In an era where nearly everyone suffers from superhero fatigue, did we really need this installment in the Batman franchise? To put it bluntly, I’m not sure, but I did enjoy the hyper-emo, fun-filled ride. So, smear some black eyeshadow around your eyes, because this is all about ~The Batman!~
When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.
If David Fincher’s Se7en had a baby with a cinematic superhero, the result would be The Batman. Robert Pattinson’s depressively emo portrayal of Batman may be the most realistic example of what happens to a human when your life gets fucked, and his version may be my favorite of the series (sorry, Bale).
But with such a famous franchise (eight Batmans who have played or voiced the role since 1960 not including Pattinson), it’s difficult not to compare and contrast, especially with characters like Cat Woman, the Riddler, Penguin, and even Batman himself. Let’s be honest, Zoe Kravitz as Cat Woman is great, but she’s no Michelle Pfeiffer. Sorry.
The gritty, 3-hour epic runtime was LONG, especially for me. Vincent Mancini, a critic from Rotten Tomatoes, expressed my concern hilariously by stating, “Controversial opinion: a Batman movie should not be longer than ‘The Godfather.'” Straight facts.
It’s important to go into this movie trying not to compare it to the Christian Bale Batman trilogy; this is and never will be like The Dark Knight. Full stop. Once you grasp that concept, and try to watch this movie as a stand-alone, unassociated with the previous films, it actually slaps.
“To be fair, the Batman movies have often drawn top-drawer talent — from Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer to Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Marion Cotillard — not to mention that Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix have both won Oscars for playing the Joker. But that also means there was that much more of an imperative for Reeves to make his “Batman” justify its existence.” via Variety.
It may be darker and grittier than before, but it’s worth diving into this version of emo Batman. Robert Pattinson may be one of the greats of our generation, and if you doubt that, we need to have a talk.
On the Screen Reviews 