He still doesn’t like sunlight and prefers gloomy, rainy locales. He is still as pale. He is still anguished. Only he doesn’t sparkle… he broods.
For me, the perfect representation of the caped vigilante fighting crime in Gotham City has always been a combination of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne avatar and Christian Bale’s Batman avatar (but with Val Kilmer’s square-jawed masked face). Why? Because George Clooney was a joke and Ben Affleck who?! So when Robert Pattinson was signed for the latest version of my, sorry, I mean everyone’s favourite DC superhero, I was intrigued. There is no doubt about Pattinson’s acting chops (get over Twilight, both those who hate him or worship him for it), but I just couldn’t picture him as the caped crusader who strikes fear in the hearts of criminals.
The perfectly imperfect hero
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne Warner Bros.
Pattinson is not what I would say was my perfect Batman, but he is, without a doubt, the perfect fit for Matt Reeves’ version of the superhero — scarred, insecure and racked with self-doubt when the mask is off, methodical and fearless in the suit. Pattinson’s Batman spends more time in his suit prowling dark, shadowy corners of Gotham City than as Bruce Wayne. His depiction, in departure from most other versions of the billionaire, is that of a social recluse who hardly mingles in high society and is far more eager to get back into his suit.
Two years into his role as a vigilante, the caped crusader is still figuring out who he is and grappling with the question of whether his vigilantism is very different from the serial killer who is out to get corrupt officials in Gotham (apart from the killing, thank god we have returned to a Batman who doesn’t use guns or mow down people).
Pattinson embodies the hopelessness of a man who realises no matter how much he does, the world is not going to become a better place. And that is something that sets this film apart from Chirstopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, which became a genre-defining film, to which every Batman reiteration will forever be compared. In The Dark Knight, Batman was always a beacon of hope. That is not the case here, which makes this version even darker.
A crime thriller with a gangster vibe
Paul Dano’s turn as the Riddler Warner Bros.
The Batman is an out-and-out crime thriller with Batman, his trusty butler Alfred and Lieutenant Gordon trying to catch the Riddler, a serial killer who leaves clues in cutesy cards addressed to his fellow vigilante at gruesome murder scenes. This is also a gangster movie diving into the underbelly of Gotham with its seedy bars, drugs and other illicit activities run by mob bosses and their allies in the system. While the word noir has always been associated with the Dark Knight, in its story, theme, settings, look and feel, The Batman truly fits the term.
A treat for Batman fans
Zoe Kravitz is charismatic and possibly the most comprehensive representation of Catwoman Warner Bros.
The film is also a treat for Batman fans with so many iconic characters making their appearance in it, from Jim Gordon to Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), Oswald Cobblepot (aka the Penguin) to the Riddler and so far, they seem to be the best iterations of each character (let the debate begin!). Being a huge Gary Oldman fan (my favourite version of the detective till now), admitting that Jeffrey Wright’s portrayal of a world-weary Jim Gordon is probably the best is hard, but entirely justified.
And Zoe Kravitz, with her scene-stealing performance as Selina Kyle, is hands down the best. She is absolutely charismatic and possibly the most comprehensive representation of Catwoman, and therefore someone I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. Colin Farell’s completely unrecognisable turn as the Penguin is commendable, as is Paul Dano’s Riddler.
A Gotham worth revisiting
Matt Reeves has given Gotham a more realistic vibe, balancing perfectly between gritty and pulpy Warner Bros.
And while Nolan has made sure that no iteration of the Dark Knight can do without the dark and gloomy setting, Reeves has taken that further and given Gotham a more realistic vibe balancing perfectly between gritty and pulpy. The action has moved from glitzy highrises to dusty warehouses and underground clubs. It is a Gotham where no one is entirely good. And it is a Gotham that I would happily return to. Yes, the movie is long and doesn't have the explosive crescendos that made The Dark Knight such an incredible film, but the pacing is perfect for a crime thriller with time spent on building each character.
With this film I hope we can put the Zack Snyder-Ben Affleck version of the Dark Knight to rest. Amen.