After watching comic-based movies for over thirty years, I can confidently say—the best superhero films are not superhero films. They are simply genre films featuring people with special abilities.
Case in point: Captain America: Winter Soldier. Logan. And now, The Batman.
DC needs to learn to keep a lid on their casting choices—or maybe not. At this point, people ranting and screaming at the heavens because of Batman and related characters casting choices is nothing new. Hey, I ranted at Heath’s casting as Joker—but I learned my lesson. So, when Batfleck’s turn came about, I held my peace.
The result?
An incredible performance that didn’t get its time in the spotlight.
We all know the story; personal issues interfered with the original plan to have Affleck direct and star in a stand-alone Batman movie that would have had Deathstroke as the main villain. That would have been insane; as both characters are well known for their physicality and combat abilities. Besides, the warehouse scene in Dawn of Justice gave me one of the several things that had been lacking from live-action Batman films:
A Batman who can actually fight.
Another thing that has been so conspicuously absent in these/those movies is actual detecting. For a character who is hailed as ‘the world’s greatest detective’, to the point where one of his deadliest and oldest rivals refers to him like that, the movies have failed in that regard.
Till now.
The Batman is a standard mystery crime thriller; someone is running around Gotham murdering the rich and the privileged ala the corrupt. He leaves breadcrumbs for the police and a certain vigilante to find – or the tail end of a rope for them to tug on, and unravel the biggest corruption scandal in Gotham since…well, since Gotham.
The vigilante in question has been around for roughly two years; his methods still need a lot of work. The most obvious tell of this is the fact that there’s no clear distinction between the mask (Bruce Wayne) and the man (Batman) yet. Bruce broods. Bats broods. Bruce is obsessive. So is Batman. He seems to totter on the edge of complete insanity, needing ‘one little push’ to completely lose himself. And somewhere on the fringes is Batman’s batman, hovering, unsure of his place in the ungodly mess that is his charge.
Gotham itself is a city devouring its own tail. It is gloomy, seedy, with the sun barely seen during the 176-minute runtime. Bruce himself provides the narration for some of the film, providing context and exposition. Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle is a pleasure to watch—something even Bats acknowledges in one of the ‘that was weird’ scenes. The character can be fun, but we cannot have much of that in this joyless movie. Her bisexuality was introduced—but they did not beat us over the head with it. And both the stars have on-screen chemistry in abundance. Sparks and hearts flew off the screen every time The Cat and The Bat shared a scene. I do like how their relationship is teased but not explored any further.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman is soooo good for so many reasons. The dialogue is excellent, James Gordon is more visible here than in any other movie version, though he seemed more like Bats’ sounding board than his own man. It’s always nice to see the more human members of Bats’ rogue’s gallery – Falcone, Maroni, Collin Farrell virtually disappear into his Penguin, sounding like an early-day Rob DeNiro knock off. Gil Colson is supposedly Harvey Dent’s forerunner—and Peter Sarsgaard plays him like a college teenager on his first date with his crush. Alfred is the guardian who is confused about his ward’s choices but loves him, nonetheless. And a bonding moment promises a closer relationship between the two, which will probably lead us to the Alfred we all know and love.
The Riddler, whose name has somehow become Edward Nashton is played to perfection by Paul Dano, who I have thought of as ‘disturbed’ for a while. I’ve always found his babylike face creepy, and he dials it all the way up with growls and grunts and sudden screams.
I couldn’t help but notice how Reeves draws parallels between Bats and Riddler. They both stalk people. They both embrace theatricality. They both keep meticulously detailed ledgers.
And Riddler admitted to being inspired by Bats. If only he knew….
Pattison’s Batman realizes he still needs a lot of work; this is clear for all to see when, at the climactic moment, he is made to realize running around a city in black and calling himself ‘Vengeance’ may not be the smartest choice.
I’m not even going to talk about the bike. The Batmobile. The gadgets. The functionality of the Batsuit. However, it is worth mentioning that it’s as though Reeves looked at Nolan’s trilogy and went, ‘Grounded, shey? Hold my cape!’
And the cinematography?
The Batman is a lovingly and gorgeously shot movie, frame by frame. Several shots in it feel like a picture come to life, and symbolism is rife within the shots. Greig Fraser of Dune fame deserves an Oscar for this one!
If I could offer Reeves some advice, though; it would be to
LEAVE JOKER ALONE.
Everybody has a narrow view when it comes to Bats and his rogues’ gallery; as though Joker is the only villain he has! Reeves did a great job with Riddler, now do some other guy like The Ventriloquist or Ra’s or Killer Croc or Clayface or Mad Hatter or The Court of Owls or Hugo Strange or Black Mask or Calendar Man or Lady Shiva or….
Point made.
The Batman may be a hard sell for ‘regular’ moviegoers who only know Steve Rogers because they’ve seen Avengers Endgame, and people who are not movie buffs may find it long and boring. But I guarantee anyone who watches with an open mind will be entertained.
After all, is that not why we’re here?
An award-winning writer/copywriter, he is the author of nine books including Saving Dapo, a local bestseller. He has written all sorts of things; poetry, tv/movie scripts, speeches, love letters, music, album reviews, and movie reviews – including the one you just finished reading. He has created, co-created, and written a number of campaigns and TV/radio spots for brands like MTN, First Bank, Sterling Bank, KIA, Oraimo, etc.
He also teaches creative writing, and is a creative consultant and troublemaker. When he is not writing, he is thinking about writing, and when he is not thinking about writing, he is drinking vodka, eating shawarma, reading a book, and or watching life happen.
Find him online @seunodukoya or www.seunodukoya.com.