Only in his second year, a young Batman faces one of his first big challenges when a psychopath with a penchant for riddles begins targeting Gotham City's most powerful, leaving messages for the Batman at every crime scene. Through the course of his investigation, the caped crusader will wade through the city's underworld, teaming up with a cop and a cat burglar along the way.
When a character is re-imagined as frequently as Batman there's a danger that things might start to get a little repetitive. As filmmakers run out of places to go, these different iterations inevitably begin to blur. Thankfully however, that is not a fate that has befallen Matt Reeves' The Batman. The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director has taken a young caped crusader and inserted him into a gripping mystery thriller, set against the backdrop of a grim and desolate Gotham City. There is something very Se7en-esque to this, as the titular vigilante and his cop best friend try to make a difference in a city that is the very definition of a lost cause, all of which is rather fittingly set to a soundtrack that takes its cues from Nirvana's Something in the Way. It's the ideal scenario to explore what it is to be Batman, and the trauma (rather than the event) that led to his creation.
It almost seems like an odd thing to say, given the many different portrayals of the character, but this really is a Batman we haven't seen before - on the big screen, anyway. The same can be said of almost all the major characters, including Gotham City itself. A lot of which is down to Reeves' gritty, more realistic approach. Something which gives the movie an almost horror-esque quality. In fact, if it weren't for the cape and cowl you might not even consider The Batman to be a superhero movie. This Batman is raw. He's dangerous, even scary (another first for his movies). Gone is the sleek sophistication we saw with the Bale/Nolan and Affleck/Snyder takes on the Dark Knight, and in its place we find simply a young man fuelled by rage and sorrow.
Robert Pattinson proves to be the perfect choice to bring this rather damaged Bruce Wayne to life, as he easily embodies all sides of this rather complicated character. A man who has shunned any semblance of a normal life in favour of this obsessive crusade. You can see the toll it has taken on Bruce through the few relationships he actually maintains, which are as interesting as they are complicated. The most normal of which is definitely the one he shares with Lt. Gordon, basically because it's a working relationship. Jeffrey Wright brings a tired dedication to Gordon, he looks just like a cop who has spent a lot of years fighting against a corrupt system, alone. There's not quite a friendship there yet, but the two of them do share a goal, even if they are going at it from slightly different directions. Whereas Andy Serkis' Alfred is more like a worried parent trying to protect a grown child. They don't exactly see eye to eye, but even when Alfred is dishing out some tough love, you can detect warmth in Serkis' performance. And then there's Selina Kyle, who thanks to Zoë Kravitz has a sassy, seductive confidence. She and Pattinson have excellent chemistry, which makes the attraction between their characters - not to mention the conflict it causes within them - all the more genuine.
Very much a one-man band, Pattinson's Batman has an arsenal that - rather refreshingly - actually looks like it was either bought in an army surplus store or bodged together in a cave, and all of which is totally geared towards practicality. You could be forgiven for not questioning how the people of Gotham haven't figured out that Bruce Wayne is Batman, because this Batman doesn't look like he's operating on a billionaire's budget. Even the new Batmobile airs a little more on the practical side compared to its predecessors. Although it's still very cool, somewhere between a muscle car and an armoured truck (optional extras included), and you can certainly see how it achieves its goal of striking fear into the hearts of anyone he's pursuing. The thing that makes this Batman really interesting however, is he's still trying to figure out what he really wants from his vigilante career. Is he happy simply stalking criminals from the shadows, or does he want to be something more?
Over the years we've seen Batman in many forms decimate legions of goons - an ability that Pattinson's Batman ably demonstrates - but a movie variant of the character has never really got to grips with a truly engrossing mystery... that is, until now. Finally we get to see the world's greatest detective actually do some real detective work, as he takes on a delightfully unhinged Riddler in a game of cat and mouse that rips right through the criminal underworld and the halls of power in Gotham. In what can only be described as an incredible performance, Paul Dano shirks off the lime green lunacy to bring us a Riddler more akin to an incel, one prone to rage-filled outbursts. He simmers on screen, like that creepy mask is containing him in some way, but every now and then his anger gets the better of him and he explodes into a furious screech.
But it's an unrecognisable Colin Farrell who steals the show as a larger than life Penguin. Farrell was undoubtedly having the most fun on set. Penguin's not quite the big crime boss yet, working instead for John Turturro's quietly sinister Carmine Falcone, but that doesn't prevent him from causing a little chaos. This includes the epic central car chase in which Oz (as he's known in the movie) breaks pretty much every traffic law in an attempt to evade Batman and his fear inducing ride. He's also the only person with the guts to mock Batman to his face. All of which means the planned Penguin spin-off series - which sees Farrell returning to the role - is definitely something to be excited about!
Even with the gripping mystery and a colourful cast of characters, this wouldn't be a Batman movie without some intense action sequences. Well Matt Reeves certainly delivers on that too, blending it all into this enthralling narrative. The aforementioned car chase is a particular high point, but from the moment he appears on screen our hero demonstrates his ability to pulverise any criminal who stands in his way. Every fight scene is beautifully choreographed so that you can see exactly what's going on, not to mention the rage that is fuelling Bruce. This includes a scene lit purely by gunfire. Pattinson not only masters the fight choreography, he is able to emote everything that Bruce is feeling in those moments. He is quite literally relentless, and every scene will leave you wanting more. Hopefully then, this is just the start of an epic new saga for The Batman!
Matt Reeves' new take on the Dark Knight is more dark and gritty crime thriller than superhero movie. An excellent cast, a gripping mystery and some intense action scenes will have you so engrossed you'll barely notice the near 3 hour runtime.
10/10
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