Vengeance, or the act of inflicting punishment for committing wrongdoing, is what drives Matt Reeves ‘The Batman’ - it is a film about punishing those who commit crimes, which has been the foundation of Batman’s ethos. The line “I’m vengeance” is spoken by the caped crusader (Robert Pattinson) early on to a bunch of street thugs, but is then reiterated by several of the supporting roles much to ones confusion; Has he been saying this to everyone in the last two years of his time as Gotham’s vigilante? Vengeance is a defining theme here, as Batman is judge, jury and executioner, regardless of a quip about no guns. Vengeance plays a role, not just from Batman’s point of view, but in how Reeves incorporates it into Riddler’s (A sinisterly exciting Paul Dano) motivations as the plot revolves around the solving of Riddler’s riddles amidst his fight against corruption.
The Batman is at its best when it boils itself down to a gritty detective noir, owing a lot of inspiration to David Fincher’s style of filmmaking; Se7en; Zodiac. Indeed, Dano’s Riddler is as quiet and intimidatingly sinister as Spacey's John Doe is in Se7en. When it lends itself new technology for 'the world's greatest detective' to play with - a highlight of which being the contact lenses that record his vision so he can re-watch back for clues - it’s an inspired choice. One of the key themes Reeves plays with it perception, and how we see other people - none more relevant to Batman than his own father enacting a shady political campaign - but unfortunately, these are amongst many other gadgets side-lined early on as the film pings around the crime story that Riddler is trying to expose Which is the issue that becomes oh so apparent: Why is Riddler being so ridiculous? He leaves clues for Batman to follow, so he can help but it’s so convoluted. One of the main plot points revolves around mispronounced Spanish, adding more layers to the bloated mystery. The first half of Riddler’s story is him attempting to weed out a rat within the crime family/corrupted government. Yet he already knows who the rat is, so why force Batman on a journey of discovering all this out for himself. Was it just to waste time? As many deaths as there are in this at the hands of the Riddler, it’s time who is the biggest killer in this.
At a weighty two hours and fifty-six minutes long, this rich and dense movie becomes overwhelming in how much it wants to do and whom to introduce. The film brings together a gallery of comic characters such as The Penguin (Colin Farrel), Falcone (John Turtorro), Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) and they all become players in this wild tangled plot, which becomes just so much to digest as we learn who these people are within Gotham itself. It means one is always playing catch up, never able to get on the wavelength of the film. Repeat viewings may bolster and reinforce their characters, but the film bites off so much more than it can chew.
It doesn’t help when taking Batman on tangents into the of his parents demise. Of course, while Reeves plays around with paternal themes - The Sins Of The Father is a Riddler clue and is painted in big bold letters on the floor if it wasn’t clear enough - the tangential direction of putting Bruce on the wrong path weighs down an already bloated and stuffed movie that has to introduce a whole new spin on what matters to this version of Batman. It’s mentioned briefly at one point that Bruce does his vigilantism for his fathers legacy, but it’s said far too late in the game as we have only encountered Bruce with our preconceived notions of the Batman. This is especially noted when one of the first interactions between him and Alfred (a brilliant but woefully underused Andy Serkis) is Bruce saying he doesn’t care about anything Wayne related.
This familial theme is highlighted even more with the introduction of a rapturous Selina Kyle, a sultry cocktail waitress version of Catwoman, inhibited by revenge for her friend and her mother, with an infatuation for strays. It makes sense that she would gravitate to a Batman as broody as Pattinson’s version, who himself is the epitome of an orphan stray - albeit a privileged rich one - It’s a shame that it feels wholly unreciprocated as all the attraction comes from the magnetic Kravitz, while Pattinson’s quizzical infatuation seemingly comes from lewdly peering at an undressing Selina. Their chemistry is that of a kitten playing with a half-dead bird, one entrancingly attached to the other disinterested party, none more so than when Selina abruptly kisses a surprised Batman. So when the film wants to invoke that attraction as a pivotal development, there’s far too little attachment to their relationship.
There’s more chemistry between Jim Gordon (the always terrific Jeffrey Wright) and Batman, who have built up a trusting relationship with each other over the two years. Their dynamic is an absolute highlight, with a hushed exchange before an iconic Batman quick departure being the most interesting of their exchanges. They’re also very trusting of one another, even in the face of evidence supporting Batman’s lesser integrity - It becomes a bit frustrating that a detective as capable as Gordon doesn’t even register the link between receiving evidence about someone from Batman and their disappearance that same night. That unwavering support builds the bond but it pulls down the dramatic momentum of the second act. Moments such as an APB put out on Batman becomes yet another superfluous non-starter of a plot element in a script that is already filled with cheat codes for convenient plot progress.
When a story is this tumescent, it requires a deft hand in other elements to do a lot of the heavy lifting, for which comes from Greig Fraser’s beautifully blazing cinematography, which illuminates a gloomy Gotham in a saturation of burnt bonfire. This, along with Michael Giacchino’s hauntingly macabre score punctuating the gritty underbelly of the film makes for a fantastic sensory overload that is both thrilling and fundamental in rescuing the indulgent script.
Perhaps the strangest position to find one self in is how to feel about Robert Pattinson’s Batman. The sound and production design does all the heavy lifting here, as Pattinson doesn’t have the gravitas in his voice or mannerisms to really sell it. He can punch his way through countless, faceless thugs and inject himself with a mysterious, random serum that fixes gunshot wounds but within his dialogue, that’s where he just doesn’t quite land. That crunch of the boots on wet gravel is a visceral way of getting audiences to focus on showing how intimidating this version of Batman is, but the sullen undertones of a deliberately emotionally stunted 30-something year old leaves much to be desired. A caveat exists, that alongside most elements which detract from the film. there are bright sparks from Reeves smart, direction. Such as a car chase that is so intimately framed that you’re unable to view the outer ramifications of the other vehicles and a rage-infused Batman beating up a thug after mystery serum.
Reeves’ The Batman is really, for lack of a less perfect descriptor, cool. It's definitely trying to be. The accumulation of visuals, sound and performances from Farrell and Dano make for a movie that is often wickedly thrilling, but all too frequently monotonous with it’s runtime. For a film set deep in the depths of Gotham’s grit, it’s script slowly descends into more and more of the chaotic silliness that it feels desperate to shed.
Written by Connor Lightbody on March 3rd 2022
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