Robert Pattinson deserves a Pat(ins)on the back for his performance in the Batman
Indigo Craane, Staff Writer
Matt Reeves’, “The Batman,” released March 4, 2022, has no shortage of angst. Gotham in the week after Halloween, the week in which this three-hour film unfolds, sees about as much sunshine as Scotland in mid-December. The streets of Gotham City are slicked with rain and sleaze; Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” plays in the background to better illustrate the grittiness of the setting. Back at the Batcave, Robert Pattinson’s Batman flicks greasy bangs away from his face, revealing the smudged black eyeshadow around his eyes. And that’s just the opening.
Reeves’ “The Batman” is a murder mystery thriller inspired by various Batman comics (such as “The Long Halloween”, “Dark Victory” and “Ego”), and 70s crime noir thrillers (think “Taxi Driver” and “Chinatown”). Batman, with the help of Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), is sent on a hunt by serial killer Riddler (Paul Dano) to solve the murders of Gotham Elites. However, he also uncovers a much bigger conspiracy that would destroy the carefully-structured facade of Gotham as everyone sees it— including Batman’s own past.
Robert Pattinson gives the best performance of Batman in live-action cinema by far. In previous takes of the DC superhero, directors portrayed Bruce Wayne as a billionaire, philanthropist playboy who seduces girls day in and day out. Instead, Reeves presents Bruce Wayne as a recluse, possibly suffering from mental illness, who is still grieving the death of his parents and coping with night-time vigilantism to clean up the streets of Gotham. He is only in year two of being Batman, which does two things. First, it gets rid of the need to cover the origin story that everyone is all-too-familiar with, and second, shows the imperfections in his crime-fighting escapades as Wayne has not quite mastered what it means to be Batman.
The cinematography is by far the best aspect of the entire film. Gotham is presented as the grimey sewage city painted in Arkham video games and the 1990s’ animated series’: a place that no one should be proud to call home. This intertwines perfectly with the musical score composed by Michael Giacchino. When it kicks in, you feel the complete magnitude and weight of the story: dreadful and dark, yet still hopeful. Signature Batman.
While a sequel seems to already be under works, it is clear that this is the start to a new future of Batman. Usually in comic-book movies, it is the same story told ten times over. It’s boring, it’s nothing new— But with Reeves’ iteration of Batman, his superhero story is brought to life in a riveting way.
Robert Pattinson rocked a goth, eye-bagged look for his Batman.