The Batman – Review
When I first heard about The Batman movie, I had some misgivings. Why were they making a Batman movie completely unconnected from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU)? And could Rob Pattinson pull off a believable Batman considering he is known from the Twilight movies?
I was very pleasantly surprised.
I know that some people found the movie boring because it was not all action. In fact a large chunk of the movie is a detective story about tracking down a serial killer.
Although the focus of recent Batman stories is very dark, a larger part of his legacy is as the world’s greatest detective. Batman first appeared in Detective Comics (DC is actually short for Detective Comics).
As I watched this movie, this was the closest that I have seen to the Batman I grew with reading in the comics during the 1970s and 1980s. I found it completely refreshing.
I will also say that they did a masterful job with the Riddler. I have always found the Riddler to be one of the least interesting Batman villains. But this movie made him both terrifying and intriguing. He was one of the most complex movie villains that we have had in a long time.
And yes, Rob Pattinson did a great job as Batman. We didn’t get to see him much as Bruce Wayne, but that was part of the point of the movie. In addition, Catwoman and Penguin were great and surprising the movie didn’t come across as too crowded with all of these characters.
We have had a lot of Batman-related movies and TV shows lately and there are more arriving. It could easily feel overdone. But The Batman was done in such a way that it stood out from the crowd. Definitely a great movie.
I also thought it was pretty good. My only criticism is that Pattinson was a very odd Bruce Wayne. He was nothing like what I picture as Bruce Wayne. He was too young looking and too emo-looking.
However, it was meant to be only his second year as Batman. Taking that into account, I thought it worked.