The Batman (2022)

 

Well, we've certainly had our various Batmen throughout these past few years. And yes, there was quite the online storm when it was announced that Robert Pattinson would play Batman in this iteration, because somehow people can't seem to get over the fact that he once played in 'Twilight' and those films were pretty awful yet immensely successful. But should one of those people have ever seen Pattinson in one of his more meaty roles (say, 'The Lighthouse', perchance?) then they would have immediately realized that he can do a lot more than one would expect. 

And yes, he is a quite capable Batman here, no question about it.

Gotham is on the verge of total chaos and crime runs rampant. However, the mysterious figure of the Batman has been doing his best to instil fear in the hearts of criminals and actually stopping crime left and right. This is a young Bruce Wayne, so he's not quite there yet, but he's trying his damnedest to keep as many people safe as possible. But when a mysterious killer targets some high officials of the city, things get difficult, as it seems that in every echelon of decision making, corruption and crime permeate.

These murders are committed by someone dubbed The Riddler, as he likes to leave puzzles and riddles behind, and Batman and the police force are pretty stumped at times at what the connection between the victims could possibly be. It somehow leads to crime boss Carmine Falcone, but exactly how is not clear. And then there is a plucky young woman named Selina Kyle who has her own reasons for going after Falcone... 

To get the elephant out of the room: this is first and foremost a detective tale, not an action film. Maybe this threw some people off, but as a mystery it works quite well. Batman is in essence a detective and here this part of his character is exploited to the fullest. Why does the Riddler commit these crimes and what are the connections linking the victims? This is what needs to be discovered, not just henchmen and evildoers being clobbered. It's a nice change of pace for once.

The acting across the board is pretty good. Jeffrey Wright is great as Jim Gordon (not yet commissioner here) and he works well with Pattinson's Batman. As Batman, Pattinson really delivers, you can tell he went for it and it clicks on so many levels. His Bruce Wayne is a bit of a letdown, alas: too broody and too clearly an alter ego of sorts. It's a good thing we don't see this side too often in this film then. 

Who really takes the cake is Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. The looks, the demeanour, the athleticism... She's got it all down to a T. Colin Farrell as The Penguin is also a great addition, even if you wouldn't recognize him underneath all that makeup. 

Much has been said about the darkness of this film and yes, it is gritty and dark, but not unwatchably so. It all gives that depressing atmosphere that this story needed and it just fits nicely. It works with the deranged outings of Paul Dano as The Riddler as well, as this is far from any uplifting comic book tale. 

Are there shortcomings? Sure. For one, this film is about 40 minutes too long, as the entire part after the capture of Riddler (sorry, spoilers) adds nothing much and feels forced and tiresome. The pretty hamfisted conflict when Bruce discovers his father wasn't a perfect person also is a bit shoehorned in. But that last bit fortunately doesn't take up too much time in the overall story. 

If you give it a chance, you will discover a very decent Batman-story that just is a touch too long, but other than that? It's pretty bloody good.