The Batman

It's impossible not to see a hundred or more sources of inspiration; from 1970s Lumet to thriller Fincher to early Proyas. Ditto when it comes to the inspiration for specific comics, games and cartoons featuring the Dark Knight. And yet, it's purely Reeves's singular vision that doesn't go for traditional blockbuster gilding. It builds on atmosphere, grime, big city corruption, style (just the camera and lighting work), subliminal tension and pacing (or lack thereof). Gotham is more of a character than most of the ensemble. Pattinson plays Batman purely through stubborn silences and penetrating glances as a "voyeuristic inexperienced weirdo in a costume" instead of a traditional (super)hero. What Reeves didn't manage well, however, is the running time. Not that there's anything that feels out of place, and not that it drags, but several of the themes and characters (including Bruce) are so far down the road that they could (and should) be in the eventual sequel. That said, as an origin story of a grounded Bat-universe, it’s flawless. (02/03/2022)

Matt Reeves delivers a confident vision of the world of Batman, going in a completely different direction than his predecessors. As he sees it, Gotham is an ugly and dirty city, and its inhabitants are tired of corruption and crime. So it's no surprise that Reeves’s and Pattinson's Batman is no pushover. The new Batman doesn't gloss over the inspiration in crime dramas from the 1990s and thrillers from the 1970s, recalling Se7en, Serpico and Death Wish. And there's a lot more talking and investigating, as Reeves made a primarily crime thriller set in a much more realistic and believable world than his predecessors. It looks nice, it sounds great, and Robert Pattinson is very good as Batman. Unfortunately, he's not very good as Bruce Wayne, and overall the work with his “civilian hero” is a bit jarring. Mainly because despite the three-hour running time, they ultimately didn't quite manage to pull all the motives, storylines and twists to a satisfying conclusion, making some elements of The Batman feel sort of half-hearted. In short, there's an awful lot to deal with, and Reeves doesn't always manage to pull it off to a satisfying conclusion. Less is sometimes more, on the other hand it all still works enough to make a good film. (28/02/2022)

A smoothie made of Se7en and Zodiac, filmed as a PG-13, with no blood and explicit dialog. To cap this, we have Batman playing the role of chief investigator of a series of unexpectedly personal murders. Comic-book poeticism vies with a realistic approach and, despite several small hiccups caused by the not completely perfect script, most of the time Reeves successfully manages to balance them both. From time to time, the slow and atmospheric story is interrupted by a skillfully sound-engineered, visually impressive and un-confusingly filmed action scene, the greatest treat of which is the car chase with Oz. Bob Pattinson does quite a good job of Batman, his aggressive style of keeping order is likeable, but had not enough time to be convincing as Bruce Wayne. Catwoman is a fox. Dano enjoys his part. The final confrontation with the Riddler is perfect. The Batman Oreos was a nice treat. Nobody!!! (02/03/2022)

The Batman is a great way to take a new path and not disappoint viewers pampered by Nolan. Matt Reeves is the guy who can take a simple plot formula and make such an engrossing spectacle that intoxicates the audience with every scene over the course of three hours. The deliberate slowness of many of the scenes with their polished staging more thoroughly stylizes the characters and builds up the dark atmosphere of the hopelessness of a dirty, corrupt setting. Giacchino is unrecognizable and, especially in the suspenseful scenes, he transcends the shadow of his own creativity. The actors are well cast and directed (Farrell is again the most expressive of them), and the new Batmobile makes a grand entrance. What diminishes the film’s potential is its PG-13 rating – its very dark spirit in combination with the plot concept involving the hunt for a psychopathic killer, heavily inspired by Fincher’s Seven, needed a bit of graphic violence. In the films greatest display of rage, Batman pounds his fists into the bad guy’s face without even bloodying his nose. And the film contains a lot of such nonsense, sometimes purely logical, that stands in stark contrast to the otherwise fantastically well-crafted filmmaking details. (13/03/2022)

Matt Reeves and his dark neo-noir detective Batman! I was hoping that the new Batman would instantly join the top 10 films I've ever seen and unfortunately that's not going to happen, as some of the individual elements didn't quite work for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't a solid film that everyone should see in the cinema. In fact, I can't really imagine seeing the film at home and not falling asleep. Matt Reeves pulls us into a three-hour dirty and dark Gotham that is no stranger to crime and corruption. The acting is very precise, Robert Pattinson as Batman is perfect, Zoë Kravitz is the sexiest Catwoman ever, Jeffrey Wright as Gordon is very solid, and Paul Dano is very good as the villainous Riddler (although at times I thought he overacted quite a bit, but nothing distracting). Colin Farrell as the Penguin should also be praised, he managed to shine in a small space as well. The atmosphere of the film is really reminiscent of Fincher's Se7en, and I was reminded of Saw in a few scenes (probably due to the puzzles). As a detective film The Batman is very good, with great crime investigation, but I'm a bit disappointed that we don't get much action itself, given the long running time, I would have liked at least a more spectacular finale (apart from a couple of ground fights in the dark, there's really nothing wow on my part), which unfortunately means I won't be in a hurry for a second viewing. Praise must also go to the music, which is spot on, and above all the cinematography and technical aspects are of the highest possible standard. I had goosebumps twice, during the one-shot Batman flyby and also when the Batmobile starts up (although surprisingly it was only used once!!). All in all the three hours were fine, there is a lot of quality work done in many ways, but it is so exhausting that the experience is not multiplied by euphoria as I had hoped. Maybe on a second viewing I'll enjoy the film even more, maybe the experience needs to mature, but either way, satisfaction prevails. Story 4/5, Action 4/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 3/5, Entertainment 4/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 5/5. 8/10. (02/03/2022)