Even though the tweets and posts are not pouring like you see with Spider-Man or MCU movies, hardcore comic book fans couldn’t say enough nice things about The Batman and I am definitely one of them.
Right off the bat, pun not intended, I should mention the fantastic background score done by Michael Giacchino. Even though Ben Affleck and Christian Bale’s version had a pretty solid accompanying score, this one hits you hard when watching on a big screen.
I can say with confidence that The Batman has the best background score in any Batman movie that came before.
Moving on from one best to another, the Gotham city that Matt Reeves, the director, showed in the film is by far the most accurate live-action depiction of this broken city from DC Comics.
It’s just the right amount of crime-ridden atrocity and mob-influenced governance, which leads to the public losing faith in the system. It looks like Gotham from the comic pages too — dark, gritty, damp and unloved.
The Gothamness of the shots also makes the cinematography the best in any Batman movie. The dialogues were bang on too, especially the ones delivered by the Riddler and Batman.
Even though Battinson’s Batman was outsmarted by the Riddler, this version of him is the closest to a Detective Batman we might get for a while. Even though the comic book world is pretty rich with Batman’s detective stories, people are not just used to seeing Batman do detective work on the big screen. They want big flashy fights.
Due to the pace of the film and the fact that this version of Batman is more of a detective than an action hero, the typical audience might find it boring and uneventful. But fans of Detective Batman and the thriller genre would enjoy it thoroughly.
Another complaint many people had was Robert Pattinson’s Bat-suit and I admit that I was one of them. However, upon watching it for almost three hours on a big screen, I can confidently say that this is my favorite Bat suit (maybe tied with Ben Affleck’s). The unusual collar that bugged me the most, turned out to be the best part of the suit for me. Trust me, it works.
However, one thing that didn’t work for me is the Bruce Wayne persona. The contrast between Robert Pattinson’s Batman and his Bruce Wayne for the outside world is non-existent. The comic book playboy persona of Bruce Wayne didn’t exist in this universe. The few times we got to see him as Bruce Wayne in public, it felt like we were watching Batman, just without his suit.
Other characters in the movies were pretty on point. Catwoman, Riddler, Falcone, Alfred, and Jim were all solid for their roles. But I’d have loved to see more of Penguin in the film. Other than the awesome car chase scene, Penguin didn’t have much to do in it. However, he had some punch lines that worked pretty well in this otherwise foggy universe of Gotham.
As for comparison, this version of Batman ranks right around Christian Bale’s and slightly above Ben Affleck. But Ben Affleck’s version is the darkest and most brutal and fans, including me, love it for this reason.
For that same reason, some fans are arguing that Battinson is not iconic enough, drawing a comparison with the ruthless and feared crusader of Gotham in Zack Snyder’s universe which is Ben Affleck’s Batman.
But the thing to remember is this version of Batman has only been Batman for 2 years, while Batfleck has been the caped crusader for decades in his universe. While the Batman of Zack Snyder was an urban legend in Gotham, Battinson is more real.
He strikes fear by being visible. He doesn’t hide. He is the vigilant detective, not the superhero looking for super-powered individuals to partner up. He fights on the ground, in front of everyone. He seeks vengeance. He solves crimes with the police. He is the detective Batman that Gotham needs and the one that I enjoyed from start to finish at the Silver Screen in Chattogram.
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Rifat with his favorite Batman T-Shirt after watching his favorite version of Batman on screen.
To wrap this up, The Batman has —
The best background score in a Batman movie.
The best depiction of Gotham in a Batman movie.
The best cinematography in a Batman movie.
The best live-action Riddler in a Batman movie.
The best Batsuit in a Batman movie.
The best dialogues in a Batman movie.
A good story, comparable to TDK. But definitely not better.
And a not-so-good Bruce Wayne persona. Even though I liked this emo brooding Bruce, it’s not the billionaire we saw on the comic book pages.
Overall, it’s a Batman film we’ve been waiting for, but The Dark Knight still holds its crown.
The Batman: 8/10 ★★★★★★★★☆☆
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