TV & Film
Superhero comic book stories are usually retold and refashioned throughout the decades, with the Batman undergoing the most reinvention–having eight actors seen in both animated and live-action film over more than half a century. With the harsh criticism against Ben Affleck’s previous crack at the bat and quality of the DC Extended Universe, all eyes were on Director Matt Reeves to redeem the character. Thankfully, Robert Pattinson’s rendition arrives with a vengeance to retake Batman’s title as the greatest comic book hero—just in time to rival the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man, who is plausibly Batman’s main rival in comic hero popularity.
It starts with going back to the root of who Batman is: A detective.
The decision to market The Batman (2022) as a noir film over a superhero action adaptation was the best thing Warner Bros. has done for their most valuable intellectual property. Hiring Reeves to craft this thriller-mystery was also an excellent executive decision since he understood Bruce Wayne in a way that not even critically acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy director Christopher Nolan could—that Bruce Wayne is human. In his suit, he is a relentless man who can stand alongside gods such as Wonder Woman and Superman.
Positioning Paul Dano’s Riddler as Batman’s main villain helps Wayne’s intellect and grit shine through, providing us with a three-act mystery masterpiece worthy of Agatha Christie’s approval. The journey through Gotham City’s underbelly was mostly unpredictable, yet as the plot unraveled it stayed engaging from start to finish. Michael Giacchino’s score perfectly builds up suspense at the right moments and—combined with the dark, gritty cinematography—has actually led me to be downright scared at the presence of the titular character.
Reeves actually ensured that the action scenes weren’t shot in the same quick-cut manner as other superhero films such as Nolan’s trilogy. This allowed the audience to experience Pattinson’s fighting stunts like that of a bystander at a street fight, giving us the chance to fully feel the weight and lift of every punch given and received against the Batman.
This type of action direction also helps the viewers see that Robert Pattinson’s Batman is fully allowed to make mistakes. He backtracks in his investigations, his gadgets malfunction against him, and he struggles to land on his two feet. He is just a man in a bulletproof suit, so it is refreshing to see him struggle against ordinary men who are equally as strong or even a little stronger than him.
The movie is set in Batman’s second year of fighting crime in Gotham, so his amateur moves—semi-guided by Jeffrey Wright’s Lt. Gordon—are all the more appropriate.
It is also ironic that this may be the horniest Batman film seen in a while, when Pattinson portrayed the most virginal Bruce Wayne.
This is a stark step away from the usual playboy philanthropist image that Bruce adopts in past adaptations. Instead, we are repeatedly reminded that his public persona is that of a wealthy, orphaned recluse. We learn he has definitely not felt the touch of a woman in ages, given how Andy Serkis’s Alfred, Bruce’s butler and confidante, implies he has been too caught up in crime fighting. However, the sex appeal was not lost; it was common to see Pattinson shirtless outside of the suit, and his whispered flirtations with his leading lady can leave one gripping the cinema seat from the kilig. We haven’t seen this sensual of an exchange with a Batman arguably since Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy.
The introduction of Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman singlehandedly strengthened the appeal of the femme fatale trope, and her electric chemistry with Pattinson’s Batman was so palatable that I felt like I was intruding in a private moment. Kravitz’s choice to interpret the character as bisexual also added a deeper layer to how she acted out Selina’s tortured motive.
The Batman proves to be a stand-out addition to the timeless franchise with the story’s genre shift, raw vulnerability, and newfound sexual energy. Nevertheless, the strongest point of the film is the conversation around privilege and what the superhero genre offers to its audience.
The superhero genre has received numerous criticisms for pushing military propaganda, and Batman has not escaped these accusations. The Batman franchise in particular has been accused of being a story that is pro-police: The utilization of his various gadgets may place a harmful idea that policemen should need military-grade weapons in order to deal with crime. There’s also the long-debated issue that Bruce Wayne is a billionaire who could be doing more for solving crime at a systemic level instead of perpetuating the cycle of incarceration.
Fortunately, The Batman does not shy away from this criticism; in fact, the privileged background of Bruce Wayne can still be seen despite the mask he wears. Thrice in the film, we see the bat fumble in his actions because he was unable to position himself as one of the working class. He fails to speak basic Spanish—which is widely spoken by Latin-American immigrants—and recognize labor tools. The Batman’s central conflicts revolve around police brutality as Bruce Wayne grows disillusioned at the vast corruption spread throughout his city.
Before anyone is quick to claim that Robert Pattinson is now “for the boys,” The Batman at its core does a brutal dissection of film bros and any man easily swayed by the male power fantasy by showcasing how easy it is for them to misconstrue the hero as a symbol of aggression. Reeves forces the audience, through Bruce, to acknowledge that the Batman shouldn’t be a message of vengeance. We are left with the question of what is Batman, if not a harbinger of violence?
Although The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) still arguably stands to be the best Batman film of all-time, Reeves may stand a chance to have created the best live-action Batman film since Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008). It is still unclear whether a new trilogy is on the table, but—even as a standalone—The Batman has managed to give a unique yet sorely needed back-to-basics approach that reinvents our World’s Greatest Detective for the better.
