When I first heard they were making another Batman movie, to be honest, I wasn’t planning on seeing it. I feel like it had been pretty overdone, and I knew it was going to have an insanely long run-time. Additionally, I was insanely disappointed by the recent DC Batman (ie. Batman vs. Superman), and besides, how could it ever top The Dark Knight trilogy? The trailer made me a little more excited, but it still wasn’t enough to get me totally hyped. Once I saw all the good reviews from critics and family/friends alike, though, I knew I had to take a trip to see it. And boy, was I glad I did. The Batman is a strikingly beautiful film and a creative twist on the famous bat that must be seen to be believed.
Poor Robert Pattinson had never been viewed as a real actor (in my opinion) until a few years ago. Sadly, his starring role as Edward in the Twilight saga made him out to seem like a one-tone, teen-romance actor, and that label stuck with him for a long time. Even after he did more daring films such as The Lighthouse, it wasn’t well-known enough to rid him of that reputation. But I think this film has finally done it. Not only has Pattinson got the classic Batman voice spot-on, but he’s also brought new darkness and mystery to the role that I don’t even think Christopher Nolan’s film dove into. There are many scenes in which he doesn’t have many lines—and he doesn’t need to. His looks are enough to convey everything that needs to be said. Additionally, his chemistry with Zoë Kravitz was incredibly raw and real. Although not many superhero romances worked for me, these two broken people drawn to each other’s flaws and trauma seemed realistic among the CGI chaos. I think he was definitely a strength of the film and was a great choice for the role.
My favorite part of the film, however, was the cinematography. While many superhero films seem very one-note in the lighting and framing of scenes, The Batman was incredibly interesting to watch and dissect. I had a feeling it was going to be artistic when I saw the upside-down shot of Batman in the trailer, and I was definitely proved correct upon viewing the film. There was one scene I can’t get out of my mind of Batman getting shot at in a hallway and the gunfire lights up the room as he takes out the criminals one by one. There were so many moments like that that elevated the piece. Even more impressive was the fact that these unique shots all had the same tone and felt like the same movie. They were different, but at the same time, didn’t feel disjointed. That’s quite difficult to pull off but I believe The Batman excelled at it.
Now, although I stated in the title of this article that this was the best Batman to date, that might’ve been a little clickbait (or paperbait). In all honesty, I don’t like to make those large statements until the film has been out for a few years, and I’m not sure yet if I think Pattinson is the best Batman. Sure, I really enjoyed the film and there’s a lot of hype around it now, but I’m interested to see how I feel on subsequent viewings. Even so, I believe that this film has at least proven to be a worthy competitor of the long-time favorite Dark Knight.
My biggest recommendation is to find the nearest cinema and see the film yourself. Even if you’re not a huge superhero fan, this movie really feels more like a detective drama than a CGI adventure. I really think it’s something that should be seen on the big screen. Not only does it have amazing visuals as I’ve discussed, but it also has a soundtrack composed by Michael Giacchino that I simply cannot get out of my head. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to make the call on whether this vampire-turned-bat is too emo, or if he’s the best portrayal of this classic hero that we’ve seen in cinema history.
Spoiler Alert is an Opinion culture column used to give reviews for movies, television shows, or other related media.
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