The Batman (2022) - Movie Review

 To be frank, I had zero expectations from the new Batman movie and I had not been following this on the media circles, even after a week post release. But when a friend suggested that this one’s in the Theatres, I decided to give it a try. 

And hot damn! Color me pleasantly surprised, this turned out to be one intense ride, a grim crime-noir about the seedy  underbelly of the perpetually dark Gotham city . The main story is a twisty investigation into the shifting power circles within the shadows of the city, that involves solving riddles and brings Batman to tackle not just righteous “terrorists” attacking the city but also, to have the courage to face the demons from his own murky past. 

Of all superheroes, Batman is one of my favorite ones. Because of his fallibility, his ‘heroic’ intentions that always land him in the no-man’s land, where he has to choose between doing good for this city he has grown to love, sworn to protect and sacrifice his personal goals or the relationship with his loved ones. It’s always this 'walking the tightrope, between falling prey to the violence that surges through the city and keeping that devil inside him in check, that’s made his stories fascinating. Adding additional layers of complexity to the narrative, as we are thrown off the cliff without warning, to fall into such traps, where the mind is forced to choose. 

Matt Reeves’ The Batman does an excellent job of reminding us of this seething complexities of the human mind. Robert Pattison’s portrayal of the Called Crusader/ Dark knight is grounded, sullen and realistically enjoyable. Mind you, this is the early days for our dark knight, just two years into when he's taken on the mantle of saving his city. And he is still raw, rough around the edges, often getting beaten up  in his over zealousness to be "The Vengeance". 

A series of grisly murders of the officials of the city, including the Mayor and the police chief puts the GCPD on high alert, but the clues, or rather riddles accuse these high officials of being corrupt and not doing enough for the city. A serial killer who goes by the moniker of The Riddler, demands that these clues are ultimately for The Batman. Into this mess, comes Selena Kyle a young woman who works the bar for one of the city's criminal lords Penguin, an understudy of the reclusive Mob gangster Carmine Falcon. 

The Batman reluctantly teams up with this fearless young woman, to solve the riddles and figure out the real reason as to why this 'Riddler' is killing off the city officials. What is the big secret? Who all are involved in this large-scale cover up? We get there eventually, but after some hefty twists and turns, some well deserved emotional pay-offs and old family secrets of the Wayne enterprise and the mob families spilling out of that cupboard. Not to mention, some good old fashioned crunch-fest action sequences ( that is paused for long bouts of detective work, expositions and flash-backs) including one terrific chase scene with the Batmobile. 

Robert Pattison's Batman is like an elusive wasted rockstar, but at the same time a fiercely intelligent detective, determined to clean up the secrets that abound. This 'noir' aspect set in the perfect backdrop of a grey, perpetually grimy and rainy Gotham city was missing in all previous aspects of Batman's outings. We aren't gloating over the many tools in his Bat Suite or the Bat Cave, instead we are diving headlong into a complex mystery that needs sleuthing and solving. This also slows down the pacing and shrouds the movie in a fog of pondering seriousness. But I wasn't complaining. Along with the perfect background music and low-light cinematography by Greg Fraser, this creates a delicious slow-burn atmosphere for the whole movie giving it a completely original and different vibe than the previous campy almost cartoonish versions of the 90's or Nolan's flashy version. 

In terms of acting, Robert Pattison does a great job of conveying that pain of having lost his parents to a mysterious shooting years ago well enough, adding an aura of mysterious reclusive charm to this Dark Knight saga. Zoe Kravitz as the nimble-footed 'Catgirl' is refreshing, Jeffrey Wright as the righteous cop in a department full of corrupt crooks, is earnest and in great form. A word John Turturro's slimy Mobster act as Falcon, absolute class. And then there is Colin Farell, unrecognizable under all that makeup and prosthetics as the Penguin - always an intense actor, who sinks deep into his roles. 

Despite that tediously overlong climax, I thought the overall movie was well done. A different vibe to it, plausibly coming close to the comics version that we have all grown up on ( For certain scenes, I almost thought they were going to bring alive The Court of Owls! Goose-bumps!) A definite step-up for the DC Movies Franchise, Robert Pattison's groovy take on Batman is transformative and original. This new version of The Batman is a sweeping masterpiece of movie-making that has got us cheering once again for the fallen hero, this brooding superhero with a soul. Highly recommended watch.