The Batman (2022)

The newest picture in the caped crusader’s film career was a well-produced movie that transcended the comic book movie genre, but it had its fair share of blemishes as well. 

The Batman starts a new series of Dark Knight films and this time Paul Dano’s Riddler is the first big bad that Batman must face. As the Riddler, reinvented as a psychopathic serial killer, picks off the cities elites in an attempt to expose corruption, Batman is faced to confront not only the Riddler and bringing him to justice, but he must also try to cleanse the city of the deep-rooted corruption and organized crime that has poisoned Gotham for so long.

Something great about this film is that it is a completely fresh take on Batman. This is the first Batman film that is a real detective story. It’s a mystery that has the audience chasing the plot along with our protagonist. This film is very reminiscent of classic murder mysteries like Seven and Zodiac, you can really see the David Fincher influence. The Batman fits into that category of dark and brooding murder mysteries which is something I love. I am a big fan of superhero movies that successfully appear realistic and feel like they are taking place in the real world, which is how this picture feels.

I also really liked Robert Pattinson as Batman. When he was announced as the titular character, I was skeptical. But my original thoughts proved to be misguided. Pattinson was great in the role and I really enjoyed a younger and more inexperienced version of Batman. He played the role like he still had a lot to learn and like he was still a young man which was a very interesting and new take on the classic superhero. 

However one of the big issues I had with the film was that it wasn’t the most original story or premise. It did seem like a big composition of films like The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Seven, Zodiac, and other dark crime pictures. There was nothing groundbreaking about the film and all though it is a new type of Batman movie, it still has remnants of past films. 

Where this is most obvious is with the Riddler. The character’s actions and motives felt way too similar to the Joker from Chris Nolan’s 2008 masterpiece, The Dark Knight. Both characters’ actions are very much alike. For example, the way they commit one murder at a time in hopes of provoking the elites of the city and how they broadcast on live TV their threats and murders as well as leave notes for Batman to find. Not to mention their motives are the same, they both wish to rid the city of political corruption and organized crime by exposing them to the public.

At the end of the film, during the final battle and afterward, there weren’t any major consequences that Bruce Wayne or the city of Gotham had to grapple with. Yes, there were some minor revelations that were uncovered but nothing that engendered drastic change from beginning to end in this film. The films I previously mentioned all finished on a high note with some huge payoff for all the build-up and that just didn’t happen here. 

This movie is definitely a quality Batman film, it is absolutely one of the better comic book movies I’ve seen and it deserves praise for rising above the typical comic book movie genre. However, it has some serious shortcomings which hold it back from being in the same tier as the Nolan Batman trilogy. 

Last week, teens followed along with Julie Papas from ClayNation to make a painted gift for a special woman in their life.

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