“The Batman” Review

Keith Ellington, MVC Writer

This is the best Batman movie of all time. “The Batman” is one of D.C.’s new installations in their franchise and without surprise, this movie is great. From the vision and cinematography, all the way down to the expressions and reactions of every character, it is amazing.

This film was directed by Matt Reeves. His vision of Batman was different than most Batman films already made, but in so many good ways that this movie is the first to feel like the Batman comics. This differs from the goofy-ness of the Joel Schumacher and Tim Burton movies, and the Christopher Nolan Trilogy where it felt as though Batman could be in real life. The movie is dark and gritty. It really felt like a city dipped in the darkness of its crime.  When explosions happened, I found myself squinting because of the light. Yes, the movie was that dark. The movie was a visual spectrum that I could not get enough of.

The action was also amazing. Though there is not a lot of action, the action has some CGI and some real stunts in it. When watching its best action sequence and then comparing it to other scenes, that special scene was worked a lot, and I could tell they spent a lot of money on that one scene. It was suspenseful: overwhelming, but still gave off a noir vibe,  until the explosions. 

The best thing to me was the acting. I have not seen any other comic book movie with this good of acting since “Man of Steel.” The casting is perfect. Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman is a great choice. She is expressive with her emotions and the events that happen to her really make me feel invested in the story. Colin Farrell’s Penguin is also exciting to see. He is one of the examples that make this movie feel like it could be real. He could really be a mob boss in real life named Penguin.  

Paul Dano’s take of the Riddler gives off a vibe that reminds me of the serial killer dubbed, “The Zodiac Killer” A killer known for leaving clues behind to find him and giving police a hard time. He is mysterious with his riddles and his appearances. Viewers do not even see his face until near the end of the movie, and he is just flat-out creepy. The scariest thing to me about him though, is that I agree and understand his morals. The city is obviously corrupt and he wants to put an end to it. He exposes all of the dirty cops and political figures all with clues and riddles. Dano’s Riddler is the best adaptation of the character. 

The best performance out of the whole movie is Robert Pattinson’s Batman. He is amazing. I love what he did with the character. I doubted him before thinking, “The guy from that weird vampire romance? No thanks.” But I was wrong. I was overly surprised. I could feel what he was feeling without him even saying anything. Literally most of the movie he says nothing. I wondered, “How did he do this?” It is his eyes. His eyes do it all. Pattinson’s past performances back up this statement. When the viewers get close-ups of his face, it looks like he is on the verge of tears, but he is holding it in. This is really moving, considering that his character is pushing all his emotions down inside to stay being Batman. I love this about Pattinson’s take on the character and this specific detail of his Batman will stick with me forever.

“The Batman” gets a 10 out of 10 from me. It is a  masterpiece of a film and I will definitely see it again. This movie is so impactful with emotion, action, astonishing cinematography, and great directing. It truly is the best Batman movie I have ever seen. Any other actor trying to play Batman again, good luck. It will be super difficult to top Robert Pattinson’s Batman. He is the true Batman.