested in the mystery while introducing the characters of Gotham that you'll be familiar with if you've seen any of the other movies or shows. The story plays it very seriously and has a more realistic take on the city of Gotham and the Batman character. For a movie that's just about three hours long, it uses all that time to fully establish the world and tell the story in a way that makes the runtime feel mostly justified. By the end of the movie, I really wanted to see more of this version of Gotham and Batman and I am 100% excited to see what else is coming in this version of Batman's story.
I will say this version of Batman isn't a very fun one, it's probably the darkest one yet. And when I say it's not fun I only mean the characters don't have very many lighthearted moments and there isn't much humor. I'm pretty sure I didn't see Batman/Bruce Wayne smile once in this entire movie. Understand that it's not what the movie is going for, so just know you're going into a more serious Batman movie. I enjoyed Pattinson's portrayal of the iconic character, definitely room for improvement there, but overall pretty solid for the first outing. I think it's maybe because we didn't get much outside of the bat suit, so Bruce Wayne felt kind of absent (which felt like a choice that makes sense as the story progresses).
Outside of the performances (all of them being good to great) the movie just looks stunning. There are some pretty breathtaking shots that really wowed me in the movie. The action scenes are a little grittier than in previous films. There isn't a lot of crazy over-the-top moments like in a lot of the other recent DC movies. Despite that, there are a few action scenes that are full of adrenaline and feel very tense. The movie does often go to some pretty dark places though, especially with the Riddler character. There were some scenes that I think would make younger fans of Batman uncomfortable, so just keep that in mind if you plan on taking younger kids to see this.
It's hard to know where to put this movie when comparing it to the other Batman movies of the last 30 years. As I said before, it's most definitely the darkest of them all in terms of tone. It's also got a really unique visual style that I really dug. It doesn't have a lot of lighthearted moments or any kind of humor like a lot of the older ones do. I don't know if I really want to say it's better or worse than any of those, but it's certainly different. I know a lot of people could find this particular style of storytelling pretty boring or offputting. The movie can move a bit slow at times with its story as it's a slow burn for sure (hence the three-hour runtime). This Batman/Bruce Wayne doesn't have much charm like Christian Bale or Keaton's versions did.
Despite some flaws like maybe being a bit too long and a little too joyless at times, I still really enjoyed this movie. It's a different version of the Batman character that's never been done on film. I found the story and villain interesting and the potential for more movies in this version of Gotham excited me. The visuals were a highlight in the movie and did a great job at adding to the atmosphere. Overall a really good Batman movie. Just be ready for a lot of sadness... a LOT of sadness.
Overall Grade: B+