The Batman

If the world of Batman that Christopher Nolan created didn't exist, Matt Reeves's The Batman would be a more than worthy upgrade to the old Burton films, because the main assets of the original films, i.e. the gothic sets, the dark atmosphere and the intense orchestral music, are solidly restored, modernised and upgraded for the contemporary viewer. However, the "higher scale" that Nolan imprinted on the main character with his unmistakable signature is not worked with here. So while you can check all the boxes in Batman Begins, the reboot is really just a convoluted, dark noir detective story with an interesting narrative and a number of well-written characters. But watching this 176-minute colossus, in which every other shot, gesture and look is 3 times longer than it should be (and yes, even the car chase is insanely long and unimaginative), is a real chore. (06/03/2022)

The Dark Knight is Batman's take on Heat and The Batman is a clear salute to Seven, Zodiac, 8mm, Black Rain and all similar (neo)noir movies, but Matt Reeves doesn't rip them off because his film is just another one of them. Comparisons to previous Bat-films are unfair, but they can't be completely avoided either, because The Batman is still Batman. It's not even true that he's just now becoming a detective, because he's already investigated quite a bit in The Dark Knight. But the film's clear trump card is its atmosphere, which really hasn't been seen before – dark, ugly, rainy, dirty, lurking in the shadows and aggressive, a full-on Gotham that brings out perhaps the worst in all the characters. Pattinson's Batman is perfect, and I loved how the weird costumed vigilante seems almost out of place in the cop scenes, for example. But Pattinson as Bruce Wayne is just as good, although we don't get to enjoy him much. I also really liked Zoë Kravitz and John Turturro, whom I only recognized because of his name in the end credits. Paul Dano as the Riddler can proudly stand next to Ledger's Joker, and Colin Farrell clearly enjoyed Penguin as well. The film looks and sounds absolutely amazing, Giacchino's score is the second best Bat soundtrack after Elfman's Batman Returns, surpassing Zimmer's tracks in that it can be listened to on its own and you get something out of it. There are a great many scenes (in fact, ideally the whole film) that I would like to see again immediately, but two of them really stand out, the one at the funeral and the one with the Batmobile. The silence in the cinema was sepulchral and tense, as it should be. (03/03/2022)

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)

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)

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)