Hmmmmmm……What can I say about The Batman? I am going to date myself a little bit here and say that I have seen every single Batman movie. I saw the very first Batman movie when it was released and still think that Michael Keaton was the best Batman out of all of them. Jack Nicholson as the Joker outdid himself as the best and first movie villain. Christian Bale comes in second as Batman in my book, and I think the plots for the movies he was in built up his character with more engaging personality..
Ok…that is the past. Now, let’s talk about the present. Robert Pattinson is Bruce Wayne, who we all know is Batman. Robert Pattinson has played many memorable rolls, including in the Twilight Saga and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Pattinson has also been the face of Dior fragrance for many years. Other familiar faces and names include Zoe Kravitz as The Catwoman, Colin Farrell as The Penguin and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. Other notable stars in the movie include Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis.
Other Batman movies have rehashed how and why Bruce Wayne became Batman. I am glad that this Batman movie doesn’t repeat that story yet again for the audience. Alternatively, the plot jumps right into The Batman being around for a while. There doesn’t seem to be a buffer between what the audience knows and where the plot begins. It’s a little confusing. Apparently, Batman has helped the police department to solve crimes for a while. The story begins with the murder of the Gotham City Mayor and then the police commissioner by The Riddler, who uses the murders to leave messages for Batman. The Riddler leaves a thumb drive with photos of the commissioner with a woman, Annika Koslov, at the Iceberg Lounge. The nightclub is run by The Penguin who is Carmine Falcone’s first lieutenant. Annika goes missing and her roommate and friend, Selina Kyle, is looking for her. Selina is a waitress at the Iceberg Lounge. The plot follows both Batman and Selina as they uncover The Riddler’s identity and the reason behind his treachery. Personally, I found the plot hard to follow at times. It seemed there were abrupt transitions from one plot point to another.
This is a very dark film, not only in tone but also the cinematography. The colors are all blacks, gray and brown. The city seems overcast with shadows, clouds and rain. The dull colors seem to match the tone of the film. Pattinson portrays Batman as a brooding soul who does not speak very much.
The Batman release was another victim of delays by the Covid19 pandemic. The initial release was scheduled for June 2021 but was delayed twice. The Batman was originally developed in 2013 with Ben Affleck as the star, but Affleck later dropped out of the project. Affleck had also planned to direct, produce and co-write the film. After his departure, Matt Reeves took over and also co-wrote the script with Peter Craig.
The intention of this film is to set up the beginning of a DC Universe series. The last scene sets up the next segment in the series. Although I didn’t dislike The Batman, I can’t say that I loved it either. I hope the next one will allow Pattinson to portray Batman with a little more personality, rather than the strong silent type. We’ll see what happens.
